On ‎28‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 7:24 AM, chiang mai said:

I think the BIG takeways for most people reading this thread are that probate will:

 

- cost between 100,000 and 250,000 in legal fees, and

 

- the process could will take between 6 months and 18 months, based on a variety of factors.

 

FWIW my wife is the beneficiary of both my UK and Thai wills and our house is already in her name. So she will have somewhere to live after I'm gone and hopefully the UK Will will resolve more quickly than the Thai Will. In the meantime we have a joint account that we don't touch, its purpose being to store funds that will see her through any interim period after I die. In light of this thread I may well take steps to change some of my accounts to include her name also, it does look however like there's no avoiding the legal fees at the end, grrr.

CM I know this was mentioned in an earlier post

Quote

cost between 100,000 and 250,000 in legal fees, and

 

- the process could will take between 6 months and 18 months, based on a variety of factors.

but is this still going to be true for a Thai with a simple will - as it seems very high and a longer time then I would have thought?

The suggested legal fees seem exorbitant as well where a will has been well written whether Thai or foreigner? 

On ‎27‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 5:16 AM, akentryan said:

Just went through this after my Thai wife died last year. See Anthony Justice at Magna Carta Law firm. Reasonable cost with an honest law firm. Leaving everything to my wife's sisters as she would have wanted. Also adding one as a signer on my bank accounts so no inheritance delay or tax. Primary residence in Pattaya already transferred to the sister.  Town house in BKK is for sale but the interim my interest have been left to the sister along with my car and all my other worldly possessions. Only thing left is to kick the bucket.

Condolences on your loss. Can I ask did your wife have a will and was the probate process/timing as described or what was different?

3 hours ago, topt said:

CM I know this was mentioned in an earlier post

but is this still going to be true for a Thai with a simple will - as it seems very high and a longer time then I would have thought?

The suggested legal fees seem exorbitant as well where a will has been well written whether Thai or foreigner? 

 

Am unsure to be honest. I think Thai's make greater use of the Amphur route which because they have only limited assets they are able to use without the need for Probate.

My husband (American like me) and I found Amphur Muang Chiang Mai to be very good to work with when we decided to try the "Amphur route" for our Thai Wills.  I detailed our experience on this Thai Visa post:  

In retrospect, we should have included language about "all future bank accounts"  Note, our only Thai assets are bank accounts.  No real estate, condos or even vehicles.  I've been the executor for several Thai Final Wills that were similar and have found the Kad Suan Kaew branch of Bangkok Bank willing to accept them without probate.

 

I'm also familiar with expats who have had Final Wills drafted and executed in Chiang Mai -- relatively simple ones where bank accounts and a vehicle were the only assets.  In these cases probate is necessary, even when the vehicle is just a motorscooter.  Here a simple Final Will from a lawyer can be done for about 5000 baht and probate for about 20,000 baht -- a joke when the motorscooter may not be worth that.  But, oh well.......

 

Cost estimates for probate are all over the map because everyone's situation is so different -- bank and investment accounts, real estate, condos, wives, children from multiple marriages.  The more complex someone's life has been, the more expensive the probate.  You won't believe how many people have legal wives and children they've never disclosed to friends and these people suddenly appear once someone dies.  

On 25/12/2016 at 10:30 AM, Ace of Pop said:

A Mocy is what Thai call them Moped type Motorcycles so popular here for dying on

thought that was mangeseye (spelling please)

Why worry be happy, it won't be your problem?

The same wherever you are. You stop breathing