Thailand weighs higher security deposits for licensed tour operators

Thailand's Department of Tourism has put forward a plan to raise the security deposits that licensed tour operators must lodge with the state, moving them back toward pre-pandemic levels. The Tourism Business and Guide Committee approved the draft regulation in principle on 13 August 2026. A 45-day public consultation is now open, running from 17 August to 30 September 2026, so operators, travelers and other interested people can comment before the rule becomes final.

The draft sets different amounts for different kinds of business. Specific-area tour operators would go from 3,000 to 10,000 baht. Domestic operators would rise from 15,000 to 50,000 baht. Inbound operators, the ones that handle foreign visitors, would move from 30,000 to 100,000 baht. General operators face the biggest change, from 60,000 to 200,000 baht. These amounts had been reduced during the Covid-19 period to ease pressure on struggling companies, and the proposal frames the increase as a return to normal now that travel has recovered.

A security deposit here is money an operator lodges with the authorities as a guarantee. If a company collapses or fails to deliver what a customer paid for, that fund can help compensate travelers. To soften the shift, the draft gives existing licence holders a one-year transition period after the rule takes effect. Operators whose licences have fewer than 180 days left, and who do not plan to renew, could keep their current deposits until expiry.

For a visitor, the purpose of the deposit is simple. It is a backstop that sits behind a licensed agency, so there is something to fall back on if a booking goes wrong. It is worth being clear about the scope. The rule covers registered tour and travel businesses, not every service a traveler uses once on the ground.

Not everyone agrees the change will do what it promises. The Thai Travel Agents Association has pushed back, arguing that most scams come from operators who never register in the first place and so never pay any deposit. Raising the amount, in that view, adds cost for honest licensed firms without reaching the people actually running frauds. The association has warned that heavier cash requirements could push some smaller, trustworthy agencies out of business, and it has asked the government to put more effort into finding and stopping unlicensed operators.

The consultation is part of a wider effort in Thailand to make tourism safer and easier to trust, alongside the licensing rules and safety standards the country has been developing. The question shared by officials and businesses is how to protect visitors while keeping room for the many legitimate operators who make the sector work.

Those same questions come up in vehicle rental, which is where Balm Rentals fits in. Whether someone books a guided tour or rents a scooter for a week, the concerns are alike: is this provider legitimate, what am I actually paying, and what happens if something goes wrong. Balm is built to answer that before payment rather than after. The marketplace shows the price, the deposit and the rental conditions up front, works with verified legal rental providers, and presents everything in the traveler's own language through one app on iOS and Android.

For anyone hiring a bike, scooter or car in Thailand this season, the practical steps stay much the same. Confirm the provider is properly registered, read the deposit and damage terms before handing over any money, and keep copies of what you agree to. Services like Balm aim to make those checks quicker and clearer, working alongside local rental shops and the industry's own push for higher standards. The public consultation on the deposit rule closes on 30 September, with the final regulation to follow.