A buyer who has sourced only from Vietnam or China often has no starting list for Thailand: which agency publishes a supplier directory, which mark on a product actually matters, and which office signs the certificate of origin. Thailand runs its own systems for all of these, separate from its ASEAN neighbours, and mixing them up is what causes a shipment to be held at the destination port rather than at departure.
💬 Sourcing a product from Thailand and not sure which certification or which agreement applies? We handle the shortlist, the registry check and the origin paperwork as part of sourcing from across Asia. Tell us what you need to source. How we work there: our sourcing agent service for Thailand.
Start with Thailand’s own trade promotion agency and registry
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), under the Ministry of Commerce, publishes supplier information for foreign buyers, and the Department of Business Development (DBD), also under the Ministry of Commerce, is where a company’s registration is checked.
DBD’s registry system changed name in 2025: DBD Biz Regist replaced the earlier e-Registration portal from 1 July 2025, so a bookmark to the old portal name may no longer resolve. For the full method — why a directory listing is only a first filter, how to read a registry result, and when a site visit is unavoidable — see our note on finding and checking factories across ASEAN, which covers Thailand alongside Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Checked against DITP’s and DBD’s own published pages on 25 September 2026.
The standard your product may need: TISI
The Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), under the Ministry of Industry, runs both a voluntary standards mark and a compulsory certification mark, and a wide range of product categories — electrical and electronic equipment, some construction materials, vehicles and parts, and certain food-contact items among them — cannot legally be sold in Thailand without the compulsory mark.
| Question | Where to check |
|---|---|
| Is my product category subject to compulsory TISI certification? | TISI’s own list of mandatory standards, by product category |
| What does the compulsory mark actually test for | The specific Thai Industrial Standard (TIS) number for that product category |
| Has the applicable standard changed recently | TISI publishes updates and effective dates on its own site — several 2026 updates affect specific categories |
A product that clears customs without the required mark is still exposed to enforcement inside Thailand, not only at the border — this is a market-access requirement for products sold or used in the country, not only an import formality. Confirm the current TIS number and effective date for your product before committing to a specification, since TISI has been actively updating standards through 2026.
💬 Not sure whether your product needs a compulsory TISI mark before it can be sold in Thailand? We check this against the current TISI list as part of the sourcing process. Send us the product details.
Export documents and who signs the certificate of origin
Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) issues both preferential and non-preferential certificates of origin, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries are also authorised to issue non-preferential certificates.
| Document | Typical issuer |
|---|---|
| Preferential certificate of origin (e.g. ATIGA Form D, RCEP) | Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), via its e-Form D / Smart C/O electronic system |
| Non-preferential certificate of origin | DFT, or the Thai Chamber of Commerce, or the Federation of Thai Industries |
| Export declaration and customs clearance | Thai Customs, through the exporter or its licensed customs broker |
Since Thailand’s ASEAN free trade agreements moved to fully electronic certification, a paper Form D from Thailand should be treated as the exception rather than the rule — confirm with your supplier that the certificate was issued through DFT’s own electronic system before relying on it.
Checked against DFT’s own published guidance on 25 September 2026.
Main ports for shipment out of Thailand
Laem Chabang, on the eastern seaboard south-east of Bangkok, is Thailand’s principal deep-sea container port and carries the large majority of the country’s container traffic; Bangkok Port on the Chao Phraya River is the secondary container gateway.
| Port | Role |
|---|---|
| Laem Chabang | Thailand’s main deep-sea container port, handling the large majority of national container throughput |
| Bangkok Port (Khlong Toei) | Secondary container gateway, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok itself |
Which port a shipment actually moves through depends on the supplier’s own location and the shipping line’s routing, not on the buyer’s preference — confirm the loading port with the supplier and forwarder rather than assuming it will be Laem Chabang.
Choosing the right agreement for your destination
Thailand is a party to ASEAN’s own trade-in-goods agreement, to RCEP, and to a further set of bilateral and regional free trade agreements — which one actually reduces your duty depends entirely on where the goods are going, not on where they were made.
Thailand’s agreements include ATIGA (trade within ASEAN), RCEP, and separate bilateral FTAs with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, Chile and Peru, alongside ASEAN’s own regional agreements with China, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia–New Zealand. Each agreement has its own rule of origin and its own accepted form of proof of origin — a certificate issued under one agreement is not interchangeable with another, even for the same shipment.
- Confirm the destination country and the exact HS code with the supplier before assuming any preferential rate applies.
- Check whether Thailand has an agreement with that destination — bilateral, or through ASEAN.
- Confirm the rule of origin under that specific agreement, since a product can meet one agreement’s rule and fail another’s.
- Ask DFT (or the authorised chamber) to issue the certificate under the correct agreement — not a generic certificate of origin.
If your destination is Japan specifically, the choice between the bilateral Japan–Thailand EPA, the ASEAN–Japan agreement (AJCEP) and RCEP — including the RCEP option where the Japanese importer can prepare its own declaration of origin — is covered in full in buying from Thailand or Malaysia for Japan: EPA or RCEP.
💬 Shipping from Thailand to a destination outside ASEAN and Japan, and not sure which agreement applies? Send us the route and the HS code.
Putting the process together
Work through the trade agency directory, the registry check, the TISI question, the origin paperwork and the port in that order, rather than jumping to a purchase order on the strength of a good sample alone.
| Step | What it establishes |
|---|---|
| DITP directory | A shortlist of Thai suppliers active in export |
| DBD registry check | The company is legally registered and current |
| TISI check | Whether your product needs compulsory certification before sale |
| DFT certificate of origin | Proof of origin matched to the correct trade agreement |
| Port confirmation | Which gateway the shipment actually moves through |
Once a Thai supplier is confirmed alongside suppliers elsewhere in the region, see our note on consolidating shipments from several Asian suppliers into one shipment, and on comparing supplier quotations on the same terms before placing the order.
Frequently asked questions
1. Where do I find a directory of Thai exporters?
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), under Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, is the government body that publishes supplier and product information for foreign buyers. Treat its listings as a starting shortlist, then verify each candidate independently.
2. How do I check if a Thai company is actually registered?
Through the Department of Business Development (DBD), also under the Ministry of Commerce. Its registry system was renamed DBD Biz Regist from 1 July 2025, replacing the earlier e-Registration portal, so confirm you are on the current site.
3. Does every product need a TISI certification mark to be sold in Thailand?
No — TISI runs both a voluntary mark and a compulsory mark, and only products in the categories TISI designates as mandatory need the compulsory mark before sale. Check your specific product category against TISI’s current list rather than assuming either way.
4. Who signs a Thai certificate of origin?
Preferential certificates (for ASEAN and other trade agreements) are issued by the Department of Foreign Trade, mainly through its electronic e-Form D / Smart C/O system. Non-preferential certificates can also be issued by the Thai Chamber of Commerce or the Federation of Thai Industries.
5. Which port will my shipment leave from?
Most container cargo moves through Laem Chabang, Thailand’s main deep-sea port, with Bangkok Port serving as the secondary gateway. The actual loading port depends on the supplier’s location and the carrier’s routing — confirm it directly rather than assuming.
Sources: Thailand Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), official site; Thailand Department of Business Development (DBD), DBD Biz Regist; Baker McKenzie, “Thailand: DBD Biz Regist Launches on 1 July 2025”; Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), mandatory standards list; Thailand Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), e-Form D / Smart C/O guidance; Port Authority of Thailand; Thailand Ministry of Commerce, list of free trade agreements; Japan Customs, “Origin Certification Procedure”. Checked on 25 September 2026.