Section 1546 — Child born outside marriage
Statutory text (Thai original)
แก้ไขเพิ่มเติมโดยพระราชบัญญัติแก้ไขเพิ่มเติมประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ (ฉบับที่ ๑๙) พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๑ [224]
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
A child born of a woman who is not married to a man is deemed to be the legitimate child of such woman.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 1546 is the starting position for unmarried-mother children in Thailand: legally, only the mother is a parent. The biological father has no automatic rights, no parental power, no automatic inheritance claim by the child. To gain legal recognition, the father must use one of the §1547 legitimation routes (marriage to mother, recognition with consent, or court order). Two practical implications: (1) an unmarried foreign father who fathered a Thai-born child has no legal say in the child's upbringing until legitimation; (2) child has no inheritance claim against the father's estate unless legitimated or expressly named in his will.