Section 198 — Plaintiff's application after default
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าจำเลยขาดนัดยื่นคำให้การ ให้โจทก์มีคำขอต่อศาลภายในสิบห้าวันนับแต่ระยะเวลาที่กำหนดให้จำเลยยื่นคำให้การได้สิ้นสุดลง เพื่อให้ศาลมีคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งชี้ขาดให้ตนเป็นฝ่ายชนะคดีโดยขาดนัด
ถ้าโจทก์ไม่ยื่นคำขอต่อศาลภายในกำหนดระยะเวลาดังกล่าวแล้ว ให้ศาลมีคำสั่งจำหน่ายคดีนั้นเสียจากสารบบความ
ถ้าโจทก์ยื่นคำขอต่อศาลภายในกำหนดระยะเวลาดังกล่าวแล้ว ให้ศาลมีคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งชี้ขาดคดีโดยขาดนัดไปตามมาตรา ๑๙๘ ทวิ แต่ถ้าศาลมีเหตุสงสัยว่าจำเลยจะไม่ทราบหมายเรียกให้ยื่นคำให้การ ก็ให้ศาลมีคำสั่งให้มีการส่งหมายเรียกใหม่ โดยวิธีส่งหมายธรรมดาหรือโดยวิธีอื่นแทน และจะกำหนดเงื่อนไขอย่างใดตามที่เห็นสมควรเพื่อให้จำเลยได้ทราบหมายเรียกนั้นก็ได้
English translation
If the defendant is in default of answer, the plaintiff shall file an application with the court within fifteen days from the end of the period prescribed for the defendant to file an answer, requesting the court to render a judgment or an order adjudicating the plaintiff the winning party by default.
If the plaintiff does not file the application with the court within the said period, the court shall order the case to be struck off the cause list.
If the plaintiff files the application with the court within the said period, the court shall render a judgment or an order adjudicating the case by default in accordance with Section 198 bis. However, if the court has reason to doubt whether the defendant is aware of the summons to file an answer, the court shall order a new summons to be served, by ordinary service or by other substituted means, and may impose such conditions as it thinks fit to ensure that the defendant becomes aware of that summons.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 198 sets the plaintiff's burden once a default of answer has arisen under Section 197. It imposes a strict fifteen-day deadline, running from the end of the defendant's answer period, to apply for a default judgment. The sanction for inaction is automatic: paragraph two directs the court to strike the case off the cause list, which ends the case without a decision on the merits. A timely application sends the case to the merit test in Section 198 bis. Paragraph three adds a due-process safeguard: if the court doubts the defendant ever learned of the summons, it orders fresh service before proceeding. This section pairs with Section 199 ter and following, which give the defaulting defendant a route to seek a new trial after judgment.
Why this matters in practice
For a plaintiff, this fifteen-day deadline is easy to miss and unforgiving: let it pass and your case is struck off, and you are back to square one. Diary the date the moment the defendant's answer period expires and file the application promptly. For a defendant, being struck off can be a lucky escape, but do not count on the plaintiff slipping up. This step is routine in debt collection matters where defendants often ignore the summons.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5336/2551 (2008)
Where a party in default of answer exists but the other party fails to apply to the court within fifteen days for a default win, the court shall strike the case off the cause list under Section 198 paragraph two.
In an interpleader dispute the party who should have answered failed to do so, but the claimant did not apply within fifteen days for a default win. The trial court therefore struck the case off the cause list under Section 198 paragraph two, and the Supreme Court reviewed whether that order was lawful.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 10840/2558 (2015)
When the plaintiff does not apply for a default judgment within the prescribed period after a defendant's default of answer, the court strikes the plaintiff's case against that defendant off the cause list under Section 198 paragraph two.
The defendant applied to strike the case off because the plaintiff had not applied for a judgment in the plaintiff's favor as required. The court ordered the plaintiff's case against that defendant struck off the cause list under Section 198 paragraph two, and the appeal turned on the propriety of that order.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1479/2562 (2019)
Where a defendant is in default of answer, the court's choice to take the plaintiff's evidence ex parte rather than immediately strike the case off can be a proper exercise of discretion that does not contravene Section 198 paragraph two, and a defendant who did not object at the first opportunity may be examined for a new trial.
The Appeal Court reasoned that the trial court's taking the plaintiffs' evidence ex parte, rather than striking the case off, was an appropriate exercise of discretion not contrary to Section 198 paragraph two, and remitted the case for an inquiry into the defendants' request to file an answer.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a plaintiff have to apply for a default judgment?
Fifteen days. Under Section 198, the plaintiff must apply for a default judgment within fifteen days from the end of the period given to the defendant to file an answer.
What happens if the plaintiff misses the fifteen-day deadline?
The court must order the case struck off the cause list under Section 198 paragraph two, ending the case without a decision on the merits.
Can the court order the summons re-served before a default judgment?
Yes. Under paragraph three, if the court doubts whether the defendant was aware of the summons, it orders a new summons served by ordinary or substituted means before proceeding.