Thai Legal Glossary: 180+ Terms Explained for Foreigners

Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.

Last updated on 5 September 2026

This glossary explains the Thai legal terms a foreigner meets when buying property, marrying, making a will, working, running a company or dealing with immigration in Thailand. Every entry gives the Thai term, the law behind it and the practical points that matter, and links to the full guide on the subject. Entries are grouped by area of law; use the table of contents to jump to a section.

Property, land and title deeds

• Adverse Possession (Khrop Khrong Prapak): Section 1382: Adverse possession (ครอบครองปรปักษ์, khrop khrong prapak, also krob krong porapak or acquisitive prescription) is the rule in Section 1382 of the Civil and Commercial…
• Appraised Value (Government Assessed Price) of Land in Thailand: The appraised value (ราคาประเมินทุนทรัพย์, rakha pramoen, also called the government assessed price or official appraisal) is the value the Thai state assigns to…
• Building Permit (Or. 1) under the Building Control Act: A building permit (ใบอนุญาตก่อสร้าง (อ.1), the Or.
• Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor): Full Title Deed in Thailand: A chanote (โฉนดที่ดิน, officially Nor Sor 4 Jor, also spelled chanod or chanote thi din) is the full freehold title deed for land in Thailand, issued by the…
• Due Diligence in Thai Property Transactions: Due diligence (การตรวจสอบสถานะทรัพย์สิน, kan truat sop, also called a title search or property check) in a Thai property transaction is the investigation a buyer…
• Earnest (Mat Jam): Deposits in Thai Contract Law: Earnest (มัดจำ, mat jam or mud jum, also earnest deposit or deposit) is a sum of money or other thing of value handed over when a contract is made, as evidence that…
• Encumbrance on a Thai Title Deed: An encumbrance (ภาระติดพัน, phara tit phan, also charge or burden) is any right, claim or restriction attached to land or a condominium unit that limits what the…
• Escrow in Thailand (Escrow Act B.E. 2551): Escrow (เอสโครว์, also escrow account or escrow agreement) is an arrangement under the Escrow Act B.E.
• Kaifak (Khai Fak): Sale with Right of Redemption: Kaifak (ขายฝาก, also written khai fak or kai fak) is a sale with right of redemption under Sections 491 to 502 of the Civil and Commercial Code: the seller transfers…
• Land and Building Tax Act B.E. 2562 (2019): The Land and Building Tax Act B.E.
• Land Code B.E. 2497 (1954): Thailand’s Land Law: The Land Code (ประมวลกฎหมายที่ดิน, pramuan kotmai thi din, also cited as the Land Code B.E.
• Land Office (Samnak Ngan Thi Din): Where Thai Land Transactions Are Registered: The Land Office (สำนักงานที่ดิน, samnak ngan thi din, also called the Land Department office or Land Registry) is the local office of the Department of Lands, part of…
• Leasehold in Thailand: 30-Year Registered Lease: Leasehold (สิทธิการเช่า, sitthi kan chao, also called a registered lease or long-term lease) is the right to possess and use land, a house or a condominium unit under…
• Lien (Right of Retention) in Thai Law: A lien (สิทธิยึดหน่วง, sitthi yuet nuang, translated as right of retention or possessory lien) in Thai law is the right of a person who lawfully holds property…
• Mortgage (Jamnong) in Thailand: A mortgage (จำนอง, jamnong, also romanised chamnong) in Thailand is a security right over immovable property, or certain registrable movables such as ships and…
• Nominee in Thai Property and Company Law: A nominee (นอมินี, formally ตัวแทนอำพราง, tua thaen amphrang, also called a nominee shareholder or proxy owner) is a Thai national or Thai company that holds shares,…
