Section 83 bis — Serving a foreign defendant
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในกรณีที่จำเลยไม่มีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรให้ส่งหมายเรียกและคำฟ้องตั้งต้นคดีแก่จำเลย ณ ภูมิลำเนาหรือสำนักทำการงานของจำเลยนอกราชอาณาจักร เว้นแต่ในกรณีที่จำเลยประกอบกิจการในราชอาณาจักรด้วยตนเองหรือโดยตัวแทน หรือในกรณีที่มีการตกลงเป็นหนังสือว่าคำคู่ความและเอกสารที่จะต้องส่งให้แก่จำเลยนั้น ให้ส่งแก่ตัวแทนซึ่งมีถิ่นที่อยู่ในราชอาณาจักรที่จำเลยได้แต่งตั้งไว้ เพื่อการนี้ ให้ส่งหมายเรียกและคำฟ้องตั้งต้นคดีแก่จำเลยหรือตัวแทนในการประกอบกิจการหรือตัวแทนในการรับคำคู่ความและเอกสาร ณ สถานที่ที่จำเลยหรือตัวแทนใช้ประกอบกิจการหรือสถานที่อันเป็นถิ่นที่อยู่ของตัวแทนในการประกอบกิจการหรือของตัวแทนในการรับคำคู่ความและเอกสาร ซึ่งตั้งอยู่ในราชอาณาจักร แล้วแต่กรณีในกรณีที่มีการเรียกบุคคลภายนอกซึ่งไม่มีภูมิลำเนาอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเข้ามาเป็นคู่ความตามมาตรา ๕๗
(๓) ให้นำความในวรรคหนึ่งมาใช้บังคับโดยอนุโลม
English translation
Where the defendant has no domicile within the Kingdom, the summons and the plaint initiating the action shall be served on the defendant at the defendant's domicile or place of business outside the Kingdom, except where the defendant carries on business within the Kingdom in person or through an agent, or where there is a written agreement that pleadings and documents to be served on the defendant shall be served on an agent residing within the Kingdom whom the defendant has appointed for this purpose. In such case, the summons and the plaint initiating the action shall be served on the defendant, or on the agent for the carrying on of business, or on the agent for receiving pleadings and documents, at the place where the defendant or the agent carries on business, or at the place of residence of the agent for the carrying on of business or of the agent for receiving pleadings and documents, situated within the Kingdom, as the case may be.
Where a third person having no domicile within the Kingdom is summoned to become a party under Section 57 (3), the provisions of paragraph one 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 83 bis opens the cluster of provisions in Title 4 dealing with service on defendants who have no domicile in Thailand. The default is service abroad at the defendant's foreign domicile or place of business, but the section carves out situations that permit service within the Kingdom: where the defendant carries on business here in person or through an agent, or where the defendant has appointed, in writing, a Thai-resident agent to receive pleadings. It works together with Sections 83 ter to 83 octo, which govern service methods, translations, timing, and when foreign service takes effect, and it is extended by Section 57 (3) to foreign third persons joined to the case.
Why this matters in practice
Suing a party based abroad is slower and more formal than a domestic case, so establishing where the defendant can lawfully be served is the first strategic question. If the defendant genuinely runs business in Thailand or has an appointed local agent, you may be able to serve here and avoid the long foreign-service timeline. Getting the address and route right at the outset avoids a dismissal for defective service. This is worth planning with a lawyer through a paid consultation with a Thai lawyer.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 9251/2559 (2016)
For service on a foreign defendant at a local party's premises under Section 83 bis, that local party must genuinely be the defendant's agent for carrying on business in the Kingdom; isolated acts such as arranging a ship's arrival or issuing cargo release orders are not enough, and without such agency the summons and plaint must be served at the defendant's domicile or place of business outside the Kingdom.
The court found that a local party's role, limited to acts such as arranging a ship's arrival and issuing cargo release orders, did not make it the foreign defendant's business agent within the Kingdom, so the exception in Section 83 bis did not apply. The earlier order permitting service on the foreign defendant at the local party's office was therefore a mistaken proceeding, and the plaintiff had to amend and serve at the defendant's address outside the Kingdom.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4939/2549 (2006)
Where a foreign defendant carries on business in the Kingdom through a local agent, service of the summons and a copy of the plaint on that defendant at the agent's place of business or place of residence within the Kingdom is lawful under Section 83 bis paragraph one.
The court held that serving the summons and copy of the plaint on the foreign defendant at the domicile of its local agent, who carried on business for it within the Kingdom, was lawful under Section 83 bis paragraph one. The foreign defendant's objection to service was rejected.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
How is a foreign defendant served in a Thai civil case?
Under Section 83 bis, the summons and initiating plaint are served at the defendant's domicile or place of business abroad, unless an exception allows service within Thailand.
When can a foreign defendant be served inside Thailand?
When the defendant carries on business in Thailand in person or through an agent, or has appointed a Thai-resident agent in writing to receive documents, service may be made at that local place or agent's address.