Rent or buy property in Thailand

Foreign ownership rules in Thailand

A foreigner cannot own land in Thailand directly. Common legal alternatives are a registered long-term lease, a right of superficies, a usufruct, or ownership through a genuinely Thai-majority company — nominee arrangements are illegal and actively sanctioned. A foreigner can own a condominium unit in full freehold, but only within the building's legal 49% foreign-ownership quota under the Condominium Act; the purchase must be funded by an inward transfer of foreign currency, documented with a Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form from the Thai bank.