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 :
A clause pénale (เบี้ยปรับ, bia prap, aussi écrit bia prab) is a term by which a debtor promises to pay a fixed sum, or forfeit something, if he fails to perform a contract or performs it badly. Thai law does not distinguish, as English law does, between an enforceable liquidated damages clause and an unenforceable penalty: every such clause is valid, and the court’s control lies in Section 383 of the Code civil et commercial, which lets a judge reduce a disproportionately high penalty to a reasonable amount.
Table des matières
Comment les articles 379 à 385 font fonctionner les peines
The mechanism. A penalty is forfeited when the debtor is in default (Section 379). If it was promised for non-performance, the creditor may claim it instead of performance, and if his actual loss is larger he may claim the excess as well (Section 380). If it was promised for improper performance, such as late delivery, the creditor may claim both the penalty and performance, but loses the penalty if he accepts performance without reserving it (Section 381): a client who takes the keys to a late house without a written reservation has waived the delay penalty.
Judicial reduction. Under Section 383 a penalty that is disproportionately high may be reduced by the court to a reasonable amount, taking into account every legitimate interest of the creditor, not only his financial loss. The debtor must ask, and once the penalty has been paid no reduction can be claimed. A penalty attached to an obligation that is itself void falls with it (Section 385). The Unfair Contract Terms Act B.E. 2540 (1997) adds a parallel power to moderate excessive penalties and forfeited deposits in standard form and consumer contracts.
Points pratiques pour un étranger qui en rédige un ou y fait face
Construction. A daily penalty for late completion, a small fraction of a percent of the contract price per day and often capped at around 10% of the price, is standard in Thai building contracts, and the guide on droit de la construction en Thaïlande treats it as essential drafting. The mistake is not fixing the completion date and the extension mechanism in writing. Where the owner terminates at will under Section 605, a sum agreed as the price of that termination has been treated by the Cour suprême as agreed compensation, not a penalty, and enforced in full.
Leases and condominiums. Landlords write penalties for early termination and developers write forfeiture of instalments paid; both are subject to Section 383 and to the Unfair Contract Terms Act, and a tenant or buyer who can show the other side’s real loss was small often recovers most of the money. An employee’s training bond is enforceable but is routinely cut down by the Conseil de prud'hommes to the employer’s actual training cost.
Comparaison entre clause pénale, arrhes et dommages-intérêts
| Point | Qu'est-ce que c'est | Court control |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty (bia prap) | Sum promised for breach, Sections 379 to 385 | Reduced if disproportionate, Section 383 |
| Confiture de tamarinier | Deposit given on signing, Sections 377 and 378 | Forfeited on the payer’s default; excessive forfeiture can be moderated |
| Damages (kha sia hai) | Loss actually proved, Section 222 | Awarded only as proved |
Un sérieux is proof that the contract was made and security for performance; a penalty is a promise of a sum for breach; dégâts are what the court awards when nothing was agreed. A well drafted contract keeps the agreed amounts realistic enough to survive Section 383.
Foire aux questions
Les clauses pénales sont-elles exécutoires en Thaïlande ?
Oui. La loi thaïlandaise considère une clause pénale comme valide, mais l'article 383 du Code civil et commercial permet au tribunal de réduire une pénalité excessivement élevée à un montant raisonnable si le débiteur le demande avant de payer. Les contrats de consommation et les contrats d'adhésion sont également soumis à la loi sur les clauses abusives (Unfair Contract Terms Act), qui permet au tribunal de modérer les pénalités excessives et les arrhes confisquées.
Quelle est la différence entre une clause pénale et des dommages-intérêts forfaitaires en Thaïlande ?
Aucun en droit thaïlandais. Le Code civil et commercial utilise un concept unique, le bia prap, pour toute somme convenue à l'avance comme conséquence d'une violation, qu'il s'agisse d'une véritable estimation préalable du préjudice ou d'un moyen de dissuasion. Toutes sont exécutoires, et toutes peuvent être réduites en vertu de l'article 383 si elles sont disproportionnées.
Un promoteur immobilier peut-il conserver mon acompte et mes versements si j'annule l'achat d'un condo en Thaïlande ?
The contract usually says so, but forfeiture of instalments is a penalty subject to Section 383 and, in a consumer contract, to the Unfair Contract Terms Act. A buyer who shows that the developer resold the unit or suffered little loss can ask the court to reduce the forfeited amount, and Supreme Court decisions have cut such forfeitures substantially.
Voir aussi : Confiture de tamarinier, Dégâts, Void and voidable juristic acts, Construction law in Thailand, Condo deposit forfeiture in Thailand ET Off-plan condos in Thailand.
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