Thailand Law Online
Thai law by real lawyers with real experience
A marriage in Thailand will have legal consequences for you and your spouse. Such consequences (e.g. obligation of maintenance towards each other, legal relationship with children born, consequences for property you own) can be found in the Civil and Commercial Code of Thailand (ประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์), which is the main body of laws that deals with the legal consequences of Family and Marriage in Thailand.
This questionnaire is designed to help you prepare a legally valid Last Will and Testament specifically for assets located in Thailand, in accordance with Section 1656 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. It is intended for foreign nationals who reside in Thailand or own property here and wish to clearly determine how their estate should be distributed upon death. The resulting document will be a “Thailand-Only Will” (limited jurisdiction), which allows you to name beneficiaries, appoint an executor, and specify your final wishes.
This Will is valid only for assets situated in Thailand and can be used for personal planning or as a foundation for consultation with a legal professional or notary.
A living will in Thailand is a legally recognized form of advance health care directive, created by someone who is still mentally and legally competent. It allows individuals to document their wishes regarding medical treatment should they become unable to communicate or make decisions due to serious illness or incapacity.
The Thai Civil and Commercial Code (Sections 1465–1493) provides a detailed legal framework governing property relations between spouses. This guide explains how prenuptial agreements, personal assets, and marital property are treated under Thai law.
A 'power of attorney' lets you appoint someone you trust to manage important matters on your behalf (a lawyer, family member, friend). A power of attorney is basically used to legally hand over control of your affairs to another person. The 'principal' empowers another individual 'attorney-in-fact' (or agent) to act on his behalf. The attorney in fact takes control of the principal’s business and legal dealings subject to the power of attorney.
Thailand issues the following types of visas through Thai Embassies and Royal Thai Consulates-General: Transit Visa, Tourist Visa, Non-Immigrant Visa (e.g. category O, B and OA), Diplomatic Visa, Official Visa, Courtesy Visa. For more Thailand visa information visit the website of the Thai embassy or Thai consulate in the country where you apply for your visa, or the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand - here -, Thai Immigration Bureau - here -, or for more practical visa info visit the Thai Visa forum - here -, information about work permits can also be found - here -.
unofficial translation, law translation for reference purpose
Whereas it is expedient to have a law relating to child adoption
Section 1. This Act shall be called the "Child Adoption Act B.E. 2522 (1979)”.
To carry out the terms of a will a person or institution must be appointed by the court. An 'administrator' or executor of a will is responsible for the payment of any debts and to distribute the remaining assets according to the testators wishes when a valid last will and testament has been made, or according to inheritance and succession laws when there is no last will or testament.
TITLE IV
CHAPTER I
Section 1711. The administrators of an estate shall included the persons appointed by will (last will or testament) by order of the Court.
TITLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER I
Section 1599. When a person dies, his estate devolves on the heirs.
Maintenance (also referred to as alimony or financial support) can be legally claimed in Thailand between husband and wife or between parent and child. This includes both spousal support after divorce and child support obligations. Under Thai family law, the right to maintenance is protected by Sections 1598/38 to 1598/41 of the Civil and Commercial Code. These rules govern who can claim support, how much may be awarded, and under what conditions the court may increase, reduce, or modify support obligations.
TITLE III
Section 1598/38. Maintenance may be claimed between husband and wife or parent and child when the party entitled to maintenance has not been furnished with the maintenance or has been furnished with the maintenance insufficient to his condition in life. How much and to what extend the maintenance would be granted or not will be decided by the Court, by taking account of the ability of the person bound to furnish the maintenance, the condition in life of the receiver and the circumstances of the case.
Adoption in Thailand under Thai civil law involves the creation of the parent-child relationship between individuals who are not naturally so related. Below the civil code Titel II Chapter IV and Thai civil law on adoption and the rights, privileges, and duties of a child adoption in Thailand.
