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 September 5, 2026
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 both spouses together, defined in Section 1474 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. It is the counterpart of sin suan tua, the personal property of each spouse. Sin somros is what gets divided in half when a marriage ends, so the classification of every asset turns on this term.
Table of Contents
What Section 1474 puts into the marital pool
Three categories make up sin somros: property acquired by either spouse during the marriage, whichever name it is registered in; property received by will or gift where the instrument declares it to be marital property; and the fruits of sin suan tua, meaning the rent, interest and dividends that personal property earns during the marriage. A salary, a condominium bought with it and the rent from a flat one spouse owned before the wedding are all sin somros. Where it is doubtful which category an asset falls into, the Code presumes it is sin somros, and the spouse who claims otherwise carries the burden of proof.
Management is joint for the important acts. Section 1476 lists the transactions that need the consent of both spouses: selling, mortgaging or transferring immovable property, creating or ending a usufruct, superficies or servitude over it, leasing it for more than three years, lending money, making gifts (other than modest charitable ones), compromising a claim and going to arbitration. An act done without consent can be revoked by the other spouse under Section 1480 within one year of learning of it, and never later than ten years after the act.
Where a foreign spouse meets the rule
The point of friction is land. A foreigner cannot own land under Section 86 of the Land Code, so when a Thai spouse buys land during the marriage, the Land Office asks both spouses to sign a declaration that the purchase money is the Thai spouse’s personal property. That declaration is an administrative condition of registration, not one of the categories in Section 1471; the guide on what the Land Office declaration actually does explains why bank records still matter.
Assets abroad are not exempt. A brokerage account in Singapore or a flat in London acquired during the marriage is sin somros in the eyes of a Thai court. Keeping pre-marriage assets in separate accounts, and tracing the proceeds when they are sold or reinvested, preserves their personal character under Section 1472; mixed accounts drift into the marital pool.
Division at divorce and the common debts
At divorce, Section 1533 divides sin somros equally. For a divorce by mutual consent at the amphur the pool is fixed at the date of registration; for a court divorce, at the date the action is filed. A spouse who sold or gave away marital property for their own benefit is treated under Section 1534 as if the asset still existed. The mechanics are in the guide to property division in a Thai divorce.
Common debts under Section 1490, such as household expenses and debts of a joint business, are shared equally under Section 1535. A foreign spouse awarded half of a plot of land cannot take title to it; the share is settled in money or by an agreed sale. A registered prenuptial agreement is the only way to change these rules in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Is property bought in my Thai wife’s name sin somros?
Usually yes, if it was bought during the marriage with money earned during the marriage. The name on the title does not decide the classification. Land is the exception in practice, because a foreigner cannot hold title to it, so at divorce the foreign spouse receives the value of the half share rather than the land.
What is the difference between sin somros and sin suan tua?
Sin suan tua is each spouse’s personal property: what they owned before the marriage, personal effects, tools of their trade, and gifts or inheritances received during the marriage. Sin somros is everything acquired during the marriage plus the income produced by personal property. Only sin somros is divided at divorce.
Can my spouse sell marital property without my consent in Thailand?
Not the immovable property. Section 1476 requires both spouses to consent to a sale, mortgage or long lease of land or a condominium that is sin somros, and to gifts and loans of money. A sale done without consent can be revoked in court within one year of the other spouse learning of it, subject to a ten-year limit.
See also: sin suan tua, prenuptial agreement, divorce agreement, uncontested divorce, and the guides to marital property under Thai law and the consequences of marriage in Thailand.
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