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 :
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026. Read in Thai against sections 349 to 352 and 653 of the Civil and Commercial Code. Not verified in this review: the stamp duty point and the condominium practice described.
Novation (การแปลงหนี้ใหม่, plaeng nii mai, parfois rendu substitution of obligation) is the extinction of an existing obligation by a contract that replaces it with a new one whose essential elements are different. It is governed by Sections 349 to 352 of the Code civil et commercial. Foreigners meet it when a loan is restructured, a buyer is swapped in a condominium sale contract, or a debt is converted into a different kind of payment. The trap is that novation wipes out the old debt together with any security attached to it.
Table des matières
Comment le Code définit la novation
Article 349 provides that when the parties conclude a contract changing the essential elements of an obligation, the obligation is extinguished by novation. Three forms follow. Change of object: the same parties agree that a different performance is owed, for example a car instead of 500,000 baht. Change of debtor (Section 350): a contract between the creditor and the new debtor, which cannot be made against the will of the original debtor. Change of creditor (Section 349, third paragraph): subject to the rules on transfer of claims, so the debtor must be told in writing.
Section 352 allows a pledge or mortgage securing the old debt to be carried over to the new one, but only up to the amount of the original security, and only with the consent of any third party who provided it. Section 351 is the safety net: if the new obligation never comes into being, or is annulled because its cause is unlawful or for a reason the parties did not know of, the old obligation is not extinguished. Section 349 also treats adding, removing or changing a condition as a change to an essential element.
Points pratiques pour les étrangers
Security is the first casualty. A caution is discharged when the guaranteed debt is extinguished, and a mortgage or pledge is accessory to the debt it secures. A lender who rewrites a Thai borrower’s contrat de prêt with new terms, without saying that the old security continues, may find the guarantor gone and the mortgage lapsed. The cure is an express clause preserving the security, the written consent of the guarantor, and a fresh registration or amendment of the mortgage at the Bureau foncier.
Formalities restart. A novated money loan is still a loan, so the new agreement needs written evidence signed by the borrower under Section 653 and its own droits de timbre. In a condominium purchase, a developer’s “change of buyer” form is in substance a novation, which is why the developer’s consent is needed.
Comparaison entre novation, cession et avenant
The word is often used loosely. An cession de créance (Sections 303 onwards) transfers an existing debt to a new creditor; the debt survives, defences survive, and the assignor must give the debtor written notice, but the security stays intact. An amendment changes non-essential terms such as the payment date or the interest rate without creating a new obligation. Only a change to the essential elements amounts to novation.
| Mechanism | Old obligation | Security and guarantees | Who must agree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novation | Extinguished | Lost unless expressly carried over (Section 352) | Creditor and new debtor, or all parties |
| Assignment of claim | Continues with new creditor | Pass with the claim | Assignor and assignee, notice to debtor |
| Amendement | Continues as varied | Continue, but a surety may need to consent | Original parties |
Safe drafting states whether the parties intend a novation or a variation, and lists every guarantee, mortgage or pledge that is to survive.
Foire aux questions
Quelle est la différence entre la novation et la cession en droit thaïlandais ?
Assignment transfers an existing claim to a new creditor and the debt, with its security, continues. Novation extinguishes the old debt and creates a new one, so guarantees, mortgages and pledges fall away unless Section 352 is used to carry them over. Assignment needs written notice to the debtor; novation by change of debtor needs the creditor’s agreement with the new debtor.
Est-ce qu'une caution reste responsable après une novation en Thaïlande ?
Pas automatiquement. Un cautionnement est libéré lorsque l'obligation initiale est éteinte, et la novation l'éteint. La caution ne reste tenue que si elle accepte de garantir la nouvelle obligation, ce qui doit être fait par écrit au moment de la novation.
Une novation doit-elle être faite par écrit en Thaïlande ?
Le Code n'impose pas de forme écrite générale pour la novation, mais la nouvelle obligation doit satisfaire à toutes les exigences de forme que la loi prescrit pour son propre type. Un prêt d'argent nové supérieur à 2 000 bahts nécessite une preuve écrite signée par l'emprunteur, et une nouvelle hypothèque doit être enregistrée au Bureau foncier. En pratique, un accord de novation écrit est toujours utilisé.
Voir aussi : contrat de prêt, caution et garantie, hypothèque, billet à ordre, et nos guides sur garanties personnelles en Thaïlande ET Recouvrement de créances en Thaïlande.
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