Section 363 — Six-month limit on detention
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในกรณีที่ศาลสั่งกักขังลูกหนี้ตามคำพิพากษาหรือบุคคลใดตามมาตรา ๓๕๓ หรือมาตรา ๓๖๑ บุคคลนั้นจะต้องถูกกักขังไว้จนกว่าจะมีประกัน หรือมีประกันและหลักประกันตามจำนวนที่ศาลเห็นสมควรกำหนดว่าตนยินยอมที่จะปฏิบัติตามคำบังคับทุกประการ แต่ทั้งนี้ ห้ามไม่ให้กักขังแต่ละครั้งเกินกว่าหกเดือนนับแต่วันจับกุมหรือวันเริ่มกักขัง แล้วแต่กรณี
ในกรณีที่ผิดสัญญาประกันตามวรรคหนึ่ง ให้นำบทบัญญัติมาตรา ๓๖๒ วรรคสอง มาใช้บังคับโดยอนุโลม
English translation
Where the court orders the detention of a judgment debtor or any person under Section 353 or Section 361, that person shall be detained until there is a guarantee, or a guarantee and security, in the amount that the court considers appropriate to prescribe, stating that they consent to comply with the writ of execution in every respect. However, detention on each occasion shall not exceed six months counted from the date of arrest or the date detention begins, as the case may be.
In the case of a breach of the guarantee contract under paragraph one, the provisions of Section 362 paragraph two shall apply mutatis mutandis.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 363 sets the outer limits on coercive detention imposed under Section 353 (execution to perform an act) or Section 361 (general disobedience). Detention is conditional and time-capped: the person is held only until they guarantee full compliance, and no single spell may run beyond six months from arrest or the start of detention. This ceiling is the key safeguard that keeps civil detention a coercive tool rather than punishment, distinguishing it from criminal imprisonment. The section borrows Section 362 paragraph two for summary enforcement of a breached guarantee and, like the rest of Chapter 7, was reorganised by the Amendment Act (No. 30) B.E. 2560 (2017).
Why this matters in practice
The six-month cap is the practical point litigants must grasp on both sides. For the detained person, compliance or an acceptable guarantee ends the detention at any time, and even without either they cannot be held beyond six months on one occasion. For the creditor, detention is pressure, not a permanent remedy, so it should be used alongside other steps to actually obtain performance. Because the rules on guarantees and the six-month clock can be technical, confirm your position with a Thai lawyer before relying on detention.
Frequently asked questions
How long can someone be detained to force compliance in a civil case?
Under Section 363, detention lasts only until the person guarantees full compliance, and each period of detention cannot exceed six months from the date of arrest or the start of detention.
Can a detained person get out before six months?
Yes. They are released as soon as they post a guarantee, or a guarantee and security, in the amount the court sets, stating they consent to comply with the writ of execution in every respect.