Thailand Targets 14 Billion Baht in Nominee Landholdings, Sets December Deadline for Investigations

2,360 plots come under nationwide scrutiny

Thailand has identified 2,360 land plots worth 14.01 billion baht, about US$417 million, in a nationwide crackdown on suspected arrangements that use Thai nominees to hold property for foreigners. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul launched the operation on October 19, 2026, ordering investigations to reach conclusions in individual cases by December.

Department of Lands director-general Somchai Leelanoi said the plots were linked to 1,397 proxies and covered 5,467 rai, approximately 875 hectares. Authorities plan to compel the sale of land found to be held unlawfully, pursue civil and criminal action, and tighten checks on new purchases.

Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, set out three connected tasks: finish investigations, ensure compulsory sales actually change who controls the land, and prevent new nominee arrangements. Provincial governors and land officials were told to prioritise cases carrying the greatest risk and refer evidence of wider wrongdoing to the agencies responsible.

The campaign reaches beyond the names written on property documents. Investigators are being directed to trace purchase money, company ownership and the people receiving the benefits, including any networks supported by corrupt local officials.

Who really controls the land?

A nominee is someone whose name appears as an owner while another person supplies the money or exercises the real control. In the arrangements targeted here, a Thai person or company holds land on paper for a foreign beneficiary seeking to get around ownership restrictions.

Anutin said the inquiry must reach the people making decisions and receiving the financial benefits. The prime minister described the scope of the investigation:

This investigation must not stop at merely the names of title deed holders or company shareholders; it must dig deeper to identify the true controlling figures, behind-the-scenes decision-makers, and ultimate beneficial owners,

An ultimate beneficial owner is the person who ultimately controls an asset or enjoys its benefits, even when several companies or individuals stand between that person and the registered owner. Finding that person requires investigators to connect ownership records with evidence about money and decision making.

The ownership rules behind the crackdown

Thailand generally bars foreign nationals and foreign companies from owning land, while allowing exceptions, including ownership approved by the Board of Investment under investment promotion rules. The government says lawful foreign investment remains welcome.

A limited company with a majority of shares held by Thai nationals can purchase land. Investigators are examining whether those Thai shareholders genuinely own and control their interests, or whether they are standing in for foreign beneficiaries. That makes the source of the purchase funds and the way the company operates central to the inquiry.

Anutin, speaking as prime minister, paired the enforcement order with a message to investors following Thai law:

Thailand remains open and welcoming to honest, transparent foreign investments that respect Thai law and abide by the rights granted under investment promotion regulations,

For companies purchasing property, the practical consequence is closer scrutiny of both shareholders and funding. A share register will be examined alongside supporting documents showing where the money came from.

December is the investigation deadline

The Department of Lands and provincial governors must organise the investigations by priority, set clear schedules and reach a conclusion in each case by December 2026. Anutin said success should be measured by completed cases and effective enforcement, rather than simply by the number of suspected violations detected.

The announced timetable separates the launch of the campaign from its main investigative deadline:

• October 19, 2026: Anutin launched the nationwide operation, bringing together investigations, compulsory sales and measures to prevent new nominee holdings.
• December 2026: The Department of Lands and provincial governors are expected to complete investigations and reach conclusions in individual cases.

Officials must refer evidence of nominee networks or other offences to agencies with the authority to investigate further. No separate deadline was given for completing every compulsory sale or the resulting civil and criminal proceedings.

Forced sales must reach a genuine new owner

Compulsory sale is the second part of the operation. Where an investigation finds unlawful ownership, authorities intend to require the land to be sold and monitor the transfer. The government said in a statement:

The department will expedite the forced sale of land in cases deemed illegal and will proceed with both civil and criminal legal action,

Officials have also been told to examine the buyers and their behaviour. Anutin wants to prevent land from passing from one nominee to another while the same foreign beneficiary continues to control it.

