{"id":6608,"date":"2026-09-05T19:10:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/suspended-sentence\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T19:22:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:22:27","slug":"suspended-sentence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/suspended-sentence\/","title":{"rendered":"Sursis (Ro Long Aya) : Section 56"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>A <strong>peine avec sursis<\/strong> (\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e25\u0e07\u0e42\u0e17\u0e29, <em>ro long aya<\/em>, or in its other form \u0e23\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e01\u0e33\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e14\u0e42\u0e17\u0e29, <em>ro kan kamnot thot<\/em>) is a prison sentence that the court pronounces but does not put into effect, under Section 56 of the Thai Criminal Code, on condition that the offender commits no further intentional offence during a set period and complies with any conditions imposed. It is the usual outcome for a first offender convicted of a non-violent offence in Thailand, and for a foreigner it is the difference between going home and going to prison, though it remains a conviction with immigration consequences.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table des mati\u00e8res<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#what-section-56-allows-and-on-what-conditions\">Ce que l'article 56 permet et \u00e0 quelles conditions<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-a-suspended-sentence-works-for-a-foreigner\">Comment fonctionne une peine avec sursis pour un \u00e9tranger<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#suspended-sentence-probation-and-parole-compared\">Comparaison entre sursis, mise \u00e0 l'\u00e9preuve et lib\u00e9ration conditionnelle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">Foire aux questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-section-56-allows-and-on-what-conditions\">Ce que l'article 56 permet et \u00e0 quelles conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>The threshold<\/strong> is a sentence of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years, raised from 3 years by the 2016 amendment. The offender must never have been imprisoned before, or only for a negligence or petty offence, or only for a short earlier term that the law disregards because of its length or age. Within those limits the court may either suspend the passing of the sentence or suspend its execution, and may impose a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/fine\/\">bien<\/a> alongside; a typical judgment reads &#8220;1 year imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, and a fine of 10,000 baht&#8221;.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The suspension period is up to 5 years from the judgment. The court may add conditions: reporting to a probation officer of the Department of Probation, usually every 3 or 4 months, remedying the harm, unpaid community service, vocational training, treatment for drugs, alcohol or mental health, and restrictions on conduct or places. Under Section 57 a breach of conditions brings a warning or the revocation of the suspension. Under Section 58 a new intentional offence within the period that results in imprisonment activates the suspended sentence, which is served in addition to the new one.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-a-suspended-sentence-works-for-a-foreigner\">Comment fonctionne une peine avec sursis pour un \u00e9tranger<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The court usually suspends where the accused pleads guilty, has compensated the victim and has a stable address. Foreigners are treated the same, and courts do suspend sentences for foreigners in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/theft\/\">vol<\/a>, assault, drink-driving and drug-possession cases, though a court will look for a Thai address and a person who can vouch for the accused before attaching reporting conditions. The passport is returned once the judgment is final and no appeal is pending.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The common mistake is to treat the suspension as an acquittal. It is a conviction: it appears on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/criminal-record\/\">casier judiciaire<\/a> and on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/police-clearance-certificate\/\">certificat de police<\/a>, it must be disclosed on visa applications abroad, and immigration can treat it as a ground under Section 12 of the Immigration Act for refusing entry or revoking a stay, since the section speaks of imprisonment by judgment rather than of time served. In practice this is enforced mainly against those it notices, and a foreigner on a suspended sentence who leaves Thailand during the period should expect questions on return.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"suspended-sentence-probation-and-parole-compared\">Comparaison entre sursis, mise \u00e0 l'\u00e9preuve et lib\u00e9ration conditionnelle<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Mesurer<\/th><th>Quand<\/th><th>Qui d\u00e9cide<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Peine avec sursis<\/td><td>At judgment, before any prison<\/td><td>The trial court, Section 56<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Probation<\/td><td>The conditions attached to a suspension<\/td><td>Court order, supervised by the Department of Probation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Parole<\/td><td>After part of a prison term is served<\/td><td>Department of Corrections<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Royal pardon<\/td><td>After conviction, individual or collective<\/td><td>The King on petition or by decree<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>A suspended sentence does not shorten a term already being served; that is parole or a pardon. Nor does it remove the fine, which must be paid within 30 days or converted into confinement.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">Foire aux questions<\/h2>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Quelle est la peine maximale qui peut \u00eatre avec sursis en Tha\u00eflande ?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Imprisonment of not more than 5 years, under Section 56 of the Criminal Code as amended in 2016. The court also considers the offender&#8217;s record, and a person who has served a previous prison term for an intentional offence is normally not eligible. The suspension itself can last up to 5 years.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Une peine avec sursis en Tha\u00eflande compte-t-elle comme un casier judiciaire ?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Oui. Il s'agit d'une condamnation assortie d'une peine de prison, elle figure donc sur un certificat de police tha\u00eflandais et doit \u00eatre d\u00e9clar\u00e9e lorsque les demandes de visa ou de r\u00e9sidence interrogent sur les condamnations. L'immigration peut \u00e9galement la consid\u00e9rer comme un motif en vertu de l'article 12 de la loi sur l'immigration pour refuser l'entr\u00e9e ou r\u00e9voquer un s\u00e9jour, bien que son application varie.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">What happens if you reoffend during a suspended sentence in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>If the new offence is intentional and the court imposes imprisonment for it, Section 58 lets the court activate the suspended sentence, which is then served in addition to the new one. Breaching a probation condition, such as missing a reporting date, can lead to a warning or to revocation under Section 57.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Voir aussi\u00a0: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/fine\/\">bien<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/criminal-record\/\">casier judiciaire<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/bail\/\">caution<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/glossary\/deportation\/\">expulsion<\/a>, et les guides <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/suspended-sentences-in-thailand-probation-rules-for-expats\/\">suspended sentences and probation rules for expats<\/a> ET <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/fr\/pardons-in-thailand\/\">appels et gr\u00e2ces en Tha\u00eflande<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A suspended sentence (\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e25\u0e07\u0e42\u0e17\u0e29, ro long aya, or in its other form \u0e23\u0e2d\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e01\u0e33\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e14\u0e42\u0e17\u0e29, ro kan kamnot thot) is a prison [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":214,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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ThaiLawOnline","rank_math_description":"Suspended sentence in Thailand (ro long aya, Section 56): who qualifies, the 5-year limits, probation conditions, reoffending and the effect on 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