The 2026 deportation regulation<\/a> was published on 27 August and took effect on 28 August 2026<\/strong>. Deportation is a separate decision from the criminal sentence. Clause 5 includes immigration offences, unlawful work and Foreign Business Act offences; its separate five-year category concerns an offence\u2019s statutory imprisonment threshold, not a requirement for every foreign defendant to receive a five-year sentence. Prison authorities must give at least 15 days\u2019 notice before the relevant release. Suspended sentences<\/a> and fine-only outcomes are also referred for consideration. Referral does not itself mean an automatic deportation order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lawyer handling bail or sentencing should also check the immigration position and any proposed deportation or re-entry order. Serving a sentence, paying a fine or obtaining a suspended sentence does not by itself resolve permission to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supreme Court Decision No. 889\/2569<\/a> distinguishes a bar to prosecution from protection against a second punishment. A foreign judgment does not trigger Section 39(4) of Thailand\u2019s Criminal Procedure Code. Thai jurisdiction still needs a statutory basis. For offences within Section 10 of the Penal Code<\/a>, a final foreign acquittal or a sentence fully served abroad may prevent punishment again in Thailand; in Supreme Court Decision 889\/2569 a suspended foreign prison sentence was not treated as a sentence served, because the defendant did not prove the foreign court’s suspension rules. Do not describe every foreign judgment as either a complete shield or legally irrelevant. Read our double-jeopardy explanation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\nA foreign judgment does not settle Thai exposure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n