International: Thailand

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Multimodal Transport Operator Registration

Yes

Required where applicable. Under the Multimodal Transport Act, no one may operate multimodal transport without being registered. Multimodal transport means carrying goods by at least two different modes, such as truck and ship, under one contract, from a place in one country to a place in another. The Act applies to a company that concludes that contract and takes responsibility for the whole move as principal. It does not apply to a company acting only as an agent for the customer or the carriers.

Who registers, and on what terms

The registrar is the Director-General of the Marine Department. A Thai applicant must be a limited or public limited company incorporated under Thai law with its principal office in Thailand, with paid-up capital of at least 80,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR), an international reserve unit set by the International Monetary Fund. It must provide security for its liability under its contracts and keep minimum assets of at least 80,000 SDR throughout. Registration certificates are valid for five years. A foreign multimodal transport operator can work in Thailand through a registered Thai agent.

Penalty for Operating Without Registration

A fine of 100,000 to 1,000,000 baht, plus 50,000 baht for each multimodal transport contract already made. A company’s managing director or other responsible person may also be liable.

International Road Transport Licence

Required where the mover operates its own trucks on cross-border road moves. A Thai operator that drives trucks into a neighboring country needs an international transport licence from the DLT, granted under Thailand’s bilateral and regional road transport agreements, including the Greater Mekong Subregion Cross-Border Transport Agreement (GMS CBTA). Available sources indicate that operators must be Thai companies with their head office in Thailand and that foreign ownership is capped at 49%; confirm the current threshold with the DLT.

Foreign Trucks Entering Thailand

Not under the tourist vehicle permit. Thailand’s Foreign Vehicle Permit, used for private foreign-registered vehicles, excludes trucks. Foreign goods vehicles enter only under the relevant bilateral or regional agreement.

Foreign Ownership and International Moves

International carriage itself is generally not a restricted business under the Foreign Business Act. Freight forwarding, warehousing, and other service businesses fall under the Act’s List 3 catch-all for service businesses, so a company that is half or more foreign-owned needs a Foreign Business Licence for those activities.

Insurance

A registered multimodal transport operator must maintain the security for its liability that its registration requires. This research found no rule requiring movers to insure customers’ goods on international moves, so customers should ask what protection, if any, is offered.

OverviewOverview & Scope

A household goods mover operating only within Thailand needs the transport licence and other domestic requirements on the Thailand page. International moves add two possible requirements. The first is the one most international movers will meet: a mover that signs a single door-to-door contract covering, for example, trucking in Thailand and an ocean or air leg abroad, and takes responsibility for the whole move as principal, is a multimodal transport operator and must register with the Marine Department. A mover that only arranges transport as an agent for its customer, without taking carrier responsibility, falls outside that registration. The second applies to road moves across Thailand’s land borders, such as to Laos, Cambodia, or Malaysia. These need an international transport licence from the DLT under bilateral and regional agreements, held by the company operating the trucks, and available sources indicate that licence is limited to majority Thai-owned companies. Where a mover subcontracts the road leg, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs, and the mover uses carriers that hold it.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers must:

1. Determine whether the company contracts as principal for international door-to-door moves using two or more modes of transport. If it does, it is a multimodal transport operator under Thai law.
2. If so, register as a multimodal transport operator with the Marine Department, meeting the Thai incorporation, minimum paid-up capital, security, and minimum asset conditions, and renew the registration every five years.
3. For cross-border road moves in the company’s own trucks, obtain a DLT international transport licence under the applicable bilateral or regional agreement.
4. If the company is half or more foreign-owned, hold a Foreign Business Licence for freight forwarding, warehousing, or other service activities it performs.
5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Multimodal transport operator registration held with the Marine Department (current five-year certificate)Where applicable (mover contracts as principal for international carriage by two or more modes)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Multimodal transport operator security for liability provided, and minimum assets of 80,000 SDR maintainedWhere applicable (mover is a registered multimodal transport operator)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Foreign Business Licence held for service activities such as freight forwarding or warehousingWhere applicable (company is half or more foreign-owned)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• DLT international transport licence held under the applicable bilateral or regional agreementWhere applicable (mover operates its own trucks on cross-border road moves)Verified by DocumentRequired