Section 79 — Substituted service by posting
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าการส่งคำคู่ความหรือเอกสารนั้นไม่สามารถจะทำได้ดังที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตราก่อน ศาลอาจสั่งให้ส่งโดยวิธีอื่นแทนได้ กล่าวคือปิดคำคู่ความหรือเอกสารไว้ในที่แลเห็นได้ง่าย ณ ภูมิลำเนาหรือสำนักทำการงานของคู่ความหรือบุคคลผู้มีชื่อระบุไว้ในคำคู่ความหรือเอกสารหรือมอบหมายคำคู่ความหรือเอกสารไว้แก่เจ้าพนักงานฝ่ายปกครองในท้องถิ่นหรือเจ้าพนักงานตำรวจ แล้วปิดประกาศแสดงการที่ได้มอบหมายดังกล่าวแล้วนั้นไว้ดังกล่าวมาข้างต้น หรือลงโฆษณาหรือทำวิธีอื่นใดตามที่ศาลเห็นสมควรการส่งคำคู่ความหรือเอกสารโดยวิธีอื่นแทนนั้น ให้มีผลใช้ได้ต่อเมื่อกำหนดเวลาสิบห้าวันหรือระยะเวลานานกว่านั้นตามที่ศาลเห็นสมควรกำหนด ได้ล่วงพ้นไปแล้วนับตั้งแต่เวลาที่คำคู่ความหรือเอกสารหรือประกาศแสดงการมอบหมายนั้นได้ปิดไว้ หรือการโฆษณาหรือวิธีอื่นใดตามที่ศาลสั่งนั้นได้ทำหรือได้ตั้งต้นแล้ว
English translation
If the service of a pleading or document cannot be carried out as provided in the preceding sections, the court may order it served by another method instead, that is, by posting the pleading or document in a conspicuous place at the domicile or place of business of the party or of the person named in the pleading or document, or by handing the pleading or document to the local administrative official or a police officer and then posting a notice showing that such handing over has been made, in the manner stated above, or by advertisement or any other method the court thinks fit. Service of a pleading or document by such another method shall take effect only after a period of fifteen days, or a longer period the court thinks fit to fix, has elapsed from the time the pleading or document, or the notice of the handing over, was posted, or the advertisement or other method ordered by the court was made or begun.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 79 is the fallback when ordinary service under Section 74 and the methods in Sections 75 to 78 cannot be accomplished. It is available only by order of the court, not at the officer's discretion, and it lists posting at the domicile or place of business, delivery to a local administrative official or police with a posted notice, advertisement, or any other method the court thinks fit. The critical timing rule is in paragraph two: substituted service takes effect only after fifteen days, or a longer period the court fixes, from the posting or advertisement. Courts strictly enforce both the requirement of a proper order and the fifteen day rule, and defective posting is a common basis for setting aside default proceedings.
Why this matters in practice
Two things decide most disputes here. First, posting is valid only if the court ordered it and the officer posted at the correct domicile or place of business, not, say, at a building lobby. Second, the clock: a posted service does not bite until fifteen days pass, so a deadline calculated before that is premature. If you were defaulted after posted service, count the fifteen days and check the posting location, then move to reopen if it is wrong. A Thai lawyer online can review the service record.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4138/2564 (2021)
Service by posting takes effect only after fifteen days have elapsed from the posting under Section 79 paragraph two; where fewer than fifteen days remained before the hearing, the posted service had no effect and the party was not deemed to know the court's order.
Court officers posted the hearing notice for the defendant and his lawyer only eleven and twelve days before the reading date. The court held that under Section 79 paragraph two posted service takes effect only after fifteen days, so it had not yet taken effect by the hearing date, and the defendant was not deemed to know the order to pay the additional appeal fee.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2629/2562 (2019)
Posted service under Section 79 paragraph one requires posting in a conspicuous place at the party's domicile or place of business; merely leaving the summons and copy of the plaint at a ground floor security desk of the building where the office is upstairs is not lawful service.
The officer left the summons and copy of the plaint at the security desk on the ground floor of a building where the defendant's office was on the fifth floor, instead of posting in a conspicuous place at the office. The court held this did not meet Section 79 paragraph one, so service was unlawful and the trial court had never properly served the summons.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1001/2568 (2025)
Notifying a party of the judgment reading date by posting a notice at the courthouse, instead of serving by ordinary means first, offends Section 79 and renders the notice and the subsequent proceedings for that party unlawful.
The trial court gave notice of the judgment reading date only by posting at the courthouse, without first attempting ordinary service on the objecting party. The court held this breached Section 79, making the notice invalid and the following proceedings for that party unlawful, since posting is a fallback that presupposes ordinary service could not be done.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
When can a court order service by posting in Thailand?
Under Section 79, only when ordinary service cannot be done. The court may then order posting at the domicile or place of business, delivery to an official with a posted notice, advertisement, or another suitable method.
When does service by posting take effect?
Under Section 79 paragraph two, substituted service takes effect only after fifteen days, or a longer period the court fixes, from the posting or advertisement. A deadline counted before that has not yet started.
Can I reopen a case if the posting was done wrong?
Often yes. If the court did not order the posting, or it was posted at the wrong place, or the fifteen day period had not elapsed, the service is defective under Section 79 and the default proceedings can be set aside.