How to Check a Plastic Surgeon in Thailand (and Choose an Agency)

You can check a plastic surgeon in Thailand yourself, for free, in about ten minutes. Three official sites do the work: the Medical Council of Thailand's licence register, the Thai plastic surgery society's member directory, and the JCI hospital directory. This guide walks you through each one, with a real example.

Beauty Butler is a Bangkok-based medical tourism agency that coordinates cosmetic surgery for patients from Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. We personally vet every surgeon we work with. This guide shows you how to run the same public checks on any surgeon you're considering.

The short answer: three checks, in this order

Check the licence, then the specialty society, then the hospital. Each check answers a different question, so you need all three.

1. Medical Council of Thailand (checkmd.tmc.or.th). Is this person a licensed doctor, and which specialty has the Council certified?
2. Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand (ThPRS). Is the surgeon a member of the national plastic surgery society?
3. Joint Commission International (JCI). Is the hospital where you'll have surgery accredited right now?

Then add a fourth step that no website can do for you: meet the surgeon on a video call before you pay anything.

Step 1: Check the licence on the Medical Council register

The Medical Council of Thailand runs a free English-language register at checkmd.tmc.or.th. It shows whether a doctor is licensed and which specialty the Council has certified. It only lists doctors who are active and licensed to practise.

Here's how to use it:

1. Open the site and click the "Search in English" tab.
2. Type the surgeon's first name and surname in English. Spelling matters, so copy it from their profile.
3. If you have their licence number, add it in the optional box. This is the strongest check.
4. Click Search.

The result shows four useful things. You'll see the doctor's name in Thai and English, and the year they were first licensed. You'll also see the specialty the Medical Council has certified. If you entered a licence number, it tells you whether that number matches the name.

What to look for: the certified specialty should fit your procedure. For breast, body or facial cosmetic surgery, "Plastic Surgery" is the clearest match. If the specialty shown is unrelated to your procedure, ask the surgeon about it directly.

If a name doesn't appear, don't panic straight away. Try other spellings, as Thai names can be written in English in more than one way. The Council also takes questions by phone (+66 2 590 1887) or email (tmc@tmc.or.th) during Bangkok office hours.

Step 2: Find the surgeon in the ThPRS directory

The Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand (ThPRS) has a public "Find a surgeon" page at thprs.org/find-member. It's the national society for plastic surgeons, and its search works in English.

1. Open the page and type the surgeon's name into the search box. You can also search by hospital, clinic, city or university.
2. Open the matching profile.
3. Check that the licence number on the profile matches the one from Step 1.

One thing to know: the directory lists only full members, and some members choose not to show a profile. So a missing listing is a reason to ask, not proof of a problem. ThPRS says you can contact its secretariat to check a membership that doesn't appear.

You may also see surgeons mention the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). It has its own Find a Surgeon directory, searchable by country. Treat it as a useful extra, not a replacement for Steps 1 and 2.

Step 3: Confirm the hospital's JCI accreditation

JCI accreditation means a hospital has passed an outside, on-site check of its patient-safety standards. Joint Commission International keeps a public list of every accredited organisation.

1. Open JCI's "Find Accredited International Organizations" page.
2. Search for the hospital by name.
3. Check three details: the city, the word "Accredited", and the effective date.

Hospital names don't always match their English marketing name. For example, JCI lists one of our partner hospitals as "The World Medical Hospital" and another as "ViMUT Hospital". If a search finds nothing, try a shorter part of the name.

Each listing also has an IHCO ID, a unique number for that hospital. If a provider quotes a JCI ID, it should match the listing. You can see the JCI-accredited hospitals Beauty Butler works with on our hospitals page.

The CDC makes an honest point here: accreditation is a standard for the hospital, not a promise about any one surgeon. That's why Steps 1 and 2 come first.

A worked example: Dr. Atikom

Here are the same three checks, run on 6 October 2026, for one of the surgeons we work with.

Dr. Atikom Tanadpojanamart (Dr. Hope) is a Thai board-certified plastic surgeon. He leads body contouring and breast surgery for Beauty Butler patients.

• Medical Council register: searching "Atikom Tanadpojanamart" returns one doctor, licensed since 2007. The certified specialty is Plastic Surgery. Licence number 36316 shows as "correct and matches".
• ThPRS directory: searching "Atikom" finds his member listing, which shows the same licence number, 36316.
• His training: a medical degree from Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, and a plastic surgery residency at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. He holds the Diploma of the Thai Board of Plastic Surgery (2015).

You can run the licence check on any surgeon in a few minutes. For example, Dr. Sumet Bunyajetpong (Dr. Note), a Thai board-certified surgeon on our team, holds licence 39426. It also shows as "correct and matches" on the register.

Each surgeon's profile, linked from our surgeons page, lists their licence number, so you can copy it straight into the register.

Step 4: Meet your surgeon before you pay

No register can tell you whether a surgeon is right for you. A real conversation can. The NHS advises meeting the surgeon who will operate on you before you pay. The Royal College of Surgeons of England gives the same advice.

At Beauty Butler, you meet your surgeon on a free video consultation before any deposit is due.

Bring these questions to that call:

• How many of this exact procedure do you perform?
• Which technique do you recommend for me, and why?
• Which hospital will I be in?
• What happens if a complication occurs while I'm still in Thailand?
• Who do I contact once I'm home, and how does follow-up work?

A good surgeon answers each one clearly. If the answers stay vague, take that as useful information.

