Commerce Ministry Aids 139,000 Denied Welfare Card Over Business Stakes

The Commerce Ministry has ordered swift assistance for people disqualified from Thailand's 2025 state welfare card program because they hold shares, serve as directors, or are partners in businesses. Poonpong Naiyanaphakorn, director-general of the Department of Business Development under the Commerce Ministry, revealed that of 9.3 million people who failed to meet the welfare card criteria announced by the Finance Ministry on July 17, 2025, a significant portion were rejected due to business ownership or directorship. The ministry instructed department staff and provincial commerce offices nationwide to help and facilitate this group urgently.

Preliminary checks of the business database identified 139,804 applicants with business stakes—41,007 as partners in partnerships and 98,797 as directors or shareholders in limited companies spread across the country. The department forwarded this data to the Finance Ministry for further review. Those disqualified can file appeals between July 17 and 31, 2025.

The Commerce Ministry has coordinated with provincial offices to help people verify their business records for appeal purposes. Applicants can check their status personally or authorize someone else using a simple power of attorney stating the purpose as "verification of qualification status under the state welfare card program" and providing the applicant's ID number. The check is free.

After verification, the department will issue a letter with attached documentation of business ownership. Those wishing to verify their information can visit the Department of Business Development, regional offices in Bangkok (districts 2–5), or provincial commerce offices nationwide, or call the helpline at 1570. The Commerce Ministry is committed to assisting genuinely disadvantaged people in preparing their appeals with the necessary documentation.