Do you need a hotel licence in Thailand, and how do you get one?

When a property needs a full hotel licence

Section 4 of the Hotel Act defines a hotel by what it does: accommodation set up as a business to provide temporary lodging for payment. Section 15 says nobody may run a hotel without a licence. A villa compound, a guesthouse or a small apartment building let by the night is a hotel in law, whatever the building is called.

Operating without a licence carries up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 THB, or both, plus up to 10,000 THB for each day it continues (section 59).

The four hotel types

The Ministerial Regulation on hotel types and criteria, as amended with effect from 29 October 2023, sorts licensed hotels by what they offer. The type is printed on the licence, so apply for the type that matches what you will actually run.

For a villa estate or small residence with a kitchen that serves breakfast, type 2 is the usual fit. A building with only rooms and no food service, up to 50 rooms, is type 1.

What has to be in place before you apply

Registrars do not issue a licence for a building that cannot lawfully be used as a hotel. Most refusals and delays start here, so check these first:

1. 1

   Land use and zoning

   Land use is controlled under the City Planning Act. Confirm that hotels are permitted in the zone for your plot before anything else. A hotel built in a zone where it is prohibited can be ordered demolished.

2. 2

   A building permit that covers hotel use

   Where the Building Control Act applies, the building must hold a permit and certificate showing it may be used as a hotel. Under the 2023 amendment a building inspection certificate is no longer accepted in place of that. A house or apartment built under a residential permit usually needs a change of use first.

3. 3

   Older buildings converted to hotel use

   A 2016 regulation under the Building Control Act let some existing buildings, such as row houses and apartments, be converted for hotel use if they met fire, structure and space rules. Its application windows closed around 2018 and 2021, so ask the local building office what route applies to your building now.

4. 4

   Environmental impact assessment

   Hotels with 80 or more rooms need an EIA report. The environment office (ONEP) applies the same test to buildings of 80 rooms or 4,000 m² of usable area or more, and says the report must be prepared before construction, takes about 6 months, and that a construction permit can be held back until it is approved.

5. 5

   Other permits for what you will run

   Food sales, alcohol, public entertainment, generators and fuel storage each have their own permits. A type 2 hotel with a kitchen will usually need at least a food permit.

Where to apply and how the process runs

Applications go to the registrar under the Hotel Act. In Bangkok that is the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA); in other provinces, the provincial administration office. The usual sequence, as Thai law firms describe it:

1. Building permit first. Obtain the construction or change-of-use permit from the local building authority, filed by a licensed engineer or architect.
2. File the hotel licence application with the registrar, stating the hotel type and number of rooms.
3. Inspections. Officials check the building, fire safety, sanitation and the environment against the plans you filed.
4. Licence issued by the registrar, showing the type and number of rooms.

Expect to provide the applicant's identity and company documents, proof of the right to use the land and building (title deed or lease), the building permit and use certificate, floor plans, and fire-safety evidence. Registrars publish their own checklists and they differ, so get the current list from the office before you file. The applicant can be an individual or a company, and the licence can be transferred to someone who meets the same qualifications.

How long it takes and what it costs

There is no reliable national figure for processing times. A law firm's guide puts a straightforward application at around six months. Real waits can be much longer: Phuket had 392 applications pending, some since 2018, and had been clearing about 30 to 40 a year until a government push approved 275 in mid-2026.

Diary the licence's anniversary date and its 5-year expiry for each property, and start the renewal early: you need the same building and safety evidence again.

What may change: the Super License and the new accommodation act

Two proposals could change this process. Neither is in force on 4 November 2026.

• A one-stop “Super License”. On 21 October 2026 the public sector development office opened a hearing on a draft royal decree under which DOPA would accept one application covering the hotel licence and secondary licences (restaurant, spa, pool, fitness, EV charging and others) for buildings that already have a construction permit. Agencies would inspect on one date, and a licence would be treated as granted if an agency misses its deadline.
• The draft Accommodation Establishments Act. Set out on 29 September 2026, it would repeal the Hotel Act and sort properties into three tiers by size.

Do not wait for either. Until a new law is published in the Royal Gazette, a property over 8 rooms or 30 guests that takes nightly guests needs a hotel licence now.

Keeping licence details with each property in Propool

In Propool each unit has a field for its licence or certificate number, recommended before the unit goes live on Airbnb, Booking.com or Agoda, so the number on your listings matches the document on file. Rates, availability and bookings for every licensed property then run from one calendar. See the channel manager guide and how Phuket villa managers set it up.

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