Civil and Commercial Code
Book V: marriage, marital property, divorce, parental power and maintenance.
Eastern Thailand — Chonburi
Family & Succession in Chonburi
Marriage, divorce, custody, wills and estate administration
Why Chonburi matters are different
Chonburi holds three economies in one province: industry around Laem Chabang and Sriracha, tourism and foreign residence in Pattaya, and commerce in the provincial city. Legal work here ranges from factory labour disputes and subcontracting agreements to promoted-investment structures, real-estate work and family matters for foreign residents.
Family and succession work handled with both legal and personal care: cross-border marriage registration, prenuptial agreements, divorce, custody, adoption, wills and appointment of estate administrators.
- The industrial base drives a high share of labour and subcontracting disputes, making time records and work orders critical evidence from day one.
- Pattaya sees heavy foreign condominium activity; recurring issues are the building’s foreign quota and unpaid common-area fees attaching to the unit.
- Many projects sit within investment-promotion zones, so employment and shareholding arrangements must match the conditions on the promotion certificate.
- Two provincial courts sit in this province, so the correct venue must be confirmed from domicile and the place of the events before filing.
Courts and authorities in Chonburi
Jurisdiction and filing requirements should be confirmed for each matter, because practice and required attachments differ between offices.
| Court / authority | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Chonburi Provincial Court, Pattaya Provincial Court and Chonburi Municipal Court | Civil and criminal cases by territorial jurisdiction in the province |
| Chonburi Juvenile and Family Court | Family and juvenile matters |
| Labour Court Region 2 | Labour cases across the eastern region, driven by the industrial base |
| Chonburi Provincial Labour Protection and Welfare Office | Receives complaints and mediates labour disputes before litigation |
| Chonburi Provincial Land Office and branch offices | Land, condominium and lease registration |
| Chonburi Immigration Office | Extensions of stay and foreign-national matters for Pattaya and Sriracha |
| Chonburi Legal Execution Office | Enforcement of judgments in the province |
| Chonburi Provincial Commercial Office | Local company registration services |
What we handle in Chonburi
- Thai-foreign marriage registration and embassy affirmations
- Prenuptial agreements and marital property arrangements
- Administrative divorce and divorce by court judgment
- Custody, child maintenance and legitimation
- Domestic and inter-country adoption
- Wills, estate administrators and distribution including overseas assets
The local process, step by step
- 1Understand the family situation and the client’s goals
- 2Verify legal status and civil-registration documents
- 3Present the least adversarial workable option first
- 4Prepare documents, with translation and legalisation for cross-border matters
- 5File with the district office, embassy or Juvenile and Family Court
Documents to prepare
- ID card and house registration, or passport
- Affirmation of freedom to marry from the embassy for a foreign spouse
- Marriage, divorce or death certificates as relevant
- Children’s birth certificates for custody and maintenance matters
- Schedule of estate assets and ownership documents
Points to watch
- Foreign documents must be translated and legalised before the district office appointment or they will be refused.
- A prenuptial agreement must be recorded at the time of marriage registration; it cannot be added later.
- A will that fails the statutory formalities is void, however clear the intention.
Typical timeframe
Marriage registration completes in one appointment when documents are ready; contested divorce or succession cases take many months or longer.
Timeframes are indicative and depend on the court calendar and the authority handling the matter in Chonburi.
Areas of Chonburi we regularly serve
เมืองชลบุรีพัทยาศรีราชาแหลมฉบังบางละมุงสัตหีบจอมเทียนนาเกลือพนัสนิคมบ่อวิน
Laws that govern this matter — Chonburi
Summarised for general understanding only. The application of each provision depends on the facts of your case.
Juvenile and Family Court Act B.E. 2553 (2010)
Sets family court jurisdiction, centred on the best interests of the child.
Family Registration Act B.E. 2478 (1935)
Governs registration of marriage, divorce and legitimation at the district office.
Example situations and how they are handled — Chonburi
These are constructed examples used to explain procedure. They are not client matters, and no outcome is implied or guaranteed.
Illustrative scenario: consensual divorce with a foreign spouse
Situation: Both parties agree to divorce but need the outcome recognised abroad.
Usual approach: Plan documents from the start: child and property terms, registration of the divorce, and certification/translation for overseas use. (Hypothetical.)
Advice for your specific situation — Chonburi
Spouses with children
- Spell out custody, residence, contact and maintenance to reduce later disputes.
- Agreements not properly registered or formalised can be hard to enforce.
Foreigners married in Thailand
- Check how your home country recognises a Thai marriage or divorce and what certification it requires.
- Marital status affects visas and residence — plan both together.
Every matter — what to do in the first 7 days
- Gather every original document in one place, keep scanned copies, and note the date you received each one.
- Write a dated timeline — the date you received a notice or learned of the event usually starts the limitation or appeal clock.
- Do not sign a settlement, debt acknowledgement or withdrawal before a lawyer reviews it — it may extinguish existing rights.
- Preserve digital evidence unaltered (full screenshots, original files, emails with headers) — edited files are easy to challenge.
Questions people in Chonburi ask
Dismissed from a factory in Chonburi — where do I start?
Start by keeping the termination letter, recent payslips and time records. You may then either file with the labour inspector or sue directly in Labour Court Region 2. The first route has no filing fee and is often faster; the second reaches a wider range of damages, so the choice follows the nature of the claim.
Buying a resale condominium in Pattaya — what must be checked?
Check the building’s remaining foreign quota, the debt-free certificate for common-area fees, registered encumbrances on the unit title, and the status of the condominium juristic person — outstanding fees block transfer registration even though the buyer did not incur them.
Subcontracting inside an industrial estate — which clauses matter most?
Focus on defect liability, staged delivery, retention-money terms and joint liability under labour protection law — a principal can in some circumstances be jointly liable for the wages of a subcontractor’s employees.
What must a foreign spouse prepare before registering a marriage?
Usually an affirmation of freedom to marry from their embassy, translated into Thai and legalised at the Department of Consular Affairs before filing at the district office.
How does administrative divorce differ from court divorce?
Administrative divorce requires mutual consent and a Thai-registered marriage; otherwise the matter goes to the Juvenile and Family Court.
Same service in other provinces
Family & Succession — BangkokFamily & Succession — Chiang MaiFamily & Succession — PhuketFamily & Succession — Khon KaenFamily & Succession — Udon ThaniFamily & Succession — Nakhon RatchasimaFamily & Succession — SongkhlaFamily & Succession — Surat ThaniFamily & Succession — Chiang RaiFamily & Succession — RayongFamily & Succession — NonthaburiFamily & Succession — nationwide
Other legal services in Chonburi
Litigation & Court Representation — ChonburiCivil, criminal, labour, family, succession and land disputesCorporate & Commercial — ChonburiIncorporation, contracts, foreign business, BOI and complianceImmigration & Foreign Nationals — ChonburiVisas, work permits, residency and lawful statusIntellectual Property — ChonburiTrademarks, copyright, patents and enforcementLand & Real Estate — ChonburiTitle due diligence, sale, lease and transfer at the Land OfficeMediation, Arbitration & Enforcement — ChonburiResolving disputes outside court and making awards effectiveNotarial Services & International Documents — ChonburiSignature and document certification, translation, consular and embassy legalisationBOI Promotion & Foreign Business Licensing — ChonburiStructuring foreign investment in Thailand correctly from day one.
Discuss your Chonburi matter with an attorney
Tell us the facts and we will explain which authority applies, what documents are needed and the realistic timeframe.