• Nor Sor 3 (N.S.3): Certificate of Utilisation: Nor Sor 3 (หนังสือรับรองการทำประโยชน์, น.ส.3, also written N.S.3, NS3 or Nor Sor Sam) is a certificate of utilisation issued by the Department of Lands that confirms…
• Nor Sor 3 Gor (N.S.3 K.): Surveyed Certificate of Utilisation: Nor Sor 3 Gor (น.ส.3 ก., also written Nor Sor 3 Kor, N.S.3 K.
• Por Bor Tor 5 (P.B.T.5): Land Tax Receipt, Not a Title: Por Bor Tor 5 (ภ.บ.ท.5, also written P.B.T.5, PBT5 or Phor Bor Thor 5) is a receipt showing that an occupier of land has paid local development tax to the…
• Property Transfer Fee and Taxes in Thailand (Transfer Fee, SBT, Stamp Duty, Withholding Tax): The property transfer fee and taxes (ค่าธรรมเนียมการโอนและภาษี, often called transfer costs or closing costs) are the four sums collected by the Land Office when…
• Rai, Ngan and Square Wah: Thai Land Measurement Units: Rai, ngan and square wah (ไร่ งาน ตารางวา, also written talang wa, sq.
• Right of Habitation (Sitthi Asai) in Thailand: A right of habitation (สิทธิอาศัย, sitthi asai, sometimes sithi asai) is a real right under Sections 1402 to 1409 of the Civil and Commercial Code that lets a named…
• Sale with Right of Redemption (Khai Fak) Explained: A sale with right of redemption (ขายฝาก, khai fak, also kaifak or sale with right to repurchase) is the English name for the Thai contract in Sections 491 to 502 of…
• Sap-Ing-Sith: Thailand’s 30-Year Registrable Property Right (2019 Act): Sap-ing-sith (ทรัพย์อิงสิทธิ, also written sap ing sith, sub-ing-sith or property-based right) is a real right over immovable property created by the Sap-Ing-Sith Act…
• Servitude (Phara Cham Yom): Right of Way and Other Servitudes: A servitude (ภาระจำยอม, phara cham yom or pharajamyom, also called an easement) is a real right under Sections 1387 to 1401 of the Civil and Commercial Code by which…
• Sor Kor 1 (S.K.1): Land Possession Claim Certificate: Sor Kor 1 (ส.ค.1, also written Sor Kor Neung, S.K.1 or SK1) is a notification of possession of land, a form on which occupiers declared to the district office in 1955…
• Sor Por Kor 4-01 (SPK): Agricultural Land Reform Allotment: Sor Por Kor 4-01 (ส.ป.ก.
• Superficiary: Holder of a Right of Superficies: A superficiary (ผู้ทรงสิทธิเหนือพื้นดิน, phu song sitthi nuea phuen din, sometimes written superficies holder) is the person in whose favour a right of superficies…
• Superficies (Sitthi Nuea Phuen Din): Right to Own a Building on Another’s Land: Superficies (สิทธิเหนือพื้นดิน, sitthi nuea phuen din, sometimes written right of superficies or superficies right) is a real right, registered at the Land Office,…
• Tabien Baan (House Registration Book): Blue Book and Yellow Book: A tabien baan (ทะเบียนบ้าน, also written tabian baan or ta bien ban, in English the house registration book) is the official register, kept by the district registrar…
• Tor Dor 21 (ท.ด.21): Land Department Power of Attorney: Tor Dor 21 (ท.ด.21, also written Tor.Dor.21, Thor Dor 21 or T.D.21) is the official power of attorney form of the Department of Lands, used to authorise another…
• Treaty of Amity (US-Thai Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations): The Treaty of Amity (สนธิสัญญาไมตรี, in full the Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations between the United States and Thailand, also the US-Thai Treaty of Amity or…
• Usufruct: Real right under Sections 1417-1428 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code giving the usufructuary (ผู้ทรงสิทธิเก็บกิน) the right to use and enjoy the property of…

