{"id":1817,"date":"2026-04-18T17:01:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/liens\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T19:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:33:12","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 owner consents (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, it 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. Prescription of the underlying claim does not extinguish the right of retention while possession continues (Section 248).<\/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 builder or contractor holding materials or, in some decisions, the building itself until the contract price is paid. The right also protects a buyer who has paid and taken possession of land but not yet received the registered transfer: the buyer may refuse to give the land back until the seller returns the price.<\/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; a hotel cannot keep a guest&#8217;s passport for an unpaid bar bill under this section, although the hotel has a separate preferential right over the guest&#8217;s luggage. A tenant&#8217;s deposit dispute does not give the landlord a lien over the tenant&#8217;s furniture. 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>Sections of the CCC<\/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>Pledge (jamnam)<\/td><td>747 onwards<\/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>Mortgage (jamnong)<\/td><td>702 onwards<\/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\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e47\u0e19\u0e17\u0e32\u0e2a<\/a> or a seizure, not a lien.<\/p><\/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\/\">encumbrance on a title deed<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/suretyship\/\">suretyship<\/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 center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","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":"","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":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"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":""},"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":""},"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":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6850,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1817\/revisions\/6850"}],"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}]}}