Thai Will/tetstament

[deadman]

hi there

does anyone know about arranging a thai will here (for one's property here only)?

They seem to be inordinatley expensive from my initial enquiries.

cheers

dm

[chiangmaibruce]

hi dm. shouldn't be, assuming you have all the relevant info neatly collated and they just have to throw it into their preferred format. You may even be able to find a pro-forma Thai Will on the internet somewhere. Not sure where you are or who you have obtained cost estimates from (?)

try your own local forum and go to the pinned topics at the top of the page where they list best mechanics, plumbers ... and lawyers. Also do a forum search using keywords like Will, lawyer, solicitor .... and see what discussions that turns up.

And then finally approach some of those recommended ones and you should be able to find one who will do it at a fiar/reasonable cost

[chiang mai]

I attach the web site for Akarawath who is one of the Chiang Mai's forum best lawyers where he details what is required to prepare a Thai will - producing the will is simple and doesn't cost anything.

http://www.lawyerchiangmai.com/lawFirm.html

[chiang mai]

I attach the web site for Akarawath who is one of the Chiang Mai's forum best lawyers where he details what is required to prepare a Thai will - producing the will is simple and doesn't cost anything.

http://www.lawyerchiangmai.com/lawFirm.html

A lawyer that works for free, wow. Not a very good business model though....

If you bother to look at Akarawaths web site you may notice that he steps you through how to make your own will and that will not cost you anything, oh bright one.

[chiang mai]

[JSixpack]

In various other threads posters have said that the will should be filed at the local Amphur office. Others have said it should be filed at the Foreign Ministry (in addition to Amphur?). The site above mentions neither. So I wonder who's right.

[london]

Deadman, be careful ..... be VERY careful.

For most of us, we spend less time preparing or thinking about a Will than the weekly shopping. Big mistake.

Firstly, remember that a Will is a binding document, that control's ALL your assets and their disposal, that, depending on the laws at the time of death, can be contested. It is just too important IMO to either do it yourself or have a pro-forma Will.

If you have assets of 1 million baht, then sure, perhaps you could do it yourself or have a pro forma. However, if you have assets that are considerable, the issue of spending 5,000 baht or 30,000 baht is inconsequential considering the loss or the non adherence to YOUR wishes of administering and dispersing your estate.

That said, what happens if you become ill or unable to handle your day to day living? This could happen if you are 25, 30, 40, 50 ...any age through an accident, health issue, whatever.

If you HAVEN'T thought about this, then, consider a binding Power of Attorney....again done professionally.

This is NOT a simple issue of saving a few thousand baht on preparing a Will document...but it is LEGALLY setting up what YOU want to happen to EVERYTHING YOU have worked and struggled for during your life.

The decision, obviously, is yours!

[eagle1]

I do have sample of standard will drafted by Thai lawyer. Should you need to take a look, I can share with you. Pls let me know at [email protected]

Regards,

[ianh68]

Can anyone bring me up to speed on this will business? I am a UK citizen retired living in Thailand. Before I left UK I made a will which I thought covered everything, including provision for my Thai wife. What I want to know is whether the UK will covers my Thai as well as UK assets or do I need another Thai will? I keep a minimum of funds in my Thai bank account and these are my only assets here. What happens if I don't make a Thai will? Would my Thai assets revert automatically to my wife? This would be acceptable to me as she already has a share of my UK assets.

[chiangmaibruce]

Can anyone bring me up to speed on this will business? I am a UK citizen retired living in Thailand. Before I left UK I made a will which I thought covered everything, including provision for my Thai wife. What I want to know is whether the UK will covers my Thai as well as UK assets or do I need another Thai will? I keep a minimum of funds in my Thai bank account and these are my only assets here. What happens if I don't make a Thai will? Would my Thai assets revert automatically to my wife? This would be acceptable to me as she already has a share of my UK assets.

* Lots of good free info on this issue in the web sites of many Thai law firms (use google) and lots of prior threads on this issue within ThaiVisa (use forum search engine)

* Your UK Will would probably be recognised here (a Thai lawyer could answer this for you). The important issue is that almost all of your assets are in the UK. That being the case I would probably wouldn't bother with a Thai Will.

* If your UK Will was not recognised in LOS, and you had no Thai Will, then a portion of your Thai assets would go to your wife's family according to a formula in Thai law. In this situation it would be worth having the money in a joint account so your wife could access it quickly and easily.

[12DrinkMore]

I was recommended to have two separate wills.

One for my assets in Farangland and one for the Thai assets. The reason being that the two wills can be executed separately and independently. I hope that is true, maybe somebody can comment on it?

Here is an posting on Stickman which I bookmarked a couple of years ago.

http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader2007/reader3586.htm

5,000 Baht for a Thai lawyer to write a basically pro forma will? Far too much. There are web sites in the UK offering to make wills for 20 Quid up. And there is no reason that a simple will involving maybe a house/bank accounts/car/bike should be complicated and expensive.

And if anybody has experience of probate in Thailand please post. I can't find any actual cases on the internet, it would be interesting to see what actually works as apposed to what people think might work.

Edited September 1, 2009 by 12DrinkMore

[JimGant]

The 'Stickman' Will example forces you to rewrite it everytime you renew your passport, move to a new address, or girlfriend/wife renews her ID card.

Not too efficient.

[12DrinkMore]

The 'Stickman' Will example forces you to rewrite it everytime you renew your passport, move to a new address, or girlfriend/wife renews her ID card.

Not too efficient.

You need to have some means of identification. Passport/Thai ID card number are recognised in Thailand, and required for almost every transaction with the authorities. They also generally insist on an address.

It is standard practice in the UK to state the address, otherwise Joe Bloggs in Liverpool could be confused with Joe Bloggs in London.

So unless we go for microchip implanted wills, I can't see how this inefficiency can be overcome.

[Sunbelt Asia]

At Sunbelt Asia we offer a complete Will & Testament service. We will be happy to provide you with a free consultation at our offices during which we will clarify the process and give you the opportunity to ask questions. The process is started by obtaining information concerning your assets and who the named beneficiaries will be. Our lawyers will then prepare and register your Will within five working days. Our fee for preparing and registering a Will is 12,500 Baht plus 7% VAT.

For a free consultation about our Will & Testament services please contact the Sunbelt Asia Fortune Town office on 02-642-0213 and one of our Legal Advisors will be happy to assist you.