Key Takeaways
- Solar panels: A mandatory safety standard for crystalline silicon solar panels has been approved. As drafted, it will take effect on the day following its publication, without a transitional period.
- Batteries and power banks: The existing mandatory standards are to be replaced by updated standards, and the scope will extend to button and coin cells. As drafted, the new requirements will apply 180 days after publication.
- Electronic transactions: A draft Act to replace the Electronic Transactions Act has been approved. It remains subject to parliamentary passage, and no present obligation arises.
- Beer production: The Cabinet merely acknowledged a report. That report confirms, however, that the licensing conditions for beer production were relaxed in 2025.
- Canada: The Cabinet has authorised the commencement of free trade negotiations with Canada, which may begin in October. No tariff treatment has changed.
1. Mandatory Standard for Solar Panels to Apply from the Day Following Publication
Relevant to: manufacturers, importers, distributors and installers of crystalline silicon solar panels in Thailand.
Status: approved by the Cabinet; pending publication in the Royal Gazette; not yet in force. The Cabinet approved a draft ministerial regulation, being subordinate legislation issued by a minister under an existing Act, which subjects crystalline silicon solar panels to the mandatory Thai Industrial Standard TIS 61730 Part 2. The standard prescribes electrical safety testing intended to prevent electric shock, overheating and fire. Panels incorporated into other products fall outside its scope. As the Office of the Council of State, the Government's legal drafting body, has already reviewed the text, publication may follow promptly.
Once the regulation is in force, manufacturers and importers must hold a licence from the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to manufacture or import the panels, and distributors may sell only licensed panels that conform to the standard. The regulation takes effect on the day following its publication and, as currently drafted, provides no transitional period. The Energy Regulatory Commission has cautioned that this may affect panels already imported or in the course of installation, and the Cabinet has asked the Ministry of Industry to consider that concern. Pending the Ministry's response, the treatment of stock already in Thailand remains uncertain. TISI reports that approximately 200 manufacturers and importers are already prepared for the requirement.
Recommended action (this week, before publication): obtain TIS 61730 Part 2 test reports from suppliers for each panel model, identify any stock without them, and defer new orders of uncertified panels pending legal advice.
2. Revised Mandatory Standards for Rechargeable Batteries and Power Banks
Relevant to: manufacturers, importers and distributors of rechargeable batteries, including button and coin cells, and power banks in Thailand.
Status: approved by the Cabinet; pending publication in the Royal Gazette; not yet in force. These products are already subject to mandatory standards. The Cabinet approved three draft ministerial regulations that replace those standards with updated versions for rechargeable nickel-system batteries, rechargeable lithium-system batteries and power banks, and that bring nickel button cells and lithium coin cells within scope for the first time. (Technical reference: batteries move from TIS 2217-2548 to TIS 62133 Parts 1 and 2 of B.E. 2565, and power banks from TIS 2879-2560 to TIS 2879-2567.)
Once the regulations are in force, manufacturers and importers must hold a licence under the revised standards, and distributors may sell only licensed products that conform to them. Non-compliance attracts penalties under the Industrial Product Standards Act B.E. 2511 (1968). The Cabinet summary indicates that the regulations will take effect 180 days after publication. We are confirming whether that period applies to all three regulations and will report once the final text is published.
Recommended action (within 30 days): compile an inventory of all battery and power bank models imported or sold, and confirm with suppliers that testing to the revised standards can be completed within the 180-day period.
3. Draft Electronic Transactions Act Would Strengthen the Legal Effect of Electronic Signatures and Contracts
Relevant to: businesses that execute contracts electronically, pay stamp duty electronically, transact through automated systems, or provide electronic signature or digital identity services.
Status: draft Act approved by the Cabinet; subject to parliamentary passage; no commencement date set. The Cabinet approved a draft Act to replace the Electronic Transactions Act B.E. 2544 (2001) and assigned the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) to take it forward. The draft must be considered and passed by Parliament and then published in the Royal Gazette. Until then, the existing Act continues to govern.
