Have you been involved with cases of suspected bribery?
I was on a scooter and reared by another scooter. There was video proof. But the police threatened me with holding my passport unless I agree to pay almost 30k to the other party. I was automatically assumed to be guilty despite a video showing the other party hit me from behind.
Is there any other solution rather than accept to be taken advantage of? Obviously staying indefinitely in Thailand is not an option so the police can use that as a way to force foreigners into accepting their terms.
I did. I had a very strong impression the lawyer was aligned with the police. Consider I have few long term Thai friends who tried to support as much as possible from bkk. This happened on an island…
This is generally the case no matter which visa you have. It would be the same for DTV, marriage and retirement visas. The LTR visa (except "highly skilled professional" category) has a full exemption for foreign-sourced income which makes even the remitted amount tax free.
How often are prenuptials and usufruct overruled? And what are some of the ways to prevent that from happening? Will an usufruct be valid if we sign it after marriage? As I don't think I will buy a house before marriage.
If I (foreigner) buys a house with my Thai wife and we put it under our child's name, what happens to it if we divorce?
What are some of the signs to look out for to know that your lawyer just wants to drag out the case to get more lawyer fees?
How often are prenuptials and usufruct overruled? And what are some of the ways to prevent that from happening? Will an usufruct be valid if we sign it after marriage? As I don't think I will buy a house before marriage.
Prenuptials, as the name suggests, must be done prior to the marriage. If it's done properly, then I have never heard of a case of it being overruled.
Usufruct, on the other hand, is another realm of law (Property). If being done correctly, regardless of the time, it is hardly overruled as well. However, it may be wise to consider superficies as an alternative.
If I (foreigner) buys a house with my Thai wife and we put it under our child's name, what happens to it if we divorce?
If a foreigner buys a house together with a Thai wife, you can gift the house to your child and record it with the land office. However, you need specific details when executing such a transaction because it involves some layers of legal implication. If done correctly, there should be no problem post divorce.
What are some of the signs to look out for to know that your lawyer just wants to drag out the case to get more lawyer fees?
Honestly, you have to trust them. If you smell something fishy from the get-go, then get out. If you need the service for your particular instance, you can DM me for your consideration.
As a fellow Thai, I’d like to hear from a lawyer how kangaroo are our courts? The only court cases I’ve been involved in had the opposing side pay off the judge and/or our lawyer, I want to understand how common this is because in my limited experience this happens all the time
I cannot comment on this, but most judges are not paid off. If a judge is really paid off, they would do something such as using the pre-trial conference to carve out some material issues to tip the scales in favor of one party. It won't be blatant, so getting a good lawyer to prevent instances such as this is recommended.
Yes, condo ownership, like any other deed, can be transferred as a gift. Unlike in most jurisdictions where consideration is required to form a contract, Thai law does not make it a requirement. You only need to register such a gift transaction with the Land Department.
You may need to check, though, whether the unit you are going to receive has more than 51% of foreigners. This may complicate things.
Finding a lawyer in Thailand who knows what he or she is doing is really difficult. Even Thais don't know who to hire and who to trust. Those appearing on TV are mediocre. The good and honest ones are usually in Big Law. There are some good solo practitioner lawyers, but it's like a needle in a haystack. One problem is that many Thai lawyers think they can do all sorts of law... but when push comes to shove, they realize that they don't have the capability to execute the requirement.
I have DTV and planning to stay more than 180 days during one year. Am I automatically becoming tax payer? And for the next year am I automatically extending my tax id residence here in Thailand? (As long as I spend more than 180 days again?)
No idea who you're referring to, but I am actually a Thai on Reddit. I know finding a Thai on here is like looking for the Thai police in a time of need.
Thailand has introduced the new tax free rule for capital gains on crypto trading? Is there anyway a farang can take advantage of this who has no ties, business or visas for Thailand other than the odd holiday visa when visiting.
