03 · Expertise
Cross-Border Family Law
Clear legal guidance for Thai and foreign parents navigating complex family matters in Thailand.
Services
What we handle in this area
01
Cross-Border Family Law
Where one parent is foreign, one is Thai, and the family exists across two legal systems at once.
02
Child Legitimation
For unmarried fathers: the step that turns a biological relationship into a legal one. Without it, most parental rights do not exist.
03
Legal Paternity
Establishing — or disputing — paternity where it is contested, and dealing with what follows either way.
04
Child Custody
Parental power decided on the child’s welfare — with realistic advice about what a Thai court is likely to order.
05
Child Support
Claiming, defending or varying maintenance — including where the paying parent lives outside Thailand.
06
Visitation Rights
Contact arrangements that survive contact with reality — schedules, travel, and what to do when they are ignored.
Lawyers for this matter
Lawyers in this practice
Generation 1
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Founding Partner
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40+ years of courtroom and advisory experience
LitigationBusiness advisoryEmployment lawCivil and criminal matters
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Generation 2
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Partner
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Modern legal practice, business advisory and international client support
Corporate advisoryEmployment lawCross-border family lawInternational client servicesLegal workshops
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Related reading
Reading on this area
Can a foreign father obtain custody in Thailand?
Being named on the birth certificate is not the same as being the legal father. What an unmarried foreign father has to establish first, and what follows.
What rights does an unmarried father have?
A short answer to a question we are asked more than any other — and the three routes to changing the answer.
How is child support calculated in Thailand?
There is no fixed formula. What the court actually weighs, and the evidence that moves the number.
Common questions
Questions we are asked
Usually where the child habitually resides, but not always. Getting this wrong at the start can cost a year, so it is the first question we answer.
Often, subject to formalities. Recognition affects property, remarriage and parental status, so it should be confirmed rather than assumed.
That depends on who holds legal parental power — which for unmarried foreign fathers is frequently not what they assume.
Being named is not the same as being the legal father. For unmarried fathers in Thailand, legal parental status generally requires legitimation by registration or court order.
The court route remains available. The child’s welfare is the governing test, and DNA evidence is commonly used.
It establishes legal parenthood. Custody and visitation are decided separately, though legitimation is usually the prerequisite.
Registration with consent is comparatively quick; a contested court application typically runs LEGITIMATION_COURT_DURATION.
The court can draw conclusions from a refusal. In practice, refusal often weakens the refusing party’s position.
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