Section 196: Uncomplicated cases summary procedure
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในคดีสามัญซึ่งโจทก์ฟ้องเพียงขอให้ชำระเงินจำนวนแน่นอนตามตั๋วเงิน ซึ่งการรับรองหรือการชำระเงินตามตั๋วเงินนั้นได้ถูกปฏิเสธ หรือตามสัญญาเป็นหนังสือซึ่งปรากฏในเบื้องต้นว่าเป็นสัญญาอันแท้จริงมีความสมบูรณ์และบังคับได้ตามกฎหมาย โจทก์จะยื่นคำขอโดยทำเป็นคำร้องต่อศาลพร้อมกับคำฟ้องขอให้ศาลพิจารณาคดีนั้นโดยรวบรัดก็ได้
ถ้าศาลเห็นว่าคดีตามวรรคหนึ่งนั้นปรากฏในเบื้องต้นว่าเป็นคดีไม่มีข้อยุ่งยาก ไม่ว่าโจทก์จะได้ยื่นคำขอตามวรรคหนึ่งหรือไม่ ให้ศาลมีคำสั่งให้นำบทบัญญัติในหมวดนี้ว่าด้วยวิธีพิจารณาคดีมโนสาเร่ เว้นแต่มาตรา ๑๙๐ จัตวา มาใช้บังคับแก่คดีเช่นว่านั้นได้
ถ้าในระหว่างการพิจารณาปรากฏว่าคดีไม่ตกอยู่ภายใต้บังคับแห่งมาตรานี้ ศาลอาจมีคำสั่งเพิกถอนคำสั่งเดิมแล้วดำเนินการพิจารณาต่อไปตามข้อบังคับแห่งคดีสามัญได้
English translation
In an ordinary case in which the plaintiff sues only for payment of a fixed sum of money under a bill of exchange, where acceptance or payment of the bill has been refused, or under a written contract which on its face appears to be a genuine contract that is valid and enforceable at law, the plaintiff may file an application, made in the form of a motion to the court together with the plaint, requesting the court to try the case by summary procedure.
If the court is of the opinion that a case under paragraph one appears on its face to be an uncomplicated case, then, whether or not the plaintiff has filed an application under paragraph one, the court shall order that the provisions of this Chapter concerning small claims procedure, except Section 190 quater, be applied to such a case.
If, during the trial, it appears that the case does not fall under this Section, the court may order the revocation of its previous order and then proceed with the trial in accordance with the rules governing ordinary cases.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 196 extends the fast small claims machinery to certain ordinary cases that are, in substance, straightforward: claims for a fixed sum on a dishonored bill of exchange or on a written contract that is valid on its face. The plaintiff may ask for summary treatment when filing the plaint, but the court may also order it on its own once it sees the case is uncomplicated. When it does, the small claims procedure of this Chapter applies, except Section 190 quater. Paragraph three is the safety valve: if the case proves not to be uncomplicated during trial, the court revokes the summary order and reverts to the ordinary track. This section is the gateway through which the oral judgment power of Section 194 and the borrowed rules of Section 195 reach these cases.
Why this matters in practice
If you are suing on a bounced cheque, a promissory note, or a clear written contract for a set amount, ask for summary treatment in your plaint: it can speed the case up considerably and lower cost. Be ready for the court to run it on the small claims timetable, which moves fast and expects you to be prepared at the first hearing. This route is common in debt collection claims on instruments and contracts.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8329/2559 (2016)
Where the court has admitted a case as an uncomplicated case under Section 196, it must proceed without delay but in a way that does not prejudice a party's ability to defend, so procedural steps affecting a co-defendant's right to contest must still be handled properly.
The Supreme Court examined whether the trial court's handling of a case admitted as uncomplicated under Section 196 was lawful, stressing that the summary track must move quickly yet without impairing the parties' right to contest, including that of a co-defendant brought in during the case.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3433/2558 (2015)
When the court admits the plaint and issues the summons as an uncomplicated case, Section 196 paragraph two applies the small claims procedure, except Section 190 quater, and the associated steps such as issuing the summons stating the sum claimed and the grounds govern the conduct of the case.
The case had been admitted and summoned as an uncomplicated case. The court applied Section 196 paragraph two as then in force, which brought in the small claims procedure except Section 190 quater, and assessed the propriety of steps such as taking the defendants' answer before the plaintiff's evidence.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8381/2551 (2008)
Once the court directs a case to proceed as an uncomplicated case, Section 196 paragraph two brings in the small claims provisions, except Section 190 quater, so the court's related powers, including the power to strike a case off where the plaintiff who was notified to attend fails to appear, apply.
The trial court had admitted the case as uncomplicated and set it for mediation and hearing. Neither party appeared. The Supreme Court explained that Section 196 paragraph two applied the small claims rules except Section 190 quater, so the court had power, through the small claims provisions then in force, to strike the case off where the notified plaintiff failed to attend without seeking a postponement.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 13 Supreme Court decisions (1996 to 2016)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 8329/2559 (2016)
- Decision 3433/2558 (2015)
- Decision 8439/2553 (2010)
- Decision 8381/2551 (2008)
- Decision 8167/2551 (2008)
- Decision 6541/2547 (2004)
- Decision 5204/2547 (2004)
- Decision 7877/2546 (2003)
This list is selected automatically, weighted towards judgments that turn on this section rather than ones that merely recite it when passing sentence. It has not yet been reviewed by the firm.
Most often cited alongside
- Section 243 6
- Section 247 5
- Section 193 5
- Section 246 4
- Section 198/2 4
- Section 195 3
Sections that appear in the same judgments as this one most often. The figure is the number of decisions.
Counted across the firm's corpus of 83,652 Supreme Court decisions, 1921 to 2026. The count is complete; the stated year range trims rare outliers so it describes where the citations actually sit. These figures are computed by us and are not official court statistics. How we count these, and what we measured
Frequently asked questions
What is an uncomplicated case under Section 196?
It is an ordinary case, typically a claim for a fixed sum on a dishonored bill of exchange or a clearly valid written contract, that the court treats as straightforward and runs under the faster small claims procedure, except Section 190 quater.
Can a court switch an uncomplicated case back to ordinary procedure?
Yes. Under paragraph three, if during the trial the case turns out not to fall under Section 196, the court may revoke its earlier order and proceed under the ordinary case rules.
Do I have to ask for summary treatment, or can the court order it?
Either. The plaintiff may apply in the plaint, but even without an application the court may order small claims procedure once it sees the case is uncomplicated.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Civil Procedure Code, s. 196 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Civil Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 196. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-196/ (accessed 11 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.วิ.พ. มาตรา 196 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-196/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-196/"><p>In an ordinary case in which the plaintiff sues only for payment of a fixed sum of money under a bill of exchange, where acceptance or payment of the bill has been refused, or under a written contract which on its face appears to be…</p><footer>Civil Procedure Code, s. 196 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-196/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.