Section 252 — No Court Fees in Criminal Cases
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในคดีอาญาทั้งหลายห้ามมิให้ศาลยุติธรรมเรียกค่าธรรมเนียมนอกจากที่บัญญัติไว้ในหมวดนี้
English translation
In all criminal cases, courts of justice are prohibited from demanding fees other than those provided in this Chapter.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 252 opens the Chapter on fees with a general prohibition: in criminal cases, courts of justice may charge only the fees this Chapter expressly authorizes. It embodies the principle that access to criminal justice should not be gated by court fees, in contrast to civil litigation. The prohibition has been applied to strike down charges such as filing fees on a defendant and, in some contexts, the cost of serving process where not authorized here.
Why this matters in practice
This is a real protection for defendants and private prosecutors: you should not be charged court fees in a criminal case beyond what this Chapter allows, and courts have refunded or reversed improper charges even when raised late, as it is a question of public order. The civil compensation part of a criminal case is treated differently and can carry fees, see sections 253 and 254.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3330/2566 (2023)
Under section 252 a court of justice may not demand fees in a criminal case beyond those this Chapter provides, so a defendant need not pay the court filing fee, including on the civil part of a criminal appeal.
Because this Chapter does not provide otherwise for defendants and a filing fee is a form of fee, the defendants owed no filing fee on appeal; the Court held the appellate court properly heard the civil part despite non-payment.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 740/2566 (2023)
Section 252 bars a court from charging a defendant costs not provided in this Chapter, such as the cost of serving a copy of the appeal.
The Court held that collecting 360 baht from the defendant for serving the appeal copy was unlawful under section 252 and, as a matter of public order, raised and corrected the point on its own.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 637/2563 (2020)
Money a petitioner deposits to serve copies of a petition and hearing notices is not a fee prohibited by section 252, so requiring that deposit is lawful.
In a proceeding to recover seized property before the IP and IT Court, the Court held the service-cost deposit is not among the fees section 252 forbids, so requiring it was correct.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Are there court fees in a Thai criminal case?
Generally no. Section 252 prohibits courts from charging fees in criminal cases except those this Chapter specifically allows.
Can a defendant be charged a filing fee to appeal a criminal case?
No. The Supreme Court has held that a defendant need not pay a court filing fee because none is provided for defendants in this Chapter, per section 252.