Anutin unleashes fast-track deportations against foreign criminals, illegal workers, rogue businesses and their accomplices. Prisons must submit case files 15 days before release, allowing immediate removal and bans on offenders returning to Thailand.
Thailand launches a tougher deportation regime on Friday, placing sweeping removal powers under the Minister of Interior. Foreign lawbreakers, accomplices and illegal workers may face rapid removal, re-entry bans and proceedings before leaving prison. Courts and prisons must supply case details quickly, while strict deadlines govern diplomatic requests for safer third-country transfers. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s new regulation also makes the interior minister’s ruling final when enforcement problems arise.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has signed new deportation regulations giving the Interior Ministry faster powers to remove foreign offenders. The Prime Minister’s Office Regulation on Deportation, B.E. 2569 (2026), takes effect on Friday, August 28. It was published on the Royal Gazette website on Thursday. Under the new framework, deportation cases can begin before convicted foreigners complete their sentences.
The regulations seek to accelerate enforcement and improve coordination between government agencies. They apply to foreigners who entered Thailand legally and those who entered illegally. According to the published text, both groups have engaged in illegal activities for personal gain. In response, the government has established a more direct route from conviction to removal.
The stated objectives include maintaining peace, public order, morality and safety. Notably, the regulations place the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary at the centre of the system. The permanent secretary may also designate a representative to perform these duties. That official must report qualifying cases to the Minister of Interior.
Interior minister can deport foreign lawbreakers, accomplices and supporters under six legal grounds
The minister can then issue an order removing the foreign national from Thailand. Specifically, the power covers behaviour which disrupts public order. It also covers foreigners who use or support others engaged in such behaviour. As a result, deportation may extend beyond the person who directly committed the offence.
The regulations identify six grounds for action against foreign offenders. First, they cover illegal entry and unlawful residence under Thailand’s immigration laws. Second, they include illegal employment under the Alien Employment Act (1978), replaced by the Working of Aliens Act (2008). Third, unlawful commercial activity under the Alien Business Act 1972, replaced by the Foreign Business Act 1999, can also trigger deportation.
Separately, the measures cover forgery and the use of forged official documents. They also apply to offences punishable by imprisonment for five years or longer. Finally, accomplices, instigators and supporters involved in any listed offence fall within the framework. These provisions apply regardless of whether the foreigner originally entered Thailand lawfully.
For imprisoned offenders, the deportation process starts before release. Once a conviction and punishment become final, the minister may order removal immediately after imprisonment. In parallel, the Department of Corrections must provide advance notice of each qualifying prisoner. This notification gives Interior Ministry officials time to prepare the necessary order.
The Director-General of the Department of Corrections holds responsibility for sending that information. At least 15 days before release, the director-general must notify the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary. As part of this, officials must provide the prisoner’s name, nationality and relevant case files. The permanent secretary can then consider deportation before the sentence expires.
Foreign convicts face deportation on release as prisons send case files at least 15 days beforehand
This procedure reduces any gap between release and removal. Consequently, a convicted foreigner may face deportation immediately after leaving prison. The minister can also include a ban preventing that person from returning to Thailand. However, the bulletin does not specify the length of such re-entry prohibitions.
Different arrangements apply when a court imposes a suspended sentence or fine. In such cases, there is no prison release to activate the corrections process. Instead, the Office of the Judiciary must immediately notify the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary. Officials can then consider deportation without awaiting action from a correctional facility.
This provision brings non-custodial sentences within the same enforcement structure. Accordingly, a suspended prison term does not prevent the government from pursuing removal. A fine alone can also lead to consideration of a deportation order. The process depends on the final judgment, rather than time spent in custody.
The regulations also govern the destination selected for each deported person. Ordinarily, officials must return the foreign national to their country of origin or nationality. Yet some cases may involve uncertainty over the person’s nationality. In those circumstances, officials can use the last reported country of residence before entry into Thailand.
Suspended sentences and fines can trigger removal as officials determine each deportee’s destination
At the same time, every deportation order must consider existing legal and international requirements. These include Thai laws, cabinet resolutions and Thailand’s international obligations. Officials must also apply human rights principles during the deportation process. The regulations therefore provide a separate route where removal presents specified safety risks.
Those risks include torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Additionally, the procedure covers cases involving a danger of forced disappearance. Another country or international organisation may request transfer to a safer destination. Such requests must pass through diplomatic channels.
Critically, the diplomatic request must arrive within seven days of the deportation order. It must explain the danger associated with returning the foreign national through normal procedures. The requesting party may propose transfer to its own country or another country. However, several conditions must be met before Thailand can approve that destination.
Most importantly, the foreign national must consent to the proposed transfer in writing. The requesting country must also agree to bear every cost arising from the arrangement. Without written consent, the transfer cannot proceed under this exception. Likewise, the alternative process cannot advance without a commitment covering all expenses.
Safety risks permit third-country transfers after diplomatic requests, written consent and full funding
The regulations impose a strict timetable for completing foreign-requested transfers. Initially, the transfer must be finished within 30 days. If more time is required, the Minister of Interior may approve an extension. The Minister can grant no more than two extensions.
Each additional period may last a maximum of 30 days. Thus, the complete alternative transfer process can run for up to 90 days. That total includes the original period and both possible extensions. No further extension is provided within the published framework.
If the transfer remains incomplete, officials must immediately resume normal deportation procedures. At that point, the person will return to their country of origin or nationality. Where nationality remains uncertain, officials may use the person’s last reported country of residence. This prevents an unfinished third-country arrangement from leaving the case unresolved.
On another front, the regulations establish a mechanism for meeting deportation costs. The Ministry of Interior will set the applicable financial rules. Before taking effect, those rules require approval from the Ministry of Finance. The ministerial bulletin does not assign responsibility for every expense arising from an ordinary removal.
Foreign-requested transfers face a 90-day limit before Thailand resumes normal deportation procedures
By comparison, the position is explicit for transfers requested on safety grounds. The requesting country must cover the entire cost. This obligation applies alongside the seven-day request period and the foreign national’s written consent. Together, those conditions determine whether the alternative destination remains available.
Operationally, the framework links prisons, courts and the Interior Ministry through mandatory notifications. The Department of Corrections must provide advance information before foreign prisoners leave custody.
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Meanwhile, the Office of the Judiciary must immediately report suspended sentences and fines. Interior Ministry officials can then examine each case without waiting for another referral.
More broadly, the rules establish deadlines for prison reports, diplomatic requests, transfers and extensions. They also give the Minister of Interior final control over deportation orders. Furthermore, the minister will decide any problems arising during implementation. Under the new regulation, the minister’s decision on those matters is final.
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