Thailand Criminal Appeal Deadline: One Month, and Where to File

Reviewed by Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556, for ThaiLawOnline, a Thai law firm acting for foreigners since 2006.

The Thailand criminal appeal deadline is one month. It runs from the day the judgment is read to you, or is treated as read to you, and it applies again at each later tier. You file the appeal at the court that convicted you, not at the court that will hear it. If you are sentenced to prison and are free on bail, you must also present yourself to a court officer when you file. Miss any of these steps and the judgment can become final.

Section 193 is not the deadline section. Many people search for “section 193 appeal within one month”, and the two ideas get spliced together. Section 193 gives you the right to appeal a trial judgment on questions of fact and law. It sets no time limit. The clock sits in section 198 for the first appeal and section 216 for the Dika. Our annotated pages for section 193 and section 198 set out each text in full.

Understanding the Thai Court Structure

Thai criminal cases move through three tiers. The Court of First Instance tries the case and reads the judgment. The Court of Appeal reviews it on fact and law. The Supreme Court (Dika) reviews the Court of Appeal’s ruling, and its power to re-examine facts is narrower. Our guide to criminal trial procedures in Thailand covers the first tier, and the glossary entry on the Court of Appeal explains the second.

The filing rule surprises many defendants. Whichever court will hear your appeal, you lodge it at the Court of First Instance. That court checks the appeal and forwards it upward, or refuses to accept it. Filing at the wrong court does not stop the clock.

Key Legal Framework: Which Section Does What

The Criminal Procedure Code B.E. 2477 spreads the appeal rules across several sections. Read together, they work like this:

• Section 193: You may appeal a trial court judgment or order to the Court of Appeal on questions of fact and law, unless the Code or another law prohibits it. The appeal must state its grounds clearly. There is no deadline in this section.
• Section 193 bis: In minor cases, appeals on questions of fact are restricted, with exceptions. Ask a lawyer whether your sentence falls inside or outside the restriction before you rely on a fact-based appeal.
• Section 198: You file the appeal at the Court of First Instance within one month of the day the judgment or order is read, or is deemed read, to the party appealing.
• Section 198, paragraph 3: A defendant sentenced to imprisonment who is not in custody may appeal only by presenting himself to a court officer when filing. Otherwise the court orders that the appeal not be accepted. It does not apply where the imprisonment has been suspended or has been fully served.
• Section 198 bis: If the trial court refuses to accept your appeal, you may petition against the refusal within 15 days of the order.
• Section 199: A defendant held in prison may lodge the appeal with the prison officer within the appeal period. If the officer forwards it late through no fault of the appellant, it still counts as on time.
• Section 216: A Dika appeal is filed at the Court of First Instance within one month of the Court of Appeal judgment being read, or deemed read.
• Section 224: If the court refuses to accept a Dika appeal, you may petition against the refusal within 15 days. Count the 15 days from the day the order is read, the earlier of the possible start dates, so that you never file late.

Three bars and one exception matter at the Supreme Court. The Dika restricts appeals on questions of fact where the Court of Appeal has upheld, or only slightly amended, a sentence of five years or less (section 218; above five years only the prosecutor is barred, so the defendant may still argue the facts), section 219 bars fact appeals in low-sentence cases (up to two years or 40,000 baht) unless the Court of Appeal substantially amended the judgment and increased the defendant’s penalty, section 220 bars an appeal where both lower courts dismissed the prosecution’s case, and in any case barred by sections 218 to 220, a judge who sat in the case, signed the judgment or dissented may still allow a Dika appeal if the point decided is important enough for the Supreme Court, or the Director-General of the Public Prosecution Department may certify that it deserves a ruling (section 221). Our guide to pardons in Thailand covers what remains once every appeal is exhausted.

The law behind this page

English

Section 216Amended on 12 December 2016

A party may appeal the Court of Appeal's judgment or order to the Supreme Court by filing a Dika within one month of it being read, subject to the limits in Sections 217 to 221. The Dika is filed at the Court of First Instance.

Full text

Subject to Sections 217 to 221, a party has the power to file a Dika appeal contesting the judgment or order of the Court of Appeal within one month from the date the judgment or order is read, or is deemed to have been read, to the party filing the Dika. The Dika shall be filed with the Court of First Instance. The provisions of Section 198, Section 200, and Section 201 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 193

A party unhappy with a trial court's criminal judgment or order can appeal it, on facts or law, to the Court of Appeal, unless a specific law bars that appeal. The appeal must clearly and briefly set out the facts or legal grounds being relied on.