Checking the new owner's funding is therefore part of enforcement, alongside checking the existing holder. A transfer could otherwise change the name on the deed while leaving the arrangement behind it intact.

Anutin said successful compulsory sales could return more than 10 billion baht to circulation and restore fairness for the public. The Department of Lands' 14.01 billion baht valuation describes the land identified in the campaign; the amount realised through sales will depend on the cases and transactions that follow.

New checks target purchase money

Somchai said individuals buying land for more than 2 million baht, or property with an assessed value exceeding 5 million baht, will face background checks. A purchase price is the amount agreed by buyer and seller, while an assessed value is the valuation recorded for the property.

Thai citizens married to foreigners will have to show that the money used to buy land belongs to the Thai spouse. That requirement puts ownership of the purchase funds at the centre of the check, alongside the name entered on the land title.

Companies buying property will face scrutiny of their shareholders and sources of funding, and will have to provide supporting documents under Thailand's land laws. These requirements give land officials information to compare with corporate records and financial trails.

Monitoring will continue both before and after registration of land rights. Authorities have also been instructed to watch changes in company shareholding structures, since control can change through a company transaction after the company has acquired land.

Agencies will connect financial and ownership records

Investigators are expected to cross-reference information from law enforcement, tax authorities, business registries and immigration services. The aim is to connect people named in different records and trace the networks behind suspect holdings.

Anutin asked agencies to share information on corporate entities, shareholders, funding sources, land use, financial trails and ultimate beneficiaries. Land use matters because it can help investigators understand how a property fits into a business and who gains from it.

The inquiry also covers possible corruption by local officials. Anutin praised cooperation involving the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Provincial Administration, the Anti-Money Laundering Office and the Department of Special Investigation, alongside other agencies.

The wider operation targets illegal businesses involving tax evasion and money laundering, as well as land nominees. Anutin also referred to a Prime Minister's Office announcement concerning deportation of undesirable persons and revocation of citizenship for people involved in money laundering and tax evasion. He placed the land campaign alongside government action against drugs, gambling, human trafficking, scams and corruption.

Land enforcement meets tourism concerns

Phuket is among the places where concern has grown over foreign property purchases. Recent protests about visitor behaviour and worries about ownership in tourism centres have added public pressure for enforcement.

Tourism accounted for 12.6 percent of Thailand's gross domestic product in 2025, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, which forecasts that its contribution will approach 20 percent by 2036. Gross domestic product measures the value of goods and services produced in an economy.

Those figures show the scale of Thailand's economic interest in maintaining confidence among visitors and lawful investors. They also help explain Anutin's two messages: enforce ownership restrictions against offenders and treat investors who follow the rules fairly.

The land inquiry is nationwide, covering approximately 875 hectares across the country. Provincial governors therefore have a central role in applying the same instructions across areas with different property markets and business activity.

Officials are promised protection and public scrutiny

Anutin told governors and land officials to act decisively, transparently and according to good governance. He said influential people must not deter lawful enforcement and promised support for officials carrying out their duties honestly, including protection against threats or intimidation.

The government plans to use findings from current cases to strengthen future checks, explain the applicable criteria, open channels for public tips and publish enforcement results regularly. Those disclosures would allow the public to follow cases beyond the initial announcement of suspected wrongdoing.

The immediate test is whether investigators can reach the required conclusions by December and move unlawful holdings into effective enforcement. The next stages then depend on pursuing the cases, carrying out sales and checking that the new buyers are genuine owners.

Key Points

• Authorities identified 2,360 plots worth 14.01 billion baht, linked to 1,397 proxies across Thailand.
• The land covers 5,467 rai, approximately 875 hectares.
• Anutin ordered investigations to reach individual conclusions by December 2026.
• Land found to be held unlawfully faces compulsory sale, alongside civil and criminal action.
• Buyers will face closer checks on funding, shareholders and actual control.
• Officials must examine new buyers to prevent transfers between nominees.
• The government says lawful foreign investment remains welcome, including ownership permitted under investment promotion rules.