Thai legal terms

short for 'yellow colored tabien baan' which is an administrative document and address and resident registration book issued by the local municipality (amphur) for foreigners residing at a dwelling in Thailand, normally this booklet is blue colored for Thai nationals but is case of foreigners they gave it a yellow color (not required and not an important document as it basically does not confer any additional rights).

official blue covered document issued by the Thai Labor Department that shows that a person (foreigner) is allowed to work in Thailand in a specific described employment at a specific location and for a specific employer in Thailand. The official license to work legally in Thailand

means a unit of measurment of land in Thailand, a land surface or unit of land measuring 1 Wah equals 4 square meters.

is a valid and binding transaction or action, having legal effect, but may be voided by one of the parties to the action or transaction.

Of no legal effect, not valid or legally binding, as invalid from the outset.

this is the endorsement marked in a passport issued by a Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General indicating that the visa holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in Thailand.

real property legal term, under Thai law a registered property right attached to an immovable property by which the owner grants another person the exclusive but temporary possession, use, enjoyment and management of his real property governed by a usufruct contract agreement and the civil and commercial code sections 1417 to 1428 (chapter 'usufruct')

in contract law but also marriage laws (property between husband and wife) the undoing of any unjust enrichment of one person at the expense of another in circumstances that the law sees as unjust or unlawful.

mutual consent divorce and marriage ending where both parties agree on all matters concerning the divorce like division of marital assets and debts, child support, child custody and if any spousal/ child maintenance (alimony). Such amicable divorce is pursuant section 1514 Thai Civil Code and takes place at the District Office (or Amphur) in Thailand and requires among others a Thai divorce settlement agreement and both parties present.

Tor.Dor.13 (ท.ด.13) is the official Land Department Land Sale and Purchase Agreement form in Thailand, printed with the Garuda emblem. It is a standardized government document that must be signed by both seller and purchaser in the presence of a Land Office registrar when transferring ownership of land. Unlike a private SPA, Tor.Dor.13 is the only contract legally recognized and registered at the Land Office to effect the transfer of title.

Tor.Dor.11 (ท.ด.11) is the official Land Department Land Lease Agreement form in Thailand. It bears the Garuda emblem and is the only document legally recognized by the Land Office for the registration of a lease. While parties may draft their own detailed private lease, the Tor.Dor.11 form must be signed at the Land Office for the lease to be valid and enforceable against third parties.

Tor.Dor.21 (ท.ด.21) is the official Land Department power of attorney form for land. It allows the owner of a specific immovable property to authorise another person to act on their behalf at the Land Office for a clearly described transaction (for example, sale, transfer, mortgage, lease or survey) in respect of that particular land or building.

The TM30 is Thailand’s Notification of Residence for Foreigners required under the Immigration Act (Section 38). It obliges a property owner/landlord to notify immigration whenever a non-Thai national stays at the property.

a legal deed or document issued by the Land Department constituting evidence of a right, especially to possession or ownership of land and/ or real property (condominium unit) in Thailand.

older form form which is replaced by the Foreign Exchange Transaction form (FET-form)

a house and resident registration book (tabien baan) with a dark blue colored cover used for the registration of thai nationals and foreigners with official residency in Thailand having their permanent home at the specific dwelling (address).

a house and resident registration book (tabien baan) with a bright yellow cover used for the registration of foreign nationals who stay in Thailand at the dwelling (address in Thailand) on a temporary basis.

Or tessebaan (municipality) is the local government administrative body of a village, town, or city in Thailand.

Third subdivision level local governmental unit in Thailand, Tambons make up a district or amphur (second subdivision level), amphurs make up a province

address and resident registration book issued by the local municipality (amphur) for every apartment, house or place to live in (dwelling) and registers and administrates the persons having principal residency (domicile) at a dwelling.

Right of superficies (สิทธิเหนือพื้นดิน) is a registered land right in Thai civil law that lets a person use land and own any buildings/structures on it, separate from the landowner, either for the holder’s lifetime or up to 30 years. It functions similarly to a long-term lease in common-law systems but also gives ownership of the structures. A landowner in Thailand may grant this right to another person (including a foreigner).

