The Ministry of Finance is considering allowing shops participating in the "Thai Help Thai Plus" program to accept scanning of "State Welfare Cards."

The Ministry of Finance advises those who meet the criteria for the 2569 State Welfare Card to promptly verify their identity within the specified timeframe. Disabled individuals and bedridden patients must prepare new power of attorney documents. Payments will begin on October 1st. The ministry is also considering allowing Thai-supported Thai Plus shops to accept scanning of the State Welfare Card.

September 15, 2569 – Mr. Vinit Visetsuwannapoom, Director of the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) and spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, revealed that progress is being made in the Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process for eligible individuals under the 2569 State Welfare Card registration project. Relevant agencies are currently expediting the verification process as quickly as possible.

Those who previously submitted requests via power of attorney, mostly people with disabilities and bedridden patients, need to prepare a new power of attorney document for identity verification. This new power of attorney process follows the current identity verification guidelines and standards of the Bank of Thailand (BOT).

"The local administration is happy to facilitate document preparation and conduct proactive on-site monitoring without waiting for citizens to come in person. Therefore, we request the cooperation of the public not to be complacent and to expedite the process to meet the deadline so that welfare payments can begin on October 1, 2569. For cases where identity verification via the application is unsuccessful, individuals can visit the bank to resolve the issue on a case-by-case basis."

For the timeline of identity verification for those who meet the criteria for the 2569 State Welfare Card project, verification via the Paotang app can be done until January 12, 70 through Krung Thai Bank until January 12, 70, and through Government Savings Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), Government Housing Bank (GHB), and Islamic Bank (iBank) until October 14, 2569.

Mr. Vinit further revealed that, following discussions at the ministerial level, a plan has been developed to expand the payment acceptance for merchants to include Thai Help Thai Plus 60/40 merchants, allowing them to accept payments from holders of the state welfare card, comparable to Blue Flag stores. Payments will be made via QR code scanning through the Thung Ngern app, which will provide more purchasing options for the public.

However, this may not cover all stores due to certain limitations. The Ministry of Commerce is currently expediting the process to gradually reopen the services as soon as possible.

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