Thai Civil Procedure Code (ป.วิ.แพ่ง)
Content current as of: April 4, 2026
Most cited by the Supreme Court
- §249 When the Supreme Court grants leave to dika 1,890 decisions
- §142 Deciding within the pleadings, exceptions 1,611 decisions
- §248 Panel that decides leave to dika 1,279 decisions
- §247 Leave required to dika to the Supreme Court 1,275 decisions
- §225 Grounds must be raised below and material 972 decisions
- §223/2 Repealed 832 decisions
- §246 Trial rules apply to appeal proceedings 776 decisions
- §172 Requirements of a complaint 600 decisions
- §55 Right to bring a civil case 582 decisions
- §94 Oral evidence may not vary documents 556 decisions
- §148 Res judicata, bar on repeat suits 539 decisions
- §177 The defendant's answer and counterclaim 521 decisions
Counted across the firm's corpus of Supreme Court decisions. Procedural and sentencing provisions naturally sit near the top: they are recited in almost every judgment, which is not the same as being the most contested. How we count these
Book 1: General Provisions
Title 1: Definitions
Title 2: Courts
Chapter 1: Jurisdiction of the Courts
- Section 2: Which court may receive a plaint
- Section 3: Deemed domicile for foreign defendants
- Section 4: Proper court for filing a claim
- Section 4 bis: Court for immovable property claims
- Section 4 ter: Foreign defendant, cause arising abroad
- Section 4 quater: Court for estate administrator petitions
- Section 4 quinquies: Court for juristic person petitions
- Section 4 sex: Court for property petitions, cause abroad
- Section 5: Choice of court for connected claims
- Section 6: Transferring a case to another court
- Section 6/1: Transfer to the Civil Court in the public interest
- Section 7: Special venue rules overriding the general ones
- Section 8: Consolidating related cases in two courts
- Section 9: Staying an appeal for a related case
- Section 10: Force majeure: filing at court of domicile
Chapter 2: Challenge of Judges
Chapter 3: Powers and Duties of the Courts
- Section 15: Acting outside territorial jurisdiction
- Section 16: Delegating proceedings to another court
- Section 17: Order of dealing with cases
- Section 18: Court screening of pleadings
- Section 19: Ordering parties to appear in person
- Section 20: Court's power to conciliate at any stage
- Section 20 bis: Confidential conciliation and conciliators
- Section 20 ter: Pre-litigation conciliation by the court
- Section 21: Applications, motions and the right to be heard
- Section 22: How procedural time limits are computed
- Section 23: Extending or shortening procedural time limits
- Section 24: Preliminary ruling on a question of law
- Section 25: Ruling on protective and enforcement measures
- Section 26: Recording objections to court orders
- Section 27: Setting aside irregular proceedings
- Section 28: Consolidation and transfer of cases
- Section 29: Severance of claims for separate trial
- Section 30: Court's power to maintain order
- Section 31: Acts constituting contempt of court
- Section 32: Contempt of court by the press
- Section 33: Penalties for contempt of court
- Section 34: Proceedings involving foreign officials
- Section 34/1: Supreme Court President's rule-making power
Chapter 4: Court Hearings
- Section 35: Place and time of court hearings
- Section 36: Public hearings and their exceptions
- Section 37: Continuous hearing until judgment
- Section 38: Postponement for court's own business
- Section 39: Stay to await another decision
- Section 40: Party's request to postpone a hearing
- Section 41: Verifying illness used to postpone
- Section 42: Death of a party during a case
- Section 43: Applying to replace a deceased party
- Section 44: Summons to replace a deceased party
- Section 45: Loss of a representative or capacity
Chapter 5: Reports and Case Files
- Section 46: Thai language, translations, interpreters
- Section 47: Proving a power of attorney
- Section 48: Court's duty to record hearings
- Section 49: Court report as prima facie evidence
- Section 50: Signing court reports and documents
- Section 51: Court's record-keeping duties
- Section 52: Sending a closed case file to the Ministry of Justice
- Section 53: Loss or damage of documents in a pending case file
- Section 54: Inspecting and copying documents in the case file
Title 3: Parties
- Section 55: Right to bring a civil case
- Section 56: Incompetent parties and capacity
- Section 57: Third party intervention in a case
- Section 58: Rights and duties of an intervener
- Section 59: Joinder of co-plaintiffs and co-defendants
- Section 60: Conducting a case in person or by attorney
