ตรวจสอบโดย ThaiLawOnline สำนักงานกฎหมายไทยที่ได้รับใบอนุญาตและดำเนินกิจการในประเทศไทยตั้งแต่ปี พ.ศ. 2549 ทนายความผู้รับผิดชอบสำนวน: วิชุดา อรรถเมธากุล, น.ม., ใบอนุญาตเนติบัณฑิตไทย เลขที่ 3149/2556.
ปรับปรุงล่าสุดเมื่อ
Adverse possession (ครอบครองปรปักษ์, khrop khrong prapak, และ krob krong porapak หรือ ใบสั่งยาที่ได้มา) is the rule in Section 1382 of the ประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ that a person who possesses another’s property peacefully, openly and with the intention of being its owner, without interruption, for 10 years in the case of immovable property and 5 years for movables, acquires ownership of it. In practice it applies to land held under a Chanote and is the main way an absent owner in Thailand loses land to a neighbour, a relative or a long-term occupier. A foreigner cannot acquire land this way, because a foreigner cannot own land.
สารบัญ
What Section 1382 requires
Four conditions must all be met. The possession must be peaceful (not taken or kept by force), open (not concealed from the owner), with the intention of owning (not as a tenant, borrower, caretaker or family member allowed to stay), and continuous for 10 years. The 10 years run against the registered owner and every successor, so a buyer inherits the clock. Possession by a tenant or by someone who admits the owner’s title does not count, however long it lasts, unless the holder notifies the owner that they no longer hold for the owner (Section 1381).
The rule works only against land that has an owner to lose it, which in practice means land with a โฉนด. State land, public land and land inside forest reserves cannot be acquired by prescription however long someone farms it (Section 1306 bars prescription against the public domain of the state). Land held under a Nor Sor 3 or น.ส. 3 ก. is a possessory right rather than ownership, and there the holder can lose the land much faster: an intruder who takes possession and is not sued for recovery within one year keeps it.
How the claim is made and defended
Ownership passes by operation of law, but the deed does not change by itself. The possessor must petition the civil court for a judgment declaring that ownership has been acquired under Section 1382, with witnesses, photographs, tax receipts and evidence of the buildings, fences or crops that show possession. With the judgment, the possessor applies to the สำนักงานที่ดิน to be registered as owner. Until then, the new ownership cannot be set up against a third party who buys the land from the registered owner in โดยสุจริต and for value and registers the purchase in good faith (Section 1299, paragraph two).
The owner’s defence is to interrupt the period before it ends. Section 1386 applies the rules on limitation, so the clock stops when the owner sues for eviction or recovery, or when the occupier acknowledges the owner’s title, for example by signing a lease or caretaker agreement (Section 193/14); the period then starts again from zero (Section 193/15). A demand letter on its own does not interrupt it. Paying the ภาษีที่ดินและสิ่งปลูกสร้าง and visiting the land help but are not enough on their own if someone else is openly living there as owner.
The typical foreign case involves land held by a Thai spouse or company while the foreigner lives abroad, with a relative or caretaker left in occupation. Ten years pass, the relationship sours, and the occupier claims the land. A registered lease, usufruct or written caretaker agreement prevents this, because it makes the occupation permissive rather than adverse.
Adverse possession compared with related rules
Adverse possession is often confused with the one-year rule for possessory land, with squatting on state land, and with prescription of claims. The table separates them.
| สถานการณ์ | กฎ | ผลลัพธ์ |
|---|---|---|
| Chanote land occupied as owner for 10 years | Section 1382 | Occupier acquires ownership, registered after a court judgment |
| Nor Sor 3 land taken by an intruder | Recovery must be sued for within 1 year | Holder loses the possessory right if late |
| Occupation of state or forest land | No prescription against the state | No ownership, and prosecution possible |
| Debt or contract claim left unpursued | Prescription of claims (limitation) | Claim barred, no property passes |
A foreigner who has occupied land for 10 years gains nothing under Section 1382, since Section 86 of the Land Code lets a foreigner acquire land only where a treaty grants that right; a foreigner funding a Thai national’s claim risks the nominee rules. A foreigner can, however, be affected as the holder of a registered usufruct or lease: the underlying land can change hands, though the new owner takes it subject to the registered right.
Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Civil and Commercial Code sections 193/14, 193/15, 1299, 1306, 1375, 1381, 1382, 1384 and 1386, and Land Code sections 78 and 86, were read in Thai.
คำถามที่พบบ่อย
How many years is adverse possession in Thailand?
Ten years of peaceful, open and continuous possession with the intention of ownership for land and other immovable property, and five years for movable property, under Section 1382 of the Civil and Commercial Code. The period runs only against land that has a private owner, in practice Chanote land.
Can a foreigner claim adverse possession of land in Thailand?
No. Section 1382 transfers ownership, and Section 86 of the Land Code lets a foreigner acquire land only where a treaty grants that right, so a foreign occupier acquires nothing however long the possession lasts. A foreigner may still be affected as the holder of a lease or usufruct when the land changes owner.
How do I stop someone claiming adverse possession of my land?
Interrupt the possession before 10 years pass: sue for eviction, or have the occupier sign a lease, caretaker agreement or acknowledgement of your title. A demand letter alone does not stop the clock. Visit the land, keep boundary markers in place and keep the tax paid, and check the Land Office record regularly if you live abroad.
ดูเพิ่มเติม: โฉนด (น.ส. 4 จ.), นอร์ซอร์ 3, อายุความ, กฎหมายที่ดิน, เอกสารสิทธิ์ที่ดินในประเทศไทย และ State Land Disputes in Thailand.
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