The Ministry of Interior has urgently instructed all registries nationwide to improve child acknowledgment measures by requiring that if either the father or mother is a foreign national, they must present themselves to the registration officer to prevent the 'Phor Thip' scam.
On 11 July 2026, Ms. Lalida Pertwiwatthana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, revealed that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul places great importance on preventing corruption and exploitation within Thailand's civil registration system. The Ministry of Interior has accelerated efforts to strengthen measures against improper child acknowledgment to close loopholes exploited by transnational criminal networks to grant foreign children Thai nationality, which is then used for property ownership, business operations, or money laundering through Thai nationals.
The Deputy Spokesperson further stated that Mr. Ponpi Suwanchawee, Deputy Minister of Interior, participated in announcing the results of expanded operations targeting criminal networks disguising marriages and false child acknowledgments. Investigations uncovered practices of hiring Thai nationals as “Phor Thip” . These individuals falsely acknowledge children of foreigners to obtain Thai nationality. Following investigations, the Ministry of Interior urgently directed all 878 district registries nationwide to revise child acknowledgment procedures, requiring foreign fathers or mothers to appear in person before registration officers to verify their parental identity and prevent impersonation or the use of false documents.
This measure enhances preventive verification to close gaps in the civil registration system, reducing opportunities for transnational criminal networks to use Thai nationality as a tool for property holding, business operations, or money laundering through Thai nationals. This impacts national security and interests. Mr. Ponpi affirmed that the government will continue improving the system alongside rigorous law enforcement, adhering to the principle of “close names, observe behavior.” Anyone involved—citizens, foreigners, or government officials—found participating in wrongdoing will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“The government aims to address the root causes by not only prosecuting offenders but also swiftly closing system loopholes to prevent recurrence, promote transparency in civil registration administration, and safeguard the country’s long-term interests.”