Full text

An appeal against a judgment or order of the Court of First Instance on questions of fact and of law shall be brought to the Court of Appeal, unless the appeal is prohibited by this Code or by another law. Every appeal must state, in sequence, a concise summary of the facts or the questions of law relied upon.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 198 bis

If the trial court refuses to accept your appeal, you can challenge that refusal by filing a petition to the Court of Appeal within fifteen days of hearing the order. The Court of Appeal then either upholds the refusal or orders the appeal to be accepted, and its decision is final.

Full text

When the Court of First Instance refuses to accept an appeal, the appellant may appeal by way of a petition contesting the order of that court to the Court of Appeal. Such a petition shall be filed with the Court of First Instance within fifteen days from the day the order is heard, and that court shall promptly forward the petition, together with the appeal and the judgment or order of the Court of First Instance, to the Court of Appeal. When the Court of Appeal considers it appropriate to examine the record in order to rule on the petition, it shall order the Court of First Instance to send it. The Court of Appeal shall consider the petition and issue an order either affirming the refusal of the Court of First Instance or ordering that the appeal be accepted. This order shall be final, and shall then be sent to the Court of First Instance to be read.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 199

A detained or imprisoned appellant can file an appeal by handing it to the prison warden within the appeal period, and the warden gives a receipt and forwards it to the court. If it arrives late only because the warden was slow to forward it, and not through the prisoner's fault, it still counts as filed on time.

Full text

An appellant who is in detention or serving imprisonment in prison may file an appeal with the prison warden within the appeal period. When the warden has received such appeal, he shall issue a receipt to the person filing the appeal and shall promptly forward the appeal to the Court of First Instance. If an appeal filed with the warden reaches the court after the appeal period has expired, then, if it appears that the delay in forwarding was not the fault of the person filing the appeal, it shall be deemed an appeal filed within the appeal period.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 218

If the Court of Appeal affirms or barely changes the lower court and the prison term is five years or less, neither side may appeal to the Supreme Court on the facts. Where the term exceeds five years on an affirmed or slightly amended judgment, the prosecutor still cannot appeal on the facts.

Full text

In a case in which the Court of Appeal affirms the lower court or only amends it slightly and imposes imprisonment on the defendant not exceeding five years, or a fine, or both imprisonment and fine but with imprisonment not exceeding five years, the parties are prohibited from filing a Dika on a question of fact. In a case in which the Court of Appeal affirms the lower court or only amends it slightly and imposes imprisonment on the defendant exceeding five years, whether or not accompanied by another penalty, the plaintiff is prohibited from filing a Dika on a question of fact.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 221

Even where Sections 218, 219, or 220 would block a Dika, a qualifying judge may certify the case as an important question worthy of the Supreme Court, or the Director-General of Public Prosecution may certify good cause, and the Dika will then be accepted.

Full text

In a case in which a Dika is prohibited by Sections 218, 219, and 220 of this Code, if a judge who tried the case, or who signed the judgment or made a dissenting opinion in the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal, considers that the matter decided is an important question that ought to reach the highest court and grants leave to file a Dika, or if the Director-General of Public Prosecution signs a certification in the Dika that there is good cause for the highest court to decide it, then that Dika shall be accepted for further consideration.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

Section 224

If the trial court refuses your Dika, you can challenge that refusal by filing a petition to the Supreme Court, submitted at the trial court within fifteen days of the order being read. The trial court then sends the petition, the Dika, and the lower judgments up.

Full text

When the Court of First Instance refuses to accept a Dika, the person filing the Dika may file a Dika in the form of a petition appealing the order of that court to the Supreme Court. Such a petition shall be filed at the Court of First Instance within fifteen days from the day the order is read. That court shall then promptly forward the petition to the Supreme Court together with the Dika and the judgment or order of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal. When the Supreme Court sees fit to examine the case file in order to rule on the petition, it shall order the Court of First Instance to forward it.

