Death of a Foreigner in Thailand: Family Guide and Checklist
When a foreigner dies in Thailand, the family has to deal with a hospital or the police, a district office, an embassy and a funeral director within a few days, often from abroad. This free guide sets out the order of events in plain English and Thai, so that your Thai family and your family at home read the same thing.
What is inside
- The first 24 hours: hospital death, death at home, and what the law requires after a sudden or unexplained death
- The Thai death certificate: where to go, what to bring, what to check, and how to legalise it for use abroad
- What the embassy will do and what it will not do
- Cremation in Thailand or repatriation: documents, time and usual cost
- The estate: the will, the estate administrator, the one-year deadline, and what happens to the bank account, condominium, land, vehicle, insurance and pension
- A checklist to tick and a family record sheet to fill in
Files
PDF guide to read or print, and the same guide as an editable Word file so you can fill in the record sheet on your computer. English first, then the full Thai version. Checked 3 October 2026.
This guide is general information. It does not appoint an estate administrator and it does not give access to a bank account.
Full online guide: When a Foreigner Dies in Thailand. Estate procedure: Probate and estate administration in Thailand. To protect your family in advance: Thai will drafted by our lawyers.
