Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has announced the launch of the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) as part of ongoing efforts to improve entry procedures and streamline immigration processing. Effective May 1, 2025, all foreign nationals with any type of visa entering Thailand by any means will be required to complete the TDAC online prior to arrival. This requirement does not apply to individuals transiting or transferring through Thailand without passing through immigration control, or to those entering with a border pass. Foreign nationals planning to enter Thailand must complete and submit their TDAC within the three days prior to their arrival date. The form, which collects passport information, personal details, travel information (e.g., flight number), Thai accommodation information, and a health declaration—can be filled out in English online at https://tdac.immigration.go.th. Once the form is submitted, an acknowledgment will be sent to the email address entered on the form. This acknowledgment must be presented at the immigration checkpoint in Thailand along with travel documents for verification. The Thai government strongly encourages all foreign passport holders to complete the TDAC ahead of their departure to prevent any entry delays or issues at the checkpoint.

Thailand has proposed amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E. 2542 (1999) as the country steps up its efforts to combat economic crimes and corruption. One of the primary objectives of the amendments is to enhance the effectiveness of measures curbing the use of nominees to help foreign nationals operate restricted or prohibited businesses in violation of the law. If these proposed updates are implemented, they will substantially strengthen existing legislation related to the use of nominees and bribing government officials, including officials of foreign governments and international organizations. These offenses would be treated as predicate violations under the amended legislation. The draft amendments are currently open for a public comment period, which is set to conclude on April 25, 2025. Highlights of the proposed amendments are detailed below. Predicate Offenses The draft amendments propose adding the concept of a “predicate offense” covering the following: Bribery: Giving, offering, or promising to give assets or benefits to Thai or foreign public officials, or officials of international organizations. Acting as a nominee: Assisting, supporting, or engaging in the business operations of a foreign national who is not permitted to operate that business; jointly operating a business with a foreign national under the guise that it is solely owned by the Thai national; or holding shares on behalf of a foreign national in a partnership, limited company, or any other legal entity to help the foreign national conduct business without the permits required under the Foreign Business Act. Under the draft amendments, Thai individuals or juristic persons who have agreed to take any of these actions, as well as foreign nationals who allow such assistance in their business operations, will be liable for committing a predicate offense under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The draft proposes a prescription period of 15 years from

Thailand is continuing on its path toward comprehensive legislation to address climate change. In November 2024, the country’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) launched a public hearing on a new draft Climate Change Act following revisions made after an earlier hearing on a previous draft of the act. The revised version strengthens Thailand’s climate policy framework by introducing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), modeled after the EU’s system of the same name. The new draft also restructures the planned Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and enhances carbon-tax provisions. These initiatives aim to minimize carbon leakage, promote fair competition for domestic industries, and encourage lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As of March 2025, the Department of Climate Change and Environment, under the MNRE, is awaiting the Ministry of Finance’s input on the draft act’s establishment of the Climate Fund, a fund to support business innovation in responding to climate change. After incorporating this feedback, the department will submit the refined draft for cabinet approval, expected in 2025. The legislation will then undergo Council of State review, with implementation expected in 2026. Key Provisions The draft Climate Change Act contains a number of provisions that will affect businesses. Some of the most relevant are discussed below. Mandatory ETS The ETS is a mandatory mechanism designed to control GHG emissions by setting emissions caps for designated industries in alignment with national targets. Under this system, businesses receive emissions allowances allocated through free allocation or auctions. This scheme incentivizes emissions reductions by allowing businesses that emit less than their allocated allowances to sell their surplus allowances. The specific business sectors covered by the ETS have not yet been identified in the draft act, as details are expected to be in subordinate legislation. However, it is anticipated that the sectors will align

On January 1, 2025, the Department of Business Development (DBD) in Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce implemented new stringent corporate registration screening measures in collaboration with several other government agencies to prevent entities from opening corporate mule accounts to commit criminal activities in Thailand. The DBD’s Order of the Office of Central Company and Partnership Registration No. 3/2024 stipulates a new method for registering the establishment of partnerships and limited companies for people who have been involved in underlying crimes or who are owners of bank accounts that are being used for underlying crime, as per the notification of the Anti-Online Scam Operation Center (AOC) to the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and the collated AMLO list of such persons. The order establishes the following key requirements: Managing partners and directors of partnerships and limited companies, respectively, whose names have been listed by the AMLO as a person who is involved in an underlying offense, or as the owner of a bank account being used for the underlying offense, must appear before the registrar in person. The concerned persons cited on the AMLO list must provide valid documentation of their identity to the DBD registrar (e.g., national identification card, government official identification card, government or state enterprise employee identification card, alien identification card, passport, document used in lieu of a travel document, or other similar documents with photo identification). This collaboration between the DBD and various relevant government agencies aims to eradicate the problem of fraudsters using mule accounts set up under legally established entities to deceive the public. It also seeks to enhance checks and screening of corporate mule accounts that are used to carry out criminal activities such as money laundering or cybercrime. These actions are part of the Thai government’s broader policy to suppress economic crimes. For more