Foreign Investment

Thailand’s DBD Is Closing the Door on Nominee Shareholding

The Digital Screening Systems Are Already Watching From 1 August 2026, incorporating or amending a Thai limited company involving foreign shareholders or foreign authorised directors will become significantly more difficult. The Department of Business Development issued Order of the Central

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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

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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,

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Thailand Intensifies Crackdown on Nominee Shareholders

A nominee shareholder arrangement occurs when a Thai national holds shares in a company on behalf of a foreigner in order to circumvent foreign ownership restrictions under the Foreign Business Act. Such arrangements are illegal under Sections 36 and 37 of the Act and can result in criminal penalties for both the Thai nominee and the foreign beneficiary. … Read More

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Foreign Satellite Landing in Thailand

Sequencing State Policy and Telecom Licensing in a Layered Regulatory Framework Foreign satellite operators evaluating Thailand are not facing two separate regulatory regimes. They are navigating a layered framework in which telecommunications licensing and state-level policy considerations operate within the

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