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.
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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, pays the debts and distributes what remains to the heirs. In law a person named in a will is an administrator without any court order (Sections 1711 and 1712), but in practice banks and the Department of Business Development will not release money or register a share transfer without a Thai court’s appointment order, so the appointment is the first real step in almost every estate. The Land Office is the partial exception: under section 81 of the Land Code an heir can register inherited land directly after a 30-day public notice, though with foreign heirs or foreign documents it often asks for a court order anyway.
Table of Contents
How the appointment works
Under the Civil and Commercial Code an administrator is either the person appointed by the will or the person appointed by the court (Section 1711). In practice both go through court: an heir, any interested person or the public prosecutor applies to the provincial court for the district where the deceased was domiciled, or where the assets are, asking for the appointment (Section 1713). Where the will names someone, the court normally appoints that person. Where there is no will, the court chooses among the applicants, usually the spouse or an adult child, and can appoint more than one administrator jointly.
Who cannot serve. A minor, a person of unsound mind or adjudged quasi-incompetent, and a person adjudged bankrupt are barred (Section 1718). Nationality is not a bar: foreigners are appointed routinely, though they must attend the hearing in person. The court can later remove an administrator who neglects the duties, or for another good reason, on the application of an interested person made before the distribution is complete (Section 1727).
What the administrator must do
The administrator must start an inventory of the estate within 15 days of the appointment and finish it within one month, in the presence of at least two interested witnesses, and must complete the whole administration and render accounts within one year unless the will, a majority of the heirs or the court sets another period (Sections 1728, 1729 and 1732). The work is practical: obtaining the death certificate, cancelling the house registration, closing bank accounts, transferring condominiums at the Land Office, transferring vehicles and company shares, paying creditors and any inheritance tax, and then distributing according to the will or the statutory order.
Documents for the petition include the death certificate, the will if any, proof of the applicant’s relationship to the deceased, house registration and identity documents, and a list of assets with title documents. Foreign documents need certified translation and legalisation. The court petition fee is a flat 200 baht plus small announcement and delivery costs; an uncontested case usually takes 3 to 6 months to the order, then about a month more for the certificate confirming no appeal, which most banks want to see. Where the will was made at a district office, the office keeps it under the Ministerial Regulation on the Making of Wills B.E. 2569, in force since 24 March 2026, or keeps a certified copy if the testator collected the original. After the death, the administrator or an heir can obtain a copy at the office where the will was made, for 50 baht.
Administrator, executor and foreign probate
The English word executor describes the person a testator chooses; the Thai term covers both that person and a court-chosen one (Section 1711). A person named in a will holds the office without a court order, but in practice cannot deal with a bank or the share registry until a Thai court has appointed them. A UK grant of probate, a US letters testamentary or a Canadian certificate has no direct force in Thailand. The named executor must petition a Thai court, with the foreign will translated and legalised, and be appointed here; the guide to probate of a foreign will in Thailand covers the extra steps.
The common mistake is a family assuming a Thai wife or a named friend can walk into the bank with the will. They cannot, and a delay of a year while nobody applies can leave utility bills unpaid and a condominium at risk of arrears. Naming a willing, capable administrator in the will, and telling that person where the original is kept, shortens the whole process.
Last reviewed: 30 September 2026. Civil and Commercial Code sections 1711 to 1713, 1718 and 1727 to 1732 and Land Code section 81 were read in the Thai text. Corrected: a person named in a will holds the office without a court order (the court order is a practical requirement of banks and registries, not a legal one), heirs can register inherited land directly under Land Code section 81, and the one-year period and removal rules were restated. Durations and fees are practice estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner be an estate administrator in Thailand?
Yes. Section 1718 bars only minors, persons of unsound mind or quasi-incompetent, and undischarged bankrupts. Foreigners are appointed regularly, but must attend the court hearing in person and will need a Thai translation of any foreign documents.
How long does it take to appoint an estate administrator in Thailand?
An uncontested petition usually takes 3 to 6 months from filing to the court order, plus about a month for the certificate confirming no appeal. Contested cases, or those relying on a foreign will that must be translated and legalised, take considerably longer.
What is the difference between an executor and an estate administrator?
In Thai law both are the same office, phu jat kan moradok. An executor is simply the administrator the testator named in the will; in law they hold the office under the will itself, but banks and the share registry insist on a court appointment in practice, so the named person applies for one before dealing with bank accounts or shares. Where there is no will, the court appoints an administrator on an heir’s application.
See also: probate, estate, statutory heir, will, and the guides on probate and estate administration in Thailand and making a last will in Thailand.
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