- Section 61: How an attorney is appointed
- Section 62: Scope of an attorney's authority
- Section 63: Appointing an agent to receive court money
- Section 64: Proxy for limited procedural acts
- Section 65: Attorney withdrawing from a case
- Section 66: Inquiry into a representative's authority
Title 4: Filing and Service of Pleadings and Documents
- Section 67: Required contents of pleadings
- Section 68: Electronic filing and service
- Section 69: How to file with the court
- Section 70: Who serves court documents
- Section 71: Filing and serving an answer
- Section 72: Serving motions and statements
- Section 73: Court officer service on request
- Section 73 bis: Service by registered or express mail
- Section 74: Ordinary service: time and place
- Section 75: Service on a party's lawyer
- Section 76: Substitute recipient at the address
- Section 77: Service at another place
- Section 78: Refusal to accept service
- Section 79: Substituted service by posting
- Section 80: Proof of service
- Section 81: Serving a witness summons
- Section 82: Copies for multiple recipients
- Section 83: Meeting deadlines through court service
- Section 83 bis: Serving a foreign defendant
- Section 83 ter: Serving later documents on a foreign party
- Section 83 quater: Plaintiff's duties for service abroad
- Section 83 quinquies: When foreign service takes effect
- Section 83 sex: When local service on a foreign party takes effect
- Section 83 septies: How the court serves documents abroad
- Section 83 octies: Substituted service when foreign service fails
Title 5: Evidence
Chapter 1: General Principles
- Section 84: Basis for finding facts
- Section 84/1: Burden of proof and presumptions
- Section 85: Right to adduce evidence
- Section 86: Court control over evidence
- Section 87: Conditions for admitting evidence
- Section 88: Filing the list of witnesses
- Section 89: Duty to cross-examine opposing witnesses
- Section 90: Serving copies of documentary evidence
- Section 91: Evidence relied on in common
- Section 92: Privilege and refusal to give evidence
- Section 93: Original document rule and exceptions
- Section 94: Oral evidence may not vary documents
- Section 95: Competency of witnesses
- Section 95/1: Hearsay evidence and its exceptions
- Section 96: Deaf or mute witnesses
- Section 97: Calling the opponent or oneself
- Section 98: Party-called expert witnesses
- Section 99: Court inspection and appointing experts
- Section 100: Notice to admit facts or documents
- Section 101: Taking evidence in advance
- Section 101/1: Urgent ex parte evidence taking
- Section 101/2: Safeguards for evidence seizure orders
- Section 102: Delegating and sending evidence taking
- Section 103: Full opportunity to attend evidence
- Section 103/1: Officer taking evidence out of court
- Section 103/2: Agreed method of taking evidence
- Section 103/3: Supreme Court President's evidence rules
- Section 104: Court's power to weigh evidence
- Section 105: Costs of evidence non-compliance
Chapter 2: Attendance and Examination of Witnesses
- Section 106: Applying for a witness summons
- Section 106/1: Witnesses exempt from summons
- Section 107: Taking evidence at the scene
- Section 108: Duty of a summoned witness to attend
- Section 109: Discharge of a witness after testifying
- Section 110: Witness fails to appear
- Section 111: Failure of a witness to appear
- Section 112: Oath or affirmation of witnesses
- Section 113: Witnesses must testify orally
- Section 114: Exclusion of witnesses from the courtroom
- Section 115: Right to decline to testify
- Section 116: Preliminary questions and mode of examination
- Section 117: Order of examining witnesses
- Section 118: Leading and prohibited questions
- Section 119: Court's power to question witnesses
- Section 120: Evidence to impeach a witness
- Section 120/1: Written statement in place of examination
- Section 120/2: Written statement of a maker abroad
- Section 120/3: Contents of a written statement
- Section 120/4: Evidence by video conference
- Section 121: Reading back and signing testimony
Chapter 3: Documentary Evidence
- Section 122: Producing the original document
- Section 123: Ordering the opponent to produce the original
- Section 124: Deemed admission for withholding a document
- Section 125: Objecting to documentary evidence
- Section 126: Deciding disputed authenticity of a document
- Section 127: Presumption of authenticity of public documents
- Section 127 bis: Returning original evidence to the submitter
Chapter 4: Inspection and Court-Appointed Experts
Title 6: Judgments and Orders
Chapter 1: General Principles of Adjudication
