ComplianceUpdated 12 min read
PT 11 cannabis licence in Thailand: how to apply and renew in 2026
If you want to sell cannabis flower in Thailand, start with your eligibility under the current licensing rules. If you already hold a PT 11, start with its expiry date. The 2026 amendment preserves existing licences until expiry, while requiring applicants and renewing businesses to meet additional criteria for cannabis flower.
Before you apply
Rules checked on 31 August 2026. This guide covers commercial cannabis-flower licensing in Thailand. It provides general information, not legal advice. Confirm your application with DTAM or the responsible Provincial Public Health Office before committing to premises or trading.
For a patient-facing business, the practical sequence is to secure the qualifying establishment licence or certification, prepare the premises and staff, then apply for the controlled-herb permission. Existing operators should prepare that transition before their renewal window opens.
PT 11 is the licence you receive
PT 11 (ภ.ท.11) is the licence to sell or process controlled herbs for commercial purposes. For a cannabis business, check that the issued licence covers cannabis and your approved activities and premises.
The table below lists the base forms in the official notice that DTAM's licensing portal publishes. The 2026 amendment also requires supporting information for the new cannabis-flower criteria. Obtain the current form version and any supplementary checklist from your registrar.
PT 11 does not replace an underlying clinic, pharmacy or other required establishment licence. It also does not give counter staff authority to prescribe. PT 33 is the patient prescription, which an authorized practitioner issues within their professional scope.
Read the PT27, PT28 and PT33 practical guide for the records used after licensing.
| Form | Purpose |
|---|---|
| PT 11 / ภ.ท.11 | The issued commercial sale or processing licence. |
| PT 12 / ภ.ท.12 | The application for a new controlled-herb licence. |
| PT 13 / ภ.ท.13 | The application to renew an existing licence. |
| PT 14 / ภ.ท.14 | The application for a replacement when a licence is lost or destroyed. |
DTAM form notice, clause 2 ↗2026 amendment, clause 2 ↗DTAM establishment guide ↗
PT27, PT28 and PT33 practical guideThe old framework and the changes that apply now
The current system combines the legal instruments listed below.
The Ministry published the 2025 notification on 25 June 2025, with effect the following day. It published the 2026 amendment on 30 April 2026. The latter amends the 2016 regulation; operators must read them together.
An older PT 11 does not exempt its holder from the 2025 operating conditions. The transitional protection concerns the licence's continued validity, not permission to keep the former sales practices.
Use the 2026 medical cannabis operator checklist to review the day-to-day requirements alongside this application guide.
| Framework | What it means for your business |
|---|---|
| 1999 Act and 2016 licensing regulation | Establish the controlled-herb licensing system, applicant requirements, application procedure and renewal process. |
| 2025 cannabis notification | Replaces the November 2022 cannabis notification. Sets flower sourcing, prescription, reporting and sales restrictions, including duties for existing licensees. |
| 2026 licensing amendment | Adds cannabis-flower eligibility, premises, storage and staffing criteria. Applies those criteria to renewals and applications already pending when the amendment took effect. |
1999 Act, sections 46 and 49 ↗2016 regulation ↗2025 notification, clauses 1, 2 and 5 ↗2026 amendment ↗
2026 medical cannabis operator checklistChoose the route that matches your business
For patient-facing services, DTAM describes the four establishment routes listed below.
Confirm the exact licence category and personnel requirements with the authority responsible for that establishment. Hiring a practitioner or changing the sign outside does not, by itself, establish eligibility.
Growers and manufacturers need a different assessment. The actual amendment also recognizes specified manufacturing permissions and a cultivation-premises route for supply to section 46 licensees. That cultivation route is not a general permission to sell to walk-in patients. Export also has a separate licence form, PT 10.
| Route | Foundation to arrange before the controlled-herb application |
|---|---|
| Medical facility or clinic | The relevant healthcare-establishment permission and professional coverage. |
| Pharmacy | The relevant drug-sale licence and pharmacist coverage. |
| Herbal-product shop | The relevant herbal-product sale licence and qualified personnel. |
| Certified folk-healer practice | The legally recognized folk-healer certification and an eligible practice location. |
DTAM establishment guide, sections 2 and 3 ↗2026 amendment, new clause 8/1(3) ↗DTAM form notice ↗
New applicants: 1. Confirm the applicant, activity and responsible office
Identify who will hold the licence, the premises address, and whether you will sell flower to patients, supply licensed businesses or process it. Get the application checklist for that activity before signing a long lease.
