When I Die in Thailand

Anything and everything about Thailand
Dodger
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Re: When I Die in Thailand

Post by Dodger »

Just for clarification:

A Will which is only intended to cover assets in Thailand only (a Thai Will) can be written in English only according to Thai law.

Now, having said that, I decided it was better to have a Thai version as well, if, for no other reason, to eliminate any possible confusion during the probate process. Again, this is not a legal requirement, just something I felt inclined to do.
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ceejay
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Re: When I Die in Thailand

Post by ceejay »

Dodger wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:02 am Just for clarification:

A Will which is only intended to cover assets in Thailand only (a Thai Will) can be written in English only according to Thai law.

Now, having said that, I decided it was better to have a Thai version as well, if, for no other reason, to eliminate any possible confusion during the probate process. Again, this is not a legal requirement, just something I felt inclined to do.
This raises two issues, according to what I was told when I had my Thai will written:
  • You are right to get the translation done now. As I understand it the will in English only is legal, but the court has to be presented with a certified translation before it will grant probate.
    Again, as I understand it, if a will is written in both Thai and English, then only the Thai version is valid for probate. You need to be sure that the translation into Thai is accurate.
Dodger
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Re: When I Die in Thailand

Post by Dodger »

ceejay wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:33 am This raises two issues, according to what I was told when I had my Thai will written:
  • You are right to get the translation done now. As I understand it the will in English only is legal, but the court has to be presented with a certified translation before it will grant probate.
    Again, as I understand it, if a will is written in both Thai and English, then only the Thai version is valid for probate. You need to be sure that the translation into Thai is accurate.
That's exactly how I understand this as well.
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Bob
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Re: When I Die in Thailand

Post by Bob »

Agree with Ceejay's comments. A Will properly written in any language is valid and enforceable in Thailand; however, either a certified translation of a foreign language Will or an original in Thai is required for the Thai probate court. If the intent of one's "Thai" Will is to be used for Thai probate, might as well get it originally written in Thai (whether or not you get a duplicate original in your home country language).
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Re: When I Die in Thailand

Post by Dodger »

Bob wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:12 pm Agree with Ceejay's comments. A Will properly written in any language is valid and enforceable in Thailand; however, either a certified translation of a foreign language Will or an original in Thai is required for the Thai probate court. If the intent of one's "Thai" Will is to be used for Thai probate, might as well get it originally written in Thai (whether or not you get a duplicate original in your home country language).
To me, it just makes common sense to have two language versions considering the way they screw things up over here. Regardless if you pay a lawyer to create the Will or you create your own, you can easily get a local service to type a Thai version for you. There is no need (legally) to have either version certified or notarized, although a witness signature is required.
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