Chapter V
Section 1598/19. A person who is not less than twenty five years old may adopt another, provided he is at least fifteen years older than the adopted person.
Guardianship under Thai family law: a guardian is the person (usually a non-parent) who has been appointed by a judge/ Court to take care of a minor child (called a ward) and manage that child's affairs (parental power). Custody is when a biological parent of a minor has been given the power to make decisions regarding the minor’s welfare. This is governed by the section 'parent and child' of the civil code.
PART III
Section 1585. A person who is not sui juris and has no parents, or whose parents are deprived of their parental power, may be provided with a guardian during minority.
Thai family law, laws governing the state or relationship of being a parent in Thailand. The legal relationship between a father or mother and his or her child is given special legal consideration in the civil code of Thailand. Below the sections 'parent and child', legal 'child custody', 'Child Support in Thailand'.
TITLE II
CHAPTER I
Section 1536. A child born of a woman during wedlock or within three hudred and ten days after the termination of the marriage is presumed to be the legitimate child of the husband or the man who used to be the husband, as the case may be.
Family law in Thailand is the area of the law that deals with family-related issues and encompasses marriage, adoption, divorce, custody, death, and inheritance. Below the section of Thai family law governing divorce and termination of marriage.
This is an unofficial English translation of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code sections dealing with divorce and termination of marriage. It is provided for informational purposes only. If you are seeking legal advice or assistance with a divorce in Thailand, please contact a legal professional.
Translation note: Since January 2025, Thai marriage law uses gender-neutral terms (e.g., “spouse/persons”). Some pages on this website still show older translations with “husband/wife.” We’re updating the wording progressively (legal content remains accurate).
CHAPTER VI
Section 1501. Marriage (Thai marriage) in Thailand is terminated by death, divorce or being cancelled by the Court.
When a marriage is unlawful or invalid under the laws of Thailand it means that the marriage was void and invalid from its beginning. Sections void of marriage under Thai family and marriage laws.
CHAPTER V
Section 1494. The marriage in Thailand will be void only as provided in this Chapter.
Section 1495. The marriage which is made against Section 1449, Section 1450, Section 1452 and Section 1458 shall be void.
Family and matrimonial laws in Thailand governing assets of husband and wife, marital property, and the making of an pre-marriage contract (or prenup prenuptial agreement between a man and a woman in contemplation of marriage). Marriage and contracts concerning property of husband and wife is governed by the sections 1465 to 1469 of the Thailand Civil and Commercial Code.
CHAPTER IV
Section 1465. Where the husband and wife a married couple have not, previous to their marriage, concluded a special agreement (prenuptial) concerning their properties, the relations between them as regards to their properties shall be governed by the provisions of this Chapter.
Relationship of husband and wife pursuant to family law in Thailand. Marriage is a specific legal relationship that gives the man and woman who are legally married specific rights and duties to one another resulting from that marriage.
CHAPTER III
Section 1461. Husband and wife A married couple shall cohabit as husband and wife a married couple.
Husband and wife Spouses shall maintain and support each other according to his or her their ability and condition in life.
Marriage: legal requirements and conditions for registration of marriage and the validity of a marriage in Thailand under Thai Family Laws
CHAPTER II
Section 1448. A marriage (in Thailand under Thai Marriage and Family Laws) can take place only when the man and woman two persons, both have completed their seventeenth eighteenth year of age. But the Court may, in case of having appropriate reason, allow them to marry before attaining such age.
Family law in Thailand is the area of the law that deals with family-related issues and encompasses marriage laws, divorce, property of husband and wife, adoption, parentage. Below the section of laws governing engagement and marriage in Thailand.
TITLE I
CHAPTER I
Section 1435. A betrothal can be effected only when the man and the women have completed there seventeenth year of age.
Whereas it is deemed a propriate to revise the law governing the protection of children.
Section 1 This Act shall be referred to as the “Child Protection Act, B.E. 2546”.