ThaiLawOnline translation

Our annotated sectionOfficial text

ไทย

มาตรา 216แก้ไขเมื่อ 12 ธันวาคม 2559

ข้อความเต็ม

ภายใต้บังคับแห่งมาตรา ๒๑๗ ถึง ๒๒๑ คู่ความมีอำนาจฎีกาคัดค้านคำพิพากษา หรือคำสั่งศาลอุทธรณ์ภายในหนึ่งเดือน นับแต่วันอ่าน หรือถือว่าได้อ่านคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งนั้นให้คู่ความฝ่ายที่ฎีกาฟัง ฎีกานั้น ให้ยื่นต่อศาลชั้นต้น และให้นำบทบัญญัติในมาตรา ๑๙๘ มาตรา ๒๐๐ และมาตรา ๒๐๑ มาใช้บังคับโดยอนุโลม

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 193

ข้อความเต็ม

คดีอุทธรณ์คำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งศาลชั้นต้นในข้อเท็จจริงและข้อกฎหมายให้อุทธรณ์ไปยังศาลอุทธรณ์ เว้นแต่จะถูกห้ามอุทธรณ์โดยประมวลกฎหมายนี้หรือกฎหมายอื่นอุทธรณ์ทุกฉบับต้องระบุข้อเท็จจริงโดยย่อหรือข้อกฎหมายที่ยกขึ้นอ้างอิงเป็นลำดับ

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 198 ทวิ

ข้อความเต็ม

เมื่อศาลชั้นต้นปฏิเสธไม่ยอมรับอุทธรณ์ ผู้อุทธรณ์อาจอุทธรณ์เป็นคำร้องอุทธรณ์คำสั่งของศาลนั้นต่อศาลอุทธรณ์ได้ คำร้องเช่นนี้ให้ยื่นที่ศาลชั้นต้นภายในกำหนดสิบห้าวันนับแต่วันฟังคำสั่ง แล้วให้ศาลนั้นรีบส่งคำร้องเช่นว่านั้นไปยังศาลอุทธรณ์พร้อมด้วยอุทธรณ์ และคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งของศาลชั้นต้น เมื่อศาลอุทธรณ์เห็นสมควรตรวจสำนวนเพื่อสั่งคำร้องเรื่องนั้น ก็ให้สั่งศาลชั้นต้นส่งมาให้ ให้ศาลอุทธรณ์พิจารณาคำร้องนั้นแล้วมีคำสั่งยืนตามคำปฏิเสธของศาลชั้นต้น หรือมีคำสั่งให้รับอุทธรณ์ คำสั่งนี้ให้เป็นที่สุดแล้วส่งไปให้ศาลชั้นต้นอ่าน

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 199

ข้อความเต็ม

ผู้อุทธรณ์ซึ่งต้องขังหรือต้องจำคุกอยู่ในเรือนจำ อาจยื่นอุทธรณ์ต่อพัศดีภายในกำหนดอายุอุทธรณ์ เมื่อได้รับอุทธรณ์นั้นแล้ว ให้พัศดีออกใบรับให้แก่ผู้ยื่นอุทธรณ์ แล้วให้รีบส่งอุทธรณ์นั้นไปยังศาลชั้นต้นอุทธรณ์ฉบับใดที่ยื่นต่อพัศดีส่งไปถึงศาลเมื่อพ้นกำหนดอายุอุทธรณ์แล้ว ถ้าหากปรากฏว่าการส่งชักช้านั้นมิใช่เป็นความผิดของผู้ยื่นอุทธรณ์ ให้ถือว่าเป็นอุทธรณ์ที่ได้ยื่นภายในกำหนดอายุอุทธรณ์

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 218

ข้อความเต็ม

ในคดีที่ศาลอุทธรณ์พิพากษายืนตามศาลล่างหรือเพียงแต่แก้ไขเล็กน้อย และให้ลงโทษจำคุกจำเลยไม่เกินห้าปี หรือปรับหรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ แต่โทษจำคุกไม่เกินห้าปี ห้ามมิให้คู่ความฎีกาในปัญหาข้อเท็จจริงในคดีที่ศาลอุทธรณ์พิพากษายืนตามศาลล่างหรือเพียงแต่แก้ไขเล็กน้อยและให้ลงโทษจำคุกจำเลยเกินห้าปี ไม่ว่าจะมีโทษอย่างอื่นด้วยหรือไม่ ห้ามมิให้โจทก์ฎีกาในปัญหาข้อเท็จจริง

