Laws In Thailand That You NEED To Know About

The laws in Thailand can be a little bit flexible. Some are strictly enforced while others are largely ignored. And that means just because you observe a common practice, it doesn’t mean it’s legal, and it doesn’t mean that you won’t get stopped by police if you do it as well.

I’m going to cover laws that you need to know before you come to Thailand.

Let’s get started.

Law #1: Filming People in Public

Let’s get started with a very topical law that you might need to know about, and that is filming people in public. Recently I came across a YouTube channel it was a pickup artist type of video and it was basically two guys walking around in nightlife areas harassing women and filming them without their consent.

The laws against filming people in public are much stricter here in Thailand than they are in most Western countries. So if you’re out filming on the streets here in Thailand, you have to be aware that portraying people negatively and making derogatory or insulting comments or videos will make it very likely that you’ll have a complaint filed against you.

There was another recent case on Pattaya Beach of a Korean YouTuber livestreaming, and he captured a video of some people. They didn’t want to be in the video, and there was an altercation. He got punched in the face a couple of times. The police later arrived and fined him 34,000 Thai baht for filming people against their consent.

And for those seeking vigilante justice, keep in mind that this also applies to filming a criminal act. It’s legal to film a criminal act for evidentiary purposes, but it’s not legal to post that on social media. And you can actually be sued by the criminal if you do. So be careful trying to create viral content by using other people.

Law #2: Defamation

And this brings us to the second law that you need to be aware of, and this is defamation. And to be honest, most of the issues that I just discussed in relation to filming people in public will also get you in trouble with the defamation laws.

Posting anything online that can cause an individual to suffer humiliation, loss of reputation, or insult can be punished severely with long prison sentences and hefty fines. Unlike in many other countries where defamation is a civil offense, in Thailand it’s a criminal offense. And people are routinely sued for posting negative gossip online about people or even negative reviews about hotels and other businesses.

Back in 2022, there was a lot of publicity about a hotel that filed a lawsuit against a guest who left a negative review on Agoda. And you might think that the review was extremely negative or insulting in order to justify the defamation lawsuit. It wasn’t. The review gave the hotel a 6 out of 10 rating, and the review stated that the room didn’t appear as advertised and that the hotel was overpriced. Not exactly serious defamatory insults.

And in another case, an American was actually imprisoned for a weekend for leaving a negative review for a hotel. And these two cases simply highlight how seriously defamation is taken in Thailand, as there are countless other cases that will never make the news.

You have to be careful with reviews.

Law #3: Lese Majeste (Insulting the Monarchy)

And this is especially true when it comes to the Monarchy in Thailand. Thailand has lese majeste laws, and this means that insulting the royal family specifically is a much more serious criminal offense, and it can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years per count.

The laws cover a wide range of offenses, including satire and joking. You should always avoid discussing this subject.

And when it comes to the money, the image of the Thai king is actually on the money, so you should avoid stepping on it or touching it with your feet, as this is also considered an insult to the monarch.

Law #4: Flags and Loudspeakers

There are a couple of much more obscure laws about national identity that you should still be aware of.

For all you festival-goers that bring along your home-country flag: it’s actually against the law to raise or fly a foreign flag here in Thailand. Now at festivals, that’s probably not going to be a problem, but maybe don’t wave it around on the public transportation trains on your way in.

But it’s not only flags in public spaces. It’s also against the law to use a speaker device to speak in any language other than Thai. And this one’s a little bit funny because I was at Asok Interchange the other day and there was a Christian missionary broadcasting on a loudspeaker. He was trying to convert the Buddhists of Thailand, and I thought to myself: this guy is breaking the loudspeaker law because he was using English.

Law #5: Alcohol Laws

Let’s cover some alcohol laws which some of you will probably find more relevant.

First, the legal drinking age in Thailand is actually 20. And although places like Khao San Road won’t normally enforce this, if you go to bigger clubs in areas like RCA or Thonglor, they will normally require you to show identification. So you’re going to need to bring a driver’s license or a copy of your passport.

And if you plan on doing a little bit of pre-drinking, you should know that there are certain places in Thailand where it is against the law to drink in public. This includes temples, educational institutions, public offices, public parks, and gas stations. I think for most of you, the only relevant one is public parks. And you have a large police presence in most public parks here in Thailand, so I recommend against bringing along a bottle of wine or some beers if you’re planning to have a little picnic pre-drink.

