Article 1620: Statutory heirs, six classes order
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าผู้ใดตายโดยไม่ได้ทำพินัยกรรมไว้หรือทำพินัยกรรมไว้แต่ไม่มีผลบังคับได้ ให้ปันทรัพย์มรดกทั้งหมดแก่ทายาทโดยธรรมของผู้ตายนั้นตามกฎหมายถ้าผู้ใดตายโดยได้ทำพินัยกรรมไว้ แต่พินัยกรรมนั้นจำหน่ายทรัพย์หรือมีผลบังคับได้แต่เพียงบางส่วนแห่งทรัพย์มรดก ให้ปันส่วนที่มิได้จำหน่ายโดยพินัยกรรม หรือส่วนที่พินัยกรรมไม่มีผลบังคับให้แก่ทายาทโดยธรรมตามกฎหมาย
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
Where a person dies without having made a will, or if having made a will, his will has no effect, the whole of his estate shall be distributed among his statutory heirs according to the law. Where a person dies having made a will which disposes of or has effect for a part only of his estate, the part which has not been disposed of or is not affected by the will shall be distributed among his statutory heirs according to the law.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 1620 (with §1629) sets the intestate-succession order: (1) descendants; (2) parents; (3) full siblings; (4) half-siblings; (5) grandparents; (6) uncles and aunts. The surviving spouse takes a share alongside whatever class inherits (§1635), not a separate class. "Higher excludes lower", if any class-1 descendants survive, classes 2-6 take nothing. Adopted children count as class-1 heirs equal to biological children, and that comes from the Code rather than from case law: §1627 deems an adopted child, and a child legitimated by his father, to be descendants in the same way as legitimate children, and §1598/28 gives an adopted child the status of a legitimate child of the adopter. §1598/19 is the age requirement for adopting, not the status rule.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: a will that is formally void (e.g., missing the date under §1656) results in total intestacy; a will that is valid but silent on some assets results in partial intestacy for those assets. For clients: if you die without a will that covers all your assets, Thai law determines who inherits everything that is not covered. The six classes of statutory heirs (§1629) and the surviving spouse (§1635) will divide the undisposed estate. Since 23 January 2025, 'spouse' includes a same-sex spouse under the Marriage Equality Act (No. 24, B.E. 2567).
Legislative history
Section 1620 is the gateway provision for intestate succession, ensuring that the entire estate is always distributed, either by will, by statute, or by a combination of both. Since 23 January 2025 the Marriage Equality Act (No. 24, B.E. 2567) has been in force, so a surviving spouse, including a same-sex spouse, is a statutory heir on equal terms and takes under this section on the same footing as any other spouse.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 7811/2542 (1999)
Without a will, an estate devolves immediately on the statutory heirs by operation of law; descendants as first-class heirs under §1629(1) inherit from the moment of death and are bound by the deceased's pre-death contracts.
The deceased left no will disposing of the disputed land. The court held that the land immediately devolved on the statutory heirs under §1599 paragraph one; the defendant, being a descendant, was a first-class statutory heir under §1629(1) entitled to receive the land from the moment of death, and was bound by a pre-death contract of sale the deceased had entered into.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 14 Supreme Court decisions (1949 to 2023)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 4887/2566 (2023)
- Décision 9599/2553 (2010)
- Decision 4397/2553 (2010)
- Décision 7199/2552 (2009) Un testament accordant un ' droit d'habitation et d'usufruit viager ' ne confère que des droits d'usufruit, et non la propriété.
- Decision 2971/2540 (1997)
- Décision 6013/2534 (1991)
- Decision 4140/2529 (1986)
- Décision 2784/2515 (1972)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
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Foire aux questions
Que se passe-t-il si une personne décède sans testament en Thaïlande ?
The entire estate passes to the statutory heirs under §1620. Thai law recognises six classes of heirs in descending priority: (1) descendants, (2) parents, (3) full-blood siblings, (4) half-blood siblings, (5) grandparents, (6) uncles and aunts. A higher class excludes lower classes entirely. The surviving spouse also inherits alongside whichever class takes, in proportions set by §1635. Since 23 January 2025, a same-sex spouse has the same inheritance rights as any other spouse, following the Marriage Equality Act (No. 24, B.E. 2567). If there are no heirs at all, the estate escheats to the State.
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Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Civil and Commercial Code, s. 1620 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Civil and Commercial Code (Thailand), s. 1620. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1620/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.พ.พ. มาตรา 1620 -
Lien permanent
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1620/"><p>Where a person dies without having made a will, or if having made a will, his will has no effect, the whole of his estate shall be distributed among his statutory heirs according to the law. Where a person dies having made a will which…</p><footer>Civil and Commercial Code, s. 1620 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-1620/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.