Service guide
The lawful routes to foreign property ownership in Thailand, what a lawyer verifies, drafts and registers for each one, and why nominee structures get unwound.
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Foreign property ownership in Thailand runs through a short list of lawful routes. The Department of Lands recognizes condominium units held within a building's 49 percent foreign quota, residential land up to 1 rai tied to a prescribed investment under Section 96 bis of the Land Code, inheritance as a statutory heir, and holdings under investment-promotion projects. Around the land itself sit registered rights: a lease for a fixed term, a usufruct that gives you the use of the property, or a superficies that lets you own the house on someone else's land. Our guide to how foreigners can buy property explains the rules behind each route.
This page covers the structuring work: a lawyer taking your situation, choosing the route that actually fits it, and then papering and registering that route so it holds. The rules are public. The engagement is fitting them to one buyer, one property, and one set of documents at the Land Office.
The lawful ownership routes, side by side
Ownership rules from the Department of Lands guidance on land and condominium ownership by foreigners; registration fees from the Department of Lands fee schedule.
| Route | What you hold | How it is registered | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold condo | The unit outright, in your own name | Transfer registered at the Land Office; 2% transfer fee on the appraised value | Foreigners together may hold at most 49% of the building's unit area, and the purchase money must arrive from abroad in foreign currency |
| Registered lease | A right to occupy for a fixed term; the land stays with the owner | Lease registered against the title deed; registration fee 1% of the total rent | A contract right, not ownership; term limits and renewals are set by law and by drafting |
| Usufruct or superficies | Usufruct: the use and benefit of the property. Superficies: ownership of structures on another person's land | Registered against the title deed at the Land Office | The right is only as good as its registration and its wording |
| Section 96 bis investment | Residential land up to 1 rai, owned in your name | Acquired with permission under the Land Code, tied to a prescribed investment | Narrow eligibility; the investment condition must be met and evidenced |
| Inheritance or investment promotion | Land as a statutory heir, or holdings under an investment-promotion project | Registered through the Land Office under the specific statutory basis | Available only in the circumstances the law defines |
Source: Department of Lands, land and condominium information for foreigners
Checked August 2026
Warning: Nominee structures are the route that fails
The arrangement that keeps resurfacing is land held by Thai shareholders or a Thai company that fronts the ownership while a foreigner keeps the money and the control. The Department of Lands maintains standing measures against land held on behalf of foreigners, and registrars examine where a Thai buyer's funds come from. A structure built to disguise foreign control can be unwound, and the money paid into it is what gets lost. If a firm's proposal only works because nobody looks too closely, that is the risk, not the service. A lawyer can tell you which lawful route your situation actually supports.
Your options
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Bangkok-based law firm delivering strategic, business-focused legal advice with deep local expertise and a practical, solutions-oriented approach.
฿3,500–15,000 / hour
Experts assisting clients in conducting their businesses and protecting their rights and investments in Thailand across a wide range of legal matters.
The work follows the same arc whichever route fits. First the lawyer establishes what you are trying to hold and for how long: a condo to live in, a house on land you cannot own, land tied to an investment. Then they verify the route against the facts. For a condo that means the building's current foreign-quota balance and the foreign-currency remittance evidence the Land Office will ask for. For a lease, usufruct or superficies it means the title deed, existing encumbrances, and whether the person granting the right actually owns what they are granting. For the investment routes it means the eligibility conditions and the evidence behind them.
Only then does drafting start. A lease, usufruct or superficies lives or dies on its wording and its registration, so the documents are drafted for the Land Office, not just for the two signatures. Some routes end at the registrar's counter; a contract that never gets registered protects far less than most buyers assume. The wider journey from reservation to transfer day is covered on our property purchase services page, and the leasehold versus freehold guide weighs the two main structures against each other.
Route assessment
What you want to hold, for how long, and with what money. The answer rules most routes out and usually leaves one or two that fit.
Verification against the quota and the title
The condo building's foreign-quota balance, the title deed and its encumbrances, the grantor's ownership, or the investment evidence, depending on the route.
Drafting the instruments
The sale contract, lease, usufruct or superficies agreement, and any consents or powers of attorney, drafted to be registrable.
Registration at the Land Office
Transfers, leases, usufructs and superficies are registered against the title deed where the route requires it. The official standard for an ordinary transfer needing no proclamation is 2 hours, and the fees are paid at the counter.
The evidence file
The registered documents, the receipts, and for a condo the foreign-currency remittance evidence. This file is what proves the structure later, when you sell, extend, or inherit.
The cheap mistakes in this area are all made early: a deposit paid before anyone checked the quota, a long lease signed but never registered, a right granted by someone who did not own the land, or a company set up to hold land it was never allowed to hold. Unwinding any of these costs more than structuring the deal correctly would have.
A property lawyer can assess which route your situation supports, verify it against the title and the quota, draft the instruments so the registrar accepts them, and attend the Land Office for you by power of attorney. Firms scope and price this work differently, which is worth comparing before you commit.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Ownership rules, fees and procedures change; for a specific purchase or structure, speak with a qualified professional.
Also listed
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Bangkok-based law firm delivering strategic, business-focused legal advice with deep local expertise and a practical, solutions-oriented approach.
฿3,500–15,000 / hour
Experts assisting clients in conducting their businesses and protecting their rights and investments in Thailand across a wide range of legal matters.
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