Anutin Orders Land Department to Crack Down on Nominee Land Schemes with Strict Oversight at Every Transaction Stage

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has expressed concern over the growing problem of foreign nationals using Thai nominees to hold land, which is driving up property prices and limiting Thai citizens' access to resources. He has ordered the Land Department to intensify inspections and monitoring of land transactions nationwide to prevent the use of Thai proxies for foreign land ownership and close legal loopholes. Following this directive, the Land Department sent urgent letters to all provincial governors asking them to brief officials and coordinate with relevant agencies to strictly enforce guidelines preventing foreign-backed land ownership schemes. The department is also promoting public awareness to prevent citizens from becoming unwitting nominees or facilitating illegal land transfers, with instructions for them to report violations to authorities and support operations by security command sectors. All land offices nationwide have been ordered to accelerate surveillance and monitoring of high-risk transactions, with particular emphasis on careful and rigorous registration procedures in major economic zones, tourist areas, and regions with significant foreign capital land deals. The Land Department confirmed it has continuously implemented counter-measures including deep investigations into fund sources, connections between land holders, corporate shareholding structures, and suspicious nominee patterns. When violations are discovered, immediate legal action is required, including cases where individuals or Thai-majority companies purchase land with cash payments of two million baht or more, or property valued at five million baht or higher for registration fees—except for inheritance transfers—which require further investigation into fund sources and financial status. Cases involving corporations with risky nominee structures, suspicious shareholding changes, capital increases, or unusual proportion shifts are also subject to detailed investigation. All land offices must conduct monthly reviews of corporations with foreign shareholders or executives suspected of nominee schemes and report findings every three months. Clear evidence of violations triggers strict legal action against both companies and individuals involved.