Révisé par ThaiLawOnline, un cabinet d'avocats thaïlandais agréé exerçant en Thaïlande depuis 2006. Avocate thaïlandaise en charge du dossier : Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., licence du barreau thaïlandais 3149/2556.
Dernière mise à jour :
Désertion (การทิ้งร้าง, kan thing rang, also pleaded as abandon) is the wilful leaving of one spouse by the other, without reasonable cause, for more than one year. It is a statutory ground for divorce under Section 1516(4) of the Thai Code civil et commercial. It is the ground most used by a foreigner whose spouse simply left and cannot or will not sign a divorce by consent at the amphur, because it does not depend on the absent spouse’s cooperation.
Table des matières
Ce que l'article 1516(4) exige que le tribunal constate
Three elements must be established. First, one spouse left the other: the matrimonial home was abandoned, or the deserting spouse refused to live with the other. Second, the leaving was wilful and without reasonable cause; a spouse who moved out because of violence, or who was driven out, has not deserted. Third, the desertion has lasted more than one year, counted to the day the petition is filed. Desertion is a continuing state, so the one-year limitation in Section 1529, which applies to the grounds in Section 1516(1), (2), (3) and (6) and to compensation under Section 1523, does not cut off the claim while the absence goes on.
Neighbouring grounds are often confused with it. Section 1516(4/1) covers a spouse imprisoned for more than one year for an offence in which the other took no part. Section 1516(4/2) covers three years of voluntary separation, or separation under a court order, which needs no fault. Section 1516(5) covers a spouse adjudged to have disappeared or absent for more than three years with no certainty whether they are alive. Section 1516(6) covers failure to maintain and support the other spouse. Each has its own evidence.
Prouver l'abandon du domicile conjugal lorsque le conjoint est introuvable
The petition goes to the Juvenile and Family Court. The evidence is usually documentary: the house registration (tabien baan) showing who lives where, messages in which the spouse refuses to return, bank records showing no contributions, testimony from the village head or neighbours, and immigration records if the spouse left the country. Where the defendant’s address is unknown, the court permits service by publication and the case proceeds in their absence.
Practical points for a foreigner: keep a record of every attempt at contact, think before letting the spouse back for short stays, because that can reset the period, and translate foreign evidence into Thai. A well-prepared undefended case is usually decided within four to eight months. The procedure is in the guide to divorce contentieux en Thaïlande; le frais de justice for a divorce petition without a property claim is 200 baht.
La désertion, la séparation et ce qui se passe après
Desertion is not the same as separation. Spouses who agree to live apart have separated, and after three years either can divorce under Section 1516(4/2) without proving fault. Desertion requires that one spouse left against the wishes of the other. A spouse who refuses all contact but keeps paying the household bills may have separated rather than deserted, and the court looks at the whole conduct.
A divorce on this ground still requires the court to divide the sans sommeil equally under Section 1533 and to decide garde à vue on the child’s interests. The deserted spouse may also claim a living allowance under Section 1526, if the divorce is caused by the fault of the other spouse alone and would leave them without enough income from their property or work; the claim must be pleaded in the divorce action itself. If the absent spouse reappears and both agree, the matter can be settled as an divorce par consentement mutuel at the amphur instead.
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026. Civil and Commercial Code sections 1516, 1523, 1526, 1529 and 1533 and Civil Procedure Code section 79 were read in Thai. The evidence list, the four-to-eight-month estimate and the 200 baht court fee are practice points, not re-checked here.
Foire aux questions
Combien de temps mon conjoint doit-il être absent pour demander le divorce pour abandon du foyer en Thaïlande ?
Plus d'un an. L'article 1516(4) du Code civil et commercial exige un abandon volontaire sans cause raisonnable pendant plus d'un an. Si les époux se sont séparés par accord mutuel plutôt que par le départ de l'un d'eux, le motif applicable est une séparation de trois ans en vertu de l'article 1516(4/2).
Puis-je divorcer en Thaïlande si je ne trouve pas ma femme ou mon mari ?
Yes. A petition can be filed at the Juvenile and Family Court on the ground of desertion, and if the spouse’s address is unknown the court allows service by publication. If the spouse has been absent for more than three years with no news, Section 1516(5) provides a separate ground.
Est-ce que l'abandon du domicile conjugal affecte le partage des biens ou la garde des enfants en Thaïlande ?
Not the property split: marital property is still divided equally under Section 1533. Custody is decided on the child’s best interests, though a parent who abandoned the family for years will find it hard to obtain custody. The deserted spouse can also ask for a living allowance under Section 1526.
Voir aussi : Motifs de divorce, adultère, divorce contesté, Tribunal pour enfants et pour la famille, et les guides pour divorce contentieux en Thaïlande ET divorce en Thaïlande.
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