Condominium

• Common Area Fees and Sinking Fund in Thai Condominiums: Common area fees (ค่าส่วนกลาง, kha suan klang, also common area management fees, CAM fees or maintenance fees) are the periodic contributions every co-owner of a Thai…
• Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979): The Condominium Act B.E.
• Condominium Juristic Person (CJP) and Juristic Person Manager: A condominium juristic person (นิติบุคคลอาคารชุด, nitibukkhon akhan chut, abbreviated CJP and often just called the juristic office) is the legal entity that every…
• FET Form (Foreign Exchange Transaction Form): The FET form (แบบการทำธุรกรรมเงินตราต่างประเทศ, the Foreign Exchange Transaction form, formerly the Tor Tor 3 or TT3) is the document a Thai bank issues when it…
• Foreign Quota (49%) in Thai Condominiums: The foreign quota (โควตาต่างชาติ, also called the foreigner quota or 49% quota) is the ceiling in the Condominium Act B.E.
• Or Chor 21 (อ.ช.21): Condominium Power of Attorney: Or Chor 21 (อ.ช.21, also written Or.Chor.21, Aor Chor 21 or O.Ch.21) is the official power of attorney form of the Department of Lands for transactions involving a…

Family, marriage and children

• Adoption in Thailand (Child Adoption Act B.E. 2522): Adoption (การรับบุตรบุญธรรม, rap but bun tham, the adopted child being a but bun tham) is the legal act by which a person takes another person’s child, or an adult,…
• Adultery as a Ground for Divorce in Thailand: Adultery (การเป็นชู้, kan pen chu, also called infidelity or an affair in divorce pleadings) is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone…
• Affirmation of Freedom to Marry (Embassy Affidavit): An affirmation of freedom to marry (หนังสือรับรองความเป็นโสด, also called an affidavit of freedom to marry, affirmation of marital status or certificate of no…
• Child Custody in Thailand: Meaning and How It Is Decided: Child custody (การปกครองบุตร, in the Code parental power or amnat pokkhrong) is the bundle of rights and duties a parent holds over a minor child: residence,…
• Child Support (Maintenance) in Thailand: Child support (ค่าอุปการะเลี้ยงดูบุตร, kha uppakara liang du but, in the Code simply maintenance) is the money a parent must provide for a child’s upbringing and…
• Contested Divorce (Court Divorce) in Thailand: A contested divorce (การฟ้องหย่า, kan fong ya, also called a court divorce or judicial divorce) is a divorce obtained by judgment of the Juvenile and Family Court…
• Desertion as a Ground for Divorce (Section 1516): Desertion (การทิ้งร้าง, kan thing rang, also pleaded as abandonment) is the wilful leaving of one spouse by the other, without reasonable cause, for more than one year.
• Divorce Agreement (Settlement Agreement) in Thailand: A divorce agreement (บันทึกข้อตกลงการหย่า, banthuek kho toklong kan ya, also called a divorce settlement agreement or separation agreement) is the written contract in…
• Domestic Violence under Thai Law: Domestic violence (ความรุนแรงในครอบครัว, khwam runraeng nai khropkhrua, also called family violence or spousal abuse) is any intentional act that causes physical,…
• Engagement (Man) and Khong Man: Betrothal under Thai Law: Engagement (การหมั้น, man, in English betrothal) is the legally recognised promise to marry, and khong man (ของหมั้น, also written khongman) is the property the man…
• Full (Sole) Custody in Thailand: Full custody (อำนาจปกครองแต่เพียงผู้เดียว, sole custody, in the Code sole parental power) is the position where one parent alone exercises parental power over a…
• Grounds for Divorce in Thailand (Section 1516): A ground for divorce (เหตุฟ้องหย่า, het fong ya, also called grounds for divorce or causes of divorce) is a fact that Section 1516 of the Thai Civil and Commercial…
• Guardian (Phu Pok Khrong) of a Minor or Incapacitated Person: A guardian (ผู้ปกครอง, phu pok khrong, also spelled phu pokkhrong) is a person appointed by the court to take charge of the person and property of a minor who has no…
• Incapacity and Quasi-Incapacity in Thai Law: Incapacity (คนไร้ความสามารถ for an incompetent person, คนเสมือนไร้ความสามารถ for a quasi-incompetent person, also translated incompetence and quasi-incompetence) is…
• IVF and Assisted Reproduction under Thai Law: IVF (การปฏิสนธินอกร่างกาย, in vitro fertilisation, also written in vitro fertilization) is the fertilisation of an egg outside the body and the transfer of the…
• Juvenile and Family Court in Thailand: The Juvenile and Family Court (ศาลเยาวชนและครอบครัว, san yaowachon lae khropkhrua, usually just the family court) is the specialised court of first instance that…
• Legitimation of a Child (Section 1547): Making a Father Legal: Legitimation (การรับรองบุตร, rap rong but, also called legitimization or acknowledgement of paternity) is the act by which a child born to unmarried parents becomes…
• Marriage Certificate (Kor Ror 3) in Thailand: A Thai marriage certificate (ใบสำคัญการสมรส, form Kor Ror 3, also written Khor Ror 3 or KR3) is the official document that the registrar at the district office…
• Parental Power (Amnat Pok Khrong): Section 1566: Parental power (อำนาจปกครอง, amnat pokkhrong, also translated as parental authority or, loosely, custody) is the legal authority over a minor child that Section 1566…
• Parental Rights of Foreign Parents in Thailand: Parental rights (สิทธิของบิดามารดา, sitthi khong bida manda, also called parental rights and duties) are the legal prerogatives a parent holds over a child under Thai…
• Parental Travel Consent Letter (Por Kor 14) for a Child Leaving Thailand: A travel consent letter (หนังสือยินยอมให้บุตรเดินทาง, also called a travel permit, parental consent letter or, after the district office form on which it is…
• Postnuptial Agreement: Why Thai Law Restricts It (Section 1469): A postnuptial agreement (สัญญาระหว่างสมรส, sanya rawang somrot, also written post-nuptial agreement or postnup) is any agreement about property made between husband…
• Prenuptial Agreement (Sanya Kon Somrot) in Thailand: A prenuptial agreement (สัญญาก่อนสมรส, sanya kon somrot, also written ante-nuptial agreement or simply prenup) is a contract between two people about to marry that…
• Sin Sod (Thai Dowry): Legal Status: Sin sod (สินสอด, also written sinsod or sin sot, loosely translated as dowry or bride price) is property given by one betrothed party to the parents, adoptive parents…
• Sin Somros (Marital Property) under Thai Law: Sin somros (สินสมรส, also written sin somrot or sinsomros, translated as marital property or community property) is the property that Thai law treats as belonging to…
• Sin Suan Tua (Personal Property of a Spouse): Sin suan tua (สินส่วนตัว, also written sinsuantua, translated as separate property or personal property) is the property that belongs to one spouse alone during a…
• Uncontested (Administrative) Divorce by Mutual Consent: An uncontested divorce (การหย่าโดยความยินยอม, kan ya doi khwam yin yom, also called an administrative divorce, amphur divorce or divorce by mutual consent) is a…
• Visitation Rights (Contact with a Child) in Thailand: Visitation rights (สิทธิในการเยี่ยมบุตร, also called contact or access) are the right of a parent who does not exercise parental power, or with whom the child does…