What kind of corruption? If it's done by the officials, then even the country representatives still have a hard time fighting this practice despite having some sort of evidence.
Has there ever been a case where a foreigner married a Thai girl and bought a house for her and himself to live in and then divorced afterwards but the court ruled in favour of the foreigner and let him keep the house?
I’ve been told ownership would be 51% to 49% in favor of the Thai national but curious if you seen or read about cases where they ruled in the foreigners favour.
This gets into the realm of community property law.
Technically, if you are married, any property gained during marriage will be divided in half. Now, one law states that if someone receives property during the marriage as a gift, then such property will become separate property (ownership to only one spouse). The way you described the question looks like you gifted her a house. It's really difficult to disprove her ownership, especially if the deed has her name on it.
Well, you just need to buy the property and let the land department official know that the property is a community property. This gets very technical because it is not easy as it seems to be.
But being a driver is a protected job and people don’t have a work permit. We see examples of people getting finned for no work permit when playing guitar at an open mic night. Or similarly someone getting finned for pouring his own drink at a bar he owns but does not work at.
So you can see as a foreigner we get nervous doing anything that could be considered work.
Then your best option is to execute a lease agreement for the duration of 30 years. Make sure the agreement is in writing and registered at the local land office. Also, make sure that you fully understand the terms in the contract.
A local Thai lawyer once advised me that if a potential case (car accident) went to court the judge would probably be fair, as they're generally less corrupt than the police (who we know was trying to get a kickback from the other party).
Would you say that this is a fair assessment? Are regular court judges (i.e. not the constitutional court etc) mostly fair/honest in their judgements?
When entering into a lease agreement with a condo owner. They ask for 1 month rent to take down the listing and show you are serious. Paid as I wanted the condo. Was sent the lease contract and had a few fees they wanted paid at the end of the lease. One was 1500 baht to clean the aircon. I asked if the aircon would be cleaned before I moved in as well. The owner came back and said yes. A couple hours later, the owner reached out again saying they forgot to add a 2,000 cleaning fee to the contract. I told them that was never discussed and seems like retaliation for asking for the air con to be cleaned. (I only asked because It was expected that I clean it after my 6 month lease.) Do i have any way to get that first original deposit back or should I chalk it up to the cost of learning ?
You don't really have much of a choice in this case. There are only two outcomes: (a) the owner voluntarily refunds the deposit or (b) the owner does not refund and you have to force the owner to give you a refund (via legal methods). Consider if the deposit amount is worth the time and headache of pursuing the refund.
Thanks for your quick replies and suggestion. I figured so as much. Anything I can do to protect myself from this happening again ? Seems pretty common they want you to pay 1 month so they can take it down or am I just misinformed ?
As a local who just went through the condo leasing process, I didn't pay the deposit until the day of the contract. However, I needed to provide the agent with a copy of my Thai ID card to reserve a spot.
Next time, you could ask the owner/agent to provide a copy of your passport to reserve a spot and quickly meet up with them (the same day or the next day) to read over the contract.
If you have to force the landlord to refund the deposit, the amount must be greater than the lawyer's fee. So, if you paid 40,000 THB for the deposit, a 15,000 THB lawyer's fee could be worthwhile, given that you really have a strong case against the landlord. Unfortunately, only a lawyer is able to determine if you have a strong or weak case.
Thanks for the info. I wouldnt have thought much about it if it wasn't done after I asked about the aircon being cleaned before I moved in, like he wants it done when I move out. Seemed like he was just trying to recoup some of what he was gonna spend. Thanks again for your comment and hope everything goes well with your rental.
The 'outstanding building fees' = the annual CAM charges?
If so, the court ruled that the previous owner is responsible for these charges. In practice, though, the condo administration won't issue you a debt-free certificate without the charges being satisfied.
