Section 354 — Who counts as a dependent
Statutory text (Thai original)
เพื่อประโยชน์ในการบังคับคดีตามที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๓๕๑ ให้ถือว่าบุคคลดังต่อไปนี้เป็นบริวารของลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษา
(๑) บุคคลที่อยู่อาศัยหรือครอบครองทรัพย์นั้นและมิได้ยื่นคำร้องต่อศาลภายในกำหนดเวลาตามมาตรา ๓๕๓
(๒) หรือยื่นคำร้องต่อศาลแล้วแต่แสดงต่อศาลไม่ได้ว่าตนมีอำนาจพิเศษในการอยู่อาศัยหรือครอบครองทรัพย์นั้น
(๒) บุคคลที่เข้ามาอยู่ในทรัพย์นั้นในระหว่างเวลาที่เจ้าพนักงานบังคับคดีดำเนินการให้เจ้าหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาเข้าครอบครองทรัพย์นั้น
English translation
For the purposes of execution as provided in Section 351, the following persons shall be deemed dependents of the judgment debtor:
(1) a person who resides in or possesses the property and has not filed a motion with the court within the time under Section 353(2), or who has filed a motion but cannot show the court that he has a special power to reside in or possess that property;
(2) a person who enters the property during the time the executing officer is acting to put the judgment creditor into possession of that property.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This section defines the reach of an eviction by fixing who is legally a dependent and therefore removable without a separate judgment against them. It closes two gaps left by Section 353: occupants who ignore the fifteen-day notice or cannot prove a special right, and opportunistic entrants who move in while the handover is under way. By deeming both groups dependents, it prevents the eviction being defeated by strangers taking the debtor's place. It should be read together with Sections 351 to 353, which set the procedure this definition supports.
Why this matters in practice
This rule stops eviction being gamed. If you are truly independent of the losing party, you must act on the notice in time, because silence or a weak claim makes you a dependent by law and you lose the property with the debtor. Creditors benefit too: someone who slips into the property mid-handover cannot claim to be an outsider needing their own lawsuit. If you moved in believing you had a right to the place, verify your position before the deadline rather than after. Our guide to going to court in Thailand gives context.
Frequently asked questions
Who is treated as a dependent in a Thai eviction?
Under Section 354, a dependent includes an occupant who did not file within the fifteen-day period under Section 353(2) or could not prove a special right, and anyone who enters the property while the officer is handing it over to the creditor.
Can someone who moves in during the eviction avoid being removed?
No. Section 354(2) deems anyone entering the property during the handover a dependent of the judgment debtor, so they can be evicted without a separate case against them.