Q: What do I do if I am unemployed, but have been ordered by the Courts of Thailand to pay for child support?

A: You can request the courts to change or reduce the existing child support payment by filing a petition at the court at which the child support was initially granted.

Q: Will I be forced to comply with the child support order if I stay abroad and miss payments?

A: The Courts of Thailand will seek alternatives to force you to pay for child support in Thailand, if such has been ordered. If you have property in Thailand, this will be seized, auctioned and sold to pay for child support with the proceeds. If you do not have property within the country, the Courts will still work with the court associated to the region where you do have property, to seize and sell it to pay for child support.

Q: What do I do if I did not make child support payments and the Thailand Courts have ordered that my property be seized and auctioned?

A: Settle outstanding child support payments or get a written agreement related to the payments. Once this is done, your child’s lawyer will petition the Court to release your property back to you even if it is being auctioned.

Q: Is there a way in which I can ensure that the money paid toward my child’s tuition fees, as part of child support, is used only for this purpose?

A: A simple way to handle this is to pay your child’s tuition fees to the school instead of sending it to the mother.

Q: Is it permissible for me to remit each child support payment directly into my child’s bank account?

A: This is permissible only if your child is 15 years old, when he or she is legally allowed to have a bank account.