In this article
Healthcare advertising in Thailand covers any text, image or sound about a private facility’s name, location, services or its doctors’ expertise that invites people to use the service. Under section 38 of the Sanatorium Act B.E. 2541 (1998), every such ad needs approval before it is published.
The rule applies on every channel: websites, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, TikTok, Google and marketplaces such as HDmall. This guide is for marketing teams and agencies working with Thai hospitals and clinics: what needs approval, how to apply, the wording that is usually rejected, the penalties, and a tool to check copy before you apply.
Check your ad copy before applying
Paste an ad or caption below. The tool highlights wording that is often rejected under the guidance summarised here, with the reason and a safer alternative. It works on Thai and English copy.
Check your ad copy before applying for approval
Paste an ad, post or video caption in Thai or English and press Check. The tool highlights wording that is often rejected, with the reason and a safer alternative. Your text never leaves your device.
The tool cannot check these, so check them yourself before applying
- Images, sound and video in the creative (such as needles, images of suffering or medicine bottles)
- Separate applications per channel, branch and anyone posting for you, such as each influencer or agency
- Licence and qualification evidence for any doctor in the ad
A first screen based on common wording, not an approval or legal advice. Copy with nothing highlighted still needs approval before publication.
What needs approval
Everything that invites people to use a service needs approval. According to the DHSS legal division briefing of March 2025, showing only the facility’s name and location does not; adding services, prices, promotions or doctors’ expertise makes it an ad.
| What you publish | Approval needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and location only | No | Such as signage or a Maps listing with just name and address |
| Packages, prices and promotions | Yes | Including marketplace listings such as HDmall, Shopee and Lazada |
| Social media posts, videos and captions | Yes | Apply per channel |
| Doctors’ expertise | Yes | Evidence the doctor works at the facility; name shown under the photo |
| Reviews and before-and-after images | Yes | With extra conditions (see below) |
| Posts by influencers or agencies | Yes | Each poster needs their own approval number |
| Campaigns covering several branches | Yes | Apply per branch |
The last two rows are where teams slip most: it looks like one campaign, but legally it is several ads, and fines multiply by branch too.
How to apply
- Prepare the creative on A4 with text of at least 16 point; for video, a storyboard and script
- Prepare documents: application form, copies of the facility licences, company certificate, power of attorney if any, and evidence for any claims
- If doctors appear: their licence, the certificate for the specialty mentioned, and evidence they practise at the facility
- Submit: Bangkok facilities at the DHSS one-stop service centre; others at the provincial public health office, with the fee
- Wait for the decision; if rejected you are told why, so fix and resubmit
- Publish only what was approved; if text or images change, apply again
Timing. The DHSS citizen’s manual gives up to 60 days in total; the March 2025 briefing said review takes up to 30 days, with notice within 7 days if rejected. Allow 30–60 days before launch.
Cost. Fees are set by a 2019 DHSS notification. As summarised from the 2025 briefing, online media cost THB 500 per page per channel and video THB 50 per second. A campaign on four channels with a 30-second video would therefore cost about THB 3,500 per branch. Check current rates before budgeting.
Wording DHSS rejects most often
A study of ads submitted for approval in Nakhon Ratchasima found 82.9% contained incorrect wording, so even careful teams get it wrong.