Checking a surgeon from home: what each country uses

If you're comparing a Thai surgeon with one at home, each country has its own register. Look for these:

• Australia: the Ahpra register shows a doctor's registration and specialty. Only doctors with specialist registration in plastic surgery can call themselves a "specialist plastic surgeon".
• New Zealand: the Medical Council of New Zealand register, plus the NZAPS member list.
• United States: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Find a Surgeon tool lists board-certified members.
• United Kingdom: the GMC register shows whether a doctor is on the Specialist Register for plastic surgery.
• Canada: the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons directory.

The pattern is the same everywhere. A licence tells you someone is a doctor. A specialty listing tells you what they trained for. Ask for both.

Warning signs to take seriously

Government health advice keeps flagging the same short list. The CDC, the NHS, the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Australia's Smartraveller all point to these:

• You can't find the surgeon's name on the Medical Council register.
• You're asked to pay before you've spoken to the operating surgeon.
• The surgeon's name isn't confirmed until you arrive.
• You feel pressure to decide or pay quickly.
• The quote doesn't say clearly what's included.
• There's no named contact for after you fly home.
• Someone promises a guaranteed result.

None of these is unique to Thailand. They're the same checks a careful patient makes anywhere.

How to choose a medical tourism agency

An agency should make these checks easier, not replace them. Ask any agency you're considering these five questions:

1. Who is my surgeon? Can I have their name and licence number in writing?
2. Can I meet the surgeon on a video call before I pay a deposit?
3. Which hospital will I be in, and is it JCI-accredited?
4. What exactly does the quote include, and is there an agency fee on top?
5. Who looks after me during recovery, and after I fly home?

At Beauty Butler, one written quote covers your surgery and hospital, plus our hotel package with transfers and nurse visits at your hotel during recovery. There's no separate agency fee. If you're weighing an agency against booking a hospital yourself, our guide to the best hospitals for cosmetic surgery in Bangkok explains how JCI accreditation works in practice.

Travel insurance and care after you're home

Plan for the weeks after you fly home before you book. Smartraveller recommends insurance written for planned medical treatment abroad, as regular travel cover often excludes it. Check that a policy covers complications, a longer stay and medical evacuation.

Then ask your surgeon or agency three things, in writing. Who is your named contact once you're home? What can they do for you from a distance? And who pays for follow-up care if a complication relates to your surgery? Beauty Butler patients keep access to follow-up consultations with their surgeon after they return home, and our revision policy is written down.

Choosing with confidence

Three free checks and one honest conversation cover most of the risk that health bodies warn about. The licence register, the ThPRS directory and the JCI list take about ten minutes together. The video call with your surgeon takes care of the rest.

For more on why the surgeon matters most, read why the surgeon matters more than the clinic. If you're planning a nose job, our rhinoplasty cost guide shows how these checks apply to one procedure. Or start with a free consultation and put your questions to a surgeon yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a doctor in Thailand is licensed?

Use the Medical Council of Thailand's free register at checkmd.tmc.or.th. Choose "Search in English", enter the doctor's first name and surname, and add their licence number if you have it. The result shows the year they were licensed, their certified specialty, and whether the licence number matches.

How do I know if a surgeon in Thailand is a board-certified plastic surgeon?

Check two places. The Medical Council register shows the specialty the Council has certified, which should read "Plastic Surgery" for most cosmetic procedures. The ThPRS "Find a surgeon" page at thprs.org/find-member lists full members of the national plastic surgery society.

Is the ThPRS directory complete?

No. It lists only full members, and some members choose not to show a profile. If a surgeon is missing, ask them about their membership, or contact the ThPRS secretariat. Always run the Medical Council check as well, because it covers every licensed doctor.

How do I check if a hospital in Thailand is JCI-accredited?

Search the hospital's name on Joint Commission International's "Find Accredited International Organizations" page. A current listing shows the city, the word "Accredited", an effective date and a unique IHCO ID. Try a shorter version of the name if nothing appears.

Is it safe to get plastic surgery in Thailand?

It can be, when you choose a licensed, specialty-certified surgeon at a JCI-accredited hospital. Safety depends far more on those checks than on the country. Meet your surgeon before you pay, and plan your aftercare and travel insurance before you fly.

What questions should I ask a surgeon before surgery abroad?

Ask how often they perform your procedure, which technique they recommend and why, and which hospital you'll be in. Ask what happens if a complication occurs in Thailand, and who you contact once you're home. Clear answers are a good sign.

How do I choose a medical tourism agency in Thailand?

Ask for your surgeon's name and licence number in writing, and a video call with them before any deposit. Confirm the hospital is JCI-accredited, what the quote includes, and whether there's an agency fee. Ask who looks after you during recovery and after you fly home.

Do I need special travel insurance for surgery in Thailand?

Yes. Australia's Smartraveller recommends a policy written for planned medical treatment abroad, because standard travel insurance often excludes it. Check that it covers complications, a longer stay and medical evacuation.

References

• Medical Council of Thailand: Licence verification register
• Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand: Find a surgeon
• International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery: Find a Surgeon
• Joint Commission International: Find Accredited International Organizations
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Medical Tourism
• NHS: Cosmetic surgery abroad
• Royal College of Surgeons of England: Going abroad for cosmetic surgery
• Smartraveller (Australian Government): Medical tourism
• Ahpra: Registers of practitioners
• Medical Council of New Zealand: Register of doctors
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Find a Surgeon
• General Medical Council (UK): The medical register