Section 3 — Deemed domicile for foreign defendants
Statutory text (Thai original)
เพื่อประโยชน์ในการเสนอคำฟ้อง
(๑) ในกรณีที่มูลคดีเกิดขึ้นในเรือไทยหรืออากาศยานไทยที่อยู่นอกราชอาณาจักร ให้ศาลแพ่งเป็นศาลที่มีเขตอำนาจ
(๒) ในกรณีที่จำเลยไม่มีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ในราชอาณาจักร (ก) ถ้าจำเลยเคยมีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ ณ ที่ใดในราชอาณาจักรภายในกำหนดสองปีก่อนวันที่มีการเสนอคำฟ้อง ให้ถือว่าที่นั้นเป็นภูมิลำเนาของจำเลย (ข) ถ้าจำเลยประกอบหรือเคยประกอบกิจการทั้งหมดหรือแต่บางส่วนในราชอาณาจักรไม่ว่าโดยตนเองหรือตัวแทน หรือโดยมีบุคคลหนึ่งบุคคลใดเป็นผู้ติดต่อในการประกอบกิจการนั้นในราชอาณาจักร ให้ถือว่าสถานที่ที่ใช้หรือเคยใช้ประกอบกิจการหรือติดต่อดังกล่าว หรือสถานที่อันเป็นถิ่นที่อยู่ของตัวแทนหรือของผู้ติดต่อในวันที่มีการเสนอคำฟ้องหรือภายในกำหนดสองปีก่อนนั้น เป็นภูมิลำเนาของจำเลย
English translation
For the purpose of submitting a plaint:
(1) where the cause of action arises on a Thai vessel or Thai aircraft that is outside the Kingdom, the Civil Court shall be the court having jurisdiction;
(2) where the defendant has no domicile in the Kingdom:
(a) if the defendant, within two years before the date the plaint is submitted, had a domicile at any place in the Kingdom, that place shall be deemed the defendant's domicile;
(b) if the defendant carries on or has carried on business, in whole or in part, in the Kingdom, whether personally or through an agent, or through any person acting as a contact for that business in the Kingdom, the place used or formerly used for carrying on or contacting such business, or the place that is the residence of the agent or contact on the date the plaint is submitted or within two years before that date, shall be deemed the defendant's domicile.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Within Chapter 1 on jurisdiction, this section supplies deeming rules that make Section 4's venue provisions workable in cross-border situations. Subsection (1) sends causes arising on Thai vessels or aircraft abroad to the Civil Court, while subsection (2) creates a two-year look-back so a foreign-domiciled defendant is treated as domiciled at a recent Thai address or at a Thai place of business or agent's or contact's residence. These deemed domiciles also determine where and how initial process can be served, which is often the practical battleground. The rules are frequently applied through the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court Act and read with the service provisions such as Section 83 bis.
Why this matters in practice
For claims against a defendant based abroad, this section can be the difference between having a Thai forum and having none. It also controls how the summons and copy of the plaint are served, and defective service can void the later proceedings, so the deemed address must be identified correctly and documented. Foreign parties suing or being sued in Thailand should get this right at the outset. See our guide on going to court in Thailand.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 9251/2559 (2016)
Where a defendant is domiciled outside the Kingdom but business generating income was carried on in the Kingdom within two years before the suit, that place of business is deemed the defendant's domicile under Section 3(2)(b), and initial process may be served there.
Defendant 2 was domiciled abroad, but the place in the Kingdom that generated income within two years before the suit was treated as the domicile under Section 3(2)(b), applied through the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court Act. The summons and copy of the plaint could therefore be served at that address, which was the domicile of defendant 1.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3185/2551 (2008)
Service of initial process on a foreign-domiciled defendant must comply with Section 3(2)(b) together with Section 83 bis; improper service goes to public order, and the court may raise the defect and revoke the irregular proceedings on its own motion.
The order to serve the summons and copy of the plaint on defendant 1 at premises used by defendant 2 did not comply with Section 3(2)(b) and Section 83 bis, making the later proceedings against defendant 1 defective. Because this concerns public order, the Supreme Court revoked the irregular proceedings even though no party had appealed the point.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sue a foreigner in Thailand who has no address here?
Often yes. Section 3(2) deems a defendant with no Thai domicile to be domiciled at a Thai address they held within the last two years, or at a Thai place of business or the residence of a local agent or contact, which can give a Thai court jurisdiction.
Where is a case filed if the dispute arose on a Thai ship abroad?
Under Section 3(1), where the cause of action arises on a Thai vessel or Thai aircraft outside the Kingdom, the Civil Court is the court with jurisdiction.