{"id":6545,"date":"2026-09-05T19:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/glossary\/family-court\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T19:25:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T12:25:07","slug":"family-court","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/family-court\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0e28\u0e32\u0e25\u0e40\u0e22\u0e32\u0e27\u0e0a\u0e19\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e27\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e40\u0e14\u0e2d\u0e30 <strong>\u0e28\u0e32\u0e25\u0e40\u0e22\u0e32\u0e27\u0e0a\u0e19\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e27<\/strong> (\u0e28\u0e32\u0e25\u0e40\u0e22\u0e32\u0e27\u0e0a\u0e19\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e27, <em>san yaowachon lae khropkhrua<\/em>, usually just the <em>family court<\/em>) is the specialised court of first instance that hears family cases and criminal cases against children and young persons in Thailand. It sits under the Juvenile and Family Court and Juvenile and Family Case Procedure Act B.E. 2553 (2010), with the Central Juvenile and Family Court in Bangkok and a juvenile and family court in every province. A foreigner meets it in a contested divorce, a custody or maintenance dispute, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/legitimation\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e07<\/a> petition or an application to appoint a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/guardian\/\">\u0e1c\u0e39\u0e49\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e17\u0e31\u0e01\u0e29\u0e4c<\/a>.<\/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=\"#jurisdiction-and-how-the-court-sits\">Jurisdiction and how the court sits<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-a-foreign-litigant-should-expect\">What a foreign litigant should expect<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#family-court-district-office-and-civil-court-compared\">Family court, district office and civil court 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=\"jurisdiction-and-how-the-court-sits\">Jurisdiction and how the court sits<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>What it hears.<\/strong> Civil family cases under Book V of the <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<\/a>: contested divorce on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/ground\/\">grounds in Section 1516<\/a>, division of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/marital-property\/\">\u0e17\u0e23\u0e31\u0e1e\u0e22\u0e4c\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e19\u0e02\u0e2d\u0e07\u0e04\u0e39\u0e48\u0e2a\u0e21\u0e23\u0e2a<\/a>, parental power and contact, maintenance, legitimation, adoption disputes, guardianship, and cases under the Domestic Violence Act. It also hears petitions to declare a person incompetent and criminal charges against persons under 18, under a separate juvenile procedure built around rehabilitation. Uncontested divorces and registered custody agreements do not pass through it; they are done at the district office.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><strong>How it sits.<\/strong> A family case is heard by professional judges sitting with associate judges, lay members drawn from the community with experience in family or child welfare, and the panel must include a woman. The court has its own social workers and psychologists, who interview the parents and child and report on the home. Judgments are appealed to the Court of Appeal for Specialised Cases, and a further appeal to the Supreme Court requires permission.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-a-foreign-litigant-should-expect\">What a foreign litigant should expect<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Proceedings are in Thai. Every foreign document, from a marriage certificate to a bank statement, is filed with a certified Thai translation, and a party who does not speak Thai gives evidence through an interpreter. The court is inquisitorial in flavour: judges question the parties directly, and the social worker&#8217;s report often carries more weight than the lawyers&#8217; submissions. Hearings in family matters are closed to the public.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Mediation comes first. The court refers every family case to conciliation before trial, and a settlement reached there is recorded as a consent judgment enforceable like any other. Pre-filing mediation under the Civil Procedure Code carries no court fee. Where the case goes to trial, a first-instance judgment usually takes six to twelve months, and the losing party has one month to appeal. Court fees follow the civil scale, 2% of any monetary claim capped at 200,000 baht, with a small fixed fee for claims such as divorce or custody that carry no sum.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"family-court-district-office-and-civil-court-compared\">Family court, district office and civil court compared<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>\u0e40\u0e14\u0e2d\u0e30 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/amphoe-or-amphur-district-office\/\">\u0e41\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e40\u0e1f\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e4c<\/a> registers what the parties agree: marriage, divorce by consent, custody and maintenance clauses, legitimation with consent, and adoption once approved. It decides nothing. The family court decides what the parties cannot agree, and is the only forum for divorce on grounds, contested custody, legitimation without consent, guardianship and incompetence. The ordinary civil court has no jurisdiction over these matters.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>The practical difference lies in evidence and time. A registered divorce at the amphur takes an afternoon; a contested divorce takes the better part of a year and turns on documents, witnesses and the social worker&#8217;s findings. Foreigners who can reach agreement, even a partial one, and register it at the district office save most of that cost and delay.<\/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 foreigner file a case in the Thai family court?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Yes. A foreigner can sue or be sued in the Juvenile and Family Court like anyone else, provided the court has jurisdiction, which for divorce and custody usually means that the marriage was registered in Thailand, the defendant lives in Thailand, or the child lives in Thailand. Filings are in Thai and foreign documents need certified translations.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">How long does a family court case take in Thailand?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>A contested divorce or custody case usually takes six to twelve months to judgment at first instance, longer where property abroad or expert evidence is involved. Mediation at the start can end a case in weeks if the parties settle, and a settlement is recorded as an enforceable consent judgment.<\/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 the family court and the amphur for a divorce?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>The amphur registers a divorce only when both spouses agree and appear together, recording their terms on custody, maintenance and property. The Juvenile and Family Court grants a divorce on the grounds in Section 1516 when one spouse does not agree, and decides custody, maintenance and property division itself.<\/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\/contested-divorce\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e2b\u0e22\u0e48\u0e32\u0e23\u0e49\u0e32\u0e07\u0e17\u0e35\u0e48\u0e21\u0e35\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e42\u0e15\u0e49\u0e41\u0e22\u0e49\u0e07<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/child-custody\/\">\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e14\u0e39\u0e41\u0e25\u0e1a\u0e38\u0e15\u0e23<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/court-of-first-instance\/\">courts of first instance<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/glossary\/court-fees\/\">court fees<\/a>, and the full guides to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/contested-divorce-in-thailand\/\">contested divorce in Thailand<\/a> \u0e41\u0e25\u0e30 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/child-custody-in-thailand\/\">\u0e2a\u0e34\u0e17\u0e18\u0e34\u0e43\u0e19\u0e01\u0e32\u0e23\u0e14\u0e39\u0e41\u0e25\u0e1a\u0e38\u0e15\u0e23\u0e43\u0e19\u0e1b\u0e23\u0e30\u0e40\u0e17\u0e28\u0e44\u0e17\u0e22<\/a>.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Juvenile and Family Court (\u0e28\u0e32\u0e25\u0e40\u0e22\u0e32\u0e27\u0e0a\u0e19\u0e41\u0e25\u0e30\u0e04\u0e23\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e04\u0e23\u0e31\u0e27, san yaowachon lae khropkhrua, usually just the family court) is the specialised court of [&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":"family court thailand","rank_math_title":"Family Court Thailand: What It Hears and How | ThaiLawOnline","rank_math_description":"Family court in Thailand means the Juvenile and Family Court, which hears divorce, custody, maintenance, legitimation and guardianship cases. What to expect.","rank_math_breadcrumb_title":""},"class_list":["post-6545","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6545","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=6545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6741,"href":"https:\/\/www.thailawonline.com\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6545\/revisions\/6741"}],"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=6545"}],"curies":[{"name":"\u0e14\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e40\u0e1a\u0e34\u0e25\u0e22\u0e39\u0e1e\u0e35","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}