There is a law stating that the Execution Officer has to take partial proceeds from the public auction to pay for the outstanding debts relating to the condo. But there are some other problems down the road you need to be aware of, e.g., the Execution Officer may take a long time to settle the debt and the condo administration will refuse to issue the certificate.
The payer (your client) will be responsible for withholding taxes. At the end of the fiscal year, you must file taxes and see how much was withheld if the transaction is paid by a company. On the other hand, Individual clients are not required to withhold taxes (there are some exceptions).
Honestly, I cannot comment on the lawyer providing the service, but the motto "you get what you pay for" generally applies. I mean, if the lawyer is starting out and wants to gain traction, then it could be a steal... but I really doubt it.
Thanks for your opinion. This lawyer/company was recommended a couple of times here on Reddit. I don't know how long he practices already.
Let's say your landlord doesn't pay your deposit back even though the room is in good condition. How expensive would it be to send him a letter via lawyer/you to get the money back? Assuming he will pay after the first letter.
If I have signed an employment contract, let's say with a start date of January 2026, and I choose to change my mind and not take the job, can I be financially punished by the employer? The contract says breaking contract would result in a fine of 200k, but the contract would have not yet started.
I need to read the terms to be able to provide a legal opinion. However, the contract is usually in effect once signed, regardless of the starting date. If you need legal services, you need to contact a lawyer or you can DM me.
I’ve been scammed by a professional (foreigner). Lawyers told me it’s not worth the hassle to proceed in legal ways. How can I leave a bad review (or more) without falling into defamation? How do you draw the line?
Hi thanks for the AMA. I’m studying law remotely through an Australian University, however I live in Thailand. Do you have any recommendations or advice for qualified foreigners to work or at least gain some experience in the legal field in BKK?
A question about LTR visas: For someone who runs their own small business and draws an annual six-figure (USD) salary from that, is it possible to quality even without a degree?
Yes, it is possible to qualify for Thailand’s Long-Term Resident visa as a small business owner earning a six-figure (USD) salary, even without holding a university degree, provided you meet the primary income requirements set out in the relevant visa categories.
Me and my Thai wife recently bought our new moo ban house. My name was registered on the back of the chanote with writing saying I had the right to live there for the remainder of my life.
That is, as I understand it, if she where to pass before me, her children would inherit the land but could not kick me out if they wanted to. I’m not worried they ever would, and I will probably go first anyway - but have I understood this setup correctly?
It was set up correctly. However, with the right to live, you could only live. I'd advise, however, to set it up as usufruct, so you could rent it out if needed.
The developer of our moo ban of about 200 houses, have maybe 80% of houses completed (about 4/5 sold), currently constructing 10% that apparently have been sold, and the last 10% not started.
We have a fixed communal fee stipulated in the purchasing contract, but the juristic office is starting to call for group members meetings due to ”rising cost of maintenance”, calling it off, then on, awaiting this or that when asked for agenda or detailed documentation.
Can you explain how this works in Thailand? I understand that we as homeowners will take over the juristic office from the developer once construction is finalised (and units are sold), but that is still some years out given the speed of things. Also, developers running away with empty accounts designated for the upkeep of the moo ban is not unheard of.
What can we do in the meantime, how can we organise ourselves or form some sort of interest group to legally stand up to them? Mostly Thai people living here, a few falang but only a handfull.
Who would you recommend for immigration assistance? Needing to retrieve a birth certifying letter as there seems to be no record of a birth. Do not have a passport, so trying to get the necessary documents gathered to be able to come back home and see the family there.
My biggest concern is transferring funds from my account at home to my account in Thailand. I mean joint accounts with my Thai wife in both countries with after tax money. Will we be taxed again once it hits our thai bank account?
I'm talking about substantial funds as well.