For controlled-herb applications, DTAM handles Bangkok establishments; the responsible Provincial Public Health Office handles establishments elsewhere. The underlying clinic, pharmacy or herbal-product permission follows its own licensing process.
Check the applicant's eligibility under clause 8 of the 2016 regulation. It covers adulthood and legal capacity, residence, a definite business location, and specified suspension, revocation and conviction restrictions. Companies must also check the requirements for their responsible directors or managers. If your ownership or management involves foreign nationals, obtain advice on the separate business and establishment laws before assuming eligibility.
DTAM establishment guide, section 1.2 ↗2016 regulation, clause 8 ↗
2. Obtain the qualifying establishment permission
Complete the licensing or certification process for your chosen route. Keep the supporting permission in the name and at the address required for the controlled-herb application.
For a patient-facing shop, a company registration and an ordinary retail lease alone will not satisfy the new establishment criteria. Ask the registrar to confirm the proposed arrangement before spending on a conversion.
3. Prepare the premises and storage
The amendment requires evidence of ownership or possession rights, with the owner's written consent if you do not own the premises. It also requires storage suited to the quantity handled, equipment that preserves flower quality, separate storage and no direct contact with the floor. Licensees must provide effective odour and smoke control.
Prepare a floor plan and photographs showing the proposed storage and dispensing areas. Ask the inspecting office to confirm its requirements for temperature and humidity controls, security, signage and the remaining lease term. Retain the agreed checklist with your application documents.
4. Arrange staff and training
The amendment requires at least one worker trained by DTAM to be present throughout opening hours. Plan shift coverage, including leave and breaks, and confirm which course evidence the registrar accepts.
Your underlying establishment may also require a licensed professional. Confirm who will perform each role and whether one person may satisfy both sets of requirements. A staff training certificate does not grant prescribing authority.
Before opening, use our cannabis POS buying guide to test prescription checks, stock records and staff access.
2026 amendment, new clause 8/1(4) ↗
Cannabis POS buying guide5. Assemble the application file
Use the table below as a preparation list, then reconcile it against the registrar's current checklist.
The identity and company documents come from the 2016 regulation; the 2026 amendment adds evidence for the new flower-specific criteria. Source-related attachments depend on the activity and circumstances. For a retail application, ask which source documents must come from your supplier and which you must provide.
| File section | Documents to prepare |
|---|---|
| Application | PT 12 and the current cannabis-flower supplementary information. |
| Individual applicant | Government-issued identification, house registration and premises map. |
| Company applicant | Registration evidence; a current certificate showing objectives and authorized signatories, issued within the preceding six months; identification and house-registration documents for the responsible person; premises map. |
| Representative, if used | Power of attorney and the representative's identification, with the required stamp duty. |
| New eligibility criteria | Qualifying establishment licence or certification, premises rights and owner consent where required, storage evidence and staff-training evidence. |
| Supply and site evidence | Supplier/source documents, cultivation or source maps and other evidence that applies to your activity; site photographs and inspection documents requested by the registrar. |
2016 regulation, clauses 2–5 ↗2026 amendment, clauses 2 and 3 ↗
6. Submit and complete the review
Confirm whether your office uses the DTAM controlled-herb portal, an in-person submission or a combination. Keep the application reference, submission receipt and a copy of the full file. Complete the required premises assessment and respond to requests for corrections.
Under clause 6, the registrar can require missing or corrected documents within 30 days of receipt of the notice. A failure to respond can end the application. This deadline is not a promise that the entire licensing process takes 30 days.
7. Pay the notified fee and check the issued licence
DTAM's published fee table lists THB 20 for an application or renewal application and THB 3,000 for a commercial sale/processing licence or its renewal. These amounts cover the controlled-herb process, not the underlying clinic or pharmacy permission, premises work, training or professional fees. Confirm the payable amounts and payment method with the receiving office.