Wills, succession and end of life

• Apostille and Thailand: Legalising Documents for Use Abroad: An apostille (การรับรองเอกสาร (อะพอสตีล), kan raprong ekkasan; also written apostil or Hague certificate) is a standard certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention…
• Estate (Moradok): What Passes on Death under Thai Law: The estate (มรดก, moradok; the whole mass of assets and liabilities is the กองมรดก, kong moradok) is everything a person leaves at death that can pass to others:…
• Estate Administrator (Executor) in Thailand: Court Appointment: An estate administrator (ผู้จัดการมรดก, phu jat kan moradok, often called the executor in English-language wills) is the person who collects the deceased’s assets,…
• Euthanasia and Thai Law: What Is and Is Not Permitted: Euthanasia (การุณยฆาต, karunyakhat, sometimes written mercy killing or assisted dying) is the deliberate ending of a patient’s life to relieve suffering.
• Holographic Will (Handwritten Will) in Thailand: Section 1657: A holographic will (พินัยกรรมเขียนเองทั้งฉบับ, phinaikam khian eng thang chabap, also called a handwritten will) is a will that the testator writes out entirely in…
• Inheritance Tax in Thailand (Inheritance Tax Act B.E. 2558): Inheritance tax (ภาษีการรับมรดก, phasi kan rap moradok, sometimes written estate tax or death duty) is the tax charged under the Inheritance Tax Act B.E.
• Intestacy: Dying Without a Will in Thailand: Intestacy (การตายโดยไม่มีพินัยกรรม, kan tai doi mai mi phinaikam; a person who dies this way is said to die intestate) is the situation in which someone dies without…
• Legatee and Legacy: Beneficiaries under a Thai Will: A legatee (ผู้รับพินัยกรรม, phu rap phinaikam, also called a beneficiary or heir by will) is a person or organisation who receives property under a will; what they…
• Palliative Care and the Right to Refuse Treatment (Section 12, National Health Act): Palliative care (การดูแลแบบประคับประคอง, kan du lae baep prakhap prakhong, sometimes called comfort care or hospice care) is medical care aimed at relieving the pain…
• Probate in Thailand: Court Appointment of an Estate Administrator: Probate (การจัดการมรดก, kan jat kan moradok, literally estate administration; Thai law has no separate word for probate) is the court process by which a Thai court…
• Public Will (District Office Will): Section 1658: A public will (พินัยกรรมแบบเอกสารฝ่ายเมือง, phinaikam baep ekkasan fai mueang, usually called a district office will or amphur will) is a will made by declaring one’s…
• Secret Will (Section 1660) in Thailand: A secret will (พินัยกรรมแบบเอกสารลับ, phinaikam baep ekkasan lap, sometimes called a sealed will or secret document will) is a will whose contents stay private: the…
• Six Classes of Statutory Heirs (Section 1629): The six classes of statutory heirs (ลำดับทายาทโดยธรรม, lamdap thayat doi tham, the order of heirs at law) are the ranking in Section 1629 of the Civil and Commercial…
• Statutory Heir (Thayat Doi Tham) and the Six Classes of Heirs: A statutory heir (ทายาทโดยธรรม, thayat doi tham, sometimes rendered heir at law or legal heir) is a person who inherits under the Civil and Commercial Code rather…
• Terminal Illness in a Thai Living Will: Terminal illness (ระยะสุดท้ายของชีวิต, raya sutthai khong chiwit, also translated as the terminal stage of life or end stage) is a medical condition for which no cure…
• Testator and Testatrix: The Person Making a Will: A testator (ผู้ทำพินัยกรรม, phu tham phinaikam; a woman is sometimes called a testatrix) is the person who makes a will, the declaration by which someone decides who…
• Will: A disposition of property taking effect on death, made in one of the forms prescribed by Book VI of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code (Sections 1646 to 1710).

