Article 156 — Filing the fee waiver application
Texte légal (original thaï)
ผู้ใดมีความจำนงจะขอยกเว้นค่าธรรมเนียมศาลในการฟ้องหรือต่อสู้คดี ให้ยื่นคำร้องต่อศาลชั้นต้นที่จะฟ้องหรือได้ฟ้องคดีไว้นั้นพร้อมกับคำฟ้อง คำฟ้องอุทธรณ์ คำฟ้องฎีกา คำร้องสอด หรือคำให้การ แล้วแต่กรณี แต่ถ้าบุคคลนั้นตกเป็นผู้ไม่สามารถเสียค่าธรรมเนียมศาลในภายหลัง จะยื่นคำร้องในเวลาใด ๆ ก็ได้
การยื่นคำร้องตามวรรคหนึ่ง ผู้ร้องอาจเสนอพยานหลักฐานไปพร้อมคำร้องและหากศาลเห็นสมควรไต่สวนพยานหลักฐานเพิ่มเติมก็ให้ดำเนินการไต่สวนโดยเร็วเท่าที่จำเป็น ทั้งนี้ ศาลจะมีคำสั่งให้งดการดำเนินกระบวนพิจารณาคดีนั้นไว้ทั้งหมดหรือแต่บางส่วนเป็นการชั่วคราวจนกว่าการพิจารณาสั่งคำร้องขอยกเว้นค่าธรรมเนียมศาลจะถึงที่สุดก็ได้ตามที่ศาลเห็นสมควร
traduction anglaise
Any person who wishes to apply for exemption from court fees in bringing or defending an action shall file the application with the Court of First Instance where the action is to be, or has been, brought, together with the complaint, the appeal complaint, the Dika complaint, the application for intervention, or the answer, as the case may be. But if that person becomes unable to pay court fees at a later time, the application may be filed at any time.
In filing the application under paragraph one, the applicant may submit evidence together with the application, and if the court thinks fit to take further evidence, it shall conduct the inquiry as quickly as necessary. In this regard, the court may order the proceedings in that case to be stayed, in whole or in part, temporarily, until the consideration of the application for exemption from court fees becomes final, as the court thinks fit.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
Section 156 sets out how and when a fee-waiver application under Section 155 is made. As a rule it must be filed at the Court of First Instance together with the relevant pleading, whether a complaint, an appeal or Dika complaint, an application for intervention, or an answer, so the request travels with the step that would otherwise attract the fee. Where the inability to pay arises only during the case, the timing rule is relaxed and the application may be filed at any time. Paragraph two lets the applicant put in supporting evidence, empowers the court to hold a swift inquiry where needed, and allows a temporary stay of the whole or part of the case until the waiver question is finally resolved. The decision on the application itself is governed by Section 156/1, and in specialised courts the section is applied by analogy under their governing statutes.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
Timing matters: file your waiver request with the very pleading it belongs to, your complaint, appeal, Dika petition or answer, rather than after paying, unless your inability to pay only arose later, in which case you can apply whenever it does. Bring your proof of means, bank statements, income records, so the court can hold its inquiry quickly, and be aware the case may be paused until the waiver is decided. Getting the application right the first time avoids losing time or having a pleading treated as unpaid.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1932/2568 (2025)
A fee-waiver application under Section 156 applies by analogy in consumer cases, and the court fees it concerns include the deposit required for filing an appeal referred to in Section 157.
The defendant appealed and applied for a fee waiver under Section 156, applied by analogy in a consumer case. The Supreme Court noted that the court fees covered by that section include the deposit for filing an appeal referred to in Section 157, being the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 861/2561 (2018)
A court may dismiss a fee-waiver application filed under Section 156 paragraph one, and the applicant's remedy is to appeal that order within seven days under Section 156/1 paragraph four, not to bypass it.
In an intellectual property and international trade case, the central court properly dismissed the defendant's fee-waiver application under Section 156 paragraph one. The defendant could have appealed that order within seven days under Section 156/1 paragraph four but did not use that route.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4439/2558 (2015)
Where an applicant who filed a fee-waiver application under Section 156 fails to appear at the inquiry, the court may dismiss the application and order the court fees paid within a set time, failing which the complaint is treated as abandoned.
The plaintiff sued and applied for a fee waiver under Section 156; the court set an inquiry date and held the complaint pending. When the plaintiff failed to appear, the court dismissed the waiver application and ordered the court fees paid within seven days, failing which the complaint would be treated as abandoned.
Décisions sélectionnées avec numéros de dossier vérifiés dans la base de données de la Cour suprême. Les versions anglaises sont des traductions éditoriales réalisées par le cabinet à des fins d'étude.
Foire aux questions
When and where do I file a court fee waiver application?
Section 156 requires you to file it at the Court of First Instance together with the pleading it relates to, such as your complaint, appeal, Dika petition or answer. If you become unable to pay only later, you may file at any time.
Does the court hold a hearing on a fee waiver application?
It may. Under Section 156 paragraph two you can submit evidence with the application, and the court may conduct a swift inquiry and temporarily stay all or part of the case until the waiver is finally decided.