Section 680 — Suretyship — definition
Statutory text (Thai original)
อันว่าค้ำประกันนั้น คือสัญญาซึ่งบุคคลภายนอกคนหนึ่ง เรียกว่าผู้ค้ำประกัน ผูกพันตนต่อเจ้าหนี้คนหนึ่งเพื่อชำระหนี้ในเมื่อลูกหนี้ไม่ชำระหนี้นั้นอนึ่ง สัญญาค้ำประกันนั้น ถ้ามิได้มีหลักฐานเป็นหนังสืออย่างใดอย่างหนึ่งลงลายมือชื่อผู้ค้ำประกันเป็นสำคัญ ท่านว่าจะฟ้องร้องให้บังคับคดีหาได้ไม่มาตรา ๖๘๑[21] อันค้ำประกันนั้นจะมีได้แต่เฉพาะเพื่อหนี้อันสมบูรณ์ หนี้ในอนาคตหรือหนี้มีเงื่อนไขจะประกันไว้เพื่อเหตุการณ์ซึ่งหนี้นั้นอาจเป็นผลได้จริงก็ประกันได้ แต่ต้องระบุวัตถุประสงค์ในการก่อหนี้รายที่ค้ำประกัน ลักษณะของมูลหนี้ จำนวนเงินสูงสุดที่ค้ำประกัน และระยะเวลาในการก่อหนี้ที่จะค้ำประกัน เว้นแต่เป็นการค้ำประกันเพื่อกิจการเนื่องกันไปหลายคราวตาม
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
Firm annotation
Section 680 sets up the surety relationship. Critical 2014 reform (Act No. 20, B.E. 2557): the surety can no longer be sued as if a co-debtor; the creditor must first pursue the principal debtor. Pre-reform standard-form bank surety agreements that converted surety into joint-debtor status are now void. Form requirement is in §682: suretyship must be in writing signed by the surety. Banks now use "avalists" or co-signers under Bills of Exchange law (§§921+) to achieve similar effect.
Why this matters in practice
Lawyers: Post-2014 amendments require that a suretyship for future or conditional debts must specify the purpose of the underlying obligation, its nature, the maximum guaranteed amount, and the period of the debt to be guaranteed — otherwise it is unenforceable for those debts. Always obtain a written suretyship agreement signed by the surety. Laypeople: If you agree to be a guarantor, you are promising to pay someone else's debt if they do not. This must be in writing or it cannot be enforced against you — but do not sign unless you understand the full extent of your potential liability.
Legislative history
Part of the original Civil and Commercial Code codification. Significantly amended by the Civil and Commercial Code Amendment Act (No. 20) B.E. 2557 (2014), which introduced new requirements for suretyship of future or conditional debts, including specification of the purpose, nature, maximum amount, and period of the guaranteed obligation.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4298/2561 (2018)
A surety is bound to the extent of the obligation described in the suretyship instrument, even where the surety has added a notation limiting the scope of the guarantee.
The defendant signed in the guarantor section of the contract and wrote on a copy of their national ID card that it was for use 'as guarantee for the land-filling work only'. The Supreme Court held that despite this notation, the defendant had clearly agreed to bind themselves as a surety for the debt, within the scope stated.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3583/2562 (2019)
A surety who expressly agrees to be liable as primary debtor without conditions cannot later invoke the right to require the creditor to pursue the principal debtor first.
A suretyship instrument expressly stipulating that the surety binds itself unconditionally and irrevocably in the same manner as a primary debtor is enforceable. The surety cannot later claim the benefit of prior discussion or require the creditor to proceed against the principal debtor first.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
If I am a guarantor and the borrower does not pay, does the bank have to sue the borrower first before coming to me?
It depends on the contract. If you signed as an ordinary guarantor without waiving that right, the creditor must generally demand payment from the principal debtor first. However, if you agreed to be liable 'as a primary debtor' or waived the right of prior discussion in writing, the creditor can demand payment from you directly without pursuing the borrower first.
Can a verbal promise to guarantee someone's debt be enforced?
No. Section 680 requires written evidence signed by the surety for a suretyship contract to be enforceable. A purely oral guarantee cannot be enforced in court, no matter how clearly the promise was made.