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Thai Notary Law & Service Co., Ltd. logo

Thai Notary Law

& Service Co., Ltd.

Thai Notary Law & Service Co., Ltd. corporate seal logo

Thai Notary Law & Service Co., Ltd.

Reg. No. 0405565001923

Established 2022 · Licensed by Lawyers Council of Thailand

Legal advisory

Thai wills and estate planning for foreign nationals

A will that covers Thai assets should be executed in the Thai form. Otherwise the family spends the first months of the probate proving that a foreign document works here.

Call 094-8958999Line: @thainotaryView pricing →
6
Notary Attorneys
77
Provinces
40+
Languages

Our Team

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Thai notary attorney affixing a gold notarial seal on a certified document — Bangkok law office at golden hour

Signature Craft

Every notarial seal, every certified translation, every embassy legalization — handled with the precision of a Bangkok law firm licensed since 2022.

✦ In-house Notarial Services Attorneys

Verified Business Registration

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Verified by

DBD · กรมพัฒน์ฯ

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Established

2022

🌐

Coverage

180+ countries

6 In-house Notary Public Attorneys

Click any license to view the full image. All 6 attorneys are registered Notarial Services Attorneys under the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

Under the Civil and Commercial Code s.1656, an ordinary will must be in writing, dated, and signed by the testator before at least two witnesses present at the same time, who then sign. Without a valid will, s.1629 distributes the estate among six classes of statutory heirs, and the spouse's share is fixed by s.1635. An estate administrator is appointed by court order under s.1711–1713.

Governing authority / legal basis
Civil and Commercial Code Book VI (Succession): s.1629 statutory heirs, s.1635 spouse's share, s.1646–1658 will forms, s.1711–1713 appointment of an estate administrator; Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979) and the Land Code for the treatment of immovable property
Turnaround
Will drafting and execution 5–10 working days · court appointment of an estate administrator commonly several months, set by the court's own calendar
Fees
Quoted per matter once we see the documents, the parties and the deadline. Court, land office and government fees are charged at the authority's own rate and are separate. Confirm scope and fees with our staff by phone, Line or Email before any drafting or filing begins.

What we handle

A will limited to Thai assets

Where there is already a will abroad, we draft the Thai will so the two do not revoke each other — a general revocation clause in a later foreign will can wipe out the Thai one by accident.

Choosing the will form

Ordinary written will with two witnesses (s.1656), holograph will (s.1657) or a will made as a public document at the district office (s.1658). The public form is slower but harder to attack for want of formality.

Immovable property realism

A condominium unit can pass to a foreign heir only within the statutory foreign-ownership limits, and land inherited by a foreign heir is subject to Land Code restrictions. We set out the disposal position rather than leave the family to discover it.

Estate administrator application

Banks and the land office will not release assets to an heir without a court order appointing an administrator. We prepare the petition, the heir evidence and the hearing.

Cross-border evidence

Foreign death, marriage and birth certificates used in a Thai probate must be translated and legalised; we run that chain in parallel so the hearing is not adjourned.

Documents required

DocumentIssued / prepared byWatch out for
Passport / Thai ID of the testatorClientThe name in the will must match the title documents of every asset listed.
Asset schedule (bank accounts, condominium, vehicles, shares)ClientAccount numbers, unit numbers and chanote details — a vague description forces a further application later.
Marriage certificate and children's birth certificatesRegistrar / district officeUsed to prove the class of statutory heirs; foreign certificates need translation and legalisation.
Existing foreign will, if anyClientWe check the revocation clauses in both directions before the Thai will is signed.
Death certificate (for an administration application)District office / foreign registrarA foreign death certificate must be legalised before the Thai court will accept it.
Two witnessesArranged at signingA beneficiary or their spouse must not witness the will — that gift can fail.

Document lists, official fees and acceptance conditions vary between offices, branches and provinces, and change by notification. Confirm with the receiving authority before you act on this page.

How the process runs

  1. 1

    Asset and family map

    We list what is in Thailand, what is abroad, and who the statutory heirs would be if nothing were signed.

    Step 1: Asset and family map
  2. 2

    Form and structure advice

    Which will form to use, whether a separate Thai will is warranted, and how immovable property should be dealt with.

    Step 2: Form and structure advice
  3. 3

    Bilingual drafting

    Thai and English text prepared together so the testator reads what the court will construe.

    Step 3: Bilingual drafting
  4. 4

    Execution

    Signing before two qualified witnesses, or at the district office for the public form, with an execution note kept on file.

    Step 4: Execution
  5. 5

    On death — administration

    Petition to appoint the estate administrator, notice to heirs, hearing attendance, and collection of assets against the order.

    Step 5: On death — administration

Why files get rejected

  • A will signed with only one witness, or witnessed by a beneficiary, is the single most common defect we see in do-it-yourself Thai wills.
  • A later foreign will with a broad revocation clause can revoke a valid Thai will. Both documents must be drafted with the other in view.
  • Banks in Thailand will not pay out to a named beneficiary in a will without a court order appointing the administrator; the will alone is not enough.
  • A foreign heir inheriting land does not automatically acquire the right to keep it — the Land Code restrictions govern what happens next.
  • Until Thailand's Apostille accession takes effect on 28 February 2027, foreign certificates used in a Thai probate follow the consular legalisation route.

Frequently asked questions

คำถามที่พบบ่อย (FAQ)

Do I need a separate Thai will if I already have one at home?+

In most cases yes, for the Thai assets. A Thai-form will keeps the probate here on domestic evidence instead of requiring the family to prove and legalise a foreign document at every step.

What happens if there is no will at all?+

The estate passes to the statutory heirs in the six classes set out in s.1629, with the surviving spouse taking the share fixed by s.1635. It is a fixed order — it does not follow what the deceased told the family.