Civil law, contracts and courts

• Affidavit in Thailand: Where It Is Used and Who Can Certify It: An affidavit (คำให้การเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษร, kham hai kan pen lai lak akson; a court witness statement is a banthuek thoi kham) is a written statement of facts that the…
• Arbitration in Thailand (Arbitration Act B.E. 2545): Arbitration (อนุญาโตตุลาการ, anuyatotulakan, also written anuyato tulakarn) is the private resolution of a dispute by one or three arbitrators chosen under the…
• Court Fees in Thai Civil Cases (2% Rule and Caps): Court fees (ค่าธรรมเนียมศาล, kha thammaniam san, sometimes kha thamniam sarn) are the sums a party pays the court to file and pursue a civil case in Thailand, fixed…
• Court of Appeal (San Uthon) in Thailand: The Court of Appeal (ศาลอุทธรณ์, San Uthon, also spelt San Utthon) is the second tier of the Thai Courts of Justice, sitting between the courts of first instance and…
• Courts of First Instance in Thailand (Civil, Provincial, Kwaeng and Specialised Courts): A court of first instance (ศาลชั้นต้น, san chan ton, sometimes written san chanton) is any Thai court where a case is filed and tried for the first time: witnesses…
• Damages (Kha Sin Mai Thot Thaen) in Thai Civil Claims: Damages (ค่าสินไหมทดแทน, kha sin mai thot thaen; contract damages are kha sia hai) are the money a Thai court orders a wrongdoer or a defaulting party to pay to make…
• Gift (Hai) under Thai Law: Sections 521 to 536: A gift (การให้, hai, in full kan hai) is the contract by which a donor transfers property to a donee for nothing in return, and the donee accepts it (Section 521 of…
• Good Faith (Sutjarit) in Thai Law: Sections 5 and 6: Good faith (สุจริต, sutjarit, also written sucharit) is the principle in Section 5 of the Civil and Commercial Code that every person must exercise rights and perform…
• Juristic Person (Niti Bukkhon) in Thai Law: A juristic person (นิติบุคคล, niti bukkhon, also translated legal entity or legal person) is an organisation that Thai law treats as a person in its own right: it can…
• Legalisation of Documents (MFA and Embassy) in Thailand: Legalisation of documents (การรับรองเอกสาร, kan raprong ekkasan, also spelled legalization or called authentication) is the chain of official certifications that lets…
• Loan Agreement (Ku Yuem) in Thailand: Section 653 and the 15% Cap: A loan agreement (สัญญากู้ยืมเงิน, sanya ku yuem ngoen, also loan of money or loan for consumption) is a contract under which a lender hands over a sum of money and…
• Novation (Plaeng Nii Mai) in Thai Contract Law: Novation (การแปลงหนี้ใหม่, plaeng nii mai, sometimes rendered substitution of obligation) is the extinction of an existing obligation by a contract that replaces it…
• Penalty Clause (Bia Prap) and Liquidated Damages: Section 383: A penalty clause (เบี้ยปรับ, bia prap, also written bia prab) is a term by which a debtor promises to pay a fixed sum, or forfeit something, if he fails to perform a…
• Power of Attorney in Thailand: A power of attorney (หนังสือมอบอำนาจ, nangsue mop amnat, also POA or letter of authorisation) is a written instrument by which a principal authorises an agent to act…
• Prescription (Ayu Khwam): Limitation Periods in Thai Law: Prescription (อายุความ, ayu khwam, also romanised ayukwam) is the Thai term for a limitation period: the time within which a claim must be brought to court, after…
• Promissory Note (Tua Sanya Chai Ngoen) in Thailand: A promissory note (ตั๋วสัญญาใช้เงิน, tua sanya chai ngoen, sometimes tua sanya chai ngern) is a written instrument by which the maker promises unconditionally to pay…
• Public Order and Good Morals (Section 150): Public order and good morals (ความสงบเรียบร้อยหรือศีลธรรมอันดีของประชาชน, often shortened to good morals or public policy) is the standard in Section 150 of the Civil…
• Public Prosecutor (Phanakngan Aiyakan) in Thailand: A public prosecutor (พนักงานอัยการ, phanakngan aiyakan, often just aiyakan or state attorney) is an officer of the Office of the Attorney General who conducts…
• Supreme Court of Thailand (San Dika) and Dika Decisions: The Supreme Court of Thailand (ศาลฎีกา, San Dika, also Dika Court or Supreme Court of Justice) is the highest court in the Courts of Justice, the ordinary court…
• Suretyship and Guarantee (Kham Prakan): Sections 680 to 701: Suretyship (ค้ำประกัน, kham prakan, also written kam prakan), the contract by which a guarantor promises a creditor to pay if the debtor does not, is governed by…
• Thai Civil and Commercial Code (CCC): Structure and Six Books: The Thai Civil and Commercial Code (ประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์), usually shortened to CCC or simply the Civil Code, is the statute that contains most of Thailand’s…
• Tort (Lamoet): Wrongful Acts under Section 420: A tort (ละเมิด, lamoet, also spelt lamerd), called a wrongful act in the English translation of the Code, is defined in Section 420 of the Civil and Commercial Code:…
• Void and Voidable Juristic Acts (Sections 150 to 181): A void juristic act (โมฆะ, mokha, sometimes moghah) is one the law treats as never having existed, while a voidable act (โมฆียะ, mokhiya) is valid until the protected…

