Thailand sets permanent team to trace nominee firms

13 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

One of the most reasonable comments on this topic I have read. Yeah, I don't get it either really why is it such a necessity? Ego and power in their minds that they can own something? Grow it.people and deal with it.

If you cannot own it, someone else does and you are behoven to their good nature to even live there, Many did not want to trust it into a local girlfriends name. Even the structure created to get around this concern has now been declared to be insecure and illegal. The preference was to sell us all little dog boxes at high prices.

18 hours ago, thairookie said:

The Government should work closely with the Lawyers Council of Thailand to ensure that lawyers who advise or facilitate foreigners in establishing companies through nominee shareholders or other arrangements designed to circumvent applicable legal restrictions are held appropriately accountable. The Lawyers Council should ensure that its members do not provide advice that creates the impression that such arrangements are lawful when they may constitute a violation of applicable Thai laws and regulations.

As an initial step, the Lawyers Council should consider disciplinary action against lawyers found, following due process, to have advised or facilitated such arrangements, including, where warranted under the applicable professional rules, suspension of their licences to practise.

That will never happen only foreigners will be blamed, and very few Thai prosecutions will take place on any level. There is simply too much money being made, and being distributed throughout the government. From the very bottom to the very top.

On 9/7/2026 at 4:02 AM, Georgealbert said:

Thailand's Commerce and Interior ministries will form a permanent joint team to pursue suspected nominee arrangements used by foreigners to operate businesses or hold land through Thai nationals.

Maybe they will also pursue some of the dodgy government officials who sign-off on the paperwork for a fee and allow such practises to continu?

4 hours ago, wavodavo said:

Every country in the world has the right to set their own rules when it comes to property. In Ausrtalia cashed up Chinese parents send their kida to Universaties and instead of them renting somewhere for them to live they buy houses or apartments which they are allowed to do.This has ruined the property market because they out bid the locals everytime and it makes it hard for them to buy one and drives up the prices. However that is legal in Australia thanks to a hopeless labour government.

I thought Australia and NZ introduced laws that made it nearly impossible for foreigners to buy property there? Or waas that a limited time thing?

All these posts bring up valid points in why Foreigners should perform additional due diligence before investing or buying something of high value in Thailand.

Definitely would have been helpful if someone detailed all the risks, reasons and potential consequences to some of the Nominee businesses structures created to buy land. I understand that we all don't possess the same knowledge and experience on Real Estate.

There is talk about the criminal charges of a foreign Nominee crackdown leading to Visa Cancellation, deportation and possible blacklisting.

That would be a pretty scary scenario if the court rules this way.

Well, they are skint and this is low-hanging fruit and you don't have to change anything with a parliamentary vote, you just enforce a law that was already basically ignored... easy and rich pickings as everyone that gets caught out, their assets get swallowed up by the state. Judging by how many they are investigating and they are making it permanent.... looks like they are licking their lips.

It is indeed a cautionary tale of how you can't trust anything financial here and be prepared to lose anything you bring over if the circumstances arise or suddenly do a 180.

Okay, giving it away to your wife is different, but technically, you lose that too... even if you are in a stable and lasting relationship and benefit from it, it's not legally yours... and if you out-live your wife, then it can be complicated too.

43 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

It is indeed a cautionary tale of how you can't trust anything financial here and be prepared to lose anything you bring over if the circumstances arise or suddenly do a 180.

This has been what many have been saying for years here. "Never invest more in Thailand than you are prepared to walk away from some day" - One of the first friends I met in Bangkok - an American guy - said that to me, and of course I soon realized it was a popular saying. I once asked the guy why he didn't buy a condo back when prices were pretty good and foreigners were newly allowed to own condos, and he said "Because I believed then and now that one day they would try to take it away from me". He said that 25 years ago.

On 9/8/2026 at 9:58 AM, ronnie50 said:

"Never invest more in Thailand than you are prepared to walk away from some day"

On that basis, why would anyone invest anything in Thailand? Oh, that's right, everyone else is doing it so it must be fine. 😂

If one went to a casino, for example, that philosophy would be fine, but when a foreigner "buys" something in Thailand, whether that be a property / business, whatever, it's reasonable to expect some type of ownership / control of the asset / business, but not in Thailand.

Just now, KhunHeineken said:

... when a foreigner "buys" something in Thailand, whether that be a property / business, whatever, it's reasonable to expect some type of ownership / control of the asset / business, but not in Thailand.

Yes, and it's one of the reasons the country is falling behind in so many ways. They want investment - but only if the few hundred greedy oligarchs and their extended circles become 51% owners. Any company/corporation etc. of any sigificance would perform due diligence prior to any formal agreement (or even before that) and they would see what has happened to foreign partners here - and some really significant foreign partners at that. So that must be a cautionary disincentive.

Obviously some have good Thai partners and no problems. So I don't want to overstate the risk. But the big foreign names getting screwed - even if just a few big names - are enough to scare off other big names. Look who has left - and while some below eventually came back, stung but still kicking - we're talking Tesco, Carrefour, Marks and Spencer, Pizza Hut, Pepsi, Carlsberg, Nestle, Esso, Don Meaung rail link, a few other North American food chains - just to name a few... Sure some had other reasons to exit the market, not a falling out - maybe they misjudged the market, but it sure would be pause for thought during the due diligence exercise of future investors.