Legal service for foreign clients
Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement in Thailand
Turning a judgment into recovered money, not a piece of paper.
Quick answer
Once you win, a judgment creditor has ten years to apply for enforcement. We start by tracing what the debtor actually owns — land, vehicles, shares, deposits, or salary — then open the file with the Legal Execution Department for seizure or garnishment, follow the public auction, and claim your share of the proceeds. Tracing from THB 15,000 per asset class, enforcement from THB 25,000 per file, excluding official seizure fees and officer expenses.
From THB 15,000 — Tracing from 15k per asset class · enforcement from 25k per file · Tracing 10–20 working days · seizure to auction 6–18 months
Who this is for
- Creditors holding a judgment the debtor ignores
- Businesses whose trade debtors are nearing the ten-year enforcement deadline
- Insurers or assignees of claims that need asset recovery
- Spouses enforcing a maintenance judgment
- Buyers checking whether an auctioned asset is genuinely unencumbered
What you receive
- Asset report naming each asset, its location, and the evidence usable in court
- Seizure or garnishment petition with the full supporting bundle
- Coordination with execution officers on site, including the asset inventory
- Tracking every auction notice, appraised price, and sale date
- Filing the payment claim and pro-rata distribution when other creditors appear
- 30-day status reports with a call on whether to press on or restructure the debt
Documents to prepare
- The judgment and the writ of execution issued by the court
- The debtor's ID or company affidavit if available
- Any asset leads you hold: vehicle registration, title deed number, bank, employer
- Statement of the outstanding balance and interest computed to the enforcement date
How it works
6-step process
- 1
Check the enforcement window
Count from the date the judgment became final, and check whether anything interrupted the period.
- 2
Deep asset tracing
Search the Land Department, Department of Land Transport, DBD, and other open records to confirm ownership.
- 3
Open the seizure or garnishment file
File at the execution office covering the asset's location and deposit the initial costs.
- 4
Attend the site with the officer
Identify the asset, verify it, record the inventory, and pre-empt third-party ownership objections.
- 5
Follow the auction
Review the appraisal, object to an unrealistically low price, and attend every sale date.
- 6
Collect and close the file
File the payment claim, audit the distribution account, and remit funds to you.
In depth
Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement: what foreign clients need to know
Winning a judgment is not the same as holding the money. What turns paper into cash is knowing which assets the debtor holds, whose name they sit in, and the window in which a seizure file can be opened. We therefore run tracing on two levels: a legal sweep of public registers, and a reading of the debtor's financial behaviour from the traces already sitting in the old case file — account numbers that once paid in, delivery addresses, and counterparties still transacting.
When enforcement power begins, and when it expires
Once the court issues its writ and the compliance deadline passes, a judgment creditor may open a file with the Legal Execution Department. The number to remember is ten years from the date the judgment became final. Let that window close and the right you fought for becomes unusable, and the same claim cannot be sued again to buy a fresh window.
In practice we do not wait out those ten years, because an asset visible today may be transferred, mortgaged, or auctioned off by another creditor first. Being the creditor who actually attaches first matters more than holding the larger claim, so we trace in parallel with the appeal stage — the day the judgment turns final is the day our asset schedule is already drafted and ready to file.
Which assets pay back quickly, and which drain time
Bank deposits and salary convert into cash fastest, because attaching a claim needs no valuation or public sale notice. Land, condominium units, and machinery must pass through valuation, publication, and an auction that may be postponed repeatedly when no bidder appears.
So we rank targets by recovery per baht spent, not by book value. A property mortgaged to its full limit usually leaves an unsecured creditor nothing, whereas a truck still earning the debtor's living brings him back to the table faster than a large upcountry plot ever will.
Assets moved to dodge the debt, and how they are unwound
The common patterns are transferring land to a relative below market value after suit is filed, moving cash out before the judgment turns final, or switching shareholders in a company the debtor still controls. The facts we collect are the registration date, the declared price, the relationship between transferor and transferee, and where the transferee's money came from.
With the elements complete, we ask the court to set aside the transaction that prejudiced the creditor; where assets were deliberately moved to defeat payment, a criminal charge for defrauding creditors runs alongside it. Two tracks at once make the other side realise hiding assets costs more than settling.
