Making a will covering assets in several countries: where to file

How this case runs end to end

Confirm marital and parental status from official records, prepare the agreement or petition, register at the district office where registration is possible, apply to the court where the matter requires a judgment, then translate and legalise the resulting record for use abroad.

Stage-by-stage timeline

What to prepare

• Passports or Thai ID cards of every party, plus company affidavits where a company is involved
• The underlying documents: draft contract, title deed, register extract or court papers
• The deadline or hearing date that governs the matter
• Evidence of authority to sign: board resolution, power of attorney or shareholder approval
• Certified translations where a document is not in Thai and will be filed with a Thai authority
• Correspondence already exchanged with the counterparty or the authority
• A single contact person who can confirm instructions and receive filings

What "Making a will covering assets in several countries: where to file" actually involves

This question sits within family law, matrimonial property and succession. The authority or standard that governs it directly is the Civil and Commercial Code Books 5 and 6, district registrars and the Central Juvenile and Family Court, and every case is assessed against the rules in force on the day of submission. IVC prepares the file, checks internal consistency and coordinates with the receiving office; we are not a government body and we never guarantee how an authority will decide.

A prenuptial agreement must be registered together with the marriage; one signed afterwards does not have the same effect.

A father who was not married to the mother acquires parental power through legitimation, by registration or by court order.

A will limited to Thai assets should say so, to avoid revoking a will made in another country by implication.

Rules and requirements to settle before you start

Divorce by mutual consent is registered at a district office only if both spouses attend and the marriage was registered in Thailand.

An estate administrator is appointed by court order; banks and the Land Office ask for that order rather than for a will alone.

A treaty such as the Thailand-US Treaty of Amity can replace a licence for qualifying nationals and activities, but it is certified separately.

Foreign shareholding of 50% or more brings the Foreign Business Act into play; the test is the activity performed, not the wording of the objectives clause.

The mistakes that cost the most time

The costliest pattern in legal matters is signing first and asking afterwards. A contract, a deed or a resolution creates obligations from the moment of signature, and undoing one usually costs more than the review that would have prevented it — particularly where a registration has already been made against a title or the public record.

The second is treating deadlines as administrative rather than substantive. Prescription periods, appeal windows, licence renewals and registration periods are hard cut-offs; once one passes, the strength of the underlying position becomes irrelevant and the remaining options are far narrower and far more expensive.

Why files are delayed or returned

• The prenuptial agreement was not registered with the marriage
• One spouse cannot attend the consensual divorce registration
• The estate is dealt with without a court appointment of an administrator
• Foreign documents are filed without certified translation and legalisation
• The registered objectives do not cover the activity actually carried out
• Board or shareholder approval is missing for a resolution being registered

Key terms in family law, matrimonial property and succession

BOI promotion

A project-based incentive granted by the Board of Investment, with conditions audited afterwards.

Foreign Business Licence

Permission under the Foreign Business Act for a foreign-majority company to carry out a restricted activity.

Legal Execution Department

The agency that seizes and sells assets to enforce a civil judgment.

Prescription period

The statutory time limit within which a claim must be filed.

Record of processing

The PDPA documentation of what personal data an organisation processes and on what lawful basis.

Severance pay

Statutory compensation on termination, calculated by bands of continuous service.

Legitimation

The process by which a father acquires legal status and parental power over a child born outside marriage.

Official sources

• Department of Business Development — Company registration and Foreign Business Act filings
• Thailand Board of Investment — Investment promotion criteria and conditions
• Department of Lands — Title registration, leases and registrable rights
• Department of Labour Protection and Welfare — Labour Protection Act, work rules and severance
• Personal Data Protection Committee — PDPA guidance and notifications
• Department of Intellectual Property — Trademark registration and classes
• Courts of Justice — Civil procedure, mediation and hearings