ตรวจสอบโดย ThaiLawOnline สำนักงานกฎหมายไทยที่ได้รับใบอนุญาตและดำเนินกิจการในประเทศไทยตั้งแต่ปี พ.ศ. 2549 ทนายความผู้รับผิดชอบสำนวน: วิชุดา อรรถเมธากุล, น.ม., ใบอนุญาตเนติบัณฑิตไทย เลขที่ 3149/2556.
อัปเดตล่าสุดเมื่อ 5 กันยายน 2569
Parental power (อำนาจปกครอง, amnat pokkhrong, also translated as parental authority or, loosely, การดูแล) is the legal authority over a minor child that Section 1566 of the Thai ประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ vests in the parents. It is the Thai equivalent of custody, but a bundle of statutory powers rather than a court label. Who holds it decides who can choose the child’s school, sign for a passport, consent to medical treatment and represent the child in a legal act.
สารบัญ
Who holds parental power and what it contains
มาตรา 1566 places a child under the parental power of the father and mother. It passes to one parent alone where the other has died, is of unknown whereabouts, has been declared incompetent, has been deprived of it by the court, or where the court so orders. A child born to unmarried parents is the legitimate child of the mother only, so she holds parental power alone until the father is legitimated under Section 1547 by marrying the mother, registering at the amphur with the consent of mother and child, or by court judgment. Even then, Section 1549 lets the mother or child object within 90 days.
มาตรา 1567 lists what the power contains: determining the child’s residence, reasonable discipline, requiring work suitable to the child’s ability, and demanding the child’s return from anyone who detains them unlawfully. The holder is also the child’s legal representative under Section 1569 and manages the child’s property under Sections 1571 to 1574, with court permission required for acts such as selling the child’s land. Parental power ends at majority, age 20.
Where a foreign parent meets the rule
The first practical point is the birth certificate. A foreign father named on a Thai birth certificate has no parental power unless he was married to the mother or has since been legitimated; the certificate records a fact, not a status. Without legitimation he cannot apply for the child’s passport, cannot object to the child leaving Thailand, and has no standing in a custody dispute. The guide to legitimation of a father’s rights sets out the three routes and the 60-day consent window at the amphur.
Where both parents hold parental power, each can act alone in day-to-day matters, but the amphur, immigration and the passport office often ask for a consent letter (Por Kor 14) from the other parent before a child travels or a document is issued. Separating parents should record who exercises parental power in the ข้อตกลงการหย่าร้าง under Section 1520; taking a child abroad without consent risks an abduction claim.
Custody orders, deprivation and the child’s welfare
On divorce, the spouses agree who exercises parental power or the court decides under Sections 1520 and 1521, on the child’s welfare. Joint parental power remains possible after divorce. The parent without it keeps a right of visitation and the duty of maintenance under Section 1564, which runs until the child is 20, so losing parental power does not end child support.
Section 1582 allows the court to deprive a parent of parental power, wholly or in part, where the parent misuses it, is guilty of gross misconduct, has been declared incompetent, or cannot provide for the child. Deprivation is reversible when the cause ends. The proceedings belong to the Juvenile and ศาลเยาวชนและครอบครัว, which has social workers report on the household first, as described in the guide to สิทธิในการดูแลบุตรในประเทศไทย.
คำถามที่พบบ่อย
Does an unmarried foreign father have parental power in Thailand?
No, not automatically. A child born outside marriage is the legitimate child of the mother, who holds parental power alone under Section 1566. The father acquires legal parenthood only by marrying the mother, registering legitimation at the district office with the consent of the mother and child, or obtaining a court judgment under Section 1547.
What is the difference between parental power and custody in Thailand?
They are the same concept under different names. Thai law does not use the word custody; it speaks of parental power under Section 1566, the bundle of rights to decide the child’s residence, upbringing, property and legal representation. A custody order in a Thai divorce is an order about who exercises parental power.
Can a parent lose parental power in Thailand?
Yes. Under Section 1582 the Juvenile and Family Court can deprive a parent of parental power, entirely or in part, for misuse of the power, gross misconduct, incompetence or inability to provide for the child. The order can be lifted if the cause ceases, and the duty to pay child support continues regardless.
ดูเพิ่มเติม: สิทธิของผู้ปกครอง, legitimation (Section 1547), การดูแลบุตร, ค่าเลี้ยงดูบุตร, full (sole) custody, and the guide to สิทธิในการดูแลบุตรในประเทศไทย.
ข่าวสารกฎหมายไทย ฟรีทางอีเมล
อัปเดตข่าวสารกฎหมายไทยในภาษาเข้าใจง่าย ที่ส่งผลกระทบต่อชาวต่างชาติ: อสังหาริมทรัพย์, วีซ่า, การสมรส, ธุรกิจ และพินัยกรรม จดหมายข่าวสั้นเพียงฉบับเดียวต่อเดือน จากสำนักงานกฎหมายที่ดำเนินงานมาตั้งแต่ปี 2549 ไม่มีการส่งสแปม ยกเลิกรับได้ทุกเมื่อ.