Section 316 — Attachment of claims against third parties
Statutory text (Thai original)
การอายัดสิทธิเรียกร้องของลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาที่จะเรียกให้บุคคลภายนอกชำระเงินหรือส่งมอบหรือโอนทรัพย์สินก็ดี หรือที่จะเรียกให้บุคคลภายนอกชำระหนี้อย่างอื่นนอกจากการชำระเงินหรือการส่งมอบหรือการโอนทรัพย์สินก็ดี ให้ศาลหรือเจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีกระทำโดยมีคำสั่งอายัด และแจ้งคำสั่งนั้นให้ลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาและบุคคลภายนอกทราบ
คำสั่งอายัดตามวรรคหนึ่ง ต้องมีข้อห้ามลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาไม่ให้จำหน่ายสิทธิเรียกร้องและมีข้อห้ามบุคคลภายนอกไม่ให้ปฏิบัติการชำระหนี้นั้นแก่ลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษา แต่ให้ชำระเงินหรือส่งมอบหรือโอนทรัพย์สินหรือชำระหนี้อย่างอื่นให้แก่ศาล เจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีหรือบุคคลอื่น หรือให้ดำเนินการโดยวิธีอื่นใดตามที่ศาลหรือเจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีเห็นสมควร ณ เวลาหรือภายในเวลา หรือเงื่อนไขตามที่กำหนดให้ แล้วแต่กรณี
คำสั่งอายัดนั้นให้บังคับได้ไม่ว่าที่ใด ๆ
English translation
The attachment of a claim of the judgment debtor by which a third party is to be required to pay money, or to deliver or transfer property, or by which a third party is to be required to perform an obligation other than the payment of money or the delivery or transfer of property, shall be made by the court or the execution officer by issuing an attachment order and notifying that order to the judgment debtor and the third party.
The attachment order under paragraph one must contain a prohibition against the judgment debtor from disposing of the claim, and a prohibition against the third party from performing the obligation to the judgment debtor, requiring instead that the third party pay the money, or deliver or transfer the property, or perform the other obligation, to the court, the execution officer, or another person, or proceed by any other method as the court or the execution officer thinks fit, at or within the time, or upon the conditions, prescribed, as the case may be.
The attachment order may be enforced wherever it may be.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 316 opens Part 4 on the attachment of claims and sets out the core mechanism of garnishment. It reaches any claim the judgment debtor holds against a third party, whether for money, for delivery or transfer of property, or for some other performance, and requires an attachment order served on both the debtor and the third party. Paragraph two fixes the two prohibitions that give attachment its effect: the debtor may not dispose of the claim, and the third party must not pay the debtor but must instead pay the court, the officer, or another designated person. Paragraph three makes the order enforceable regardless of location. It is the anchor for the following sections, including Section 320 on effects, Section 321 on compelling an uncooperative third party, and Section 325 on objections. The provision was renumbered by the Civil Procedure Code Amendment Act (No. 30) B.E. 2560 (2017).
Why this matters in practice
Attachment of claims is the workhorse of Thai debt enforcement: it is how creditors reach a debtor's salary, bank deposits, rental income, or trade receivables without waiting to seize physical assets. Because the order binds the third party directly, the third party must not keep paying the debtor once served, or it risks having to pay twice. If you are recovering money and know where the debtor banks or works, attachment is often the fastest route, which is why it is central to any debt collection strategy.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 57/2564 (2021)
A third party served with an attachment order under Section 316 paragraph two cannot afterward set off the attached amount against a debt the judgment debtor owes it; a set-off carried out after receipt of the attachment notice cannot defeat the attachment.
The judgment debtor was entitled to dividends and rebate refunds from the third party. After being served the execution officer's attachment notice, the third party tried to set those sums off against a loan the debtor owed it. The Supreme Court held the set-off was ineffective under Section 316 paragraph two, and that an ordinary loan is not a preferential debt, so the third party had no priority over the attached funds.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What can be attached under Section 316?
Any claim the judgment debtor holds against a third party, whether for money, for delivery or transfer of property, or for another performance, such as salary, bank deposits, or trade debts owed to the debtor.
What must a third party do after receiving an attachment order?
The third party must stop paying the judgment debtor and instead pay the court, the execution officer, or the person named in the order. Paying the debtor after being served risks having to pay again.