Article 247: Half penalty where foreign currency is involved
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าการกระทำดังกล่าวในหมวดนี้เป็นการกระทำเกี่ยวกับเงินตรา ไม่ว่าจะเป็นเหรียญกระษาปณ์ ธนบัตรหรือสิ่งอื่นใด ซึ่งรัฐบาลต่างประเทศออกใช้ หรือให้อำนาจให้ออกใช้ หรือเกี่ยวกับพันธบัตรรัฐบาลต่างประเทศ หรือใบสำคัญสำหรับรับดอกเบี้ยพันธบัตรนั้น ผู้กระทำต้องระวางโทษกึ่งหนึ่งของโทษที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรานั้น ๆ
English translation
If an act referred to in this Chapter is done in relation to currency, whether a coin, a banknote, or anything else which a foreign government issues or authorises to be issued, or in relation to a foreign government bond or a coupon for interest on such a bond, the offender shall be liable to one half of the punishment prescribed in the Section concerned.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
Section 247 creates no offence and prescribes no penalty of its own. It applies the offences in this Chapter to the currency, government bonds and bond interest coupons of a foreign government, and makes the offender liable to one half of the punishment prescribed by whichever section of the Chapter the conduct falls under. So counterfeiting foreign banknotes is Section 240 halved by this section, and possessing foreign counterfeits in order to put them into use is Section 244 halved. Where the punishment being halved is imprisonment for life, Section 53 changes life to fifty years for the purpose of the reduction. Section 248 is not a separate offence and does not cover importing or possession: it is the single-offence rule, providing that where a person who offends under Section 240, Section 241 or Section 247 also offends under another section of this Chapter in relation to the same thing counterfeited or altered, that person is punished under Section 240, Section 241 or Section 247 alone. Bringing counterfeit or altered currency into the Kingdom is Section 243, and possession in order to put it into use is Section 244.
Why this matters in practice
There is no single exposure figure for this section, because it halves whatever the underlying section prescribes. Counterfeiting foreign currency is Section 240 halved, and Section 240 carries imprisonment for life, or ten to twenty years, and a fine of 200,000 to 400,000 baht, with Section 53 changing life to fifty years where a reduction is applied to it. Possessing foreign counterfeits in order to put them into use is Section 244 halved, and Section 244 carries one to fifteen years and a fine of 20,000 to 300,000 baht. Charges are commonly laid under this section together with the bringing-in offence in Section 243 or the possession offence in Section 244, and Section 248 means that where those charges concern the same counterfeited or altered money the offender is punished on a single count. Whether the item is capable of passing as genuine foreign money remains a key issue. Specialist advice is important where multiple counts are alleged.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 3986/2564 (2021)
Section 247 applies the punishment of the relevant section, halved, where the act concerns currency issued by a foreign government. Keeping a large quantity of counterfeit foreign banknotes at home in a condition ready to be passed off as genuine, and showing them to an officer, is possession of counterfeit currency for circulation under Section 244 read with Section 247.
Counterfeit United States dollar notes were found in the defendant's house, where they had been all along; the police buy of paper-washing chemicals was only a way of gathering evidence and did not entrap him, so the investigation and the prosecution were lawful. The Court of Appeal Region 5 acquitted him of counterfeiting foreign currency under Section 240 with Section 247, and the prosecution did not appeal, so that acquittal was final. The Supreme Court dealt only with the remaining conviction for possessing counterfeit foreign currency for circulation under Section 244 with Section 247, and reduced the sentence to five years.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 2384/2566 (2023)
Passing counterfeit foreign banknotes with knowledge of their falsity is punished under Section 244 in combination with Section 247, and the defendant's knowledge at the time of receiving the notes is a material fact.
The defendants were charged over counterfeit banknotes of a foreign government. The Court treated whether they knew the notes were counterfeit when received as material and convicted under Section 244 in combination with Section 247.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 16 Supreme Court decisions (1958 to 2023)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 901/2565 (2022)
- Decision 20005-20007/2556 (2013)
- Decision 4103/2541 (1998)
- Decision 6126/2540 (1997)
- Decision 553/2536 (1993)
- Decision 7176/2562 (2019)
- Decision 1116/2501 (1958)
- Decision 92/2521 (1978)
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.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 244 17
- Article 83 12
- Article 91 11
- Article 240 10
- Article 248 10
- Article 32 9
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
La loi thaïlandaise punit-elle la contrefaçon de monnaie étrangère ?
Yes. Section 247 does not set its own penalty: it applies the currency offences in this Chapter to foreign currency and makes the offender liable to one half of the punishment of the section concerned. Counterfeiting foreign currency is Section 240 halved, and Section 240 carries imprisonment for life, or ten to twenty years, and a fine of 200,000 to 400,000 baht.
Quel est le lien entre l'article 247 et l'article 248 ?
Section 247 halves the punishment for offences in this Chapter committed in relation to foreign currency. Section 248 is not a separate offence and does not cover importing or possession: it provides that where a person who offends under Section 240, Section 241 or Section 247 also offends under another section of this Chapter in relation to the same thing counterfeited or altered, that person is punished under Section 240, Section 241 or Section 247 alone, as a single offence.
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 247 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 247. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-247/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 247 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-247/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-247/"><p>If an act referred to in this Chapter is done in relation to currency, whether a coin, a banknote, or anything else which a foreign government issues or authorises to be issued, or in relation to a foreign government bond or a coupon for interest…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 247 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-247/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.