- Section 131: How the court disposes of a case
- Section 132: Striking a case from the docket
- Section 133: Judgment on the day proceedings end
- Section 134: No refusal to decide for want of law
- Section 135: Depositing money with the court before judgment
- Section 136: Effect of a deposit on liability and interest
- Section 137: Performing a non-money obligation during suit
- Section 138: Judgment on a compromise, limited appeal
- Section 139: Separate judgments in consolidated cases
Chapter 2: Content and Effect of Judgments and Orders
- Section 140: How judgments and orders are made and read
- Section 141: Required form and content of a judgment
- Section 142: Deciding within the pleadings, exceptions
- Section 143: Correcting minor errors in a judgment
- Section 144: No re-proceeding on a decided matter
- Section 145: Binding effect of a judgment on parties
- Section 146: Conflicting final judgments, which prevails
- Section 147: When a judgment becomes final
- Section 148: Res judicata, bar on repeat suits
Chapter 3: Costs and Court Fees
Part 1: Assessment, Payment and Waiver of Court Fees
- Section 149: Litigation costs and court fees defined
- Section 150: Court fees on money claims
- Section 151: Refund of court fees
- Section 152: Who pays other court fees
- Section 153: Enforcement costs and who pays
- Section 153/1: Methods and rates for fees
- Section 154: Deposit for enforcement expenses
- Section 155: Right to apply for fee waiver
- Section 156: Filing the fee waiver application
- Section 156/1: Deciding the fee waiver
- Section 157: Effect of a fee waiver
- Section 158: Loser pays waived fees to court
- Section 159: Waiver revisited if party can pay
- Section 160: Withdrawal of fee waiver for misconduct
Part 2: Ultimate Liability for Costs
- Section 161: Losing party bears the costs
- Section 162: Costs among co-parties
- Section 163: Costs when a case ends by settlement
- Section 164: Costs after a deposit into court
- Section 165: Costs after performance of an obligation
- Section 166: Costs caused by fault or delay
- Section 167: Court's duty to order costs in the judgment
- Section 168: No appeal on court costs alone
- Section 169: Preparing the account of court costs
- Section 169/1: Enforcing unpaid court costs
- Section 169/2: Who bears the costs of execution
- Section 169/3: Execution costs caused by fault
Book 2: Procedure in Courts of First Instance
Title 1: Ordinary Procedure in Courts of First Instance
- Section 170: Ordinary procedure in the court of first instance
- Section 171: Applying complaint rules to petitions
- Section 172: Requirements of a complaint
- Section 173: Lis pendens after filing a complaint
- Section 174: Abandonment of the complaint
- Section 175: Withdrawal of the complaint
- Section 176: Effect of withdrawal or abandonment
- Section 177: The defendant's answer and counterclaim
- Section 178: Reply to the counterclaim
- Section 179: Amendment of complaint or answer
- Section 180: Time to apply for amendment
- Section 181: Safeguards for amending pleadings
- Section 182: Holding the settlement of issues
- Section 182 bis: Repealed
- Section 183: Procedure on the settlement-of-issues day
- Section 183 bis: Absence on the settlement-of-issues day
- Section 183 ter: Repealed
- Section 183 quater: Repealed
- Section 184: Fixing the date for taking evidence
- Section 185: Taking evidence on the issues
- Section 186: Closing statements after evidence
- Section 187: Close of proceedings
- Section 188: Non-contentious cases
Title 2: Special Procedures in Courts of First Instance
Chapter 1: Small Claims Procedure
- Section 189: Definition of small claims
- Section 190: Calculating the amount in dispute
- Section 190 bis: Small claims procedure applies
- Section 190 ter: Court power over time limits
- Section 190 quater: Court fees in small claims
- Section 191: Filing a small claims case
- Section 192: Converting between small claims and ordinary
- Section 193: Small claims hearing and conciliation
- Section 193 bis: Non-appearance in small claims
- Section 193 ter: Taking evidence in small claims
- Section 193 quater: Court's evidence powers in small claims
- Section 193 quinquies: Continuous trial in small claims
- Section 194: Oral judgment in small claims
- Section 195: Other rules apply to small claims
- Section 196: Uncomplicated cases summary procedure
Chapter 2: Proceedings in Default
Part 1: Default of Answer
- Section 197: Definition of default of answer
- Section 198: Plaintiff's application after default
- Section 198 bis: Merit test for default judgment
