Every company that sells tours in Thailand must hold a license from the Department of Tourism, and every working guide must carry a guide identification card. Before you pay, ask for the license number, check it with the Department of Tourism, and make sure the guide who turns up is wearing a card.
This matters more than it sounds. A licensed operator has placed a guarantee with the government that can be used to compensate tourists, and the law tells it when it must refund you. An unlicensed seller has none of that, and if the boat or the minibus never arrives, your money is usually gone. The check takes five minutes and costs nothing.
The rules come from the Tourism Business and Tourist Guide Act B.E. 2551 (2008). We read the Office of the Council of State's unofficial English translation of the 2008 text; we did not check whether later amendments changed any section quoted here. This page explains the rules; it is not legal advice.
Tour licenses in Thailand (checked October 2026)
- Who licenses tour companies
- The Department of Tourism (DOT), not the Tourism Authority of Thailand
- The law
- Tourism Business and Tourist Guide Act B.E. 2551 (2008)
- Selling tours without a license
- Up to 2 years in prison and/or 500,000 baht (s. 80)
- License on display
- Required openly at the place of business (s. 23)
- Guides
- Must display the guide ID card at all times on duty (s. 57)
- Who may guide
- Thai nationals only; guiding is closed to foreigners
- Tourist Police
- 1155
Department of Tourism, not TAT: who issues the license
Many websites tell you to "check the TAT license number". The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) promotes tourism and runs the 1672 information and complaint line, but it does not license anyone. Under section 15 of the Act, anyone running a tourism business must hold a license from the registrar, which is the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. When a tour desk shows a "TAT license", it is normally the DOT license under an old name, so look at the number, not the logo.
The license must hang where customers can see it (section 23), whether that is a shop in Ao Nang or a hotel tour desk. A desk that cannot show one, or shows only a business registration or a hotel's own permit, is not licensed to sell you a tour. The fine for not displaying a valid license is small (up to 2,000 baht), but operating with no license at all can mean up to two years in prison and a 500,000-baht fine.
Checking the license number before you pay
License numbers are commonly written in the form 11/12345, and the company should print the number on its website, its brochures and your receipt. The Department of Tourism has an online search where anyone can look up a tour company's license and its status; the DOT announced in April 2023 that tourists can check a company themselves on its website. The status should read "ปกติ" (normal). A suspended or cancelled license means you should not book.
We could not open the DOT website or its search from our connection in October 2026, so we cannot walk you through the screens. If the search will not load for you either, there are three simple alternatives:
- Photograph the displayed license and check that the company name matches the name on your receipt and payment.
- Ask your hotel reception to check the number for you; Thai hotels deal with tour companies every day.
- Call the TAT Contact Centre on 1672 and ask whether the company is licensed.
The name on the license should match the name you pay. If the desk is licensed but the bank transfer goes to a private person's account, you are dealing with whoever owns that account, not the licensed company. Pay the company, and pay by card where you can.
Why a license means a guarantee for you
The license is not just paperwork. Under section 18 of the Act, a company applying for a license must place a guarantee with the registrar: cash, a bank guarantee or government bonds. The amount is set by ministerial regulation, not in the Act itself, and we could not verify the current figures for each type of license, so we do not print any.
What matters to a traveler is section 41. If a licensed operator causes you a loss and does not pay, the registrar can compensate you from a fund and then deduct that money from the company's guarantee. That safety net only exists if the company is licensed. An unlicensed seller has deposited nothing, and the only route left is a police report.
If the tour is cancelled or nobody turns up
Section 28 sets the refund rules. If a tour is cancelled without fault on your side, the operator must refund at least the rate set by the tourism business committee. If it is cancelled because too few people booked, or through the operator's own fault, it must refund you in full.
If your pick-up does not come, act the same day:
- Call the number on your voucher and write down the time of each call.
- Message the company in writing, ideally in the app or e-mail you booked with, and ask for a full refund under the cancellation rule.
- Keep the receipt, the voucher and screenshots of the advert.
