Annual property tax, and who actually gets the exemption
The Land and Building Tax Act B.E. 2562 applies the same rates to everyone — but the relief depends on paperwork most foreign owners never file.
On this page
Thailand charges an annual tax on land and buildings, assessed on the appraised value of the property and its declared use. The law makes no distinction between Thai nationals and foreigners — the rates are identical. What separates owners is whether they qualify for the residential exemption, and that comes down to one document.
Residential use
Maximum legal rate: 0.30%. Which of the three tables applies depends on what you own and whether you are registered at the address in the house book (Tabien Baan).
| Appraised value | Land + building | Building / condo only | Secondary / investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 10M THB | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% |
| 10 – 50M THB | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| 50 – 75M THB | 0.02% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| 75 – 100M THB | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| Over 100M THB | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.10% |
The first two columns apply only to a primary residence registered in your name in the house book. The exemption ceiling is 50M THB where you own both the land and the building, and 10M THB where you own only the structure or a condominium unit. The third column applies from the first baht.
Commercial use and vacant land
Both follow the same bands. The difference is the ceiling — and what happens if land sits unused.
| Appraised value | Commercial use | Vacant / unused land |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 50M THB | 0.30% | 0.30% |
| 50 – 200M THB | 0.40% | 0.40% |
| 200M – 1,000M THB | 0.50% | 0.50% |
| 1,000M – 5,000M THB | 0.60% | 0.60% |
| Over 5,000M THB | 0.70% | 0.70% |
Maximum legal rate is 1.20% for commercial use and 3.00% for vacant land. If land stays unused for more than three years, the rate rises by a further 0.30 percentage points every three years until it reaches the 3.00% ceiling. Local authorities may set higher rates under local legislation, but never above the statutory maximum.
Why foreigners often miss the exemption
Nothing here is about nationality. It is about meeting two conditions that happen to be harder for foreign owners.
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The two conditions
You must legally own it, and be registered there in the house book.
Residential relief does not depend on citizenship. It depends on two things: the property must be legally owned by the person claiming the relief, and that person must have their official residence registered at the address in the house book (Tabien Baan).
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House and land: usually no relief
No land ownership means no access to the 50M exemption.
Foreign nationals cannot own land in Thailand in their own name. Without ownership of the land, the full exemption up to 50 million THB simply cannot be claimed — the first condition fails before the paperwork is even considered.
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Condominiums: relief is available
Own the unit outright and hold a Yellow House Book — and you qualify.
This is where foreign owners do have a full claim. If you own a condominium in your own name under the foreign freehold quota, and you are registered to that address through a Yellow House Book (Thor.Ror.13), you meet both conditions and the exemption applies up to 10 million THB — an effective rate of 0%.
In short
Same rates for everyone; the relief is won with a document, not a passport.
Rates are identical for Thai nationals and foreigners. Eligibility for relief turns on official residence registration, not on nationality. On a house with land, a foreign owner will not reach the 50M exemption because the land cannot be owned. On a condominium, the 10M exemption is fully available — provided the Yellow House Book is in place. If you own a condo here and have never filed one, that is usually the single cheapest tax decision available to you.
Paying more than you need to?
If you own a condominium and are not registered in a Yellow House Book, it is worth ten minutes of our time to check.