Alcohol Advertising & Ban on Alcohol Sales in Thailand

Alcohol advertising in Thailand is regulated by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, BE 2551 (2008). Under Section 32 of the Act:

  • No person shall advertise or display, directly or indirectly, the name or trademark of any alcoholic beverage in a manner showing the properties thereof or inducing another person to drink.
  • Advertisements or public relations provided by the manufacturer of any kind of alcoholic beverage shall only be made for giving information thereof or giving social creative knowledge without displaying any illustration of such alcoholic beverage or its package, except for the display of a symbol of such alcoholic beverage or that of its manufacturer as prescribed by the Ministerial Regulation.
  • The provisions of paragraph one and paragraph two shall not apply to any advertisement broadcast from outside of the Kingdom.

Under this Act, even sharing a picture of an alcoholic beverage on social media could essentially mean breaking the law, regardless of whether the post was a paid endorsement or not, and the violator could face a fine ranging from THB 50,000 to THB 500,000 and/or a jail term of up to one year.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak and the announcement of the Emergency Decree, these measures seemed to have been strictly enforced and hundreds of bar owners, online sellers, importers, and even consumers were fined in the past few weeks.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act was further amended in September 2020 and effective December 7, 2020, the ‘direct sales of alcoholic beverages through electronic devices or in a manner of electronic communication’ shall be prohibited in Thailand. It shall still be possible to use electronic methods of payment when purchasing alcohol at stores but selling alcohol online without physically meeting the buyer and having it delivered shall become illegal.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to leave your inquiry at contact@orbis-alliance.com and a member of our team of experts will get back to you shortly.