TISI Mandatory Standards for Imports to Thailand

Many importers learn about Thai industrial standards the hard way: a container of electrical goods, steel, helmets or toys is cleared on paper, then held because the product is covered by a mandatory standard and the importer has no licence. This guide explains how the system works from the importer's side. It covers what a mandatory standard is and how to check whether your product is on the list, how the import licence works and who can hold it, how testing and the factory audit fit into the sourcing timeline, what has to happen with each shipment, and what usually happens at customs when mandatory-standard goods arrive without a licence. It is written for Thai SMEs importing from China and elsewhere, and for overseas suppliers selling into Thailand. It describes structure and practice. It does not quote fees, processing times or penalty amounts, because those are set by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) and the courts, and they change. Before you rely on any detail for a real shipment, confirm the current rule with TISI or with a customs broker who files these products regularly.

Two related guides sit alongside this one. Our overview of import permits in Thailand explains how the different agencies divide the work, and the guide to controlled import goods covers the wider list of restricted products. Wireless devices add a second regulator, the NBTC, which we cover in a separate guide on NBTC type approval.

What is a TISI mandatory standard (มอก. ภาคบังคับ)?

A TISI mandatory standard is a Thai Industrial Standard (TIS, มอก.) that has been made compulsory by law for a defined product, so every unit made in or imported into Thailand must conform and carry the TISI mark.

The legal basis is the Industrial Product Standards Act B.E. 2511 (1968). Under it, TISI writes and publishes standards, and the government can declare a particular standard compulsory for a product through a royal decree or ministerial-level instrument. Most Thai standards stay voluntary: a manufacturer may certify to them to show quality, but nobody is stopped at the border for lacking them. Once a standard becomes mandatory, the position flips. Making, importing or selling the covered product without a licence and without conformity becomes an offence, and Thai Customs works with TISI to stop non-conforming goods at entry.

The products on the mandatory list are chosen mainly for safety, health, the environment and consumer protection. That is why the list is weighted towards electrical appliances and components, cables and plugs, some construction steel and building materials, gas cylinders and pressure equipment, vehicle parts such as tyres and safety glass, helmets, and children's products such as toys. The list grows over time as new standards are declared, and existing standards are revised, so a product that was free to import last year may need a licence this year.

The word scope matters more than the product name. Each standard defines the products it covers by type, rating, material or use. A plug adapter may fall in, a similar-looking travel accessory may fall out. A steel bar for reinforcing concrete may be covered while a decorative steel section is not. Reading the scope clause of the standard, rather than guessing from the title, is the first real step.

How do you check whether your product is on the mandatory list?

Start from TISI's published list of mandatory standards, match your product against the scope clause of the relevant standard, and get a written opinion from TISI or a recognised lab if the fit is unclear.

In practice the check runs in four moves. First, describe the product the way an engineer would: what it is, what it is made of, its electrical rating if any, and who uses it. Second, search TISI's list of mandatory standards (the institute publishes it on its website, in Thai, with standard numbers and titles) for every standard that could plausibly apply. A single product can fall under more than one standard; an appliance may be covered by a safety standard and an energy or electromagnetic-compatibility standard. Third, open each candidate standard and read its scope and exclusions. Fourth, record your conclusion and the evidence behind it.

When the scope is genuinely ambiguous, do not resolve it in your own favour. Ask TISI or a TISI-recognised testing laboratory for a written view, and keep it with your import file. A written opinion is far more useful at the border than a supplier's assurance that the product does not need certification.

The HS code is a useful cross-check but not the answer. Customs controls are often linked to tariff lines, and a broker can tell you whether your HS code is flagged for TISI control in the customs system. But HS codes are broader than standard scopes, so a flag means look closer, and the absence of a flag does not prove the product is free. Our guide to what an HS code is explains why classification and regulatory scope do not line up exactly.

Finally, remember that TISI is not the only gatekeeper. If the product is food-contact, a cosmetic, a medical device, a radio transmitter or a chemical, other agencies such as the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA), the NBTC or the Department of Industrial Works may control it instead of, or as well as, TISI.

How does the TISI import licence work, and who can apply?

The licence is issued by TISI to a Thai importer for a specific product scope and a specific manufacturing factory, and it must be in place before the goods are imported.

This is the point most foreign suppliers misunderstand. The certificate does not belong to the product in the abstract, and it is not something the Chinese factory can simply send with the shipment. The licence names the Thai importer as licence holder, names the standard, describes the product range it covers and names the factory that makes it. Customs and TISI check incoming goods against that combination.

Who can hold it? In general the applicant is a juristic person or individual in Thailand who will be the importer of record. A foreign company without a Thai entity therefore needs a Thai importer, distributor or other local party to hold the licence on its behalf, and the commercial relationship has to account for that: if the distributor holds the licence and the relationship ends, the licence does not move with the brand. Some suppliers manage this by having more than one Thai importer licensed, each in its own name. Confirm with TISI what a given arrangement allows before relying on it.

Applications are filed through TISI's electronic licensing system, and the importer registers there first. The file normally includes company documents, product details and drawings or specifications, the test report and evidence about the factory's quality system. TISI may also issue a narrower one-time licence for specific situations, such as small quantities imported for a defined purpose rather than general sale; whether that route fits your case is a question for TISI, not something to assume.

The licence has conditions. The importer must keep the products conforming, keep records, accept market surveillance and follow marking rules. Breaching them can lead to suspension, which affects every future shipment, not just the one in question.

Where do testing and the factory audit fit in the sourcing timeline?

Testing at a TISI-recognised laboratory and an audit of the foreign factory normally come before the licence is issued, so they belong at the very start of the sourcing plan, before deposits are paid and production is booked.

For most mandatory standards, TISI needs evidence that both the product and the production process are under control. The product side is a type test: samples from the named factory are tested against the standard at a laboratory TISI recognises. For many standards the testing is done in Thailand; for others, results from a recognised overseas laboratory may be accepted. The process side is a factory inspection by TISI or an inspection body it approves, which checks that the factory can keep making the product the same way. Depending on the standard, an existing management-system certification covering the relevant process may be taken into account. Which of these apply, where samples go and how many are needed is set per standard, so ask before you send anything.

The practical consequence is sequencing. A typical mistake is to negotiate price, pay a deposit and book production, then start licensing when the goods are nearly ready. The goods then wait in China, or worse, arrive in Thailand before the licence exists. A safer order is: choose the factory, obtain samples, confirm the standard, start the licence application and testing, and only book bulk production once the licence path is clear. Factor the factory's cooperation into supplier selection; a factory that will not host an audit or share process information cannot supply mandatory-standard goods into Thailand in your name.

One licence, one factory. If you later move production to a cheaper factory, the new factory is a new licence case. This is why experienced importers often keep a stable supplier for licensed lines and treat changes as a project, not a purchase-order switch.

What has to happen with each shipment of licensed goods?

Each lot must match the licence, must be notified to TISI in the way TISI currently requires, and must carry the TISI mark and other required labelling before or at import.

Having a licence does not make every later shipment automatic. Thai authorities have tightened lot-level control on mandatory-standard imports in recent years, and TISI has removed some of the exemption routes importers used to rely on when declaring controlled goods. The current expectation is that the importer reports each import of controlled products to TISI, whatever the quantity or purpose, and that the details line up with the licence. Procedures here are under active review, so treat the following as the structure to confirm, not a fixed checklist.

For each lot, check four alignments. The importer on the customs declaration is the licence holder. The factory named on the commercial invoice and packing list is the licensed factory. The models in the shipment fall within the licensed product range. The goods are marked: the TISI mark, with any current requirements such as a QR code or licence reference, appears on the product or, where the standard allows, on the packaging, together with any Thai-language labelling required by the standard or by consumer-protection rules.

Then keep evidence ready. Officers may ask for test reports, the licence, or quality records, and TISI may draw samples from the market or from the lot for checking. Lots can be sampled and tested after import; if a lot fails, the consequences fall on the licence holder.

Mixed shipments need extra care. A consolidated container from a sourcing agent may contain one licensed line and several uncontrolled ones. The licensed line still needs its own alignment, and the declaration must describe each line accurately. A forwarder such as Thai Global Freight (TGF) can coordinate the booking, documents and handoff to the customs broker, but the licence itself stays with the importer.

What happens at customs if mandatory-standard goods arrive without a licence?

The goods can be held, and in serious cases seized; the outcome depends on the facts and is decided by Thai Customs and TISI, so stop and get advice before taking any step.

When controlled goods arrive without a licence, or the lot does not match the licence, several things can happen. The declaration may be stopped in the electronic system, the goods may be referred for inspection, and the importer may be asked to explain. Customs treats false or incomplete declarations of controlled goods as an offence under the Customs Act B.E. 2560 (2017), separately from TISI's own law. Recent enforcement cases reported in the Thai press have involved goods such as LED lamps imported without a TISI licence.

The possible routes after that vary. Depending on the case, options discussed with officials can include re-export to the origin, destruction under supervision, or keeping the goods under customs control while a licence is obtained where the law and the authority allow it. Not every route is available in every case, and none should be assumed. Penalties and fines are set by law and by the authorities; we do not estimate them here.

