Buying property in Thailand: the process, step by step

Thailand welcomes foreign buyers, but the rules differ by property type. As a foreigner you can own a condominium unit outright (Foreign Freehold, within the building's 49% foreign quota), you can hold a villa or house on a registered 30-year lease while owning the building itself, and you cannot own the land under it in your personal name. Most listings on this site show the ownership structure on the card and the detail page — check it before you fall in love with a home. Our foreign ownership guide covers the structures in depth.

Once you settle on a property, the seller (or developer) will ask for a reservation agreement and a holding deposit — typically ฿50,000–฿200,000 for resale homes, or 1–2% for off-plan. This takes the property off the market while contracts are prepared. Read the refund terms carefully: a well-drafted reservation is refundable if due diligence uncovers a title problem, and non-refundable if you simply change your mind. Never pay a deposit in cash without a signed document.

Thailand has no mandatory escrow or conveyancing system like the UK or Australia, so your lawyer does the protective work. Budget ฿30,000–฿60,000 for an independent property lawyer — never use one recommended solely by the seller. Due diligence should confirm:

• Title deed check at the Land Office — you want a Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor), the strongest title. Lesser titles (Nor Sor 3 Gor and below) carry survey and boundary risk.
• Encumbrances — mortgages, liens or leases already registered against the title.
• Seller's right to sell — company searches if the seller is a juristic entity; building permits for newer villas.
• For condos: the foreign quota balance and any unpaid common-area fees, which transfer with the unit.
• For off-plan: the developer's land ownership, EIA approval and construction licence.

The SPA sets the price, payment schedule, transfer date and who pays which taxes (in Thailand this is negotiable — see the cost table below). For off-plan purchases you'll pay in construction-linked instalments, commonly 10–30% on contract and the balance staged to completion. For resale, the norm is a deposit on signing and the balance at the Land Office on transfer day, by cashier's cheque.

This step matters more than buyers expect. To register a condo in your name — and to repatriate the money later when you sell — the purchase funds must arrive in Thailand as foreign currency, remitted from abroad, with the purpose stated (e.g. "purchase of condominium unit X"). For transfers of USD 50,000+ the receiving Thai bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction form (FET), which the Land Office requires for Foreign Freehold registration. Send GBP, AUD or USD and let the Thai bank convert — do not convert to baht before it leaves your home bank.

Ownership (or the lease) transfers when it is registered at the provincial Land Office — for Phuket, in Phuket Town. Both parties (or their proxies with notarised power of attorney) attend, taxes and fees are paid at the counter, and the new title deed or lease registration is issued the same day. Your lawyer can attend under power of attorney, which is how most remote purchases complete.

Four government charges can apply, calculated on the Land Office's appraised value or the declared sale price (whichever is higher):

• Transfer fee: 2% — usually split 50/50 between buyer and seller, but negotiable.
• Specific Business Tax: 3.3% — payable by the seller if they've owned the property for less than 5 years.
• Stamp duty: 0.5% — payable instead of SBT when SBT doesn't apply.
• Withholding tax: 1% for company sellers; a progressive calculation for individual sellers.

As a rule of thumb, budget 2–3% of the purchase price for your share of transfer costs plus legal fees. For leaseholds, lease registration costs 1.1% of the total lease value. There are no annual council-tax equivalents for owner-occupied homes; condo owners pay common-area management (CAM) fees, typically ฿50–90 per m² per month in Phuket, plus a one-off sinking-fund contribution on new builds.

Thai banks rarely lend to non-resident foreigners. A small number of international banks (mainly Singapore-based) offer loans to foreigners for Thai property at conservative loan-to-value ratios, and some developers offer short instalment plans on new builds. Realistically, most UK and Australian buyers fund a Thai purchase with cash or equity released at home. Plan currency conversion timing — on a ฿15M villa, a 3% GBP/THB move is roughly £9,000.

A clean resale purchase takes 4–8 weeks from reservation to registration: one to two weeks for due diligence, a week for contracts, and the rest is scheduling funds and the Land Office appointment. Off-plan purchases follow the construction schedule, commonly 12–30 months, with ownership registered at completion. Nothing here is legal advice — engage a licensed Thai property lawyer before signing anything.