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Who inherits without a will in Thailand?

The spouse and the children inherit shares together

In Thailand the spouse inherits an equal share with the children, and half with the parents or siblings.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

The default, not your case. This page describes what applies when there is no valid will. Succession law is reformed often, a will changes everything, and the rules for an estate with a foreign element are complex. This is general information, not legal advice.

A spouse and children survive

The spouse takes a share equal to one child's, and the children share the rest equally.

A spouse survives, but no children

With the parents or with the siblings the spouse takes half. With the grandparents or the uncles and aunts the spouse takes two thirds. With none of them, the spouse takes everything.

No spouse: who comes next

Six classes: descendants; parents; full siblings; half-siblings; grandparents; uncles and aunts. A nearer class excludes a farther one. If there is no heir, the estate goes to the state.

A partner who is not married

An unmarried partner does not inherit by law. They inherit only if there is a will.

What a will cannot take away

There is no forced share. A person can leave the estate by will to anyone.

If the person or the property is abroad

Thai law applies to land and to the estate of a Thai national. Foreigners' estates in Thailand raise special questions on land ownership.

What to watch for

  • The rules apply to Buddhists and others under the Civil and Commercial Code. In the southern provinces, Muslims can follow Islamic law.

Understand the legal system first

Thailand belongs to the Civil law family. Succession law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Thailand legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Thailand? →

Official sources

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s inheritance guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.