Section 297 — Reaching a spouse's or third party's property
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้เจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีมีอำนาจบังคับคดีเอากับทรัพย์สินดังต่อไปนี้ได้เช่นเดียวกับที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๒๙๖
(๑) สินสมรสของคู่สมรสของลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษา เฉพาะในกรณีที่ลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาและคู่สมรสเป็นลูกหนี้ร่วมกันตามมาตรา ๑๔๙๐ แห่งประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ หรือทรัพย์สินของคู่สมรสของลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาซึ่งตามกฎหมายอาจบังคับเอาชำระหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาได้
(๒) ทรัพย์สินของบุคคลอื่นซึ่งตามกฎหมายอาจบังคับเอาชำระหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาได้
ให้นำบทบัญญัติในลักษณะ ๒ แห่งภาคนี้ที่เกี่ยวกับการบังคับคดีแก่ทรัพย์สินของลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษามาใช้บังคับในการบังคับคดีแก่ทรัพย์สินของบุคคลตามมาตรานี้โดยอนุโลม
English translation
The executing officer shall have the power to execute against the following property in the same manner as provided in Section 296:
(1) the marital property (sin somros) of the spouse of the judgment debtor, only where the judgment debtor and the spouse are joint debtors under Section 1490 of the Civil and Commercial Code, or property of the spouse of the judgment debtor that may by law be taken in satisfaction of the judgment debt;
(2) property of another person that may by law be taken in satisfaction of the judgment debt.
The provisions of Title 2 of this Book concerning execution against the property of the judgment debtor shall apply mutatis mutandis to execution against the property of the persons under this Section.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 297 extends the money-judgment enforcement powers of Section 296 beyond the judgment debtor's own property to two further pools: a spouse's marital property where spouses are joint debtors under CCC Section 1490, or spousal property otherwise legally answerable, and any third party's property that the law makes liable for the debt. By applying Title 2 mutatis mutandis, it ensures the same procedures and protections govern these seizures. This addresses the common problem of debts effectively shared within a marriage or shifted to related parties. It reflects the 2017 renumbering; decisions citing the old Section 297 concerned the arrest and detention of a debtor who willfully disobeyed a writ, a subject now placed elsewhere in the Code.
Why this matters in practice
This matters most in marriage-linked debts: if a judgment debt is a joint marital debt under CCC Section 1490, a creditor can reach the spouse's marital property, not just the named debtor's. Debtors and their spouses should understand this exposure before assuming that assets in the other's name are safe. Where marriage and enforcement overlap, it is worth pairing debt advice with family-law input; see our family law consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Can a creditor seize my spouse's property for my judgment debt?
Only in defined cases. Under Section 297 (1), execution may reach the spouse's marital property where the spouses are joint debtors under Section 1490 of the Civil and Commercial Code, or spousal property the law otherwise makes answerable.
Can execution reach property held by a third party?
Yes, where the law makes that person's property liable for the judgment debt. Section 297 (2) allows execution against another person's property that may by law be taken in satisfaction of the debt.