What foreigners can actually buy in Thailand
Ownership here is not a single yes or no. There are three routes, and they give you very different levels of control.
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Buying property in Thailand is entirely possible as a foreign national — but the rules are strict, and they differ sharply depending on whether you want a condominium or a house. The three routes below are the realistic options. Understanding which one applies to you is the single most important thing to get right before you start looking.
The three ownership routes
Each gives you a different balance of security, control and cost.
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Buying a condominium
The only route to true freehold ownership in your own name.
Under the Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), up to 49% of a building's registered floor area may be sold to foreign owners — the so-called foreign quota. The remaining 51% must stay in Thai ownership.
If the foreign quota in a building is already exhausted, you can still take a unit there, but only on a long-term lease rather than outright ownership. That is a common and accepted alternative — just make sure you know which of the two you are actually buying before you pay anything.
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Buying a house on leased land
You can own the building — the land underneath stays Thai-owned.
Foreign nationals cannot own land in Thailand. This is the key difference from buying a condo. A house purchase therefore works by leasing the land long-term while owning the structure that stands on it, usually registered separately at the Land Office.
This gives you the right to live in and use the house, but ownership of the land itself remains with a Thai party for the duration of the lease.
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Buying through a Thai company
More control on paper — and a genuine legal risk.
Some buyers prefer a holding structure that gives more rights over the property than a lease does. A Thai company can acquire land, provided at least 51% of its shares are held by Thai nationals.
This route offers a higher degree of indirect control — but only where the structure is genuine, with real Thai shareholders or partners who have an actual stake in the business.
Which route fits you
Condo for security, lease for a house, company only with proper advice.
If your priority is holding an asset in your own name with the least legal complication, a condominium inside the foreign quota is the cleanest answer. If you want a house and a garden, a registered land lease is the normal and legitimate path. The company route can make sense in genuine business situations, but it should never be chosen simply as a workaround for the land rule — that is precisely the use the authorities are looking for.
Not sure which applies to you?
Tell us what you are looking for and we will tell you honestly which route it falls under — and what it means in practice.