Estate · 2026-01-22 · 7 min
Do you need a Thai will?
For most British expats with Thai property, the answer is yes, and the cost of not having one falls squarely on the spouse you would have left it to.
Richard Knight, ACSI
General information, not personal financial advice.
Without a Thai will, an expat’s Thai-situated assets, typically the condo, the bank account, the Thai-domiciled investments, pass under Thai intestacy rules. Thai intestacy is not hostile to foreign spouses, but it is procedurally slow and frequently requires translation, notarisation, and court applications that can take 12 to 18 months.
How a two-will set should be drafted
A Thai will and a UK will should be drafted by lawyers in their respective jurisdictions, with each will explicitly scoped to that jurisdiction’s assets and explicitly disclaiming the other. The most common drafting error is a single global will that purports to cover both UK and Thai assets, Thai courts treat such wills inconsistently and the family ends up in administrative limbo.
What it does not do
A Thai will does not solve the UK inheritance-tax exposure on your global estate. Domicile, not residence, drives UK IHT. A British expat in Thailand for thirty years can still die UK-domiciled, and HMRC will assess the global estate accordingly. The Thai will is necessary but not sufficient.
Senior Consultant · Business Class Asia
Richard Knight, ACSI
- Associate Member, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)
- CISI Certificate in Financial Planning and Investments
- Senior Consultant, Business Class Asia
- Vice Chair, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (Hua Hin)
