Thailand to Enact New Postal Law by End of This Year

The new postal law is expected to be enacted by the end of this year to address regulatory gaps and distortions in the rapidly expanding delivery and logistics market, according to Thailand Post president Dhanant Subhadrabandhu.

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry, together with relevant state agencies, is revising the draft Postal Act nearly two years after drafting began to improve the regulatory structure and create an independent central regulator.

Thailand Post is providing industry information and operational input to support the process, with Deputy Minister Nan Boonthidachai recently instructing officials to finish drafting the revised legislation within this year.

Independent oversight for private carriers

The core structural reform centres on establishing a neutral regulatory body to govern private and foreign-backed logistics companies. Thailand Post currently operates under specific state oversight while commercial rivals navigate fragmented rules without equivalent scrutiny. Creating a single regulator aims to align Thailand with standards used across European and Asian markets.

Commercial carriers will compete under uniform licensing terms, service classifications, and pricing rules. The state postal operator will retain its baseline mandate to deliver universal social postal coverage nationwide, while private courier platforms handle merchant and consumer freight under the new commercial framework.

Shifting dynamics across express delivery

Price wars have destabilised Thailand’s parcel delivery ecosystem over recent years as venture-backed and regional express operators discounted shipping fees to secure volume from digital marketplaces. That aggressive discounting eroded transport margins across road freight networks. Establishing an independent watchdog creates a mechanism to penalise below-cost pricing and protect sector sustainability.

For e-commerce platforms and merchant shippers, structured oversight will likely stabilise freight rates while raising operational compliance costs for discount couriers. Foreign-backed operators that scaled rapidly on lean administrative footprints will face formal licensing conditions, standardised reporting requirements, and clearer service liability rules.

Two years of regulatory revisions

Work on the postal legislation began nearly two years ago to replace an outdated legal framework that predated modern online shopping platforms. The amended bill completed public hearings under the previous administration before officials returned the draft for additional inter-agency review.

Scrutiny during the review focused on three specific areas: the classification of express delivery categories, the composition and statutory powers of the regulatory committee, and the licensing structure for commercial operators. Deputy Minister Nan Boonthidachai instructed drafting officials to resolve those clauses to meet the year-end legislative schedule.

Final terms before parliamentary review

Final approval hinges on the working committee settling the formal scope of enforcement powers granted to the central postal regulator. Officials are scheduled to submit the finished draft of the Postal Act to the cabinet before December 2026, setting the stage for formal enactment across Thailand’s logistics market.