Section 157 — Effect of a fee waiver
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อศาลอนุญาตให้บุคคลใดได้รับยกเว้นค่าธรรมเนียมศาลในศาลใด บุคคลนั้นไม่ต้องเสียค่าธรรมเนียมศาลในการดำเนินกระบวนพิจารณาในศาลนั้น ค่าธรรมเนียมเช่นว่านี้ให้รวมถึงเงินวางศาลในการยื่นฟ้องอุทธรณ์หรือฎีกา ถ้าเป็นกรณีที่ศาลอนุญาตในระหว่างการพิจารณา การยกเว้นไม่ต้องเสียค่าธรรมเนียมศาลนั้นให้ใช้บังคับแต่เฉพาะค่าธรรมเนียมศาลและเงินวางศาลที่จะต้องเสียหรือวางภายหลังคำสั่งอนุญาตเท่านั้น ส่วนค่าธรรมเนียมศาลหรือเงินวางศาลที่เสียหรือวางไว้ก่อนคำสั่งเช่นว่านั้นเป็นอันไม่ต้องคืน
English translation
When the court has granted a person exemption from court fees in any court, that person is not required to pay court fees for conducting proceedings in that court. Such court fees include the deposit lodged with the court in filing an appeal or Dika complaint. Where the exemption is granted during the course of the proceedings, the exemption from paying court fees applies only to the court fees and deposits that are to be paid or lodged after the order granting exemption; as for the court fees or deposits paid or lodged before that order, they are not to be refunded.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 157 fixes the effect of a fee waiver granted under Sections 155, 156 and 156/1. The exempted person owes no court fees for conducting proceedings in the court that granted the waiver, and the exemption expressly extends to the deposit required when filing an appeal or Dika complaint. Where the waiver is granted only during the proceedings, it operates prospectively: fees and deposits due after the order are covered, but fees already paid before it are not refunded. Courts read the reference to the appeal deposit together with Section 229, so a waiver that covers the appeal deposit also covers the sum an appellant would otherwise have to lodge to reimburse the opposing party under the trial judgment.
Why this matters in practice
A waiver is worth more than it first appears on appeal: it covers not just the appeal court fee but the deposit you would normally lodge to secure the other side's costs under the trial judgment, which can be a large sum. But timing matters, if the waiver comes through only after you have already paid some fees, you do not get that money back, so apply as early as you can. Confirm exactly what your waiver covers before you file, so a pleading is not rejected for a missing deposit.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1932/2568 (2025)
Only where the court grants exemption from court fees on appeal is a party relieved from lodging the sum to reimburse the opposing party under the trial judgment, as provided in Section 157; that reimbursement sum is not itself a court fee that can be separately waived.
The Supreme Court held that the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment is not itself a court fee, so it cannot be the subject of a separate waiver application; only a granted waiver of court fees on appeal, under Section 157, relieves a party from having to lodge it. As the consumer defendant owed no appeal court fee, there was nothing to waive.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1219/2558 (2015)
A waiver of court fees on appeal under Section 157 includes the deposit for filing the appeal, which by Section 229 includes the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment, so the court cannot reject the appeal outright for failure to lodge that sum before the waiver inquiry is complete.
The Supreme Court held that if the trial court, on inquiry, finds grounds to waive the appeal court fees in whole or in part, the waived fees include the appeal deposit, and by Section 229 that deposit includes the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment. The Court of Appeal was wrong to treat non-lodging of that sum as an immediate ground to reject the appeal.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8636/2558 (2015)
Permission to appeal with a waiver of court fees means the party may appeal without lodging the court fees for conducting the proceedings, which under Section 157 include the appeal deposit, and by Section 229 that deposit is the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment.
The trial court permitted defendant 2 to appeal with a waiver of court fees on the ground of poverty. The Supreme Court held this meant defendant 2 could appeal without lodging the fees for the proceedings, which under Section 157 include the appeal deposit, being under Section 229 the sum to reimburse the plaintiff under the trial judgment.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Does a court fee waiver also cover the appeal deposit?
Yes. Section 157 states that the exempted court fees include the deposit lodged when filing an appeal or Dika complaint, which courts read with Section 229 as covering the sum to reimburse the other party under the trial judgment.
If a waiver is granted mid-case, do I get earlier fees back?
No. Under Section 157 a waiver granted during the proceedings applies only to fees and deposits due after the order; court fees or deposits paid before the order are not refunded.