Section 210 — Dismissal of Out-of-Time Appeal
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อศาลอุทธรณ์เห็นว่าฟ้องอุทธรณ์มิได้ยื่นในกำหนด ให้พิพากษายกฟ้องอุทธรณ์นั้นเสีย
English translation
When the Court of Appeal is of the view that the appeal was not filed within the prescribed period, it shall render judgment dismissing that appeal.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 210 makes the appeal deadline a hard gatekeeping rule. If the Court of Appeal concludes that the appeal was not filed within the period fixed by law, generally one month from the reading of the trial court judgment under Section 198, it must dismiss the appeal outright without reaching the merits. The provision works together with the extension rules: because Section 15 imports the civil procedure power to extend time only for special circumstances, an improperly granted extension does not save a late appeal, and the Court of Appeal will still dismiss it under Section 210. By Section 225 the same bar applies to a late dika. The result is that timing defects are fatal regardless of how strong the underlying grounds may be.
Why this matters in practice
The deadline is the single most important thing to get right on appeal: file even one day late and the Court of Appeal must dismiss under Section 210, no matter how strong your case. The ordinary deadline is one month from the reading of the trial court judgment, and any extension needs a genuine special circumstance, not mere inconvenience such as being busy copying documents. If you may need more time, apply for an extension before the deadline expires and give real reasons. Missing the appeal window is one of the most common and avoidable ways to lose, so act early. A consultation with a Thai lawyer right after judgment can protect your appeal rights.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 7223/2539 (1996)
Where an order extending the appeal period was not lawful, it did not give the defendant a right to appeal beyond the one-month period under Section 198, so the appeal was out of time and the Court of Appeal's refusal to consider it and dismissal under Section 210 was correct.
The trial court had extended the appeal period, but the extension was unlawful, so the defendant's appeal fell outside the one-month limit under Section 198. The Supreme Court held the Court of Appeal was right to decline to consider the appeal and to dismiss it under Section 210.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 491/2515 (1972)
Section 15 allows the civil procedure power to extend time under Section 23 of the Civil Procedure Code to apply to the criminal appeal period, but only for special circumstances; where the reason is not special, extension is refused and the appeal is dismissed under Section 210.
The plaintiff sought more time to copy witness statements and documents. The Supreme Court held this was not a special circumstance justifying extension of the appeal period, reversed the trial court order, and dismissed the plaintiff's appeal under Section 210.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I file my appeal late?
Under Section 210 the Court of Appeal must dismiss an appeal filed after the deadline, without deciding the merits. The usual deadline is one month from the reading of the trial court judgment.
Can a granted extension save a late appeal?
Not if the extension was improper. The Supreme Court holds that an extension without a genuine special circumstance is invalid, so the appeal is still late and must be dismissed under Section 210.