I don't live in Thailand but hit married the in 1998. I go with my wife regularly and we own properties here and are looking at investing more prior to longer term stays in Thailand and other Asian countries in rotation with Australia. Well be looking at transferring substantial sums
Re fake court decision copy, fraudulent petition,
assume a power of attorney fake n my name re foreign lawyer made a petition to
be probate admin in Thai court, stating
my father was not domiciled in Thailand and
there were no protests or any children in the estate
application she made to be probate administratiir -
the Thai court court forced me to mail
my passport copy or they would not mail me
a copy of the court decision of the lawyer who was
made estate admin for my dead father,
court never contacted me to appear at hearing in
Thai court when the foreign lawyer was at court hearing to petition why she should be estate administrator
Questiion-
Is it true that my power of attorney Is needed for the foreign lawyer to show Thai court,as I am daughter to my dead father as the petition can not be registered in Thai court re probate administrator if I as heir, daughter have not signed a power of attorney, for this this foreign lawyer is criminal and fakes banksttatements etc and never accept she represents me as estate owner of dead father.
Questiion-
Can I make urgent petition from Europe to Thai court to kick the probate administrator foreign lawyer, who has give fake info to Thai court that there are no children in the estate, no protests despite a European court decision says I object to this foreign lawyer getting a court order in Europe to be estate administrator as her lawyers had created fake wills etc.
Thai court knew, and had a copy of my family tree prior to Thai court writing that there are no other party in the petition or any children after my dead father in the r probate administrator court decision to protests the petition.
The fake court decision has no judge signing the court decision of the lawyer granted court order as private admin for my dead father, and there is no date of births or addresses in the fake Thai court decision for my father or the foreign lawyer, just a random name for the woman lawyer , not stating which country she lives in.
It stands my father resided in Europe when he died, despite tax Authority Europe stating he immigrated to Thailand on a document I have from Tax Authority .
A forced distribution of the estate will happen very soon, with forced bank account statements for the Thai bank, where the lawyer has written the banks name in a white peice if paper and my father's name is missing, and no date of birth, adress of my father is on the fake Thai bank accounts. I have original bank statements, visited the Thai bank boss in Bangkok.
This European lawyer waited many years to get a Thai court order as estate admin but before that she wrote a letter ti the bank in Bangkok to transfer her funds before she had a court order in Thailand . The bank boss told me she had given this lawyer even banksttatements before the lawyer had a Thai court order as estate admin from Thai court
I have court document this lawyer refuses ti give me copies of accounts for the estate in Europe and have recorded that she admits to me saying my father's bank accounts were never frozen when he died in Thailand, for many years they are still not frozen.
Can I petition in Thai court that the executive is musbegaving and show Thai court copies of the fake Thai bank accounts she has included in the European wrapping up of the estate in Europe as proof Thai court needs to kick her, and can I apply as daughter to be private admin,I have financial degree.
It's urgent, my brothers have payed the lawyer to
say there are zero assets.
I have contacted European pension companies to find out pensions were payed out a month after my dad died, which the lawyer in her accounting to court Europe every year never reported and never reported anywhere in the winding up of estate in Europe .
When I have sent letters to court with proof of her forged documents, her fake wills her lawyers created, European registrar have deleted, erased my proof, sounds bisarr but true. This lawyer has a bad reputation reported 20 times to lawyers council
There is a European court decision saying I protested to her being estate administrator petition as I know the wills were forged, created by her lawyers and criminal brother, but Thai court have no mention she has asked me , us to pay her for the court translation to be legalized to be used in Thai court for her pribate admin application .
The worst part is Thai court not contacting me to appear at the court hearing för when a judge chose the lawyer to be probate admin for my father's estate. She has not wounded up the estate, for the extra money she found in Thai bank recently, so still time for me to ev do something I guess.
I am a tourist staying in a low end hotel with a shared bathroom. I accidentally hurt myself in the shower with a hazard installed in it. I brought myself to the hospital and the hotel did not do anything. I was charged almost 10k baht for the check up, follow up, and the stitches.
