Child Support in Thailand

According to the Thai family law, both the parents must financially support their children either biological or adopted until the age of 20. This is rarely an issue in families that are whole or live together. This situation gets worse with divorcing couples or parents that live separately.

In the said context, the child support represents money provided by one of the parents. This can be done either by mutual consent or under the order of the court. The money provided should be used for the child’s expenses such as food, clothing, medical care, education etc. Child support is not to be used for the benefit of the custodial parent/

When the couples get divorced, the child usually stays with one parent while the other parent has to pay the child support. The decision of the custody may not be easy and that is where the court steps in to decide.

By Order of the Court

When the divorcing parents are unable to reach an agreement on the child’s support and custody, the court looks into the matter and defines the custodial duties as well as who has to pay the child support and what should be the appropriate amount of the child support.

There may be different cases when the child is born outside of the marriage. In this special case, the father of the child is not bound by the law to pay the child support. However, the court may look into the matter and determine the child custody and child support.

Mutual Consent

In the ideal scenarios, the parents resolve the custody and support issues in a divorce agreement. In the divorce agreement, they specify all the details regarding the custody and support. This agreement needs to be signed by both the parents and in the presence of two witnesses. The agreement then needs to be registered with the district office at the time of registering the divorce for validation.

A biological father of a child born outside of marriage (illegitimate child) can likewise enter into an agreement with his spouse. He, however, is not obliged to do so but once he has entered into an agreement, he is bound to follow it and it becomes enforceable by law and must be followed at all times in all conditions.

Need Help? Contact Us

If you are dealing with child support or custodial cases, you need financial assistance. We, Sunbelt Asia Legal Advisors, are a legal firm. Our team will help you deal with the child support cases in the most effective way possible. We will keep you informed of the current status of the case and make sure that you get the desired result. If you want to know more or book a free consultation with us, contact us now at (+66) 02-662-7004. We will make sure that all your questions or queries are answered in the best way possible.