Thailand’s Cabinet has suspended the creation of new central-government field offices in the provinces and ordered a review of 3,708 existing units as part of a broader effort to streamline the country’s administrative structure.
The decision, approved on August 11, does not mean all 3,708 offices will be shut down. Instead, ministries have been given three months to explain why each unit should continue operating and recommend whether it should be retained, closed, merged, transferred or replaced with digital services.
Offices considered necessary will have to be included in restructuring plans covering the following year. Ministries may also consolidate provincial offices belonging to the same ministry under a single agency through the government’s “One Roof” model.
The Cabinet approved the measures after accepting a proposal from the Public Sector Development Commission to revoke Cabinet resolutions issued on April 4, 2017, and September 18, 2007.
The government said the previous arrangements did not fully align with the State Administration Act B.E. 2534 (1991), which divides government administration into central, provincial and local systems.
The latest move is aimed at reducing overlapping responsibilities, controlling long-term government spending and improving the delivery of public services.
Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who chairs the Public Sector Development Commission, said some central government departments had established provincial branches whose responsibilities overlapped with those of provincial governors.
He noted that the existing legislation did not specifically provide for central-government administration operating through such regional branches.
Under the new measures, affected employees may apply to transfer back to central government offices or participate in a voluntary early-retirement programme. Agencies have also been encouraged to replace physical offices with online platforms and digital systems where services can be delivered remotely.
Government agencies must now review existing provincial structures and consider transferring certain responsibilities to local authorities or other sectors. Where an office remains necessary, a one-year restructuring proposal must be submitted to the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission within three months.
Agencies must also examine whether offices from the same ministry operating in the same area can be consolidated under a single administrative body through the One Roof approach.
Proposals for further structural changes will be put on hold until the commission has completed its review of the ministries’ submissions. Government agencies must also consult the commission before creating new provincial units under laws that allow ministers to issue regulations or notifications.
The commission’s opinion will have to accompany such proposals when they are submitted to the Cabinet. Agencies must similarly seek its views before conducting public consultations on draft laws that would establish new government offices or agencies in the provinces.
Figures from the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission showed that Thailand had 10,010 division-level government units operating across the regions as of June 2026, up from 9,990 before 2017.
The total included 2,496 provincial-level administrative units, 5,321 district-level units and 2,193 central-government field offices. The figures exclude the Defence Ministry, Education Ministry and Royal Thai Police, which operate under separate legislation.
The increase was attributed to seven agencies, including the Office of the National Water Resources, Budget Bureau, Customs Department, Department of Mineral Resources, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Office of the Permanent Secretary for Justice and Department of Skill Development.
Of the regional units, the commission identified 3,708 that had been established under ministerial regulations or other legislation without undergoing the review process required under the previous Cabinet framework.
These units account for around one-third of all 10,010 regional government units and include regional treasury offices, highway districts, rural highway districts and customs checkpoints.
Thailand also has 7,842 local administrative organisations, while the regional government workforce consists of around 438,470 civil servants, government employees and permanent employees. Local government and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration personnel are not included in that figure.
The commission concluded that the growing number and variety of government offices had created overlapping responsibilities, made it more difficult for members of the public and businesses to identify the appropriate agency, slowed responses to local problems and increased administrative costs.
Under the One Roof model, government units belonging to the same ministry in a particular area would operate under a single administrative structure. Provincial commerce offices were cited as one possible example of how the approach could work.
The government also wants agencies to expand online services for tasks that can be completed digitally, reducing the long-term need for additional physical offices and staff.
Meanwhile, Customs Department director-general Phantong Loykulnanta said he had yet to receive the detailed Cabinet resolution but expected the review to affect numerous government agencies rather than Customs alone.
He said the department would need to examine staffing levels, positions and individual provincial offices before determining which units remained necessary.
“We have not yet received the details. We need to examine the staffing levels, positions and provinces involved,” Phantong said.
If the review determines that certain customs checkpoints are no longer necessary, staff could be reassigned elsewhere and technology could be introduced to maintain or improve operational efficiency.
Phantong said the Customs Department would decide on its next steps once it receives the full details and relevant information from the agencies overseeing the review.