Follow the approval notice. Clause 7 provides a 30-day period from receipt of the notice to pay the licence fee; failure to pay can result in dismissal of the application. Before trading, check the issued licence's holder, address, activities, conditions and expiry date. A new application receipt alone does not authorize sales.
DTAM published fee table, final page ↗2016 regulation, clause 7 ↗1999 Act, section 46 ↗
Existing licensees: 1. Check the licence you already hold
Record the holder, premises, approved activity and printed expiry date. Check for suspension orders, unresolved inspection findings or changes to the business that need the registrar's attention.
Clause 8 of the 2026 amendment preserves existing cannabis-flower licences until expiry. It does not extend all licences to one national deadline. Use the date on your own licence.
2. Prepare the conversion before renewal is due
Compare your operation with the first-applicant checklist above. Secure the qualifying establishment permission, complete staff training and finish the premises work before you need the renewed licence.
As a planning recommendation, begin several months before expiry, especially if you need a clinic, pharmacy or herbal-product licence. That preparation period is not a statutory filing deadline.
3. File the renewal within the 60-day window before expiry
Clause 11 of the 2016 regulation requires a renewal application within the 60 days before the licence expires. PT 13 is the published base renewal form. Confirm the current attachments and retain proof of filing.
The 2026 amendment expressly applies the new clause 8/1 criteria to renewal decisions. An existing licence therefore does not secure renewal under the former eligibility rules. The amendment also directs the authority to consider non-renewal where a licensee has previously been suspended for breaching the specified controlled-herb notifications.
Do not wait for expiry to start a fresh application if you intend to renew. Ask the registrar whether any change of holder, premises or activity requires a different application route.
2016 regulation, clause 11 ↗DTAM form notice ↗2026 amendment, clauses 5 and 6 ↗
4. Preserve the distinction between a renewal and a new application
Section 49 of the 1999 Act permits a licensee who applies for renewal before expiry to continue operating until the authority orders that renewal be refused. Keep evidence of a valid, timely renewal and confirm your file's status with the registrar. This provision does not excuse non-compliance or override a suspension order.
A first-time application, an application for a different business, and an expired licence with no timely renewal are different situations. Do not assume that an application receipt gives any of them the same continuation right. If your licence has lapsed without a timely renewal, stop the licensed activity and obtain instructions on reapplication and lawful handling of remaining stock.
5. Update any application that was already pending
Clause 9 of the amendment brings applications pending when the new rules took effect into the amended framework. Officials can require the applicant to supply what is missing under the new criteria. Filing before the change does not reserve approval under the old rules. Contact the registrar with your reference number and obtain the outstanding-document list.
Keep the licence usable after approval
Under the 2025 notification, operators must document sources, use and stock; source flower in accordance with DTAM's cultivation and harvesting certification requirements; and comply with the restrictions on sales channels and commercial advertising. Patient dispensing requires a prescription from an authorized practitioner, with an amount necessary for no more than 30 days of treatment. These conditions also apply to older licensees.
On 17 August 2026, the government reiterated that dentists must not pre-sign PT 33 prescriptions without examining and diagnosing the patient. Arrange a lawful assessment and prescribing process before opening; a supply of signed blank forms is not a substitute.
Build the record trail before the first transaction. Link incoming stock to its supplier and batch, and link patient dispensing to the prescription, quantity and stock movement. Reconcile the records used for PT 27 and PT 28 reporting. Keep licence documents and filing acknowledgments where authorized staff can retrieve them during an inspection.
Follow the PT27 and PT28 reporting walkthrough to prepare and check a report from your source records.
PorThorOS's free PT 27 / PT 28 generator can help you prepare reports from your records. It does not apply for PT 11, verify your eligibility or replace an authority's approval.
For your first discussion with the registrar, bring the current licence if you have one, the proposed establishment permission, the premises address and your intended activity. Ask the office to confirm the application route, outstanding documents and filing date before committing to an opening or renewal schedule.
2025 notification, clauses 4 and 5 ↗Thai government warning, 17 August 2026 ↗
PT27 and PT28 reporting walkthrough