If enacted in its present form, the draft would bring three principal changes. First, an electronic signature or electronic company seal applied by a reliable method would be treated in law as a signature or an affixed seal. Second, contracts concluded by automated systems without human intervention would be binding where the parties could ordinarily expect that method, with securities trading cited as an example. Third, bills of exchange, promissory notes and cheques could be issued in electronic form, and a party disputing the reliability of electronic data would bear the burden of proving it. Providers of electronic signature, timestamping, data storage and identity verification services would come under a certification regime administered by ETDA.
Recommended action (no deadline at present): retain existing wet-ink or backup execution procedures until the new Act is in force; we will report further upon its passage through Parliament.
4. Beer Production Licensing Is Less Restrictive Than Commonly Understood
Relevant to: investors considering a brewery, brewpub or beer brand in Thailand.
Status: the Cabinet acknowledged a report only; no new instrument was made. The Office of the Ombudsman had examined complaints concerning the refusal of beer production licences. In response, the Ministry of Finance reported that the Liquor Production Ministerial Regulation of 2025 removed several conditions that had constrained smaller producers, namely minimum production capacity, machine power, headcount, production volume and registered capital. According to the report, an applicant for a licence to produce beer for sale away from the production site is no longer required to obtain environmental impact assessment approval as a licence condition, and every category of beer licence now permits sales outside the production premises within the terms of the licence.
Environmental and public health requirements continue to apply before production begins. The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning confirmed that breweries producing less than 600,000 litres per month are not required to prepare an environmental impact assessment. The Excise Department declined the Ombudsman's proposal for a regulatory sandbox in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya, on the basis that small on-premises breweries are already being licensed under the 2025 regulation.
Recommended action (before committing to a site or partner): have the proposed structure reviewed against the 2025 regulation, including foreign ownership restrictions, factory and public health permits, and the restrictions on alcohol advertising.
5. Thailand to Commence Free Trade Negotiations with Canada
Relevant to: exporters to Canada, importers of Canadian goods and Canadian investors in Thailand.
Status: negotiating framework approved; negotiations not yet commenced; no change to tariff treatment. The Cabinet approved Thailand's participation in negotiations towards a Thailand-Canada Free Trade Agreement, endorsed the negotiating framework, and authorised the Minister of Commerce to announce the launch of negotiations jointly with Canada, which the Government intends to do in October 2026. The framework covers 26 areas, including trade in goods, rules of origin, intellectual property, customs, trade in services, digital trade and investment. Bilateral trade reached approximately THB 128.9 billion in 2025, with a substantial surplus in Thailand's favour.
Recommended action (during October 2026): identify the Canadian tariffs and market access barriers that affect your business and communicate them through your industry association or to us, so that they may be raised in the negotiations.
Other Matters
The Cabinet approved in principle a draft amendment to the Land Transport Act B.E. 2522 (1979) that would empower provincial land transport committees to designate bus terminal locations without prior referral to the central committee. The amendment remains a draft. In addition, the designation of 19 districts in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla as areas subject to special internal security measures was extended for one year from 1 October 2026.
How Dej-Udom & Associates Can Assist
- Corporate & Commercial: electronic contracting and signature arrangements; foreign ownership and licensing structures for new ventures, including breweries; and supply agreements that allocate standards and certification risk to suppliers.
- Intellectual Property: trademark clearance and brand protection for new beer labels and imported product lines.
- Taxation: excise and customs matters relating to beer production and imports.
- Litigation & Dispute Resolution: disputes concerning electronic records and signatures.
For further information, please contact us at +66 (0)2 233 0055 or [email protected].
Source: Cabinet Secretariat summary of the meeting of 29 September 2026, as republished by the National Innovation Agency. The summary is provisional, and the formal Cabinet resolution should be confirmed before any reliance is placed on it.
Disclaimer: This publication is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information contained herein should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific legal counsel. For advice tailored to your circumstances, please contact Dej-Udom & Associates directly.