- If the company does not reply, call TAT on 1672 or the Tourist Police on 1155, and contact your card issuer if you paid by card.
Our page on complaints and refunds in Thailand explains each of those routes, including card chargebacks, step by step.
Guide ID cards: what to look for
A licensed guide must show the guide identification card at all times while working (section 57), usually clipped to a shirt or worn on a lanyard. Guiding without a license can bring up to a year in prison and a 100,000-baht fine (section 86). Guide cards are often described online by color and category. We could not confirm the current categories or colors on a Department of Tourism page, so we do not list them; the simple test is that a card is visible and the photo matches the person.
Only Thai nationals may work as tour guides. Tour guiding is on the list of jobs absolutely prohibited to foreigners under the Ministry of Labour notification of 2020, as our guide to working legally in Thailand explains. Dive instruction is a different case (it is not a reserved job, though a work permit is needed), but the person leading a sightseeing tour should be Thai and carry a card.
Zero-dollar tours and the shopping stops
A "zero-dollar tour" is a package sold at or below cost, often to groups from abroad. The operator and the guide make their money afterwards, from commissions at the jewelry, latex or souvenir shops the group is taken to, and sometimes from extra activities sold on the bus. The law targets the mechanism: section 58 bans a guide from paying an operator to get tour work, with up to six months in prison and a 50,000-baht fine (section 89).
The warning signs are the same for any traveler. A day tour priced far below every other desk, a program full of "factory visits", and pressure to buy are the pattern. Our guide to common scams in Thailand covers the gem-shop version in detail. A cheap tour is fine if the shopping stop is optional; ask for the full itinerary in writing and whether you can stay on the bus.
Never hand over your passport as a deposit for a tour. A licensed operator needs your name and passport number for park e-tickets and insurance, not the passport itself. Fake booking websites and social-media sellers are a separate risk; report online fraud to the 1441 anti-online-scam center, run by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, as our page on phone and online scams explains.
Island and adventure tours: extra checks
On a boat trip, the license covers the company, not the boat. Ask how many passengers the boat carries, whether life jackets are on board in your size and whether the national park fee is included. Our guide to Krabi island tours lists what to check on that voucher. For ziplines, ATVs and other activities, our page on adventure activity safety covers equipment and operators, and it is worth reading your travel insurance policy before the day, because many policies exclude some activities.
Booking through your hotel, a large booking platform or the operator's own office does not replace the license check, but it gives you a second party to complain to if things go wrong. For a private day with a car and driver instead of a group tour, see our guide to hiring a car with driver.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a Thai tour company is licensed?
Ask for the license number, which should be displayed at the office and printed on the receipt, and look it up on the Department of Tourism website, where the status should read normal. If the site does not load, ask your hotel or the TAT Contact Centre on 1672.
Is a TAT license the same as a tour license?
No. The Tourism Authority of Thailand promotes tourism and takes complaints on 1672, but tour companies are licensed by the Department of Tourism. A "TAT license number" on a sign is usually the Department of Tourism license described under an older, informal name.
Can I get a refund if my tour is cancelled in Thailand?
Under section 28 of the Tourism Business and Tourist Guide Act, a licensed operator that cancels because too few people booked, or through its own fault, must refund you in full. Other cancellations not caused by you must be refunded at least at the committee's rate.
Can a foreigner work as a tour guide in Thailand?
No. Tour guiding is on the list of occupations absolutely prohibited to foreigners under the Ministry of Labour notification of 2020. Licensed guides are Thai and must display their guide identification card while working.
What is a zero-dollar tour in Thailand?
It is a very cheap package where the operator and guide earn their money from shop commissions rather than the tour price. The law bans guides from paying operators for tour work, and the practical defense is to avoid tours built around shopping stops.
Sources
- Office of the Council of State – Tourism Business and Tourist Guide Act B.E. 2551 (2008), unofficial translation (checked October 2026)
- Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu – New list of occupations prohibited to foreigners (May 2020) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand travel advice: Safety and security (checked October 2026)