{"id":1817,"date":"2026-04-18T17:01:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/liens\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T19:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T12:09:49","slug":"liens","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/liens\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e17\u0e18\u0e34\u0e22\u0e36\u0e14\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e48\u0e27\u0e07"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e40\u0e2d <strong>lien<\/strong> (\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e17\u0e18\u0e34\u0e22\u0e36\u0e14\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e48\u0e27\u0e07, <em>sitthi yuet nuang<\/em>, translated as <em>right of retention<\/em> \u0e2b\u0e23\u0e37\u0e2d <em>possessory lien<\/em>) in Thai law is the right of a person who lawfully holds property belonging to another to keep it until an obligation connected with that property has been performed. It is set out in Sections 241 to 250 of the Civil and Commercial Code. It is a defensive right rather than a registered charge: the mechanic keeps the car until the repair bill is paid, the warehouse keeps the goods until storage is paid. Foreigners searching for a &#8220;lien&#8221; on Thai land usually mean a mortgage or a court seizure, which are distinguished below.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e23\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e0d<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#what-the-civil-and-commercial-code-provides\">\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e21\u0e27\u0e25\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e1e\u0e32\u0e13\u0e34\u0e0a\u0e22\u0e4c\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e0d\u0e0d\u0e31\u0e15\u0e34\u0e44\u0e27\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e44\u0e23<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#where-a-foreigner-meets-a-lien-in-thailand\">Where a foreigner meets a lien in Thailand<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#lien-mortgage-pledge-and-court-seizure-compared\">Lien, mortgage, pledge and court seizure compared<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-the-civil-and-commercial-code-provides\">\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e21\u0e27\u0e25\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e1e\u0e32\u0e13\u0e34\u0e0a\u0e22\u0e4c\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e0d\u0e0d\u0e31\u0e15\u0e34\u0e44\u0e27\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e44\u0e23<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Section 241 gives the right to a person in possession of another&#8217;s property who holds an obligation in their favour relating to that property; the obligation must be due, and the right does not arise if possession was obtained through an unlawful act. The holder may retain the whole property until the whole debt is paid (Section 244), may collect its fruits and apply them to the debt (Section 245), and must look after it with the care of a prudent person, without using, leasing or pledging it unless the debtor consents, apart from use needed to preserve it; a breach lets the debtor demand that the right end (Section 246).<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>The right is tied to possession.<\/strong> It ends when the holder loses possession (Section 250), and the debtor can end it at any time by providing adequate security for the debt (Section 249). Unlike a mortgage or a pledge, the general right gives no power of sale: the holder can refuse to hand the property back, and can sue on the debt, but cannot simply sell the property and keep the proceeds. Holding the property does not interrupt prescription of the debt (Section 248), but a holder who still has the property can obtain payment out of it even after the claim itself has prescribed, except for interest more than five years in arrears (Section 193\/27).<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"where-a-foreigner-meets-a-lien-in-thailand\">Where a foreigner meets a lien in Thailand<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The everyday cases are a garage holding a car or motorcycle until the bill is settled, a repairer holding a phone or laptop, a warehouse or freight forwarder holding goods, and a contractor holding the owner&#8217;s equipment or materials it was engaged to work on until the price for that work is paid. The debt must be connected with the thing held. In Supreme Court Decision 7170\/2538, a man who had paid off a bank mortgage on another person&#8217;s land kept the title deeds to press a separate promise to sell him a plot; the court held that the promise was not a debt relating to the deeds, so he had no right of retention, and once the owner deposited the full redemption amount in court the deeds had to be returned.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>The practical limits matter.<\/strong> The retained item must be the very thing the debt relates to. Hotels are the main exception, under a separate rule: Section 679 lets a hotel keep a guest&#8217;s luggage and other belongings brought into the hotel until everything owed for the stay and services is paid, and sell them at auction if still unpaid after six weeks, with at least one month&#8217;s notice in a local newspaper; Section 259 also gives it a preferential right over them. A landlord has no right of retention over a tenant&#8217;s furniture, because the landlord does not hold it; Sections 260 and 261 instead give the landlord a preferential right over the tenant&#8217;s movables on the premises for rent and other lease debts, which ranks the landlord ahead of other creditors when those goods are sold in enforcement, and where the landlord holds a deposit, only for the part of the debt the deposit does not cover (Section 264). And a person who takes property by force or trick has no right to retain it, whatever is owed. Where the amount is disputed, the quickest release is to pay under protest or lodge security, then claim the excess back.