And for all the prospective influencers out there: it’s actually against the law to post pictures or videos with alcohol logos or brands. This is another one of these examples where just because you see it, it doesn’t mean it’s legal. You’ll see plenty of influencers online promoting different beer brands here in Thailand, but you have to keep in mind that the authorities occasionally crack down on celebrities and influencers that are doing these types of promotions, and the penalties can actually be pretty severe.

For example, last year there was a case against a Facebook reviewer who posted pictures with a beer that he reviewed, and he was given a 6-month suspended prison sentence and a 150,000 baht fine.

Law #6: Card Games and Gambling

Maybe you don’t like having a drink. Maybe you’d rather go play some bridge with friends or maybe a game of poker. A friendly game of poker. And you need to keep in mind that card games are highly illegal in Thailand.

In fact, according to the Playing Cards Act of 1943, owning more than 120 playing cards is a criminal act, and you need authorization to possess even a single pack of cards.

A few years back, the Pattaya police raided a pensioners’ bridge club. The pensioners were held for about 12 hours, and they were eventually released when they signed documents stating that they were gambling despite no evidence of any gambling actually occurring. And in fact, the bridge club had been openly advertised and in existence since 1994.

This one just shows you how the laws can be pretty randomly enforced here. You had a bridge club in operation for several decades, openly advertised, and eventually you have a massive raid and the police charge a bunch of pensioners.

Law #7: Driving Laws

Let’s talk about some of the driving laws that you need to know about.

First, it’s actually illegal to drive a motorbike on the sidewalk. And despite what you may have seen, you should avoid joining the motorbike sidewalk parade.

For motorbikes specifically, you need to make sure to follow the actual laws rather than what you see. As a foreigner, you’re much more likely to get stopped if you start breaking the law too. And that’s fair enough. Follow the laws.

And this means that you’ll also need a helmet. If you ride without a helmet, you’re almost certainly going to get pulled over by the police, especially in places like Pattaya and Phuket.

And if you get pulled over, you’re also going to need to know a Thai or international driver’s license. A license from your home country is not valid.

Drinking and driving is illegal in Thailand, and you’ll often see checkpoints set up by the police to check if people have been drinking and driving. And remember that consuming alcohol or lacking a valid driver’s license will void your insurance.

And lastly, you need to wear a shirt while you’re driving. This might surprise many of the backpackers.

Law #8: Underwear and Attire

You should also know that it’s against the law to not wear underwear in public. I’m not sure how this one’s actually enforced, but it is a law. So wear underwear.

Before we move on from attire, let’s discuss some appropriate attire for temples and palaces. This one is quite topical as recently there were two women sunbathing on the grounds of a temple in Chiang Mai, and this got nationwide attention.

Dress attire at Buddhist sites, temples, and palaces is very conservative. You need to cover your shoulders and you need to wear long pants. And you need to wear these on any part of the premises.

Law #9: Littering and Smoking

Littering is illegal in Thailand, and you can face a 2,000 baht fine or up to a year in prison. I’m guessing that most people opt for the fine on this one. And this can include anything from garbage to cigarette butts or even chewing gum.

And speaking of cigarettes: while normal cigarettes are legal in Thailand, e-cigarettes or vapes are not legal. You’ll definitely see many people smoking vapes, and you’ll find them on every street corner for sale. But if you’re caught with a vape, you can actually face a hefty fine.

Law #10: Marijuana and Other Drugs

While vaping is illegal, smoking marijuana is legal or decriminalized except in public. If you’re in a public space, it’s illegal to smoke marijuana, and you can face a fine.

While marijuana is legal, all other recreational drugs remain highly criminalized in Thailand. You can face many years in prison if you’re caught with illegal drugs. And this one is particularly dangerous as there are a lot of setups and entrapments in order to catch people with illegal drugs. When you live in Bangkok, you hear the stories. There are big monetary incentives for catching foreigners with illegal drugs. My recommendation is to stay away from illegal drugs in Thailand altogether.

Law #11: Carrying Your Passport

And lastly, we have a couple of standard laws that you’re going to need to follow in order to exist in Thailand.

First, you should always carry a copy of your passport on you. This can be a photocopy or even a picture on your phone, and it should include your visa stamp. And that’s because police are looking out for people on expired visas.

If you’re caught on an overstay by police, they may put you in jail, deport you, and ban you from the country. And if that overstay is over 90 days, you’ll be banned for one full year from Thailand.