Section 253: Unlawful use of a genuine official seal
Statutory text (Thai original)
ผู้ใดได้มาซึ่งดวงตราหรือรอยตราดังกล่าวในมาตรา ๒๕๐ หรือมาตรา ๒๕๑ ซึ่งเป็นดวงตราหรือรอยตราอันแท้จริง และใช้ดวงตราหรือรอยตรานั้นโดยมิชอบในประการที่น่าจะทำให้ผู้อื่นหรือประชาชนเสียหาย ต้องระวางโทษสองในสามส่วนของโทษที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๒๕๐ หรือมาตรา ๒๕๑ นั้น
English translation
Whoever obtains a seal or a seal impression referred to in Section 250 or Section 251, being a genuine seal or seal impression, and uses that seal or seal impression unlawfully in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public, shall be liable to two thirds of the punishment prescribed in Section 250 or Section 251, as the case may be.
ThaiLawOnline translation, written from the Thai original and verified
Firm annotation
The distinguishing feature of this section is that the seal is genuine. Section 252 deals with using a seal, seal impression or Royal Signature that has been forged, and it carries the full penalty of Section 250 or Section 251. Section 253 covers the different case where the article itself is authentic but the accused obtained it and used it without authority. The elements are (1) obtaining a genuine seal or seal impression of the kind described in Section 250 or Section 251, (2) using it unlawfully, and (3) doing so in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public. Because the article is genuine rather than forged, the punishment is set at two thirds of that provided by the section the seal falls under, rather than the full amount. The likelihood of damage is an element in its own right, so unauthorised use that could cause no damage to anyone falls outside the section.
Why this matters in practice
The first thing to establish is whether the seal is genuine or forged, because that decides the section and the penalty. A forged seal used by the accused falls under Section 252 and carries the full penalty of Section 250 or Section 251. A genuine seal obtained and then misused falls here, and the penalty is two thirds of that figure. The second element to test is the likelihood of damage: the section requires that the unlawful use be in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public, so use that could harm nobody is outside it. In practice these cases arise where a former officer, employee or contractor retains access to an official stamp and applies it to documents after their authority has ended.
Cited in 5 Supreme Court decisions (1960 to 1992)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 2266-2278/2519 (1976)
- Decision 4632/2533 (1990)
- Decision 996/2535 (1992)
- Decision 1285/2503 (1960)
- Decision 1931/2522 (1979)
This list is selected automatically, weighted towards judgments that turn on this section rather than ones that merely recite it when passing sentence. It has not yet been reviewed by the firm.
Most often cited alongside
- Section 251 6
- Section 265 6
- Section 264 5
- Section 83 4
- Section 268 4
- Section 250 4
Sections that appear in the same judgments as this one most often. The figure is the number of decisions.
Counted across the firm's corpus of 83,652 Supreme Court decisions, 1921 to 2026. The count is complete; the stated year range trims rare outliers so it describes where the citations actually sit. These figures are computed by us and are not official court statistics. How we count these, and what we measured
Frequently asked questions
What does Section 253 punish?
Obtaining a genuine seal or seal impression of the kind referred to in Section 250 or Section 251, and then using it unlawfully in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public.
How is Section 253 different from Section 252?
By whether the seal is genuine. Section 252 covers using a seal, seal impression or Royal Signature that has been forged, and carries the full penalty of Section 250 or Section 251. Section 253 covers a genuine article misused, and carries two thirds of that penalty.
Is likely damage an element of Section 253?
Yes. The unlawful use must be in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public, so unauthorised use that could cause no damage to anyone falls outside the section.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
-
Plain citation
Penal Code, s. 253 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 253. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-253/ (accessed 17 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.อ. มาตรา 253 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-253/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-253/"><p>Whoever obtains a seal or a seal impression referred to in Section 250 or Section 251, being a genuine seal or seal impression, and uses that seal or seal impression unlawfully in a manner likely to cause damage to another person or to the public,…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 253 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-penal-code/section-253/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.