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lien-mortgage-pledge-and-court-seizure-compared\">Lien, mortgage, pledge and court seizure compared<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>\u0e02\u0e27\u0e32<\/th><th>\u0e21\u0e32\u0e15\u0e23\u0e32\u0e15\u0e48\u0e32\u0e07\u0e46 \u0e02\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e21\u0e27\u0e25\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e1e\u0e32\u0e13\u0e34\u0e0a\u0e22\u0e4c<\/th><th>\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e2a\u0e21\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e15\u0e34<\/th><th>\u0e08\u0e14\u0e17\u0e30\u0e40\u0e1a\u0e35\u0e22\u0e19\u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27<\/th><th>Power of sale<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Right of retention (lien)<\/td><td>241 to 250<\/td><td>Any property already in the creditor&#8217;s hands<\/td><td>\u0e40\u0e25\u0e02\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48<\/td><td>\u0e40\u0e25\u0e02\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u0e08\u0e33\u0e19\u0e33<\/td><td>\u0e23\u0e38\u0e48\u0e19 747 \u0e40\u0e1b\u0e47\u0e19\u0e15\u0e49\u0e19\u0e44\u0e1b<\/td><td>Movables delivered to the creditor<\/td><td>\u0e40\u0e25\u0e02\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48<\/td><td>Yes, by public auction after notice<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u0e08\u0e33\u0e19\u0e2d\u0e07<\/td><td>702 \u0e40\u0e1b\u0e47\u0e19\u0e15\u0e49\u0e19\u0e44\u0e1b<\/td><td>Land, condos, buildings, registered ships and machinery<\/td><td>Yes, at the Land Office<\/td><td>Yes, by court-ordered auction<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Court seizure or attachment<\/td><td>\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e21\u0e27\u0e25\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e27\u0e34\u0e18\u0e35\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e08\u0e32\u0e23\u0e13\u0e32\u0e04\u0e27\u0e32\u0e21\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07<\/td><td>Any asset of a judgment debtor<\/td><td>Noted on the title<\/td><td>Yes, by the Legal Execution Department<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>There is no common-law style lien that a creditor can lodge against a Thai title deed. A creditor who wants security over land must take a registered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/mortgage\/\">\u0e08\u0e33\u0e19\u0e2d\u0e07<\/a>; a creditor who has already won judgment asks the court to seize the property, and the seizure is then noted at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/land-office\/\">\u0e2a\u0e33\u0e19\u0e31\u0e01\u0e07\u0e32\u0e19\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e14\u0e34\u0e19<\/a> so that no transfer can be registered. When checking a title before purchase, what to look for on the back of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/chanote\/\">\u0e42\u0e09\u0e19\u0e14<\/a> is therefore a mortgage, a registered lease, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/servitude\/\">\u0e20\u0e32\u0e23\u0e30\u0e08\u0e33\u0e22\u0e2d\u0e21<\/a> or a seizure, not a lien.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u0e21\u0e35\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e15\u0e23\u0e27\u0e08\u0e2a\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e25\u0e48\u0e32\u0e2a\u0e38\u0e14\u0e40\u0e21\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e31\u0e19\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48 27 \u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e22\u0e32\u0e22\u0e19 2026.<\/strong> Civil and Commercial Code sections 193\/27, 241 to 250, 259 to 261, 264, 679, 703 and 764 were read in Thai, with Supreme Court Decision 7170\/2538 read to its disposition. The pledge, mortgage and court-seizure comparison was checked only against those sections.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">\u0e04\u0e33\u0e16\u0e32\u0e21\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e1e\u0e1a\u0e1a\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/h2>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Can a garage in Thailand keep my car until I pay?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Yes. Under Section 241 of the Civil and Commercial Code a repairer lawfully in possession of the vehicle may retain it until the repair bill for that vehicle is paid. It cannot sell the car on its own authority, and it must release the car if adequate security for the disputed amount is provided.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Can I register a lien on land in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>No. Thai law has no registrable lien over land. Security over land is taken by a registered mortgage at the Land Office, and a creditor with a judgment can have the land seized by the court. The right of retention exists only while the creditor physically holds the property.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">What is the difference between a lien and a pledge in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>A pledge is a security contract under Sections 747 onwards where the debtor deliberately hands a movable to the creditor as security, and the creditor can sell it at public auction on default. A lien, or right of retention, arises by law whenever someone lawfully holds another&#8217;s property and is owed money in connection with it, and it gives only the right to keep the item, not to sell it.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e14\u0e39\u0e40\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e15\u0e34\u0e21: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/mortgage\/\">\u0e08\u0e33\u0e19\u0e2d\u0e07<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/encumbrance\/\">\u0e20\u0e32\u0e23\u0e30\u0e1c\u0e39\u0e01\u0e1e\u0e31\u0e19\u0e1a\u0e19\u0e42\u0e09\u0e19\u0e14\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e14\u0e34\u0e19<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/suretyship\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e04\u0e49\u0e33\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/thai-civil-and-commercial-code\/\">\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e21\u0e27\u0e25\u0e01\u0e0e\u0e2b\u0e21\u0e32\u0e22\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e1e\u0e32\u0e13\u0e34\u0e0a\u0e22\u0e4c\u0e02\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/debt-collection-lawyer-in-thailand\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e17\u0e27\u0e07\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a> \u0e41\u0e25\u0e30 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/civil-liability-in-thailand\/\">\u0e04\u0e27\u0e32\u0e21\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e1c\u0e34\u0e14\u0e17\u0e32\u0e07\u0e41\u0e1e\u0e48\u0e07\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lien (\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e17\u0e18\u0e34\u0e22\u0e36\u0e14\u0e2b\u0e19\u0e48\u0e27\u0e07, sitthi yuet nuang, translated as right of retention or possessory lien) in Thai law is the right [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":214,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"lien thailand","rank_math_title":"Lien Thailand: Right of Retention Explained | ThaiLawOnline","rank_math_description":"Lien in Thailand means the right of retention under Sections 241 to 250 of the Civil Code: keeping another's property until a related debt is paid. Limits.","rank_math_breadcrumb_title":"","rank_math_canonical_url":""},"class_list":["post-1817","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1817"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8600,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817\/revisions\/8600"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1817"}],"curies":[{"name":"\u0e14\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e40\u0e1a\u0e34\u0e25\u0e22\u0e39\u0e1e\u0e35","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}