- Section 198 ter: Default with multiple defendants
- Section 199: Defaulting defendant who appears in time
- Section 199 bis: Serving execution on defaulting defendant
- Section 199 ter: Right to apply for new trial
- Section 199 quater: Deadline and contents of new trial application
- Section 199 quinquies: Deciding the new trial application
- Section 199 sex: Default on a counterclaim
Part 2: Default of Appearance
- Section 200: Definition of default of appearance
- Section 201: Both parties in default
- Section 202: Plaintiff default strikes the case
- Section 203: No appeal against strike-out; refiling
- Section 204: Defendant default: ex parte trial
- Section 205: Doubtful service before ex parte trial
- Section 206: No win on default alone; ex parte rules
- Section 207: Retrial after ex parte judgment
- Section 208: Repealed
- Section 209: Repealed
Chapter 3: Arbitration
- Section 210: Agreeing to in-court arbitration
- Section 211: Rules for appointing arbitrators
- Section 212: Arbitrator's consent required
- Section 213: Withdrawal and challenge of arbitrator
- Section 214: Arbitrator's fees set by court
- Section 215: Arbitrator frames the issues
- Section 216: Arbitrator's conduct of the inquiry
- Section 217: How arbitrators reach an award
- Section 218: Court judgment on an arbitration award
- Section 219: When an arbitration agreement ends
- Section 220: Court for arbitration-related disputes
- Section 221: Out-of-court arbitration referral
- Section 222: Limited appeal against award judgments
Chapter 4: Class Actions
Part 1: General Provisions
- Section 222/1: Class action definitions
- Section 222/2: Supreme Court class action rules
- Section 222/3: Courts with class action jurisdiction
- Section 222/4: Gap-filling and special-procedure cases
- Section 222/5: Role of the class action officer
- Section 222/6: Class action officer qualifications
- Section 222/7: Class action linked to a criminal case
Part 2: Permission to Proceed as a Class Action
- Section 222/8: Cases eligible for class action
- Section 222/9: Filing a class action request
- Section 222/10: Class complaint contents and court fees
- Section 222/11: Screening before class certification
- Section 222/12: Criteria for certifying a class action
- Section 222/13: Consolidating competing class motions
Part 3: Class Action Trial
- Section 222/14: Depositing class action expenses
- Section 222/15: Notice and publication of certification
- Section 222/16: Opting out of the group
- Section 222/17: Rights of group members
- Section 222/18: Bar on separate suits by members
- Section 222/19: Decertifying a class action
- Section 222/20: Class action preparation hearing
- Section 222/21: Filing lists of witnesses
- Section 222/22: Default by the defendant
- Section 222/23: Court's power to seek facts
- Section 222/24: Forming sub-groups
- Section 222/25: Substitution of the class plaintiff
- Section 222/26: Order on plaintiff substitution
- Section 222/27: Rights of the substitute plaintiff
- Section 222/28: Withdrawal of a class action plaint
- Section 222/29: Court approval of a class settlement
- Section 222/30: Referring a class dispute to arbitration
- Section 222/31: Required contents of member notices
- Section 222/32: Factors for approving withdrawal or settlement
- Section 222/33: Interruption of prescription for members
- Section 222/34: When interruption of prescription is undone
Part 4: Judgment and Execution in Class Actions
- Section 222/35: Binding effect and execution of judgment
- Section 222/36: Required contents of a class judgment
- Section 222/37: Reward of the plaintiff's lawyer
- Section 222/38: Court powers over class execution
- Section 222/39: Notice of judgment and debt claims
- Section 222/40: Inspecting and objecting to members' claims
- Section 222/41: Execution officer's power to examine claims
- Section 222/42: Ruling on and contesting members' claims
- Section 222/43: Rateable share from execution in another case
- Section 222/44: Order of priority for paying out proceeds
Part 5: Appeal and Dika in Class Actions
Part 6: Class Action Fees
Book 3: Appeal and Dika (Supreme Court)
Title 1: Appeal
- Section 223: Appeals go to the Court of Appeal
- Section 223 bis: Repealed
- Section 224: Capital-sum bar on factual appeals
- Section 225: Grounds must be raised below and material
- Section 226: Interlocutory orders and delayed appeal
- Section 227: Case-ending orders are not interim orders
- Section 228: Interim orders that may be appealed
- Section 229: How and when to lodge an appeal
- Section 230: Certification to appeal on the facts
- Section 231: Stay of execution pending appeal
