Section 266 — Forgery of special documents
English translation
Whoever forges any of the following documents: (1) a right document that is an official document; (2) a will; (3) a share certificate, debenture, or certificate of a company, partnership, or association; (4) a bill of exchange or a certificate of deposit; shall be liable to imprisonment from one year to ten years and a fine from twenty thousand baht to two hundred thousand baht.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 266 is the most aggravated tier of forgery, above both Sections 264 and 265. Its aggravating element is again the class of document, but limited to four high-trust instruments listed in (1) to (4): a right document that is also an official document, a will, a share or debenture or company certificate, and a bill of exchange or certificate of deposit. Conviction requires the forged document to fall within one of these categories; where it does not, the conduct is charged under Section 265 or 264. Using a document forged under this section is punishable under Section 268, carrying the same one-to-ten-year exposure.
Why this matters in practice
The exposure under Section 266 is severe: a one-year minimum and a ten-year maximum, which makes suspension of sentence far less likely than under Sections 264 and 265, especially where the amount involved is large. Cases commonly bundle Section 266 with use of the forged document under Section 268, and with theft or embezzlement where an employee or fiduciary is involved. The defence often turns on whether the forged item truly qualifies as one of the four listed categories, since misclassification can pull the case down to a lighter section. Given the stakes, restitution, cooperation, and early legal advice materially affect outcome. For related property offences see fraud and scam laws in Thailand.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3471/2567 (2024)
Forging an official right document falls under Section 266(1), and using that forged document is punishable under Section 268 read with Section 266, treated as forgery and use of an official right document.
The defendant pleaded guilty and was convicted under Section 266(1) and Section 268 paragraph one read with Section 266, being the forger and user of a forged official right document, following charges under Sections 264, 265, 266, and 268.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Which documents fall under Section 266?
Section 266 covers forgery of four categories: an official right document, a will, a company or partnership share, debenture, or certificate, and a bill of exchange or certificate of deposit. These carry the heaviest forgery penalty of one to ten years imprisonment.
Is forging a will a serious crime in Thailand?
Yes. A will is expressly listed in Section 266(2), so forging one carries imprisonment of one to ten years and a fine up to 200,000 baht, well above ordinary document forgery.