Is a loan agreement signed only on LINE or by email enforceable in Thailand?

For loans above 2,000 THB, Section 653 of the CCC requires written evidence signed by the borrower. The Electronic Transactions Act B.E. 2544 has been interpreted by the courts to allow electronic signatures — including digital signatures and clearly authenticated chat messages — but the evidentiary weight is much weaker than a wet-ink signature. For any meaningful sum, insist on a signed paper original.

What is the maximum interest rate I can charge under Thai law?

15% per year (Section 654 CCC). Any higher rate is automatically reduced to 15%. Charging more than 15% knowingly can expose the lender to criminal penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment under the 2017 Act on the Prohibition of Charging Interest in Excess of the Rate Specified by Law.

Do I need a Thai lawyer to draft a loan agreement?

For a small, simple loan between two individuals in THB, our template is sufficient if you complete every blank carefully and have it stamped within 15 days. For loans above 500,000 THB, for loans with collateral, corporate parties, or cross-border elements, a Thai lawyer’s review costs a small fraction of what failed enforcement will cost — it is one of the highest-return legal expenses you can make.

How long do I have to sue if the borrower stops paying?

The prescription period for a money-loan claim is 10 years from the due date of each instalment (CCC s.193/30). A written demand letter interrupts the period briefly, but the safe practice is to file in court well before the 10-year mark on the earliest unpaid instalment.

Can a foreigner lend money to a Thai national without restriction?

Yes. Private one-off loans between individuals carry no nationality restriction. The Foreign Business Act does not regulate private money lending. Be careful, however, if the lending pattern looks like a money-lending business — that triggers licensing requirements under the Money Lender Act B.E. 2542.

What happens if I forget to pay the stamp duty?

The loan remains valid between the parties, but the unstamped document is inadmissible as evidence in any Thai court. You can cure the defect by paying the duty plus a surcharge (up to six times the original duty) at the Revenue Office before filing your case. It is dramatically cheaper to stamp on day one.

Should the agreement be in Thai, English, or both?

If both parties are Thai, Thai only is fine. If one party is a foreigner, use a bilingual version with the Thai text controlling in case of conflict. A foreigner-only English version is enforceable in Thai courts but adds friction (court translation will be required and is at the parties’ expense). Our bilingual template is the recommended default.

Can I add collateral or a guarantor to these templates?

Yes, but a guarantee (การค้ำประกัน) and a security interest (mortgage, pledge, vehicle hire-purchase) are each governed by their own separate provisions of the CCC and the Land Code, and each requires its own contract or registration to be valid. A secured loan is not a job for a generic or copy-paste form. Our loan templates are drafted by Thai lawyers, and for a registered mortgage or other security we recommend a tailored secured-loan package: contact us. Author: Sébastien H. Brousseau, Director of ThaiLawOnline, in collaboration with our team of Thai-licensed attorneys. Last reviewed and updated for the 2026 Civil and Commercial Code by our editorial team. ThaiLawOnline has served the expat and foreign-investor community in Thailand since 2006. Related reading: Comprehensive Loan Agreement Guide under the Civil and Commercial Code · The Civil and Commercial Code, Annotated · NDA Agreements in Thailand · Book a Legal Consultation

Loan Agreement Template for Thailand — Free Bilingual (Thai/English)

Last updated on July 4, 2026

Members-only download. The four loan agreement templates linked at the bottom of this page (bilingual Thai/English and English-only, in both…

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