Business Services

Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement in Thailand

Winning the case and getting paid are two different things

Business Services

Winning the case and getting paid are two different things

A judgment does not pay itself. The creditor has to find the debtor's assets and have the enforcement officer seize or attach them within the time the law allows. We trace assets through the channels the law provides — land, vehicles, company shares and receivables — and take enforcement through to payment. Before a claim is filed, we trace first so you know whether suing is worth it.

What we cover

Pre-action asset tracing to judge whether a claim is worth bringing

Interim relief: seizure or attachment before judgment

Actions to set aside transfers made to defeat creditors

Writs of execution, seizure of land and assets, and attachment of money

Following auctions through to distribution of proceeds

Foreign creditors and judgments from foreign courts

Tracing before you sue

Before spending on a lawsuit, find out whether the debtor has anything to seize. We check what can lawfully be searched — company and shareholding records, and assets whose location is known — and tell you plainly how likely a judgment is to be paid.

When the debtor is moving assets

Where there is evidence that assets are being transferred or hidden, the court can order seizure or attachment before judgment, and transfers that prejudice creditors can be set aside within the time the law allows.

Enforcing a judgment

We obtain the writ of execution, take the enforcement officer to seize land or other assets, attach money owed to the debtor by others, and follow the auction through to payment. Where assets fall short and there are several creditors, bankruptcy may be another route.

Foreign creditors

Creditors abroad can act entirely through a power of attorney without travelling to Thailand. A foreign court judgment cannot be enforced directly and a new claim must be brought here, so trace assets in Thailand before deciding.

Collecting lawfully

Before suing, business creditors should start with a proper demand letter. Collecting from individuals must stay within Thailand's debt collection law, which forbids threats and telling third parties about the debt.

Talk to us about this

Free initial consultation. Send us the judgment, the contract or the list of unpaid invoices, and we will tell you whether the debtor has assets worth enforcing against and where to start. Businesses and foreign creditors with several debtors can send the whole list.

Talk to us about this +66 92 254 2045

Frequently asked questions about Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement

6 questions answered

Enforcement must be requested within ten years of the judgment — but the longer you wait, the more likely the debtor's assets have been transferred or mortgaged.

Land and buildings, vehicles, company shares and money owed to the debtor by others. Some information, such as bank accounts, can only be obtained through the enforcement officer or the court. We use lawful channels only.

Generally not directly. A new action must be brought in Thailand, with the foreign judgment as key evidence. We first assess whether the debtor has enough assets in Thailand to make that worthwhile.

Within the limits of what can lawfully be searched — company and shareholder records, and assets whose location is known. Information that needs state authority, such as bank accounts or a full search of assets in the debtor's name, becomes available at the enforcement stage.

It depends on the asset. Attaching money is quicker; seizing land means going through an auction, which can take several months or longer.

Check whether assets were transferred out beforehand, which may be set aside; check any guarantors' liability; and consider bankruptcy proceedings or filing a claim in an existing bankruptcy.