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 221

ข้อความเต็ม

ในคดีซึ่งห้ามฎีกาไว้โดยมาตรา ๒๑๘, ๒๑๙ และ ๒๒๐ แห่งประมวลกฎหมายนี้ ถ้าผู้พิพากษาคนใดซึ่งพิจารณา หรือลงชื่อในคำพิพากษาหรือทำความเห็นแย้งในศาลชั้นต้นหรือศาลอุทธรณ์พิเคราะห์เห็นว่าข้อความที่ตัดสินนั้นเป็นปัญหาสำคัญอันควรสู่ศาลสูงสุดและอนุญาตให้ฎีกา หรืออธิบดีกรมอัยการลงลายมือชื่อรับรองในฎีกาว่ามีเหตุอันควรที่ศาลสูงสุดจะได้วินิจฉัย ก็ให้รับฎีกานั้นไว้พิจารณาต่อไป

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

มาตรา 224

ข้อความเต็ม

เมื่อศาลชั้นต้นไม่ยอมรับฎีกา ผู้ฎีกาอาจฎีกาเป็นคำร้องอุทธรณ์คำสั่งของศาลนั้นต่อศาลฎีกาได้ คำร้องเช่นนี้ให้ยื่นที่ศาลชั้นต้นภายในกำหนดสิบห้าวันนับแต่วันฟังคำสั่ง แล้วให้ศาลนั้นรีบส่งคำร้องเช่นว่านั้นไปยังศาลฎีกาพร้อมด้วยฎีกาและคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งของศาลชั้นต้นและศาลอุทธรณ์ เมื่อศาลฎีกาเห็นสมควรตรวจสำนวนเพื่อสั่งคำร้องเรื่องนั้น ก็ให้สั่งศาลชั้นต้นส่งมาให้

ตรงตามข้อความในราชกิจจานุเบกษา / สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา (Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State)

มาตราพร้อมหมายเหตุของเราข้อความทางการ

Français

Article 216Modifié le 12 décembre 2016

Sous réserve des articles 217 à 221, les parties peuvent se pourvoir devant la Cour suprême contre une décision de la Cour d'appel dans un mois de sa lecture, réelle ou réputée. Le pourvoi se dépose au tribunal de première instance; articles 198, 200 et 201 applicables par analogie.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 193

L'appel des jugements ou ordonnances de première instance, en fait et en droit, est porté devant la Cour d'appel, sauf interdiction par ce Code ou une autre loi. Tout acte d'appel doit exposer succinctement les faits ou les moyens de droit invoqués, dans l'ordre.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 198 bis

Si le tribunal de première instance refuse l'appel, l'appelant peut contester ce refus par requête devant la Cour d'appel, déposée au tribunal de première instance dans les quinze jours du prononcé de l'ordonnance ; celui-ci la transmet sans délai avec l'appel et sa décision. La Cour d'appel peut se faire transmettre le dossier, puis confirme le refus ou ordonne de recevoir l'appel ; cette ordonnance est définitive et lue par le tribunal de première instance.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 199

L'appelant détenu peut déposer son appel auprès du directeur de la prison dans le délai d'appel. Celui-ci en délivre récépissé et le transmet sans délai au tribunal de première instance. Un appel parvenu tardivement est réputé déposé dans le délai si le retard n'est pas imputable à l'appelant.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 218

Si la Cour d'appel confirme ou modifie légèrement et prononce au plus cinq ans d'emprisonnement, une amende ou les deux, aucune partie ne peut se pourvoir en fait. Si, confirmant ou modifiant légèrement, elle prononce plus de cinq ans, avec ou sans autre peine, le poursuivant ne le peut.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 221

Lorsque les articles 218 à 220 interdisent le pourvoi, il est recevable si un juge ayant siégé, signé ou exprimé une opinion dissidente en première instance ou en appel l'autorise, estimant la question assez importante pour la Cour suprême, ou si le Procureur général certifie qu'elle mérite examen.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Article 224

Si le tribunal de première instance refuse le pourvoi, son auteur peut contester ce refus devant la Cour suprême par requête déposée à ce tribunal sous quinze jours de l'ordonnance. Le tribunal la transmet sans délai avec le pourvoi et les décisions; la Cour suprême peut demander le dossier.