A person who is capable of managing one's own affairs, like making a valid contract. A person who has all the rights and is not under the power of another (e.g. a minor). Every one of full age is presumed to be sui juris. In Thailand a person on completion of twenty years of age becomes sui juris (section 19 Thailand civil and commercial code).

Statutory heirs are relatives recognized by law, such as descendants, parents, siblings, and spouses, who inherit when there is no will. Heirs in general are individuals legally entitled to receive a deceased person’s property, either under a valid will (testamentary heirs) or by operation of law (statutory heirs).

a person who (unlawfully) occupies unused land acquires ownership rights by holding the property for a specific period of time (see section 1382 below). Squatters' rights in Thailand depend in the length of (adverse) possession and type of land title (land with a full ownership deed or mere possession rights)

Land document issued by the forest department granting the right to a private person to reside and live in a specific area of land in reserved forest land (public land prohibited for private ownership), a sor.tor.gor gives a personal right (like the right of habitation) and cannot be sold but can be passed on by inheritance.

Property given by the man to the parents, adopter or guardian of his fiancée before marriage as part of engagement ceremony (betrothal), in return for the woman (fiancée) agreeing to marry the man (found in Thai law section 1437 civil code). 

that is personal non-marital property, i.e. generally all debts and assets owned and acquired before the marriage (including 'Khongman')

that is marital assets or property of the marriage jointly owned by husband and wife, in general all properties acquired after the marriage, except those listed in section 1471 under 3

legal term used in property law describing the non-possessory right or beneficial interest that a person has over an immovable property of another person (like right of way/ easement between servient property and dominant property), it runs with that immovable property or properties and can apply to a variety of benefits and burdens and is governed by section 1387 to 1401 of Thailand the civil and commercial code.

Introduced in 2019 (B.E. 2562), Sap-Ing-Sith is a registrable real right, granted by agreement with the owner, to use chanote-titled land/condo for up to 30 years; foreigners may hold it.

An official address-confirmation letter (Certificate of Residence, TM.16) issued by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau that verifies a foreign national’s Thai address for use in procedures that require proof of address (e.g., driver’s licence or vehicle registration). It is not an immigration status.

tax payable to the local government under the Land and Building Tax. Applies among others to properties rented out in their district therefore feels like a rental tax though not correct because Land and Building Tax has a broader application and it is not aimed at taxing rental income (as rental income is already taxable under the Revenue Code)

Real rights (e.g. superficies, usufruct, habitation, servitude) are primarily attached to a property and follows ownership of the property (third parties have to respect a real right) as distinguished from personal rights (e.g. contracts rights such as sale, tenancy, gift) which are primarily only enforceable and binding between the parties (attached to the parties not the property). Real rights are governed by book IV 'Property' and not Book II 'Obligations' or Book III 'Specific Contracts'.

means a unit of measurement of land in Thailand. A unit of surface expressed in Rai, 1 Rai is equal to 1600 square meters in metric measurement, 1 acre is approx 2,5 Rai.

against what is viewed as appropriate in Thai society both in the legal (laws) and moral sense

the area of law dealing with forms of ownership, possession, encumbrances and rights to immovable property in Thailand

a court process required to validate a will or appoint an administrator to distribute the estate of a deceased person in Thailand. This process applies whether the person died with a Thai will, a foreign will, or without any will at all (click to read more about the court procedure...).

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in Civil laws of Thailand referring to 'periods of time' fixed by law and the role of the passage of time in the ending of certain rights or how a period of time can create certain rights, for example the rights a person could acquire after he held or used a property of another for an uninterrupted period of time.

A Thai prenuptial agreement is a written contract made before marriage that sets how the spouses’ personal property (sin suan tua) and marital property (sin somros) will be managed. To be valid it must be in writing, signed by both parties and two witnesses, and registered/attached to the marriage at the district office (Amphur) at the time of marriage registration. After marriage it can only be changed by court order.

shares giving a shareholder or group of shareholder in a (Thai) limited company priority or specified preferential rights in certain matters of the company limited over that of ordinary shareholders (as defined within a company's articles of association)

a signed and witnessed document you can use to appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf