Section 4 quater — Court for estate administrator petitions
Statutory text (Thai original)
คำร้องขอแต่งตั้งผู้จัดการมรดก ให้เสนอต่อศาลที่เจ้ามรดกมีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ในเขตศาลในขณะถึงแก่ความตายในกรณีที่เจ้ามรดกไม่มีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ในราชอาณาจักร ให้เสนอต่อศาลที่ทรัพย์มรดกอยู่ในเขตศาล
English translation
A petition for the appointment of an estate administrator shall be submitted to the court within whose territorial jurisdiction the deceased had domicile at the time of death. Where the deceased had no domicile in the Kingdom, it shall be submitted to the court within whose territorial jurisdiction the estate property is located.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 4 quater is the special venue rule for probate style petitions to appoint an estate administrator, and it fixes venue by the deceased's domicile at the moment of death rather than by the location of any single asset. Where the deceased had no Thai domicile, venue shifts to where the estate property is located. Because venue turns on the deceased's domicile, a petition to administer the estate of a person domiciled elsewhere cannot be tacked onto a related estate simply because the assets or heirs overlap. The section operates alongside the substantive rules on estate administrators in the Civil and Commercial Code, such as Sections 1713 and 1718.
Why this matters in practice
Getting venue right is the first hurdle in any estate administration case: filing in the wrong court leads to dismissal and delay while family members wait to deal with bank accounts, land, and other assets. Where a family has several deceased relatives, each estate may need to be filed in the court of that person's own last domicile, not bundled together. For foreigners with assets or heirs in Thailand this can be complex. See our inheritance guide for foreigners.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 11216/2558 (2015)
Under Section 4 quater paragraph one, the court where the deceased was domiciled at the time of death has jurisdiction over a petition to appoint an estate administrator.
The decedents were domiciled within the Phetchaburi Provincial Court's area at death. The court held that under Section 4 quater paragraph one the court of the deceased's domicile at death has jurisdiction over a petition to appoint an estate administrator, so the trial court had properly accepted the petition.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 850/2551 (2008)
A petition to administer the estate of a person domiciled elsewhere falls outside a court's jurisdiction under Section 4 quater, and relatedness to another estate handled by that court does not bring it within jurisdiction once the anchoring petition is rejected.
The petitioner sought to administer the estates of decedents who were domiciled in Bangkok. The court held those petitions fell outside the trial court's jurisdiction under Section 4 quater, and relatedness to another decedent's estate did not bring them within it once the anchoring petition was rejected.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 661/2550 (2007)
A monk's temple can be his domicile, so the public prosecutor may petition the court of the deceased's domicile at death, under Section 4 quater paragraph one, to appoint an estate administrator.
A monk had a temple as one of his domiciles and left estate property with difficulties in administration. The court held the public prosecutor could petition the court of the deceased's domicile at death, under Section 4 quater paragraph one, to appoint a suitable estate administrator.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Which court hears a petition to appoint an estate administrator in Thailand?
Under Section 4 quater the petition is filed in the court where the deceased was domiciled at the time of death. If the deceased had no domicile in Thailand, it is filed where the estate property is located.
Can I combine petitions for several deceased relatives in one court?
Not just because the estates or heirs overlap. Section 4 quater ties venue to each deceased person's own domicile at death, so a petition for someone domiciled elsewhere generally cannot be added to a related estate.