Thailand Extends Compliance Deadline For Ride-Sharing Platforms

Thailand has granted ride-sharing platforms additional time to comply with new regulatory requirements, extending the compliance deadline to March 31, 2026 (replacing the previous deadline of October 2, 2025). The postponement was made official on December 18, 2025, when Thailand's Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) published the second Notification Regarding Supervision of Ride-Hailing Platforms Classified as High-Impact Digital Platform Services under the Royal Decree on Digital Platform Service Businesses.

The notification provides additional time for ride-sharing platforms and drivers to transition to full regulatory compliance. The extension replaces the effective date provision of the earlier notification and applies specifically to ride-hailing activities.

Background

The postponement responds to feedback from operators and driver groups regarding challenges converting private vehicles into legally registered public vehicles, including complex registration procedures, high compliance costs, and operational delays. The Department of Land Transport (DLT) is concurrently reforming its vehicle registration and driver verification processes to streamline operations. Given these issues, the Electronic Transactions Committee has deferred enforcement to provide an adjustment period for operators and drivers to meet compliance requirements.

Ongoing Obligations

While the effective date has been deferred, the substantive obligations imposed on ride-sharing platforms remain fully intact. Operators must continue preparing to comply with the additional duties applicable to high-impact digital platform services, beyond the general requirements under the digital platform services framework.

Operators are expected to use the extended transition period to finalize operational and compliance readiness ahead of enforcement on March 31, 2026. Key focus areas include:

• Integration with DLT vehicle-registration systems
• Deployment of robust driver and passenger identity verification mechanisms
• Updates to platform terms of service, driver-onboarding standards, and internal operational policies
• Preparation for ETDA reporting obligations and future audit and review processes

Next Steps

While the postponement replaces the previous effective date with the new March 31, 2026, deadline, operators should anticipate increased regulatory scrutiny as the revised effective date approaches and proactively align their operations with the strengthened regulatory framework.

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