Foreign-invested firms hold more than 1 million rai of land as Thai authorities examine company records for possible nominee arrangements
Thailand's Commerce Ministry is screening 125,622 companies to identify and prevent illegal "nominee" arrangements used by foreigners to own land and condominiums.
The crackdown focuses on major economic and tourist destinations, with provinces like Bangkok and Chon Buri showing the highest concentration of property held by firms with foreign investment.
Multiple government agencies, including the Department of Business Development and the Department of Lands, are collaborating to share data and tighten enforcement against these practices.
Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is using ownership records covering 125,622 companies to strengthen checks for nominee arrangements involving land and condominiums, with particular attention to economic centres and major tourist destinations.
Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director-general of the Department of Business Development (DBD), said the records include 36,277 companies with foreign investment holding 305,838 land plots totalling 1,064,265.38 rai. These are ownership figures used for screening, rather than findings that the companies have committed offences.
The initiative follows a meeting at the Commerce Ministry on Friday (September 4, 2026), attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun, Deputy Interior Minister Polpee Suwanchawi and senior officials from both ministries.
The DBD, Department of Provincial Administration and Department of Lands updated their shared information and agreed on tighter measures to prevent nominee companies from holding land. Officials are also examining historical records to close gaps that could allow nominees to be used in business operations and property ownership.
Land records cover more than 1.26 million plots
The Department of Lands supplied information on 144,706 legal entities holding property and condominiums, current as of September 4. Of these, 125,622 fall under the DBD’s supervision.
Within that group, 123,542 entities hold land titles covering 1,269,326 plots and a combined 4,504,926.88 rai.
Percentages show each category’s share of the corresponding total for landowning entities, plots or area.
Among the 36,277 landowning entities with foreign investment, the department identified three shareholding groups:
For national context, the department cited Thailand’s total area as 513,729.83 square kilometres, equivalent to approximately 321,081,144 rai.
Bangkok and Chon Buri lead different ownership groups
For companies with foreign shareholdings of 0.01%–49.00%, Bangkok ranked first by number of land plots, followed by Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi.
Together, these five provinces accounted for 135,040 plots, or 47.02% of the group’s holdings by plot count, and 198,019.37 rai, or 21.96% of its land area.
Chon Buri led the ranking for companies with foreign shareholdings of 49.01%–99.99%.
The five provinces represented 4,395 plots, or 50.90% of that group’s total, covering 34,928.30 rai, or 59.12% of its land area.
For wholly foreign-owned companies, Chon Buri again had the largest number of plots, followed by Rayong, Samut Prakan, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Prachin Buri.
Their combined holdings reached 6,463 plots, or 64.44% of the group’s total, and 79,125.54 rai, or 76.38% of its land area.
Companies hold more than 244,000 condominium units
The condominium records cover 14,878 entities owning 244,115 units with a total area of 13,153,690.14 square metres.
Wholly Thai-owned entities account for 52.40% of the owners and 68.52% of the units. Entities with foreign investment make up the remaining 47.6% of owners and hold 31.48% of units.
Percentages show each category’s share of the corresponding condominium total.
Most foreign-invested condominium owners fall within the 0.01%–49.00% foreign-shareholding band.
Agencies to trace suspected networks nationwide
Poonpong said the department would maintain its crackdown on nominee arrangements, prioritising major economic and tourism areas with substantial foreign investment and property holdings by foreign-invested entities.
The DBD will supply company registration records, shareholder information and financial statements to support the checks.
“Using Thai nationals to hold shares on behalf of foreigners distorts Thailand’s economic system, creates unfair competition and harms Thai businesses,” Poonpong said.
He said the department would coordinate investigations, information sharing and legal action with:
The Interior Ministry
The Department of Provincial Administration
The Department of Lands
The Royal Thai Police
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI)
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)
Governors of every province
The Board of Investment (BOI)
The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT)
Other relevant agencies
Investigations will extend to associated networks across the country, with firm legal action against offenders, Poonpong said.
The aim, he added, was “to create a transparent and fair business environment and promote lawful investment”.