Criminal law

• Bail (Prakan Tua) in Thailand: Bail (การประกันตัว, prakan tua, in the statute provisional release) is the temporary release of a suspect or accused from custody while the police inquiry, trial or…
• Compoundable Offence (Khwam Phit An Yom Khwam Dai): Settling a Criminal Case: A compoundable offence (ความผิดอันยอมความได้, khwam phit an yom khwam dai, also translated as compounding offence) is a criminal offence under Thai law that the…
• Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550 (2007), as amended: The Computer Crime Act (พระราชบัญญัติว่าด้วยการกระทำความผิดเกี่ยวกับคอมพิวเตอร์, Computer-Related Crime Act, CCA) is the Thai statute of B.E.
• Criminal Record in Thailand: What Is Kept and Who Can See It: A criminal record (ประวัติอาชญากรรม, prawat atchayakam, also criminal history or police record) in Thailand is the file held by the Criminal Records Division of the…
• Defamation (Min Pramat): Sections 326 to 333: Defamation (หมิ่นประมาท, min pramat, covering both libel and slander) is the offence under Sections 326 to 333 of the Thai Criminal Code of imputing something to…
• Deportation from Thailand (Immigration Act, Section 54): Deportation (การเนรเทศ, nerathet, or in the Immigration Act’s own words การส่งกลับ, song klap, removal) is the compulsory sending of a foreigner out of Thailand by…
• Extradition to and from Thailand (Extradition Act B.E. 2551): Extradition (การส่งผู้ร้ายข้ามแดน, song phu rai kham daen, literally sending an offender across the border) is the formal surrender by Thailand of a person wanted in…
• Fine (Kha Prap) as a Criminal Penalty in Thailand: A fine (โทษปรับ, thot prap; the sum itself is kha prap) is one of the five criminal punishments listed in Section 18 of the Thai Criminal Code, alongside death,…
• Fraud (Chokong): Section 341 of the Criminal Code: Fraud (ฉ้อโกง, chokong, also cheating in older translations) is the offence in Section 341 of the Thai Criminal Code of dishonestly deceiving a person by a false…
• Immigration Blacklist in Thailand: The Thailand blacklist (บัญชีดำ, banchi dam, officially the list of prohibited aliens) is the register kept by the Immigration Bureau of foreigners who are to be…
• Inquiry Official (Phanakngan Sopsuan): The Thai Police Investigator: An inquiry official (พนักงานสอบสวน, phanakngan sopsuan, also translated as investigating officer or inquiry officer) is the police officer who, under the Thai…
• Lèse-Majesté (Section 112 of the Criminal Code): Lese-majeste (มาตรา 112, lèse-majesté, lese majeste, in Thai simply matra 112) is the offence in Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code of defaming, insulting or…
• Money Laundering and AMLO in Thailand: Money laundering (การฟอกเงิน, fok ngoen; the enforcing agency is ปปง., AMLO, the Anti-Money Laundering Office) is the offence under the Anti-Money Laundering Act B.E.
• Overstay in Thailand: Fines, Bans and Detention: Overstay (การอยู่เกินกำหนด, yu koen kamnot, also overstaying) is remaining in Thailand after the date stamped or written in the passport as the end of the permitted…
• Police Clearance Certificate (Criminal Record Check) in Thailand: A police clearance certificate (หนังสือรับรองความประพฤติ, nangsue raprong khwam praphruet, also called a Thai criminal record check or certificate of good conduct) is…
• Suspended Sentence (Ro Long Aya): Section 56: A suspended sentence (รอการลงโทษ, ro long aya, or in its other form รอการกำหนดโทษ, ro kan kamnot thot) is a prison sentence that the court pronounces but does not put…
• Theft (Lak Sap): Section 334: Theft (ลักทรัพย์, lak sap, also larceny in older translations) is the offence under Section 334 of the Thai Criminal Code of dishonestly taking away property…

Labour and employment

• Employment Contract under Thai Law: Employment contract (สัญญาจ้างแรงงาน, sanya jang raeng ngan, also called an employment agreement or hire of services) is the agreement by which an employee undertakes…
• Labour Court in Thailand: Labour Court (ศาลแรงงาน, san raeng ngan, also spelled Labor Court) is the specialised court created by the Act on the Establishment of Labour Courts and Labour Court…
• Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998): Labour Protection Act B.E.
• Minimum Wage in Thailand: Minimum wage (ค่าจ้างขั้นต่ำ, kha jang khan tam, sometimes written minimum daily wage) is the lowest daily rate an employer may lawfully pay an employee, fixed…
• Notice Period and Pay in Lieu of Notice (Section 17): Notice period (การบอกกล่าวล่วงหน้า, kan bok klao luang na, and when paid out instead of worked, pay in lieu of notice) is the advance warning either party must give…
• Probation Period in Thai Employment Law: Probation period (ทดลองงาน, thot long ngan, also written probationary period) is a trial period at the start of employment during which the employer assesses a new…
• Severance Pay (Kha Chot Choei): Section 118 of the Labour Protection Act: Severance pay (ค่าชดเชย, kha chot choei, also spelled kha chod choey) is the lump sum an employer must pay under Section 118 of the Labour Protection Act B.E.
• Social Security in Thailand (Social Security Act B.E. 2533): Social security (ประกันสังคม, prakan sangkhom, often referred to by the office that runs it, the SSO) is Thailand’s compulsory social insurance scheme under the…
• Termination of Employment in Thailand: Termination of employment (การเลิกจ้าง, kan loek jang, also called dismissal) is any act by which an employer ends the employment relationship, whether by letter, by…
• The 4:1 Thai-to-Foreign Employee Ratio for Work Permits: 4:1 ratio (อัตราส่วนพนักงานไทย 4 ต่อ 1, also written four-to-one ratio or 4 to 1 rule) is the requirement that a Thai company employ four Thai nationals for every…
• Work Permit in Thailand (Foreigners’ Working Management Emergency Decree): Work permit (ใบอนุญาตทำงาน, bai anuyat tham ngan, sometimes shortened to WP) is the licence issued by the Department of Employment under the Foreigners’ Working…

