Question 1

A Thai national: Condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can own it freehold. As a Thai national you can buy any condo unit in your own name, freehold. Most buildings keep at least 51% of their floor area for Thai ownership, so availability is rarely an issue.

Question 2

A Thai national: Villa or house?

Accepted Answer

Yes, house and land, freehold. Thai nationals can own both the land and the house on it outright. The main checks are on the land title and the building's permits rather than on who may own it.

Question 3

A Thai national: Land?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can own land outright. Thai nationals can buy and hold land freehold. What you can build on it depends on the title, local zoning and, on hillsides and near the coast, extra building restrictions.

Question 4

A Thai national: Off-plan condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, title transfers when the building is finished. You sign a sale and purchase agreement with the developer and pay in stages as the building rises. Freehold title transfers to you at the Land Office on completion.

Question 5

A Thai national: Off-plan villa?

Accepted Answer

Yes, freehold land and house on completion. You can own both, but you are relying on the developer to finish. Some developments transfer the land first and build under a separate construction contract; others transfer everything at the end.

Question 6

A foreign individual: Condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, freehold, within the foreign quota. A foreigner can own a condo unit in their own name, provided foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total unit floor area. The purchase money must be transferred into Thailand from abroad in a foreign currency, and your bank issues a document to prove it.

Question 7

A foreign individual: Villa or house?

Accepted Answer

You can own the house, not the land. Thai law does not allow foreigners to own land. The usual route is to lease the land for 30 years, registered at the Land Office, and own the house itself in your own name.

Question 8

A foreign individual: Land?

Accepted Answer

No, but you can lease it. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand in their own name. You can take a registered lease of up to 30 years, or hold rights over the land such as a usufruct or a superficies to build and own a house on it. Exceptions exist through BOI investment promotion and a large-investment route, but they are rarely granted.

Question 9

A foreign individual: Off-plan condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if your unit is in the foreign quota. You can reserve and pay in stages, and register freehold in your name when the building is finished. Make sure the contract states that your unit is allocated to the foreign freehold quota, and send every instalment from abroad in a foreign currency.

Question 10

A foreign individual: Off-plan villa?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes, on a land lease. Most off-plan villas sold to foreigners are offered on a 30-year registered land lease, with the house built for you and registered in your name. Some developers offer company structures instead.

Question 11

A foreign company: Condo?

Accepted Answer

Often yes, within the foreign quota. A company treated as foreign under Thai law can generally hold condo units within the building's 49% foreign quota, subject to the conditions in the Condominium Act, including bringing the money in from abroad. Whether your company qualifies depends on where and how it is registered.

Question 12

A foreign company: Villa or house?

Accepted Answer

The building, yes. The land, no. A foreign-controlled company is treated like a foreign person and cannot own land. It can take a registered 30-year lease of the land and own the house. Holding land through a Thai-majority company with nominee shareholders is illegal.

Question 13

A foreign company: Land?

Accepted Answer

Not in most cases. A foreign-controlled company cannot own land in Thailand unless it holds a specific approval, such as BOI promotion for a business project. These approvals are rare and not intended for private homes. A registered lease is the usual alternative.

Question 14

A foreign company: Off-plan condo?

Accepted Answer

Often yes, if the unit is in the foreign quota. The same rules apply as for a completed condo, plus the risks of buying before completion. The contract should confirm the unit is allocated to the foreign quota and name the company as buyer.

Question 15

A foreign company: Off-plan villa?

Accepted Answer

On a land lease, yes. The company can lease the land for 30 years and contract the developer to build a house it will own. It cannot own the land itself.

Question 16

Married to a Thai national: Condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in your name or your spouse's. You can buy a unit in your own name within the foreign quota, with the money sent from abroad. Or your Thai spouse can buy in their name under the Thai quota. The right choice depends on quota availability, where the money comes from and how you want to hold the property.

Question 17

Married to a Thai national: Villa or house?

Accepted Answer

Your spouse can own it. You cannot own the land. Your Thai spouse can buy the house and land freehold in their own name. At the Land Office you will usually sign a declaration that the money is your spouse's own property and that you have no claim to the land.

Question 18

Married to a Thai national: Land?

Accepted Answer

In your spouse's name, yes. Your Thai spouse can own land freehold. You will usually sign a declaration at the Land Office that the purchase money is your spouse's own and that you have no claim to it.

Question 19

Married to a Thai national: Off-plan condo?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in either name. You can buy under the foreign quota in your own name, or your spouse can buy under the Thai quota. Title transfers when the building is finished.

Question 20

Married to a Thai national: Off-plan villa?

Accepted Answer

Your spouse can own it freehold. Your Thai spouse can buy the land and the villa freehold. You will usually sign a declaration that the money is your spouse's. Some couples instead take a land lease in the foreign spouse's name.

Can I own it?

Who is buying?

The rules in one paragraph

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