From the free AI9OS registry at ai9os.com/jurisdictions. Every row links to its full page, with sources.
| Jurisdiction | Regulates | Governing instrument | What triggers it (quoted from the registry page) | Headline penalty or main exposure (quoted) | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Profession | Private Security Industry Act 2007 | “Carrying out any function of a private investigator for reward” | “Fine up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 2 years” | 30 Aug 2026 |
| Malaysia | Profession | Private Agencies Act 1971 (Act 27) | “Carrying on the “business of private agency”” | “General penalty Fine up to RM10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 years (s 14).” | 30 Aug 2026 |
| Philippines | Profession | Republic Act No. 11917 (2022) | “If you investigate for compensation in the Philippines, you are inside the Act.” | “Fine of ₱50,000 to ₱100,000 (s 16(d)).” | 30 Aug 2026 |
| Thailand | Neither | Business Security Services Act B.E. 2558 (2015) | “Neither. The state licenses guarding. There is no licence for the investigation profession and no licence for the activity, so nothing authorises the work and nothing prohibits it either.” | No investigation licence. Main legal exposure on the page: “Investigation is not licensed at all, yet a majority-foreign investigation firm operating without a Foreign Business Licence faces three years and a fine up to fifty times larger.” | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Indonesia | Neither | PP No. 28 Tahun 2025; Perkap No. 17 Tahun 2006 | “The state licenses six categories of security service, none of which is investigation.” | No investigation licence. Main legal exposure on the page: “Unlawfully obtaining or collecting personal data that is not your own, to benefit yourself or another, where it may cause loss to the data subject: up to 5 years and/or Rp5 billion (Pasal 65(1), Pasal 67(1)).” | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Vietnam | Activity | Luật Đầu tư số 143/2025/QH15; PDPL 91/2025/QH15 | “from 1 July 2026 data analysis and aggregation, and personal data processing, are conditional business lines.” | The work is regulated, not the investigator. Main exposure: “Buying or selling personal data: up to 10 times the revenue obtained . Cross-border transfer breaches by an organisation: up to 5% of prior-year revenue . Everything else: up to VND 3 billion .” | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Laos | Neither | Decree 138/GoL (2020); Electronic Data Protection Law 25/NA (2017) | “Neither. The state licenses guarding. There is no licence for the investigation profession, and unlike Vietnam there is no licence for the activity either. What constrains investigative work is a data statute, not a permit.” | No investigation licence. Main legal exposure on the page: “Personal data is “specific data” and may not be accessed, used or disclosed without the data owner's permission. Fine 15,000,000 kip where the breach is not criminal (Art 52).” | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Hong Kong | Neither | Security and Guarding Services Ordinance (Cap 460) | “Neither. Hong Kong licenses guarding and security devices. There is no licence for the investigation profession and none for the activity.” | No investigation licence. Main legal exposure on the page: “On indictment, a fine of $1,000,000 and 5 years' imprisonment where the disclosure causes specified harm (s 64(3D)). Summarily, a level 6 fine and 2 years (s 64(3B)).” | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Japan | Profession | Detective Business Act (Act No. 60 of 2006) | “Carrying on 探偵業務 as a business. Notification must be filed by the day before operations begin, for each business office (Art 4).” | “Imprisonment up to 6 months or a fine up to ¥300,000 (Art 18).” | 6 Sep 2026 |
| South Korea | Neither | Credit Information Use and Protection Act; PIPA | “No state licensing or registration regime was found.” | No investigation licence. Main legal exposure on the page: “Credit Information Use and Protection Act, and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) for the handling of personal data.” | 6 Sep 2026 |
Quotes are taken word for word from each registry page; the page gives the section numbers and sources. Where a page lists several penalties, the sheet quotes the one for an individual; penalties for a firm are often higher. General information for practitioners, not legal advice. Engage local counsel before relying on it for a live matter. Built from the registry on each update; check the date column before you rely on a row. © Philip Choo / AI9OS.COM (UEN 53527859D).