Thailand has formally removed the foreign business licence requirement for seven specified service activities, under a new ministerial regulation published by the Royal Gazette on 3 September 2026. The regulation, titled the Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Service Businesses Not Requiring Permission for Foreigners to Operate Businesses (No. 5) B.E. 2569, was signed by Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. It was issued under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999). The Commerce Ministry said the change is intended to update rules, make doing business easier and encourage foreign investment to support economic growth. The seven exempted activities The exemptions are limited to defined types of service business rather than a blanket opening of all service sectors to foreign operators. 7 service businesses that foreigners do not need permission to operate Telecommunications services (Type 1 licence): Only service for operators that do not own their own telecommunications network. Such services are already liberalised under telecommunications law. Treasury centre services: The management of funds in accordance with laws governing foreign exchange controls. Management services within the same corporate group:Including administrative services, human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) services provided between legal entities that are related under shareholding or director-relationship criteria. Space rental services for automatic machines: Renting part of a premises for the installation of ATMs, financial machines or vending machines for the convenience of company employees. Domestic debt guarantee services: Limited to guarantees of debts between related legal entities within the same corporate group, subject to the conditions prescribed by law. Petroleum drilling services: Limited to contractors that have entered directly into contracts with concessionaires, production-sharing contractors or service-contract holders under petroleum legislation. Additional financial and derivatives services: Including lending money for securities purchases, securities repurchase agreements, and acting as a dealer, adviser or fund manager for derivatives contracts, as well as transactions based on foreign exchange and interest rates. What this means for foreign investors For foreign-owned companies and overseas investors, the measure potentially removes one significant approval step for businesses that fall precisely within the listed categories. In many cases, the change is likely to be most relevant to multinational groups with Thai operations, particularly those providing internal HR, IT, treasury or management support. However, the exemption does not mean foreigners can automatically operate any business in Thailand without formalities. The scope of each activity is narrowly defined, and other sector-specific licences, company-registration requirements, exchange-control rules and regulatory conditions may still apply. For expatriates planning to work in a business covered by the new regulation, normal immigration and employment rules also remain separate matters. A business exemption under the Foreign Business Act does not in itself provide a visa or work permission. A targeted change, not a general opening The regulation focuses largely on services connected with corporate groups, regulated finance, telecommunications and petroleum operations. It does not state that ordinary foreign-owned retail, hospitality, property, consultancy or other general service businesses are exempt from foreign business licensing requirements. Foreign investors considering an affected activity should therefore check whether their proposed operation matches the regulation's conditions before relying on the exemption. Picture courtesy of Royal Gazette Join the discussion? 4 September 2026
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