Cabinet adjusts state welfare card rules on personal status and vehicles

Siripong Angkasakulkiat, Deputy Transport Minister, said on Monday that the Cabinet had approved revised criteria and an extension of benefits under the 2026 State Welfare Card scheme.

The deadline for appeals or requests for rights review has been postponed to August 31, 2026, while existing welfare card rights have been extended until September 30, 2026.

This means current cardholders will be able to continue using their existing rights until September 30. Those who pass the new eligibility criteria will begin using their new rights from October 1, 2026.

The Cabinet also approved changes to vehicle-related criteria. Cars older than 20 years will no longer be counted, while classic cars will not fall under the eligibility restrictions. For motorcycles, vehicles with engine capacity not exceeding 300cc and aged more than 15 years will not be counted. Classic motorcycles will also be excluded.

The Department of Land Transport will screen vehicle information automatically, meaning people will not need to file an appeal in these cases. However, those with scrapped or damaged vehicles that have not been formally deregistered or had their registrations cancelled must submit an appeal through the Department of Land Transport, the Department of Provincial Administration’s nationwide one-stop service centres, or other available channels.

Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said the Cabinet had approved urgent data-review guidelines for checking eligibility, aimed at easing public hardship without requiring affected people to file appeals or complaints first.

The revised guidelines are as follows:

1. Student criteria

For the category of people deemed ineligible because they are students, the data will be revised to exclude students in vocational education programmes for rural development, as well as learners pursuing qualifications under the law on learning promotion.

2. Partnership, shareholder and director criteria

For people deemed ineligible because they are partners in registered ordinary partnerships or limited partnerships, or shareholders or directors in limited companies or public limited companies, the data will be revised to exclude:

Partners, directors or shareholders in entities registered as social enterprises under the promotion and supervision of the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion.

Partners, directors or shareholders in entities registered as community enterprises under the promotion and supervision of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

3. Securities account criteria

For people listed in securities deposit accounts held with the Thailand Securities Depository, or with a securities registrar, based on TSD data, the data will be revised to exclude accounts with no ownership of securities, or securities with very low total value as determined by TSD.

4. Bondholding criteria

For people listed in bondholder records under Bank of Thailand data, the data will be revised to exclude those with no ownership, or ownership of debt instruments with very low value as determined by the Bank of Thailand.

5. Vehicle criteria

Applicants must not own vehicles, except for ownership of no more than one vehicle in each permitted category: motorcycles with engine capacity not exceeding 300cc, three-wheeled cars, small four-wheeled hired vehicles, or agricultural vehicles under the motor vehicle law.

The revised screening will not count:

Motorcycles aged more than 15 years from their first registration date, except high-value motorcycles or collectible motorcycles of types, models or versions specified by the Department of Land Transport.

Cars, trailers and agricultural vehicles aged more than 20 years from their first registration date, except high-value cars or collectible cars of types, models or versions specified by the Department of Land Transport.

The Cabinet considered that the revised eligibility checks for the 2026 scheme would make the process more efficient and better aligned with people’s actual circumstances, based on fairness, transparency and up-to-date information.

The changes will also help improve government databases, making data more accurate and better organised. This will allow state welfare to reach genuinely low-income people more precisely and ensure budget spending is better targeted.

The Interior Ministry has also set up One Stop Service (OSS) coordination centres to support the 2026 scheme. These centres will assist eligible people who need to confirm their identity through electronic know-your-customer checks, or e-KYC, as well as people who do not pass the criteria and wish to request a review.

Village headmen, local administrative organisations and local government offices will also be informed through provincial and district mechanisms to help publicise rights checks.

The Finance Ministry will link the relevant data and pass assistance on to agencies according to their responsibilities.