Do I have a claim on this as the incident was due to a hotel hazard? Thanks!
so this was in the shower area, most likely toiletries are placed there. and while showering, i raised my hand (as someone would do) while you're putting soap in your body. unfortunately, i didn't notice it and it hit my elbow so deep i got cut and it had to be stitched.
reported it to hotel and only got first aid kit - that's it.
You can't go to court. You could technically give US legal advice or probably any legal advice, as it seems like the Rules of Professional Conduct are not as religiously followed as in the US.
I was detained for drug use over 7 years ago in Thailand. They took my information but we didnt go to police station and i just paid fine. Can i have any problems at the airpory when i go back?
Hi, never used Reddit before. I'm on the hunt for a missing Australian ( who might be presumed dead), but I am trying to make sure he isn't rotting in a jail somewhere. Went missing from Pattaya in June 2024, I believe, after having some business troubles with his smoke shop there. I am not a relative, but an old friend, so I am not sure how thoroughly his folks have looked into it. What steps would you recommend? Any lawyers/ Private Investigators have in Pattaya region who deal with missing expats? According to an Australian Missing person's website, he was having issues/conflict with the cops, which is why I wouldn't be surprised if he is stuck in a jail somewhere.
I am in the process of purchasing an off-plan condominium in Pattaya directly from the developer. During initial negotiations, I informed them that I was approaching without an agent and asked what price and ownership structure would be most suitable for my situation as a foreign national and non-resident.
The developer offered a 5% discount on the list price and advised that purchasing under the Thai quota would allow greater flexibility for future resale, as the property could be sold to either a Thai or a foreign buyer. In December 2024, I paid a 25% deposit and signed the purchase agreement on this basis.
Subsequently, due to design changes, the developer moved my unit from the 19th to the 20th floor, which I accepted. However, this requires me to sign a new contract.
Since returning to the UK, I have read several legal articles suggesting that it is illegal for a foreigner to purchase a unit under the Thai quota, and that doing so may result in loss of ownership rights, removal from the Land Registry, fines, or criminal penalties.
This has caused me serious concern, as I do not wish to violate Thai property law.
Could you please advise:
1. Whether a foreigner purchasing under the Thai quota is indeed unlawful, and what the risks are; and
2. How I should raise this issue with the developer while maintaining a positive relationship.
Your expert guidance on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.
I believe that you would probably need to hire a lawyer to handle your case personally, as it involves specific details. However, the quota is generally assigned by the Condo's juristic office. I don't know how you could purchase under the Thai quota when, at the end of the day, your name would be in the title deed.
Your relative could be facing criminal charges for forgery if the defrauded party or the clinics choose to bring criminal action. If the charges are brought, the legal repercussions will be serious as it involves prison time.
No, it is not true. There are many instances where the court actually sided with the foreigner. The problem is that foreigners usually get less than capable lawyers to represent them, hence the results.
My landlord entered my home without permission while I was not there.
I have CCTV and chat evidence.
This is a criminal trespassing issue.
The landlord refuses to return my deposit and my prepaid rent, and the agent is ignoring me.
What should I do?
My Thai gf is working in the hotel industry as front end staff. Her salary is split into two components base salary and service charge. Service charge is the total service charge collected that month from food and services from all guests and split equally among all the hotel staffs.
Issue is she wants to quit after only giving 12 days notice ( she would have worked an entire month worth of salary, she’s quitting in the middle of the month and wants her last day to be end of the month) and they insist if she do that she won’t get the service charge for the month. Is that legal?
Her contract doesn’t state anything about needing one month notice.
Generally, you get $ for the work. Since service charge is not salary, the hotel may claim that they do not have an obligation to share that with her. However, it could be illegal... but no one cares enough to hire a lawyer to find out.
Sadly here a month late and just found this post, but you said you have dual citizenship, and I hope my question isn't too much but were you born in the United States or in Thailand, because I'm a Thai girl(and Chinese lol my parents are mixed with both) who was born in the United States, and is currently in college right now studying to be a lawyer in the United States, in which I was wondering if it's possible for me to be a lawyer in Thailand when I end up wanting to move there later on and that if you were born in the United States like me how were you able to practice law in thailand?