| Issue | Often rejected | Safer approach |
|---|---|---|
| Superiority | "best", "number one", "world-class", "one-stop", "first" | Verifiable facts: year opened, beds, accreditation with year |
| Guaranteed results | "cured for good", "100% safe", "painless", "instant results" | Explain the procedure, recovery and real risks |
| Promotions | "free", "special price" without conditions and dates | State price, inclusions, conditions, start and end dates |
| Medicine and device names | Brand names of dangerous or specially controlled drugs, medicine bottles | Use the service or procedure name; use the "programme" format for devices per guidance |
| Qualifications, training and awards | "trained abroad", "trained at…", "award-winning" | Only qualifications backed by a certificate or diploma |
| Before-and-after images | Retouched, undated or not a real patient | Real consenting patients, treatment date, no retouching, labelled as individual |
| Live streams | Selling packages or showing procedures live | Recorded video, approved first |
| Distressing images | Needles, suffering | Atmosphere, team, or results as allowed |
| Unrecognised treatments | Stem cells, or methods the council does not recognise | Do not advertise until recognised |
| Lucky draws | Promotions resembling gambling | Check gambling and related law first |
Ads mentioning medicines or medical devices also fall under the Drug Act and Medical Device Act, administered by the Thai FDA, and doctors in ads must follow the Medical Council’s ethics rules.
Penalties and enforcement
| Case | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Advertising without approval | Fine up to THB 20,000, plus up to THB 10,000 a day until it stops |
| False, exaggerated or materially misleading content | Up to 1 year in prison or a fine up to THB 20,000 or both, plus daily fines |
| Doctors breaching ethics rules | Possible action by the Medical Council |
When DHSS finds a breach it orders the ad stopped and asks platforms to take posts down. From October 2025 to March 2026 its legal division checked 4,521 posts and found 2,433 likely to break the law, from 89 facilities; in April 2026 it brought in platforms including Facebook, TikTok and HDmall to align on enforcement. Facilities can appeal an order to the DHSS director-general within 15 days.
Working fast without the risk
- Plan by quarter and prepare major campaigns at least two months ahead, applying in batches
- Build an approved message library (service descriptions, standard prices, doctor profiles) and reuse it
- Keep a register of approval numbers with creative, channel, branch and date
- Brief everyone who posts for you: each needs their own approval number and must not edit the text
- Screen before every application with the checker above, then a final legal review
DHSS publishes its latest wording guidance on its website and page; check it before each new campaign.
This summary is for marketing planning, not legal advice. If in doubt, ask DHSS or the provincial public health office before publishing.
Frequently asked questions
Does every healthcare ad in Thailand need approval?
Every piece that invites people to use a service does, such as posts with services, prices, promotions or a doctor’s expertise, and applications are per channel, per branch and per person posting for you. Showing only the facility’s name and location does not need approval.
How long does approval take?
The DHSS citizen’s manual gives up to 60 days in total; the legal division’s March 2025 briefing said up to 30 days, with notice within 7 days if rejected. Allow 30–60 days before a campaign.
How much does approval cost?
Rates are set by a 2019 DHSS notification. As summarised from the 2025 briefing, online media cost THB 500 per page per channel and video THB 50 per second, so totals depend on channels, video length and branches. Check current rates first.
Where do you apply?
Facilities in Bangkok apply at the DHSS one-stop service centre of the Ministry of Public Health; facilities elsewhere apply at their provincial public health office.
Can we use before-and-after images?
Yes, with conditions: real patients who consented, the treatment date shown, no retouching, and a note that results are individual. They need approval like any other ad.
Can we live stream to sell packages?
Avoid it: live content is not approved before broadcast, and DHSS has acted against clinics that streamed procedures. Record the video and get it approved first.
What if an ad is ordered to stop?
Stop it on every channel immediately, since fines run daily, then fix the creative and reapply. You can appeal to the DHSS director-general within 15 days of the order.
Sources
- Bangkok Biz News, 89 facilities found posting unlawful ads in six months (23 April 2026, in Thai)
- Bangkok Biz News, DHSS: get approval before every ad (in Thai)
- Department of Health Service Support, legal division document on section 38 advertising (in Thai)
- The Bangkok Insight, DHSS summons clinic over live-streamed procedure (in Thai)
- HealthServ, How to apply for facility ad approval (in Thai)
- dgh.agency, Summary of the DHSS legal division briefing, 12 March 2025 (in Thai)
- Study of ads submitted for approval in Nakhon Ratchasima (ThaiJO, in Thai)