résumé non officiel

Notre article annotéTexte officiel

Supreme Court decisions

• 5248/2537 (1994): A Death Sentence Reviewed Automatically Is Final: No Cassation

Sources

• Criminal Procedure Code, Office of the Council of State, retrieved 31 October 2026
• deka.supremecourt.or.th, Supreme Court of Thailand decisions database (copy held in our library), retrieved 19 February 2026

What to Do in the First 30 Days After a Conviction

1. Write down the reading date. The month starts on the day the judgment is read to you. If the court treats it as read to you on another day, for example because you were absent, your lawyer must confirm which date applies. When in doubt, count from the earlier date.
2. Decide how you will file. If you are in prison, the appeal can go through the prison officer (section 199). If you are free on bail and the judgment imposes imprisonment, plan to attend the court in person. A lawyer filing alone is not enough under section 198, paragraph 3.
3. Get grounds ready early. Section 193 requires the appeal to state its grounds. A vague appeal that never explains why the judgment is wrong invites rejection. Give your lawyer the full judgment, and give your Thai and foreign counsel time to translate it.
4. File at the trial court. Lodge the appeal at the Court of First Instance well before day 30. Keep the court’s receipt.
5. Calendar the fallback dates. If the court refuses the appeal, you have 15 days to petition against the refusal. If you later win or lose at the Court of Appeal, a new one-month clock starts on the day that judgment is read.
6. Deal with bail at the same time. Ask the court about bail while the appeal is pending. The court decides, and it is not automatic. See our guide to bail in Thailand and the glossary entry on bail.

If You Miss the Deadline

Treat a missed deadline as an emergency, not as a technicality you can fix later. Once the appeal period ends without a valid appeal, the judgment becomes final and the sentence can be enforced. Do not assume the court will extend the period. Whether any late filing can be accepted depends on the facts, the reason for the delay and the evidence you can show. Speak to a lawyer the same day you realise you are late, and bring every document showing when the judgment was read, where you were and why you could not file.

Who Else Can Appeal

Section 198 speaks of “the party filing the appeal”, so the one-month rule is not limited to the defendant. The prosecution can also appeal a judgment it disagrees with, for example an acquittal or a sentence it considers too light, and it works to the same month. This matters for you in two ways. A conviction you did not appeal can still be challenged by the other side, and an appeal against you does not remove your own right to file. If the prosecutor has appealed, tell your lawyer at once so your own filing is not overlooked.

Common Pitfalls

• Counting from the wrong date. The clock starts when the judgment is read or deemed read, not when you receive a written copy.
• Filing at the wrong court. The appeal goes to the Court of First Instance, whatever the tier it is bound for.
• Letting the lawyer file alone. A defendant on bail with a prison sentence must appear in person before a court officer.
• Vague grounds. An appeal that does not say what is wrong with the judgment can be rejected.
• Waiting for the written judgment. Translation and copying take time. File within the month and support it afterwards.
• Confusing the sections. Section 193 is the right to appeal. Sections 198 and 216 are the clocks.

Costs and Financial Considerations

Criminal appeals do not carry court fees: section 252 of the Criminal Procedure Code forbids the courts to charge any fee in a criminal case beyond those the Code itself lists. The real costs are elsewhere: legal representation, which typically ranges from 50,000 to 200,000 baht depending on the case, plus bail, translations and any fine you are ordered to pay. Budget for these before the month runs out, because a delay in arranging funds is not a reason the court will accept.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Act Inside the Month

The Thailand criminal appeal deadline leaves little room for error. Note the date the judgment is read, file at the trial court, attend in person if you are on bail with a prison sentence, and keep the fallback dates in view. Each step is short, and each one can end your appeal if you skip it.

ThaiLawOnline has advised clients in Thailand since 2006. If you or a family member has just been convicted, contact us today for a consultation at ThaiLawOnline.com or email info@thailawonline.com. Phone: +66 87 225 1340 (English and French) or +66 87 414 9288 (Thai).

General information only, not legal advice. Last reviewed 30 September 2026, against the Criminal Procedure Code read in Thai: sections 193 bis, 198 (including paragraph 3), 198 bis, 199, 216, 218, 219, 220, 221, 224 and 252.