The auction, and actually receiving the money
The auction is not the finish line: a deposit is placed, the balance is paid, existing occupants may have to be removed, and creditors are ranked before money is split. A creditor who misses the deadline to claim a share receives nothing, judgment or not.
We report monthly: cumulative recovery, spend to date, and a recommendation to press on or close the file so costs stop eating the return. Creditors deciding on that set of numbers rarely feel they paid for false hope.
Cost structure: government fees vs professional fees
| Item | Official fee | Professional fee | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening the enforcement file and obtaining the writ | Court and petition fees at the set rates — hundreds to a few thousand baht | THB 8,000–15,000 per file | Includes drafting and running the file at the relevant execution office |
| Tracing through public registers | Copy and certification charges per record pulled | THB 12,000–35,000 depending on provinces and asset types | Assets spread across provinces mean several offices, so we price by actual coverage |
| Each seizure or attachment | Seizure fees, publication costs, and the cost of taking the officer to site | THB 10,000–25,000 per item | Upcountry assets add actual travel and lodging, always quoted before we leave |
| Claiming a share and drawing the money down | A percentage-based payout fee on the amount received | THB 5,000–12,000 per drawdown | The filing deadline is strict; miss it and the share is lost, so every file carries an advance reminder |
A THB 6.2m trade debt where cash left the account every month end
Situation: Our client had won but could attach nothing: the known account never held more than a few thousand baht.
What we did: We read the part-payment slips, found a second account receiving funds from a major customer, and timed the attachment to the inbound cycle.
Outcome: THB 4.1m came in within five months and the debtor signed an instalment deal for the balance.
Land transferred to a sibling below appraised value after suit began
Situation: The debtor moved two plots out eleven days after receiving the summons.
What we did: We pulled the registration history, compared appraised value with the declared price, and petitioned to set the transfer aside with an interim block on any onward sale.
Outcome: The court unwound the larger transfer, the plot returned to the execution pool, and the other side asked to settle before the sale date.
When to act, and when waiting is fine
Start tracing the day suit is filed — do not wait to win
An asset picture built in advance lets the day of finality double as the day of seizure.
Hold back if the debtor is inside a rehabilitation process
Enforcement is stayed by law, so we switch to lodging a claim inside that process instead.
Stop when spend starts exceeding realistic recovery
We run that number first and will say plainly when closing the file is the better call.
Press on the moment you find an asset still earning income
Assets in daily use bring debtors back to negotiation far faster than idle ones.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The debtor already transferred assets to relatives — any options?
You can sue to revoke a fraudulent transfer made after the debt arose that prejudices creditors — file within one year of learning of it.
How much salary can be garnished?
As a rule up to 30% of income, with a subsistence amount protected under Legal Execution Department criteria.
Can mortgaged land still be seized?
Yes, but the mortgagee is paid first, so the equity gap must be computed before you commit.
What if the debtor has nothing?
We suggest holding the file with periodic re-checks while preserving the ten-year window, rather than paying to seize something unsellable.
Is asset tracing lawful?
We use only official registries a judgment creditor may lawfully search — never covert access to personal data.
Who funds the seizure fees?
The creditor advances them and reclaims them as costs from the sale proceeds.
Can you really reach the debtor's bank account?
Yes. Once the writ exists, the execution officer can attach deposits on the application we prepare.
If the debtor genuinely owns nothing, do I still pay?
You pay only for tracing already done; we recommend closing before any large spend.
Can you enforce against a debtor upcountry?
Yes, nationwide; we open the file at the execution office where the asset sits.
How long until the first money arrives?
Attaching deposits or salary usually shows money in 1–3 months; auctions take six months or more.
Related services
Civil Litigation — Contract Breach & Damage Claims
Trial team across all Thai civil courts — from complaint to enforcement.
Debt Collection — Bounced Cheques, Enforcement, Seizure
Compliant collection under Debt-Collection Act, Cheque Act, and full enforcement.
Land Title & Asset Ownership Verification
Know before the deposit: who owns it, what binds it, and what may be built.
Bankruptcy & Business Rehabilitation
Stop the bleeding, or collect inside a process with a clear order of priority.
Written by: Thai Law & Accounting Services — attorneys and licensed accountants
Reviewed by: Reviewed by a Notarial Services Attorney registered with the Lawyers Council of Thailand.
Last updated: 2026-08
Information as of August 2026. Government fees and processing times change — verify with the relevant agency before acting, or let our team verify for you.