Meanwhile, time costs money. Terminal storage and container demurrage keep running while the case is open. That is why the first step is to talk to your customs broker and, through them, TISI, before paying anything that commits you to a route. Our guide on what to do when cargo is held by customs walks through the general process of a hold.

The best defence is upstream. Ask the licence question at quotation stage, write it into the purchase contract, and do not let a supplier ship controlled goods before you have the licence number in hand.

How does TISI fit with other Thai import controls?

TISI controls conformity to industrial standards; other agencies control other risks, and a single product can need approvals from more than one of them.

The Thai import control system is divided by risk, not by product family. TISI covers industrial safety and performance standards. The Thai FDA covers food, food-contact materials in some cases, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. The NBTC covers radio and telecommunications equipment. The Department of Industrial Works covers hazardous substances in its category. The Department of Foreign Trade manages certain import licences and trade measures. Customs enforces at the border, usually by linking controls to tariff lines in the electronic system.

Overlaps are common. A Bluetooth speaker may need NBTC approval for its radio module and TISI compliance if its power supply or the product itself falls under a mandatory electrical standard. A battery-powered toy may sit under the toy standard while its battery raises transport rules for dangerous goods. A kitchen appliance may face TISI for electrical safety and the Thai FDA for parts that touch food. The practical rule is to list each function of the product and ask which agency controls it.

For a structured map of those agencies, see our guide to import permits in Thailand and the article on prohibited import goods. If you are importing for the first time, the first-time importer checklist explains how these permits fit with company registration, customs registration and the import declaration.

Why does this matter for freight? Because every one of these approvals must be ready before the cargo leaves origin. A forwarder can plan around a licence that exists; it cannot clear goods against one that does not.

What should Chinese and other foreign suppliers prepare?

Suppliers should be ready to host a factory audit, provide samples and technical files, keep production consistent with the tested design, and mark goods exactly as the Thai licence requires.

For a factory in China, Vietnam or elsewhere, selling mandatory-standard products into Thailand is a cooperation exercise with the Thai importer. The supplier's side of the work usually covers: providing samples from the actual production line, not hand-built specimens; supplying a technical file with drawings, bills of materials and critical-component lists; hosting the factory inspection and answering questions about incoming inspection, in-process checks and final testing; keeping the licensed design stable, because a change to a critical component can take the product outside the tested design; and applying the TISI mark and Thai labels at the right stage of production, using artwork approved through the importer.

Suppliers also need to understand the commercial meaning. The Thai importer carries the legal responsibility and will want contract terms covering consistency, notice of changes, and cooperation with market surveillance. Suppliers who sell through several Thai customers may face several audits, one per licence holder, unless the authority's current rules provide otherwise.

For the China export side, remember that Chinese customs and the supplier's export paperwork do not change because of TISI. What changes is what must be agreed before the order is confirmed. Our guide to importing from China to Thailand covers the full lane, and the Yiwu market sourcing guide explains why small-order trading sources make TISI-controlled products especially hard: the seller is often not the factory, so the factory identity the licence depends on is unknown.

If a supplier says its goods already have TISI approval, ask whose name the licence is in. If it is another importer's licence, it does not cover your shipment.

What is a sensible step-by-step plan for a first TISI-controlled import?

Work backwards from the ship date: confirm scope, choose a cooperative factory, file and test, receive the licence, then book production and freight, notifying each lot as you ship.

A practical sequence for a first import looks like this:

• Describe the product precisely and list every function, material and electrical rating.
• Check the TISI mandatory list and read the scope clauses; get a written view where unsure.
• Check other agencies (Thai FDA, NBTC, Department of Industrial Works) for overlapping controls.
• Confirm who will hold the licence and register that Thai entity on TISI's electronic system.
• Choose the factory with audit cooperation in mind, and agree samples, technical file and marking in writing.
• File the licence application, arrange testing at a recognised laboratory and schedule the factory inspection.
• Only after the licence is issued, confirm bulk production and book freight.
• Before each shipment, align importer, factory, models and marking with the licence, and notify the lot to TISI as currently required.
• Keep test reports, the licence and lot records together for any later check.

Sea or air does not change the licensing logic, but it changes how much risk a mistake carries. A full container held at Laem Chabang accumulates more cost than a small air shipment, and an LCL consolidation may be delayed by one controlled line. When timing is tight, some importers clear a first small lot by air to prove the process, then move volume to sea. Our first-time importer checklist and the guide to Thailand import documents cover the general paperwork that sits around this plan.

Rules evolve. TISI declares new mandatory standards and adjusts procedures, so re-check the list and the lot-notification process at least whenever you add a product, change a factory or see an announcement in the Thai trade press.