Section 51 — Prescription for connected civil claims
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าไม่มีผู้ใดฟ้องทางอาญา สิทธิของผู้เสียหายที่จะฟ้องทางแพ่งเนื่องจากความผิดนั้นย่อมระงับไปตามกำหนดเวลาดังที่บัญญัติไว้ในประมวลกฎหมายอาญาเรื่องอายุความฟ้องคดีอาญาแม้ถึงว่าผู้เยาว์หรือผู้วิกลจริตในมาตรา ๑๙๓/๒๐ แห่งประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์จะเป็นผู้ฟ้องหรือได้ฟ้องต่างหากจากคดีอาญาก็ตามถ้าคดีอาญาใดได้ฟ้องต่อศาลและได้ตัวผู้กระทำความผิดมายังศาลด้วยแล้ว
แต่คดียังไม่เด็ดขาดอายุความซึ่งผู้เสียหายมีสิทธิจะฟ้องคดีแพ่งย่อมสะดุดหยุดลงตามมาตรา
๙๕ แห่งประมวลกฎหมายอาญาถ้าโจทก์ได้ฟ้องคดีอาญาและศาลพิพากษาลงโทษจำเลยจนคดีเด็ดขาดแล้วก่อนที่ได้ฟ้องคดีแพ่งสิทธิของผู้เสียหายที่จะฟ้องคดีแพ่งย่อมมีตามกำหนดอายุความในมาตรา
๑๙๓/๓๒ แห่งประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ถ้าโจทก์ฟ้องคดีอาญาและศาลพิพากษายกฟ้องปล่อยจำเลยจนคดีเด็ดขาดแล้วก่อนที่ได้ยื่นฟ้องคดีแพ่งสิทธิของผู้เสียหายจะฟ้องคดีแพ่งย่อมมีอายุความตามประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์
English translation
If no one has filed a criminal charge, the injured person's right to bring a civil action arising from that offence is extinguished upon the lapse of the period prescribed in the Penal Code on prescription for criminal prosecution, even though the minor or person of unsound mind referred to in section 193/20 of the Civil and Commercial Code is the one who brings, or has brought, the action separately from the criminal case. If a criminal case has been filed with the court and the offender has been brought before the court, but the case is not yet final, the prescription within which the injured person may bring the civil action is interrupted under section 95 of the Penal Code. If the plaintiff has filed the criminal case and the court has convicted the defendant and the case has become final before the civil action was filed, the injured person's right to bring the civil action is subject to the prescription period under section 193/32 of the Civil and Commercial Code. If the plaintiff filed the criminal case and the court acquitted and released the defendant and the case became final before the civil action was filed, the injured person's right to bring the civil action is subject to prescription under the Civil and Commercial Code.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 51 coordinates civil prescription with the criminal timeline for connected claims, in four situations. First, if no one prosecutes, the civil claim is governed by the criminal prescription period in the Penal Code, even when a minor or person of unsound mind is the one suing. Second, once a criminal case is filed and the offender is before the court but not yet final, the civil prescription is interrupted under Penal Code section 95. Third, if the defendant is convicted and the case becomes final before the civil suit, the victim gets the long prescription period under Civil and Commercial Code section 193/32. Fourth, if the defendant is acquitted and released and the case becomes final first, ordinary civil prescription applies. The section only governs genuinely connected claims: a matter that is really a breach of contract, or a claim between parties who were not parties to the crime, follows ordinary civil prescription instead.
Why this matters in practice
Prescription is where many connected civil claims are won or lost, so identify early which of the four scenarios you are in. The big trap is the first one: if no criminal case is filed, your civil claim can expire on the criminal prescription clock, which for some offences differs from ordinary tort prescription. Conversely, a conviction that becomes final can hand you a fresh, long window to sue. Because the answer depends on the exact offence, its penalty, and the status of any criminal case, calculating your deadline is not something to guess at, take advice through a consultation with a Thai lawyer before the clock runs.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8722/2561 (2018)
Where no one has prosecuted, the injured person's civil claim is bound by the criminal prescription period under Section 51 paragraph one, read with Civil and Commercial Code section 448 paragraph two.
Because no one had prosecuted, the Court held the victim's right to sue civilly was governed by the criminal prescription period under Section 51 paragraph one with Civil and Commercial Code section 448 paragraph two. The trespass, committed jointly by two or more persons with a maximum penalty not exceeding five years, carried a ten-year criminal prescription under Penal Code section 95(3).
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1527/2562 (2019)
A claim between parties who were not the parties to the crime is not a civil claim connected with a criminal case, so Section 95 interruption under Section 51 paragraph two does not apply.
The claimant's demand for compensation against insurers did not involve the same parties as the criminal case, so it was not a civil claim connected with a criminal one. The Court held the interruption of prescription under Penal Code section 95, through Section 51 paragraph two, did not apply, and the two-year prescription ran from the date of the loss.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3038/2566 (2023)
A claim that is in substance a breach of contract is not a civil claim connected with a criminal case, so the criminal prescription under Section 51 paragraph one does not apply.
The Court held the claim was not a civil matter connected with a criminal case that would import the criminal prescription under Section 51 paragraph one with Civil and Commercial Code section 448 paragraph two. Being in substance a breach of contract with a ten-year prescription, and filed within that time, the claim was not time-barred.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
If no criminal charge is filed, what prescription applies to my civil claim?
Under Section 51 paragraph one, the civil claim connected to the offence is governed by the criminal prescription period in the Penal Code, even if a minor or person of unsound mind is the plaintiff.
Does filing a criminal case affect the civil prescription?
Yes. Once a criminal case is filed and the offender is before the court but not yet final, the civil prescription is interrupted under Penal Code Section 95.
Does this section apply to a breach of contract claim?
No. Section 51 governs claims genuinely connected with a criminal offence. A matter that is really a breach of contract follows ordinary civil prescription, not the criminal timeline.