The Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) has postponed a requirement to display QR codes next to the Thailand Industrial Standards (TIS) logo on certain product labels, linking to each product’s licensing information. Originally scheduled to take effect on January 21, 2021, TISI has agreed to extend this implementation date by a further six months owing to complexities involving product labeling and the COVID-19 pandemic. Manufacturers and importers therefore have an extra six months to prepare for compliance with the new regulations, which will now come into force on July 20, 2021.

Thailand’s Ministry of Industry (MOI) requires various manufactured goods, such as gas water heaters, fans, light bulbs, rice cookers, fuel oils, toys, and so on, to meet Thailand’s industrial standards before they are imported or manufactured domestically. The standards, governing product qualities such as design, shape, manufacturing process, durability, safety, and packaging, are laid out in the Industrial Product Standards Act (No. 6) B.E. 2548 (2005) and overseen by the TISI (which operates as part of the MOI). As the MOI prescribes these compulsory standards, via TISI, to ensure product safety and prevent harm to consumers and the public, once a product becomes subject to them it cannot be manufactured or imported without an appropriate license from TISI. Such products must display the TIS logo on their labels.

However, many products have been found to display the TIS logo dishonestly—that is, without having been evaluated or licensed by TISI. To deal with this dishonest use of the TIS logo, MOI Regulation Re: Format and Methods to Label and Use Markings on Industrial Products B.E. 2563 (2020) was issued in July 2020, mandating that various household appliances and other approved goods display a QR code linking to the TISI license information.

With the postponement of this regulation, all affected companies should take the opportunity to use the additional time to review their labeling standards and make any necessary preparations in advance of the new implementation date (July 20, 2021) to ensure that their product labels comply with the requirements of the ministerial regulation.

For more details on compliance with this or any other regulatory requirements, please contact Tilleke & Gibbins’ Bangkok office at [email protected] or +66 2056 5555.