It is the question we are asked more than any other, in every language we work in: can a foreigner buy property in Thailand? The short answer has not changed. Yes, you can own a condominium unit outright. As a rule, you cannot own land.
What has changed is the noise around the answer. For two years, headlines have promised a 75% foreign quota and 99-year leases. As of September 2026, neither is law. Buying on the assumption that they soon will be is the most common mistake we see.
What a foreigner can own today
| Route | What you get | The limit |
|---|---|---|
| Condominium unit, freehold | Full ownership, registered in your name at the Land Office | Foreign-owned units may not exceed 49% of the building's total saleable floor area |
| Leasehold (house, villa or land) | The right to use the property for the lease term, registered at the Land Office | 30 years per registered term |
| Land | Not available to foreigners as individuals, as a rule | Nominee arrangements are illegal and are being enforced against |
For almost every foreign buyer in Bangkok, the freehold condominium is the route. It is simple, it is permanent and it can be inherited and resold.
The 49% rule, in practice
The Condominium Act caps foreign ownership at 49% of a building's saleable floor area. It is measured in square metres, not units, and it is a building-wide limit, not a per-floor one.
What this means for you:
- In a popular building, the foreign quota can run out even when units are still for sale. The remaining units can then only be sold to Thai buyers.
- New launches sell foreign-quota units on their own terms. Payment schedules for foreign-quota units often differ from the Thai-quota plan, typically with more due at contract.
- On a resale, quota status matters. A unit already registered to a foreigner stays in the foreign quota when sold to another foreigner. A Thai-owned unit can only pass to a foreigner if quota remains.
Before you book, ask for the remaining foreign quota in writing.
The 75% quota and the 99-year lease: where they stand
- 75% foreign quota. In April 2024, the Cabinet approved a proposal to study raising the cap from 49% to 75%, in some versions only in designated areas. No amendment has passed Parliament. The 49% cap is unchanged.
- 99-year lease. The government has spoken of extending the maximum lease term from 30 to 99 years. It has not been enacted. The maximum registrable lease is still 30 years.
- "30 + 30 + 30" renewals. Leases that promise automatic renewals beyond the first 30 years have been treated by the courts as unenforceable past the first term, following a Supreme Court ruling in March 2025. A renewal clause is a promise, not a registered right.
Our advice is simple: treat any proposal as noise until it is published in the Royal Gazette.
What the 2026 numbers say about foreign buyers
The Real Estate Information Center (REIC) reported that foreign buyers took 3,241 condominium units nationwide in the first quarter of 2026, 17.3% fewer than a year earlier, worth about ฿13.5 billion. Foreigners accounted for 13.6% of units transferred and 23.9% of the value, because they tend to buy larger and more expensive units than the average.
The mix is shifting:
- Chinese buyers remain the largest group, but fell by 38.8% in units.
- Russian buyers rose by a third, and Indian, Australian, British and German buyers all increased.
- The average foreign purchase was about ฿4.2 million and 43.7 sq.m.
Meanwhile, condominium sales across Greater Bangkok rose 19.5% year on year in the second quarter, according to REIC, while fewer new projects launched. Good buildings in good locations are still selling; ordinary ones are not.
How to buy, step by step
- Confirm the foreign quota for the unit you want, in writing.
- Reserve with a booking deposit and receive the reservation agreement.
- Sign the sale and purchase agreement. Read the payment schedule, the handover conditions and who pays which transfer costs.
- Remit the funds from abroad, in foreign currency. The receiving Thai bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction form (Thor Tor 3). Keep it: the Land Office needs it at transfer, and you will need it again when you sell and take the money home.
- Inspect before handover. Snag the unit and have defects fixed before you accept it.
- Transfer at the Land Office. The transfer fee is 2% of the government's assessed value; who pays it is set by the contract, not by law. A one-off sinking fund and the first period of common-area fees are usually collected at this point too.
Our view
For a foreign buyer, Thailand's rules are clearer than their reputation. Own a condominium freehold within the 49% quota, bring the money in properly, and keep the paperwork. The uncertainty is in the proposals, not in the law that applies today, so make your decision on the law that applies today.
A.D. advises foreign buyers on quota, payment terms and transfer, in English, Thai, Chinese, Myanmar and Russian.
