Retire in Thailand › Guide › Legal and end of life
Legal Matters and End of Life
Make a Thai will for your Thai assets (bank accounts, condo, car) and keep a home-country will for everything else. A typed Thai will needs 2 witnesses. If you have a Thai partner you aren't married to, they have no automatic inheritance rights, so the will matters even more. Write down what you want to happen if you die here: repatriation or cremation, who pays, and who your embassy should call.
Last reviewed 8 Oct 2026 · Every figure is dated and sourced
Wills
- List your Thai assets: bank accounts, condo, car, anything in Thailand.
- Make a Thai will covering them, typed and signed in front of 2 witnesses who are not beneficiaries. A bilingual will saves time later.
- Name an executor who lives in Thailand or can travel there.
- Keep the original somewhere your executor can reach, and tell your embassy and family where it is.
A foreign heir who doesn't qualify to own a condo must sell an inherited unit within 1 year.
Protecting a Thai partner
- Unmarried partners inherit nothing without a will.
- A usufruct (for life, ends at death, not inheritable) or a registered lease can let you, or your partner, keep living in a home.
- Give your partner written authority over medical decisions in a health-care directive under National Health Act B.E. 2550 s.12, or hospitals will look for your blood relatives.
Marriage
Only a marriage registered at a district office (amphur) counts in law; a ceremony alone doesn't. Minimum age is 18 years. Same-sex marriage has been legal since 2025-01-23. A prenuptial agreement must be written, 2 witnesses, registered at the same time as the marriage. A contested divorce costs 2% of claims, capped at 200,000 THB in court fees.
What happens if a foreigner dies in Thailand
- Hospital or police issue a death report; deaths outside hospital usually go to a state hospital for an autopsy. The US embassy says an autopsy report takes at least 45 days.
- The district office registers the death and issues a Thai death certificate.
- Your embassy issues its own report of death abroad and helps the family. It does not pay costs.
- The family chooses local cremation or repatriation. Repatriation typically takes at least 10 days and costs far more.
- Banks freeze accounts until a court appoints an executor or administrator, which can take months. A will speeds this up.
Your end-of-life pack
- Copy of passport and visa
- Thai will and home will, with locations
- Insurance policy and repatriation cover
- Health-care directive and the name of your decision-maker
- Bank list, condo title deed, car book
- Your wishes: cremation here, ashes home, or body home
- Embassy phone number
This page is general information, not legal advice. Use a Thai lawyer for wills and property.
Questions people ask
What happens when a foreigner dies in Thailand?
The death is reported and registered locally, your embassy is told and issues its own report, and the family chooses cremation in Thailand or repatriation. Bank accounts are frozen until a court appoints someone to handle the estate. A Thai will and clear written wishes save your family weeks.
How do I handle sin sod and supporting my partner's family?
Sin sod (a bride price) is a cultural custom with no legal force. Agree amounts openly, keep large gifts separate from property you want to keep, and register any home rights in writing. Generosity is fine; open-ended support you can't afford is not.
Sources
- The Thaiger: wills
- The Thaiger: family law
- US Embassy Bangkok: death of a US citizen
- GOV.UK: after a British person dies in Thailand
Every figure on this page
- Witnesses needed for a typed Thai will: 2 (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Legal basis for a living will: National Health Act B.E. 2550 s.12 (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Same-sex marriage legal since (Marriage Equality Act): 2025-01-23 (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Minimum age to marry (parental consent under 20): 18 years (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Prenup validity: written, 2 witnesses, registered at the same time as the marriage (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Contested divorce court fee: 2% of claims, capped at 200,000 THB (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Usufruct right term: for life, ends at death, not inheritable (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Years a non-qualifying foreign heir has to sell an inherited condo: 1 year (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Typical time to repatriate remains (US embassy guidance, at least): 10 days (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
- Minimum time for an autopsy report (US embassy guidance): 45 days (Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source)
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules change; check with the relevant office or a licensed adviser before you act.
Facts at a glance
Witnesses needed for a typed Thai will
2
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Legal basis for a living will
National Health Act B.E. 2550 s.12
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Same-sex marriage legal since (Marriage Equality Act)
2025-01-23
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Minimum age to marry (parental consent under 20)
18 years
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Prenup validity
written, 2 witnesses, registered at the same time as the marriage
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Contested divorce court fee
2% of claims, capped at 200,000 THB
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Usufruct right term
for life, ends at death, not inheritable
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Years a non-qualifying foreign heir has to sell an inherited condo
1 year
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Typical time to repatriate remains (US embassy guidance, at least)
10 days
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source
Minimum time for an autopsy report (US embassy guidance)
45 days
Verified 7 Oct 2026 · source