Thailand has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995 and a contracting party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade since 1947. Thailand is not a signatory to the Agreement on Government Procurement. High tariffs in certain sectors also remain an impediment to market access. Non-tariff barriers to trade, such as licensing, labeling requirements, and localization measures also restrict trade. Price controls and excise taxes, based on an exceedingly complex tax structure, also negatively impact international trade.
Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures continue to be a source of concern. SPS standards for certain agricultural products are applied arbitrarily and without prior notification. To limit imports of animal-derived products, the Thai government requires facility audits every five years, restricts imports of beef offals and pork products derived from animals treated with beta-agonists, and has not published import requirements for processed animal products, Thailand is also reluctant to adopt a regionalization approach for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Thailand’s strict plant quarantine measures include mandatory fumigation for distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) that continues to pose trade challenges.
For detailed information on trade barriers, please consult the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report, available from the Office of the United States Trade Representative.