Author Archives: Dr. Paul Crosio

Thailand’s Draft Lemon Law: Why Businesses Should Prepare Before It Comes Into Force

Thailand is moving closer to adopting a dedicated legal framework for defective goods. On 16 June 2026, the Cabinet approved the draft Liability for Defective Goods Act, commonly referred to as Thailand’s “Lemon Law”, as proposed by the Office of … Read More

Short-Term Rentals in Thailand: Understanding the Non-Hotel Registration Framework

Thailand has long been one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations. From beachfront villas to boutique guesthouses and urban apartments, the country offers a wide variety of accommodation options for travellers. In recent years, however, the rapid growth of … Read More

Invest to Stay: Long-term Visa Options for Property Investors

Thailand’s Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa programme has matured into one of Southeast Asia’s most comprehensive residency-by-investment pathways – and for foreign nationals considering real estate in the kingdom, the 2025 and 2026 rule changes have made property investment a more … Read More

The Structures That Worked, Until It Didn’t

Thailand’s nominee problem has long been discussed in hushed tones at expat dinners and property expos, with some less scrupulous agents offering various means of holding land, including nominee companies and the infamous, and illegal, 30+30+30 lease. In a recent … Read More

Practical Guidance for Persons Under Investigation for Nominee Shareholding in Thailand

This guidance is intended for foreign nationals and Thai nationals who are the subject of a formal investigation into alleged nominee shareholding arrangements. Such investigations are conducted under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) and, increasingly, in coordination with … Read More

Short Term Rentals in Thailand: Legal Prohibition, Penalties and the Landed Property Exception

The Hotel Act: Why Nightly Rentals Are Illegal Thailand’s legal framework imposes strict prohibitions on short term rental activity, particularly within condominium buildings. Under the Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004), any property rented on a nightly or weekly basis for … Read More

The BOI’s New Quarterly Reporting Rule: What Every Promoted Company Needs to Know Before 31 May

Thailand’s Board of Investment has revised its project monitoring schedule, replacing twice-yearly progress reports with quarterly submissions. The first deadline is 31 May 2026. This note sets out what has changed, what the legal instruments say, and what promoted companies … Read More

Thailand’s 3 Million Baht Investment Visa: A Potential Long-Term Stay Pathway – awaiting regulations

Thailand’s proposed 3-million-baht investment visa could create a new pathway for long-term stay through property investment. But with key regulations and certification procedures still unpublished, the program remains unavailable for now. … Read More

Kratom

Thailand’s Kratom Regulations: A Comprehensive Overview (2026)

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical tree indigenous to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, where its leaves have been used in traditional practices for centuries. In Thailand and neighboring regions, fresh or dried leaves are commonly chewed, brewed as tea, or … Read More

Navigating Foreign Participation Regulations for Thai Companies.

Since 1 January, 2026, the Department of Business Development (DBD) has enforced a series of administrative orders that systematically dismantle the era of passive nominee shareholding[reference:0]. This shift from form-based to substance-based verification fundamentally alters how companies are registered, amended, … Read More