Business, company and tax

• Bankruptcy in Thailand (Bankruptcy Act B.E. 2483): Bankruptcy (ล้มละลาย, lom lalai, the court process is kadi lom lalai) is the collective procedure under the Bankruptcy Act B.E.
• BOI (Board of Investment) Promotion in Thailand: The BOI (สำนักงานคณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน, the Board of Investment or Thailand Board of Investment) is the government agency, attached to the Office of the Prime…
• Company Limited (Borisat Jamkat) in Thailand: A company limited (บริษัทจำกัด, borisat jamkat, written Co., Ltd.
• Corporate Income Tax in Thailand: Corporate income tax (ภาษีเงินได้นิติบุคคล, phasi ngoen dai nitibukkhon, abbreviated CIT) is the tax a company limited, partnership or other juristic person pays on…
• DBD (Department of Business Development): The DBD (กรมพัฒนาธุรกิจการค้า, the Department of Business Development, sometimes still called the Commercial Registration Department) is the department of the…
• Director of a Thai Company Limited: Duties and Liability: A company director (กรรมการบริษัท, kammakan borisat, in a Thai company often called the authorised director or managing director) is the person appointed by the…
• Dissolution and Liquidation of a Thai Company: Dissolution and liquidation (การเลิกบริษัทและชำระบัญชี, kan loek borisat lae chamra banchi, in everyday English closing or winding up a company) are the two stages by…
• Double Tax Agreement (DTA) and Thailand: A double tax agreement (อนุสัญญาภาษีซ้อน, a DTA, double taxation treaty or tax convention) is a treaty between Thailand and another country that allocates the right…
• Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999): The Foreign Business Act B.E.
• Foreign Business Licence (FBL) and Certificate (FBC): A Foreign Business Licence (ใบอนุญาตประกอบธุรกิจของคนต่างด้าว, the FBL, in American spelling foreign business license) is the permission a foreigner or a…
• Foreign-Sourced Income and Remittance Tax in Thailand: Foreign-sourced income (เงินได้จากต่างประเทศ, also offshore income or, for the tax on it, remittance tax) is income arising outside Thailand, such as a foreign…
• Foundation (Munlanithi) and Association (Samakhom) in Thailand: A foundation (มูลนิธิ, munlanithi or moonlanithi) is property set aside for a charitable, religious, artistic, scientific, educational or other public purpose and…
• PDPA: Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019): The PDPA (พระราชบัญญัติคุ้มครองข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล พ.ศ.
• Registered Capital and Paid-Up Capital in Thailand: Registered capital (ทุนจดทะเบียน, thun jot thabian, sometimes called authorised capital) is the total nominal value of the shares a Thai company limited has issued,…
• Shareholder in a Thai Company Limited: A shareholder (ผู้ถือหุ้น, phu thue hun, also stockholder or member) is a person or company whose name is entered in the share register of a Thai company limited as…
• Tax Identification Number (TIN) in Thailand: A tax identification number (เลขประจำตัวผู้เสียภาษี, lek prajam tua phu sia phasi, the TIN or tax ID) is the number the Revenue Department uses to identify a taxpayer…
• Tax Resident of Thailand: The 180-Day Rule: A tax resident of Thailand (ผู้มีถิ่นที่อยู่ในประเทศไทยเพื่อการเสียภาษี, in practice tax residency or Thai tax resident) is any individual who is present in Thailand…
• VAT (Value Added Tax) in Thailand: VAT (ภาษีมูลค่าเพิ่ม, phasi munlakha phoem, value added tax, in filings Por Por or PP) is the consumption tax charged on the sale of goods and the provision of…

