Property in Thailand for foreigners

Updated 6 October 2026

Apartments in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya: we check the free foreign quota and the developer, arrange the transfer with the required confirmation and handle Land Department registration.

In Thailand a foreigner can directly own a condominium unit but not land. Flats are therefore bought freehold, while villas and houses are held through long land leases or other structures, each checked separately. The main markets are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Samui. A purchase does not grant residence by itself, but property can be part of the investment for a long-term visa.

Freehold condominium: rules for foreigners

• 49% quota. Foreigners together may own no more than 49% of the total unit area in a building. Once the quota is used up, a unit cannot be bought freehold. The available quota is checked before the deposit with a letter from the building's management body.
• Funds from abroad. Payment must be transferred into Thailand in foreign currency. The bank issues a foreign exchange transaction confirmation, without which the Land Department will not register the purchase to a foreigner.
• Registration of title takes place at the Land Department on the transfer day.

Houses and villas: land leases

A foreigner cannot own land. A house is usually structured with the building owned and the land on a registered lease. The maximum registered lease term is 30 years. Renewals are written into the contract, but they are a contractual promise, not an automatic right. Structures where a foreigner effectively controls land through a Thai company with nominee shareholders are illegal, and such deals can be challenged.

Transaction costs

• Transfer fee: 2% of the appraised value at the Land Department.
• Specific business tax: 3.3% if the seller has owned the property for less than five years. Otherwise stamp duty of 0.5% applies.
• Withholding tax on the seller, depending on whether it is an individual or a company.
• Lease registration: 1% of the total rent for the term plus 0.1% stamp duty.

Who bears which costs is agreed in the contract; the transfer fee is often split in half.

Property and the long-term visa

The long-term visa for wealthy foreigners requires assets of at least $1 million, with at least $500,000, about 16.9 million baht, invested in Thailand: government bonds, direct investment or property. Since February 2025 the income requirement for this category has been removed. The visa is issued for 10 years. Another route is the Thailand privilege visa for a one-off fee with no investment requirement; see our Thailand residence page.

How the purchase works

1. Shortlisting a flat or house for your goal: living, renting out, preserving capital.
2. Due diligence. Developer's or seller's title, building permits, available foreign quota, encumbrances.
3. Contracts: reservation and sale, and for a house, the land lease.
4. Transfer of funds from abroad in foreign currency with bank confirmation.
5. Registration at the Land Department and payment of fees.

Risks

• A unit without available foreign quota is held on lease, not freehold.
• Funds transferred without the foreign exchange confirmation: registration is impossible.
• A developer selling units before permits are issued.
• Nominee Thai shareholder structures for holding land.

What we do

We shortlist a property, check the developer, permits and foreign quota, prepare contracts, arrange the transfer of funds with the right confirmations, and support registration at the Land Department with locally licensed partners. If property is part of a long-term visa plan, we tie the purchase to it from the start.

Can a Russian citizen buy property in Thailand

Yes, on the same terms as other foreigners: a condominium apartment in freehold if the building has free foreign quota, and a house through ownership of the building and a registered land lease. There are no special bans for Russian citizens. The key technical condition is that the money must come into Thailand from abroad in foreign currency, and the bank issues a transfer confirmation without which the Land Department will not register the apartment.

So the route of the money is planned in advance: a transfer from a Russian account or card to Thailand may fail or arrive without the required confirmation. It is safer to pay from a bank account in a third country or from a Thai account that received the money from abroad. Russian citizens need no visa to view apartments; how long the visa-free stay lasts is covered in our article on visa-free entry to Thailand.

Apartment prices in 2026

In the first half of 2026 new Bangkok apartments were launched at an average of about 120,000 baht per square metre, about $3,600.

In Phuket and Pattaya the spread is even wider: distance to the sea and the view decide the price. Districts and rents are covered in our guides to Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, and buying in detail in our article on buying an apartment in Thailand.

Owner taxes and renting out

• Ownership. Land and building tax on homes starts at 0.02% of the appraised value a year; from 2026 it is collected at full rates, without the earlier discounts.
• Long-term rent. Income is subject to Thai income tax at 0-35%, and non-residents pay it too, because the income is Thai-source.
• Short lets. Letting for less than 30 days without a hotel licence is illegal, and most condominiums cannot obtain one. Reliable income comes from long-term tenants.
• Sale. Income tax is withheld from the seller based on the appraised value, and if owned for less than 5 years a 3.3% specific business tax applies, otherwise 0.5% stamp duty.

Since 2024 Thai tax residents' foreign income is taxed when brought into the country. Russia and Thailand have a double tax treaty in force: tax on Thai rent can be credited in Russia. More on our page on taxes in Thailand.

How to buy property in Thailand remotely

A representative with a power of attorney can handle registration at the Land Department. The power of attorney is made on the Land Department form and certified at a Thai consulate or by a notary with legalisation, then translated into Thai. Contracts for new builds are often signed remotely, with payments following the construction schedule.

The key in a remote purchase is that every transfer comes with the bank's foreign currency transfer confirmation in the buyer's name. Without it the apartment cannot be registered in freehold and has to be taken on a long lease. If you need a long-term visa alongside the purchase, conditions are on our page on Thai residence, and to compare Thailand with other countries see our overview of where to buy property abroad.

Condominium or villa: which to choose

A condominium apartment is the only way for a foreigner to own a home in Thailand directly, so it is easier to resell to another foreigner if the building still has free quota. Owners pay a monthly service charge and a one-off sinking fund contribution on purchase; both are set in the building rules and noticeably affect returns.

A villa offers more space, but the land stays on a lease of up to 30 years, and renewal is a contractual promise, not a right. On resale the buyer gets the remaining lease term, which lowers the price. Thai banks rarely lend to foreigners, so purchases are usually paid from own funds or through a developer's instalments during construction.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Company formation · Business account · Personal account · All country programs

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