- Section 232: Trial court screening of appeals
- Section 233: Additional deposit for the winner's fees
- Section 234: Appealing a refusal to accept an appeal
- Section 235: Serving the appeal and forwarding the file
- Section 236: Appellate ruling on a refused appeal
- Section 237: Answer to the appeal, no default
- Section 238: Law-only appeals bound by trial facts
- Section 239: Order-appeals decided before judgment-appeals
- Section 240: How the appellate court decides
- Section 241: Oral submissions on appeal
- Section 242: How the Court of Appeal decides an appeal
- Section 243: Court of Appeal's power to set aside and remand
- Section 244: Reading the Court of Appeal's judgment
- Section 244/1: Court of Appeal judgment is final
- Section 245: Who is bound by an appellate judgment
- Section 246: Trial rules apply to appeal proceedings
Title 2: Dika (Supreme Court Review)
- Section 247: Leave required to dika to the Supreme Court
- Section 248: Panel that decides leave to dika
- Section 249: When the Supreme Court grants leave to dika
- Section 250: Supreme Court president's dika regulations
- Section 251: Supreme Court ruling on law and remand
- Section 252: Appeal rules apply to dika by analogy
Book 4: Provisional Measures and Execution of Judgments
Title 1: Provisional Measures Before Judgment
Chapter 1: General Principles
- Section 253: Security for costs against the plaintiff
- Section 253 bis: Security for costs on appeal or dika
- Section 254: Provisional measures before judgment
- Section 255: Criteria for granting provisional measures
- Section 256: Defendant's chance to object first
- Section 257: Scope, conditions, and security for orders
- Section 258: When interim orders take effect
- Section 258 bis: Dealings breaching a prohibition order void against plaintiff
- Section 259: Execution rules apply to interim measures
- Section 260: Fate of interim measure after judgment
- Section 261: Applying to withdraw or vary a measure
- Section 262: Altering a measure when circumstances change
- Section 263: Compensation for a wrongful measure
- Section 264: Protecting a party's interests during proceedings
- Section 265: Applying the chapter to sureties
Chapter 2: Emergency Applications
Title 2: Execution of Judgments and Orders
Chapter 1: General Principles
Part 1: Courts with Power of Execution
Part 3: Application for Execution
Part 4: Consideration of Execution Applications
Part 5: Examination of the Judgment Debtor's Affairs and Assets
Part 6: General Powers of Executing Officers
- Section 278: General powers of the executing officer
- Section 279: Safekeeping and recovery of seized property
- Section 280: Service of execution documents
- Section 281: Time and manner of execution
- Section 282: Search of the debtor's premises
- Section 283: Search warrant for third-party premises
- Section 284: General powers of the executing officer
- Section 285: Who bears liability for wrongful execution
- Section 286: Meaning of Court of Justice in Section 285
Part 7: Interested Persons in Execution
Part 8: Stay of Execution
Part 9: Withdrawal of Execution
Part 10: Setting Aside or Correcting Irregular Execution
Chapter 2: Execution for Money Judgments
Part 1: Powers of Executing Officers
Part 2: Property Not Subject to Execution
Part 3: Seizure of Property
- Section 303: Seizing tangible movable property
- Section 304: Seizing registrable movable property
- Section 305: Seizing securities
- Section 306: Seizing bills and negotiable instruments
- Section 307: Seizing shares
- Section 308: Seizing patent and trademark rights
- Section 309: Seizing unregistered IP rights
- Section 310: Seizing lease and service rights
- Section 311: Seizing licenses and concessions
- Section 312: Seizing immovable property
- Section 313: Seizing real rights in immovables
- Section 314: Seizure extends to fruits of property
- Section 315: Effect of seizure of property
Part 4: Attachment of Claims
Part 5: Court-Ordered Payment by Third Parties
Part 6: Rights of Third Parties and Interested Persons in Seized Property
Part 7: Sharing in Execution Proceeds and Continuing Execution
Part 8: Sale or Disposal
Part 9: Appointment of a Property Manager in Lieu of Sale
Part 10: Distribution Accounts
- Section 337: Preparing the distribution account
- Section 338: Six-month hold in default cases
- Section 339: Payment to a single creditor
- Section 340: Distribution among several creditors
- Section 341: Hearing objections to the account
- Section 342: Challenging the account in court
- Section 343: Provisional distribution of proceeds
- Section 344: Surplus proceeds after execution