Immigration and visas

• 90-Day Report (TM47): Notification of Address (Section 37): The 90-day report (การรายงานตัว 90 วัน, form TM47 or TM.47, also called the 90-day notification of address) is the duty under Section 37 of the Immigration Act B.E.
• Border Run and Visa Run: What Thai Immigration Allows: A border run (การเดินทางออกนอกประเทศเพื่อต่อวีซ่า, also visa run, bounce or out-in) is a trip out of Thailand and straight back in, made to obtain a fresh permitted…
• DTV: Destination Thailand Visa: The DTV (วีซ่า DTV, the Destination Thailand Visa, often called the digital nomad visa or workcation visa) is a five-year multiple-entry visa introduced in July 2024…
• Extension of Stay (Visa Extension) in Thailand: An extension of stay (การขออยู่ต่อในราชอาณาจักร, commonly called a visa extension or extension of temporary stay) is permission granted by the Immigration Bureau…
• Financial Requirement for Thai Visa Extensions (800,000 and 400,000 Baht Rules): The financial requirement (หลักฐานทางการเงิน, the 800,000 baht rule, 400,000 baht rule or proof of funds) is the money condition an applicant must prove before the…
• Immigration Bureau of Thailand (Sam Nak Ngan Tor Mor): The Immigration Bureau (สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง, Samnak Ngan Truat Khon Khao Mueang, colloquially Tor Mor after the initials ตม., and often just immigration) is the…
• LTR Visa: Long-Term Resident Visa (10 Years): The LTR visa (วีซ่าผู้พำนักระยะยาว, the Long-Term Resident visa, sometimes long term residence visa) is a ten-year visa, issued as five years plus a five-year…
• Marriage Visa (Non-O Extension Based on Thai Spouse): A marriage visa (วีซ่าแต่งงาน, properly the extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai national, also called the Thai spouse visa or Non-O marriage) is a one-year…
• Non-Immigrant O Visa (Non-O): Family, Retirement and Guardian Purposes: The Non-Immigrant O visa (วีซ่าประเภทคนอยู่ชั่วคราว, usually shortened to Non-O or non-immigrant O) is the category of Thai visa issued for reasons other than work,…
• Permanent Residency in Thailand (Certificate of Residence, Tor Mor 16): Permanent residency (ถิ่นที่อยู่ถาวร, evidenced by the certificate of residence, form Tor Mor 16, also called the residence permit or PR) is permission under the…
• Pink ID Card for Foreigners in Thailand: The pink ID card (บัตรประจำตัวคนซึ่งไม่มีสัญชาติไทย, the identification card for persons without Thai nationality, also pink card or foreigner ID card) is an identity…
• Re-Entry Permit (TM8): Keeping Your Thai Visa When You Travel: A re-entry permit (ใบอนุญาตเดินทางกลับเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักร, form TM8 or TM.8, also called a re-entry stamp or re-entry visa) is permission under Section 39 of the…
• Retirement Visa in Thailand (Non-O, O-A and O-X Explained): A retirement visa (วีซ่าเกษียณอายุ, also called a retirement extension or Non-O retirement) is the informal name for any of three ways a foreigner aged 50 or over may…
• TDAC: Thailand Digital Arrival Card: TDAC (บัตรขาเข้าดิจิทัล, the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, sometimes written digital arrival card or e-arrival card) is the online arrival declaration that every…
• Thai Citizenship by Naturalisation (Nationality Act B.E. 2508): Thai citizenship by naturalisation (การแปลงสัญชาติ, naturalization in American spelling, also Thai nationality) is the grant of Thai nationality to a foreigner under…
• TM30: Notification of Residence of a Foreigner (Section 38): TM30 (ตม.30, also written TM.30 or Tor Mor 30) is the notification of residence of a foreigner that the owner or possessor of a dwelling must file with immigration…
• Visa Exemption (Visa-Free Entry) to Thailand: Visa exemption (ยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา, also called visa-free entry, visa waiver or the exemption stamp) is permission for nationals of listed countries to enter Thailand…

Thai administrative divisions

• Amphoe / Amphur (อำเภอ): District and District Office in Thailand: An amphoe (อำเภอ, commonly spelled amphur) is a district of Thailand, the second-level administrative division below the province (changwat).
• Aor Bor Tor (อบต.): Tambon Administrative Organisation: Aor Bor Tor (อบต., also written Or Bor Tor, OBT, TAO or SAO) is the Thai abbreviation of Ongkan Borihan Suan Tambon (องค์การบริหารส่วนตำบล), the Tambon (Sub-district)…
• Changwat (จังหวัด): Province of Thailand: A changwat (จังหวัด, also spelled jangwat) is a province of Thailand, the country’s first-level administrative division.
• Phu Yai Ban (ผู้ใหญ่บ้าน): Village Headman in Thailand: The phu yai ban (ผู้ใหญ่บ้าน, also written poo yai baan or puyaiban) is the village headman of a muban (หมู่บ้าน), the lowest unit of Thailand’s territorial…
• Tambon (ตำบล): Sub-district in Thailand: A tambon (ตำบล, sometimes spelled tambol) is a sub-district of Thailand, the third-level administrative division below the district (amphoe) and above the village…
• Tesaban / Thesaban (เทศบาล): Municipality in Thailand: A tesaban (เทศบาล, official spelling thesaban, also written tessaban) is a municipality in Thailand, the form of elected local government used for towns and cities…

About the firm and its credentials

• B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science): A B.Sc.
• Farang: Meaning and Use in Thailand: Farang (ฝรั่ง, also spelled falang or farung) is the everyday Thai word for a foreigner of European appearance.
• Lawyers Council of Thailand: The Lawyers Council of Thailand (สภาทนายความ) is the professional body established under the Lawyers Act B.E.
• Licensed Thai Lawyer: Lawyers Act B.E. 2528: A licensed Thai lawyer (ทนายความ, thanai khwam, sometimes rendered attorney-at-law or Thai barrister) is a person registered by the Lawyers Council of Thailand and…
• LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws): An LL.B.
• Notary (Notarial Services Attorney): In Thailand, the legal system is based on civil law but the country does not have a notary public in the same sense as common-law jurisdictions.
• Registered Thai Lawyer and the Lawyer Licence Number: A registered Thai lawyer (holding a lawyer licence, ใบอนุญาตทนายความ, bai anuyat thanai khwam) is a lawyer whose name has been entered on the register of the Lawyers…
• Sebastien H. Brousseau: Sebastien H. Brousseau, LL.B., B.Sc., is a French-Canadian legal professional and the founder of ThaiLawOnline.com, one of the first online Thai legal services for foreigners, operating since 2006.

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