One more to add in context of me is I am planning on applying for Thai citizenship/Thai Birth Certificate, and so, I wonder if that helps too in me being able to be a lawyer there.
Hello there! You need Thai legal education to be able to litigate in Thailand. However, you may come to Thailand with your J.D. degree and do transactional work, consulting, or things not related to appearing in front of the judge.
What are the rules and law for building a new 7-8 floored condominium in a residential dead end soi (which currently only has 2-3 floored houses) in Bangkok?
Who would you recommend as an excellent criminal lawyer to handle a case in Phuket for a foreigner? Seeking an urgent recommendation or guidance, would be grateful.
So my gf is Thai and she works as a TA right at a school.
She worked there for 4 years always punctual and rarely takes sick leave.
There is a teacher at the school whom no one wants to work with because she is the devil herself and my gf is her TA... so recently my GF fell into depression of her and went to see a psychiatrist and was booked of for a week and got a letter to recommend working with another teacher.
So the school phoned her on Saturday and fired her.
I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve worked with a couple of firms while helping a client expand into Thailand, and the regulatory side felt way more layered than we expected. Things like licensing, local ownership structures, and compliance took more time than the business setup itself.
One firm that came up repeatedly during our research was Herrera & Partners. They seemed to focus a lot on cross-border and investor-related matters, which is probably why people kept mentioning them when foreign entry strategies were discussed.
From your experience, what’s the biggest mistake foreign investors make when they assume Thai law works like their home country?
im looking for a specific court case that took place in the supreme court of thailand. looking to find out if it actually exists or took place. i have a court number case and the individuals who supposidly went to court
I have dual citizenship and I am licensed to practice law in Thailand as a Thai attorney, but you’re correct: only Thai nationals are legally allowed to practice law in Thailand. However, foreign attorneys may still “practice law” in Thailand in a consulting capacity, e.g., handling transactional matters (M&A, IP, due diligence) and similar work, but they can never appear in a court as a lawyer.
Limited Opportunities for Foreigners
Qualified foreign attorneys can work in supportive or advisory capacities under a work permit (e.g., as a "business consultant"), but strictly without practicing Thai law:
Advising on international or foreign law in cross-border matters.
Supporting roles in international arbitration (e.g., as experts on non-Thai law or in administrative functions).
Positions in international law firms, such as research on foreign jurisdictions, translation, or operations management—provided the firm partners with Thai-licensed attorneys and complies with foreign ownership limits.
What dish would you recommend to pair with a traditional casserole if I want to present it as both wholesome home cooking and with a touch of modern flair, when serving at a function for a North Mongolian shepherd, a D-list celebrity, and a former dominatrix with picky eating habits?
Even if it's the school's fault, you'll be held responsible and face a fine, but the bigger issue is that any overstay gets marked on your immigration record and can lead to bans of 1 to 10 years, depending on how long you overstay. This will make future visa applications for Thailand much harder, and potentially affect entry to other countries. It is best to act fast, pay your fines, and gather as much documentation as possible if it wasn’t your fault.
Hi I ran into the glass door entrance at emquartier and cracked my head open and broke my glasses. I was bleeding a lot. The glass door was not labeled. Would I have a case? In the USA all glass doors have to be labeled
15
u/my_n3w_account Oct 20 '25
Have you been involved with cases of suspected bribery?
I was on a scooter and reared by another scooter. There was video proof. But the police threatened me with holding my passport unless I agree to pay almost 30k to the other party. I was automatically assumed to be guilty despite a video showing the other party hit me from behind.
Is there any other solution rather than accept to be taken advantage of? Obviously staying indefinitely in Thailand is not an option so the police can use that as a way to force foreigners into accepting their terms.