Buying property in Thailand with LivingExtra

🌏 Buying from overseas

Buying property in Thailand as a foreign buyer

What you can own, how the process works and what it costs — plus an English-speaking team at LivingExtra to handle viewings, paperwork and transfer while you are abroad.

Talk to our international desk Browse condominiums

Ownership

What a foreign buyer can own

Thai law treats condominiums differently from land. These are the routes buyers normally use — your lawyer confirms which one fits your situation.

Condominium — freehold

Foreign buyers can hold a condo unit outright in their own name, within the building's foreign-ownership quota (up to 49% of the total saleable area). The remaining units are Thai quota.

Most common route

House or villa — leasehold

Land cannot be held freehold by a foreign individual. Houses and villas are usually taken on a registered long lease, with the building itself owned separately.

Registered at the Land Office

Company or Thai spouse

Some buyers hold land through a Thai company or a Thai spouse. Both have real legal and tax consequences — take independent legal advice before choosing this route.

Get legal advice first

The process

From first viewing to keys in hand

Shortlist & view

Search here, save what you like and we arrange viewings — in person, or by live video call if you are overseas.

Reserve & check title

A reservation agreement holds the unit while your lawyer runs due diligence on the title deed, the quota and any encumbrances.

Transfer funds correctly

For a foreign-quota condo the purchase money must arrive from abroad in foreign currency, and the bank issues the FET / credit note the Land Office asks for.

Transfer at the Land Office

Balance paid, taxes and fees settled, title registered in your name. You can attend, or appoint your lawyer under a power of attorney.

Budgeting

Costs beyond the purchase price

Transfer costs in Thailand are normally shared between buyer and seller, and exactly who pays what is negotiable — agree it in writing before you reserve.

Transfer fee — charged on the appraised value at the Land Office, commonly split 50/50.
Specific business tax or stamp duty — depends on how long the seller has owned the property; usually the seller's cost.
Withholding tax — deducted from the seller's proceeds at transfer.
Sinking fund & common-area fees — a one-off contribution plus an ongoing monthly charge per m².
Legal fees — due diligence, contract review and representation at transfer.

Rates and thresholds change. Ask us for the current figures for the specific property, and confirm them with your own lawyer or accountant — this page is general information, not legal or tax advice.

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