ฉบับภาษาไทย: อ่านหน้านี้เป็นภาษาไทย
Who gets custody of the children after a divorce in Thailand?
Short answer
Whatever the parents agree, if they divorce by mutual consent at the district office — the agreement on parental power and maintenance is recorded with the divorce. If they cannot agree, the court decides, and the governing standard under the Civil and Commercial Code is the welfare and happiness of the child.
Two terms are worth separating. Parental power (อำนาจปกครอง) is the legal authority to make decisions — schooling, medical treatment, passports, travel. Physical residence is where the child lives. A divorce agreement can give parental power to one parent while providing generous residence and contact to the other, and that combination often works better than a vague 'joint' formula that neither office nor school can act on.
Write the agreement so a third party can apply it: named school decisions, who holds the passport, consent to international travel, maintenance amount and payment date, and a contact schedule including school holidays. Where one parent is not Thai, add what happens if either parent relocates abroad — international relocation disputes are far harder to resolve after the fact. Scope, turnaround and fees are confirmed by IVC staff by phone, LINE or email — this site does not publish prices.
Reviewed as of 2026-08-04. General guidance only, not case-specific advice and not a guarantee of outcome. Government fees, conditions and processing times are set by the responsible authority and can change. This site does not publish prices — please ask our staff.
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