Buying a condo in Bangkok as a foreigner
Foreigners can own a condo in Thailand outright, in their own name. The rules are short, but two of them decide whether your transfer goes through on the day: the building's foreign quota, and how your money arrives in Thailand. This guide walks through both, the steps from shortlist to title deed, and what it costs.
1. Can a foreigner own a condo?
Yes. Under the Condominium Act, a foreigner can hold a condo unit freehold and receive the title deed (chanote) in their own name. The limit is per building: all foreign owners together may hold no more than 49% of the total unit area, measured in square metres, not by number of units.
In popular buildings along Sukhumvit, the foreign quota on resale units is often used up. If it is, a sale from a Thai owner to you cannot be registered as foreign freehold. A resale from one foreign owner to another should be checked by its effect on the foreign-owned area, because it does not increase that area. That is why the quota check comes first, before any money moves. I ask the building's juristic office for the current figure on every unit I show to a foreign buyer.
Buying through a Thai company to get around the quota does not work. The company counts as foreign if foreigners control it, and nominee structures are illegal. See the nominee risks of buying through a Thai company.
2. How your money has to arrive
On a tourist visa, or buying from abroad? You don't need a Thai bank account. See which visa you need to buy.
This is the step people get wrong most often. Most overseas buyers qualify under Section 19(5) of the Condominium Act, and Section 19 ter requires them to show the Land Office evidence of qualifying funds of at least the purchase price. Department of Lands guidance recognises three routes: foreign currency brought into Thailand, a withdrawal from a non-resident baht account, or a withdrawal from a foreign-currency deposit account. Baht earned or borrowed in Thailand and paid from an ordinary account does not satisfy Section 19(5) on its own.
For a buyer living abroad, sending foreign currency from overseas is the simplest route, and it is how most of our clients do it:
- Send foreign currency, not baht. Let the Thai bank do the conversion when the money lands.
- The receiving name must match your purchase agreement. Send it to your own Thai account, or to the seller or developer named in the contract.
- Write the purpose on the transfer, for example: "Purchase of condominium unit 1203, [Project name], Bangkok".
- Ask the bank for proof of the foreign remittance. The old paper Tor Tor 3 form is no longer used; banks now issue a foreign exchange certificate, usually a PDF still referred to as the "FET", or a credit advice for smaller transfers. Ask the receiving bank which document it will issue before you send the money, and bring it to the Land Office.
You will often read that the FET is issued only "above USD 50,000". That is a bank practice, not the legal test. What the Land Office checks is that the money you brought in covers the price of the unit.
Paying in instalments, using a loan or mortgage, or paying a seller some other way? Check the route before any money moves. Read how to transfer money and finance a condo purchase (FET), and see our complete guide to foreign property ownership in Thailand.
3. From shortlist to title deed
- Shortlist and check the quota. We view the units, and I confirm foreign quota, outstanding common fees and any mortgage on the title before you commit.
- Reserve the unit. A reservation deposit takes the unit off the market. Get a written receipt that states when the deposit is refundable.
- Sign the sale and purchase agreement. Have a lawyer read it first, especially the deposit, the handover date, who pays which fees, and what happens if the transfer cannot go ahead.
- Remit the funds from abroad as described above, and collect the bank certificates.
- Transfer at the Land Office. Buyer and seller (or their representatives with power of attorney) attend, fees and taxes are paid, and the title deed is registered in your name, usually the same day.
4. What it costs
Full breakdown, new vs resale: what it costs to buy a condo in Bangkok.
Fees and taxes are set by law, but who pays each one is agreed in the contract. This is the usual split for a resale unit.
Example: on a ฿15,000,000 unit appraised at the same value, the transfer fee is ฿300,000. Split 50/50, your share is ฿150,000, plus your lawyer's fee and, for a new unit, the sinking fund.
The government has cut the transfer fee to 0.01% for homes up to ฿7 million until 30 June 2027, but the measure is aimed at Thai individual buyers. Plan on the full 2% and treat any reduction as a bonus your lawyer confirms.
5. New project or resale?
Resale lets you see the actual unit, the view and how the building is run, and you can move in or rent it out straight away. Check the quota, unpaid common fees and the condition of the air-con and water heaters.
Off-plan may come at a launch price and the developer usually holds foreign quota for overseas buyers, but you pay in instalments over the build and depend on the developer finishing on time.
6. Can buying a condo get me a visa?
Yes, if the unit qualifies. Since 1 October 2025, Thailand has a long-stay visa for property investors, often called the "฿3 million property visa". It gives a one-year stay that you renew every year for as long as you keep the property.
- A freehold condo worth at least ฿3,000,000 registered in your name.
- Registered at the Land Office on or after 1 October 2025. Units bought before that date do not count.
- Bought from a Thai individual or a Thai company. A unit bought from another foreigner does not qualify.
- You live in it yourself. The unit cannot be rented out or used commercially, and immigration may check. One unit supports one applicant.
- A certification from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, handled through Thailand Longstay, before immigration grants the extension.
Read the full property visa guide →
The visa does not allow you to work. It is new, and details are still being applied case by case, so confirm your plan with an immigration lawyer before you sign. For larger budgets, the five-year LTR visa is another route that can count property toward its investment requirement.
7. After you buy
Common fee. Every owner pays a common area fee to the building's juristic office. It is charged per square metre; in upper-grade condominiums the average is around ฿55–165 per sq.m. Most buildings bill it once a year in advance; some bill every six months. On a 100 sq.m unit at ฿100 per sq.m, that is about ฿120,000 a year.
Renting it out. You can lease the unit to a tenant, unless you are using it for the property visa, which requires you to live there yourself.
Selling later. You can send the sale proceeds back abroad, which is one more reason to keep your bank remittance certificates. Inheritance is more nuanced than it looks. The Condominium Act sets notification and disposal rules for some foreign heirs, while the Department of Lands has published an interpretation under which the heir of a Section 19(5) owner may step into that owner's position. The outcome depends on the heir's status, the foreign quota and the facts, so make a will that covers your Thai property and ask a Thai lawyer how the rules would apply to your family. For family transfers, see can foreign parents transfer a Thai condo to their child?
Tell me the budget and the station. I'll check the quota first.
Chidlom to Ekkamai, freehold units for foreign buyers, in English, Thai, Chinese or Japanese.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with a Thai property lawyer and the Land Office before you transfer.