Section 153 — Enforcement costs and who pays
Statutory text (Thai original)
ค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมในการบังคับคดี ได้แก่ ค่าธรรมเนียมในการบังคับคดี ค่าป่วยการ ค่าพาหนะเดินทาง และค่าเช่าที่พักของเจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีตลอดจนค่าใช้จ่ายอื่น ๆ ในการบังคับคดีบรรดาที่กฎหมายบังคับให้ชำระ
ค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมในการบังคับคดี ให้เจ้าหนี้ผู้ขอบังคับคดีนั้นเป็นผู้ชำระ
การชำระค่าธรรมเนียมในการบังคับคดี ให้เจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีออกใบรับให้
ในกรณีที่มีการเข้าดำเนินการบังคับคดีต่อไปตามมาตรา ๓๒๗ หรือมาตรา ๓๒๙
(๒) ให้เจ้าหนี้ผู้เข้าดำเนินการบังคับคดีต่อไปเป็นผู้ชำระค่าฤชาธรรมเนียมในการบังคับคดีเฉพาะทรัพย์สินในส่วนที่ดำเนินการบังคับคดีต่อไป
English translation
The costs of enforcement of a judgment (kha rutcha thamniam nai kan bangkhap khadi) consist of the enforcement fee, the enforcement officer's allowance, travel expenses, and accommodation expenses of the enforcement officer, as well as all other enforcement expenses that the law requires to be paid.
The costs of enforcement shall be paid by the creditor who applies for enforcement.
On payment of the enforcement fee, the enforcement officer shall issue a receipt.
Where enforcement is continued under Section 327 or Section 329 (2), the creditor who takes over the continued enforcement shall pay the costs of enforcement only in respect of the property for which enforcement is continued.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 153 defines the components of enforcement costs and fixes who bears them. The costs cover the enforcement officer's fee, allowance, travel and accommodation, and any other enforcement expenses the law requires. Paragraph two places these costs on the creditor who applies for enforcement, and paragraph three requires a receipt on payment. The final paragraph allocates costs where a further creditor takes over enforcement under Section 327 or Section 329 (2), limiting that creditor's liability to the property covered by the continued enforcement. Courts read paragraph two together with the enforcement provisions, including the seizure-without-sale fee, so a creditor who seizes property remains liable for these charges even where no sale follows.
Why this matters in practice
Enforcing a Thai judgment is not free: as the creditor applying to seize or attach assets, you must advance the enforcement officer's fees and expenses, and you remain liable for them even if property is seized but never sold. Budget these enforcement costs when you decide whether to pursue a debtor's assets, and keep the officer's receipts, since these sums feed into the final costs account. If you are weighing enforcement after judgment, our debt collection service can estimate the likely enforcement charges before you commit.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 643/2566 (2023)
Enforcement costs are a service charge the enforcement officer collects from the party using enforcement, and under Section 153 paragraph two the creditor who applies for enforcement pays them, including where seizure occurs without a sale.
Considering whether the plaintiff remained liable for the fee where property was seized but not sold, the Supreme Court held that enforcement costs, comprising the fee, allowance and other expenses, are charges the enforcement officer collects from the party using enforcement, which Section 153 paragraph two places on the creditor applying for enforcement, read with Section 169/2 paragraph four.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1046/2562 (2019)
The creditor who applied for enforcement bears the fee for property seized but not sold, at the rate fixed by the fee schedule, under Section 153 paragraph two read with Sections 149 and 153/1.
After the seizure was set aside through the plaintiff's own fault, the plaintiff, as the creditor who had applied for enforcement, had to pay the fee for property seized but not sold or disposed of, at 3.5 percent of the value seized, under Section 149 paragraph one, Section 153 paragraph two, Section 153/1 and Table 5 item 3.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3230/2560 (2017)
Where property is seized but not sold, the seizure fee and enforcement expenses are enforcement costs which under Section 153 paragraph two the creditor applying for enforcement must pay; if that creditor does not pay, it is a matter between the officer and that creditor and does not concern the other party.
The Supreme Court held that where property was seized but not sold, the seizure fee under Table 5 item 3 and enforcement expenses are enforcement costs that the applying creditor, here the defendant, must pay under Section 153 paragraph two; the officer may seek those fees from that creditor's property under Section 295 ter, which is separate from withdrawing enforcement.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays the costs of enforcing a judgment in Thailand?
Section 153 paragraph two places the costs of enforcement on the creditor who applies for enforcement, including the enforcement officer's fee, allowance, travel and other required expenses.
What is included in enforcement costs?
Under Section 153 they include the enforcement fee, the enforcement officer's allowance, travel and accommodation expenses, and all other enforcement expenses the law requires to be paid.
Do I pay enforcement fees even if the seized property is not sold?
Yes. Courts applying Section 153 paragraph two hold that the creditor who applied for enforcement remains liable for the seizure fee and expenses even where the property is seized but not sold.