Can my foreign spouse inherit my condominium?+

A unit can pass to a foreign heir subject to the Condominium Act foreign-ownership limits in that building. Where the limit is already reached, the position is a disposal, not retention, and the will should say so.

How long does the court appointment take?+

Commonly several months from filing to order, depending on the court's calendar, whether the heirs consent, and whether foreign documents still need legalising. We do not quote a guaranteed date.

Must the will be notarised?+

Thai law does not require notarisation for validity. Notarisation is used where the will or the supporting evidence must be shown to a foreign institution.

Authoritative Sources

References & Citations

Official government, legal, and international sources cited throughout this page.

  1. 1

    Office of the Council of State· แหล่งทางการ

    Office of the Council of State — Civil and Commercial Code ↗

    www.krisdika.go.th

  2. 2

    Office of the Judiciary of Thailand· แหล่งทางการ

    Office of the Judiciary of Thailand ↗

    www.coj.go.th

  3. 3

    Bureau of Registration Administration· แหล่งทางการ

    Bureau of Registration Administration (BORA), Ministry of Interior ↗

    www.bora.dopa.go.th

  4. 4

    Department of Lands· แหล่งทางการ

    Department of Lands ↗

    www.dol.go.th

  5. 5

    Department of Consular Affairs· แหล่งทางการ

    Department of Consular Affairs — legalisation ↗

    consular.mfa.go.th

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General information, not legal advice on your specific matter. We are not a bank, not an insurance broker and not an agent of any state authority, and we do not guarantee any authority's decision.

Talk to us before you file — reply within 24 hours

Tell us your nationality, visa category and the deadline. Our staff confirms the scope and the fee by phone, Line or Email before any work begins.

Chat on LineCall 094-8958999Email contact@thainotary.co.th
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Disputes & cross-border claims

Company & compliance

A lawyer pressing a notarial seal onto original signed documents at an office desk
Signatures must be executed in front of a Notarial Services Attorney registered with the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

Deep Context and Service Standards

Sourced from the Lawyer Act B.E. 2528 (1985), the Lawyers Council Regulation on Notarial Services Attorneys B.E. 2546 (2003), the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019), the Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, and official publications of the Department of Consular Affairs (MFA).

Firm Overview and Practice Framework

Thai Notary Service is a full-service Thai law office providing document notarization, certified translation, legalization chain management, and international document consultancy. Our team includes Notarial Services Attorneys licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand under the Royal Patronage, and we operate offices in Bangkok, Greater Bangkok, and a partner network in every province across Thailand. We serve individuals, expatriates, cross-border couples, students, corporates, multinationals, and government agencies requiring documents with legal effect both inside Thailand and abroad.

All notarial acts follow the Lawyer Act B.E. 2528 (1985) Section 27 read with the Lawyers Council Regulation on Notarial Services Attorneys B.E. 2546 (2003), the sole legal basis authorizing Thai attorneys to certify documents comparable to a foreign Notary Public. Every attorney on our team has completed the accredited training and examination administered by the Lawyers Council and holds a verifiable registration number searchable on the Lawyers Council public registry.

By choosing a firm that houses Notarial Services Attorneys in-house, clients consolidate a multi-stage legalization chain under one accountable roof: attorney notarization, followed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) legalization at the Department of Consular Affairs, followed by embassy or consular legalization for the destination country. Since 21 November 2024 the Kingdom of Thailand has become a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents). Documents apostilled in Thailand are now accepted in more than 125 member states without embassy re-legalization, materially reducing turnaround time and cost.

General Information and Firm Framework — Deep Context

The firm operates under an ISO 9001:2015 quality-management framework and enforces data protection consistent with the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019). All client documents are stored with AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit and are retained for ten years in accordance with lawyer-record obligations under the Lawyer Act.

Our team combines Notarial Services Attorneys, NAATI-certified translators, and legal specialists in intellectual property, taxation, cross-border family law, corporate law, and immigration law, together with a support team dedicated to documentation, translation, and government-agency liaison.

Fees are transparent and disclosed both on the website and in the pre-engagement quote, separating professional fees, government fees, travel disbursements (if any), and other line items. The firm issues VAT invoices and official receipts and accepts payment by bank transfer, credit card, PromptPay, and cash.

Trust Standards — PDPA, SLA, Quality Assurance

On data protection, the firm strictly follows the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019), Sections 24, 26, and 27 — collecting, using, and disclosing personal data only to the extent necessary for the engagement, disclosing purposes, and obtaining consent from data subjects in advance. Clients retain the right to inspect, obtain a copy, rectify, erase, or withdraw consent at any time through the firm's Data Protection Officer (DPO). For clients in the European Union, processing follows GDPR Article 6 (lawful basis) and Article 46 (Standard Contractual Clauses).

Our Service Level Agreement targets an inquiry response within one hour during business hours (09:00–18:00, Monday to Saturday), attorney appointments within twenty-four hours, standard notarization within one business day (or two to three hours on express service), certified translation within three to five business days per ten A4 pages, MFA legalization within two business days on standard service (one business day express), and embassy legalization typically within three to fifteen business days depending on the mission's own policy.

Every deliverable passes a three-tier quality-assurance chain: (1) the responsible attorney or translator, (2) a Senior Attorney or department head reviewing substance and formatting, (3) a Quality Control desk performing the final pre-delivery check. Any firm-side error is remedied at no additional cost, and if a document is rejected by a government authority due to a firm-side error, we cover the entire re-filing fee.

Contact and Initial Consultation

Initial consultation is complimentary via Line @thainotary or by phone at 094-8958999. The team responds within one hour during business hours. Every inquiry is treated confidentially under the Lawyers Council ethics rules and the Personal Data Protection Act.