{"id":26748,"date":"2026-10-17T00:43:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T17:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thailandlawyer.com\/en\/?p=26748"},"modified":"2026-11-02T22:38:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T15:38:02","slug":"limitation-period-unpaid-invoices-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thailandlawyer.com\/en\/limitation-period-unpaid-invoices-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"Limitation Period for Unpaid Invoices in Thailand: Two Years or Five?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Commercial
Understanding limitation periods for commercial debts in Thailand and their implications for business owners.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Short answer:<\/strong> A trader’s claim for the price of goods or work under Thai law generally expires after two years. If the customer bought the goods or services for its own business, such as resale or production, the period is five years. The period is interrupted by a written acknowledgment, part payment or filing suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rule and the exception<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

CCC Section 193\/34(1) sets a two-year period for traders and industrialists claiming for goods delivered, work performed or management of another’s business, including advances, unless done for the debtor’s own business. Claims within the exception run for five years under Section 193\/33(5). Thai law calls this “prescription”; it works like a statute of limitations, but its effect must be raised by the defendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Thai courts read “the debtor’s own business”<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Supreme Court looks at how the customer used what it bought. Plastic sheeting used in the buyers’ trade (Judgment No. 1956\/2543), cement resold or mixed into ready-mix concrete (No. 1343\/2551) and electricity used in a rice mill (No. 14887\/2551) all attracted five years. These summaries come from database headnotes, not full judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interruption<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Under CCC Section 193\/14, prescription is interrupted where the debtor acknowledges the debt in writing, pays part of it or interest, provides security, or the creditor sues or refers the dispute to arbitration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical points for foreign suppliers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n