Foreign Buyer Guide
How buying in Thailand actually works for an international buyer — the eight steps from first enquiry to registered ownership, and six short articles on the rules behind them. About 28 minutes end to end.
General information · Not legal advice
Thai property for international buyers
A condominium unit is the one form of Thai real estate a foreigner can hold in freehold, with the title deed issued in their own name — no residency, no Thai company, no partner. Two conditions travel with it: the project must have foreign ownership quota remaining, and the purchase money must arrive from abroad in foreign currency and be documented.
Everything below explains those conditions and the sequence around them. Foreign ownership is subject to quota confirmation, and pricing and availability are subject to confirmation on the day.
The 49% rule, building by building
Under section 19 bis of the Condominium Act B.E. 2522, foreigners may together hold no more than 49% of the total floor area of all units in a condominium. Where that ceiling has been reached, a foreign buyer cannot be registered as freehold owner in their own name, whatever a sales office says.
The 49% ceiling is the same in every condominium in Thailand. Whether this particular building has room left under it is a question only that building's juristic person can answer, and the answer changes as units transfer. On each development we publish what the firm was told, by whom and on what date — or, where the firm has not asked, that it has not asked. We never estimate a quota figure.
A quota position is true on the day it was given and changes as units transfer. What is shown here is the answer as at the date beside it — a point in time, not a guarantee, and not a substitute for the search made at the Land Office on the day of transfer.
Suwanvara Property lists the residence. Writing to the juristic person and checking the quota is legal work, carried out by Suwanvara Law Firm under a separate engagement; the property desk does not advise on it.
Ask us this
Verbatim, with the short answer and a link to the section that answers it in full. If yours is not here, it is the one we would like to receive.
Yes — freehold, registered in your own name. The Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), §19, lists the categories of foreigner who may hold a unit, and §19 bis caps foreign holdings at 49% of the total area of all units in that building.
Which law allows it →Ask the developer for a new development and the condominium juristic person for a resale, then keep your deposit conditional on the quota letter being issued at transfer. The position is measured on transfer day, not on reservation day.
How to check the quota →Yes, in foreign currency, and the Thai bank that receives it issues the evidence — an FET form at USD 50,000 or more, a credit advice below that. Section 19 ter of the Condominium Act requires it to be produced when the transfer is registered.
The bank evidence →On new developer stock the buyer's customary share is 1% of the price — half the 2% transfer fee, which is the most a developer may pass on. On a resale the split is negotiated, so put it in the reservation agreement.
Who pays what →Rarely. Thai banks lend to foreign buyers only in limited circumstances, and most foreign purchases here are completed with funds remitted from abroad. We arrange no finance and hold no lending terms, so ask a bank directly rather than taking a figure from us.
How the money must arrive →The title deed and any registered mortgage, the debt-free letter required by §29 of the Condominium Act, the sinking fund and last AGM minutes, the quota position, and whether a tenant is in place — a lease survives the sale.
The due diligence list →Step by step
The sequence we run with every international buyer. Steps six and eight involve other people — the law firm you appoint, and the Land Department — and we say so plainly at each.
Browse curated residences or tell us your requirements.
Reach us on LINE or email with the property reference.
We confirm availability, pricing and your shortlist.
In person or by video call, coordinated in English.
Price, terms and transfer-fee arrangement.
Under a separate engagement with Suwanvara Law Firm.
Reservation agreement and deposit with the seller or developer.
Coordination through registration at the Land Department.
Legal review at step six is optional and is provided by Suwanvara Law Firm under a separate engagement — you remain free to appoint another legal adviser. Publication of a property is not legal verification of it.
Where buyers start
Each project page carries the building facts with their sources, what is available today and the developer's current promotion wording in full.
Phra Khanong
โมดิซ สุขุมวิท 50
Bangkok · 1.4 km to BTS On Nut
From ฿3.9M
approximately $110K
approximately CN¥788K
approximately €102K
30 residences listed
Bang Sue
โมดิซ คอลเลคชั่น บางโพ
Bangkok · 70 m to MRT Bang Pho
From ฿3.8M
approximately $109K
approximately CN¥784K
approximately €101K
30 residences listed
Chatuchak
มารูน รัชดา 32
Bangkok · 1.2 km to MRT Yellow Line Lat Phrao
From ฿2.5M
approximately $71K
approximately CN¥508K
approximately €65K
81 residences listed
6 articles
This guide is general information for foreign buyers, not legal advice. Rules, rates and procedures change and individual situations differ. Legal review available through Suwanvara Law Firm under a separate engagement.
Apply it to the list
Each collection is one of the conditions this guide explains, applied to the residences currently on our books.
Ownership route
Freehold condominium units — the one form of Thai property a foreigner can hold outright.
View collection →
Connections
Residences with a named station inside an 800-metre walk, distance printed on every card.
View collection →
Entry level
The entry point to the list — compact units, mostly new developments outside the centre.
View collection →
Timing
Units handed over decorated or fully furnished — no fit-out project after transfer.
View collection →
Further reading
Short, sourced pieces on sending funds, transfer day, buying remotely, inheritance and the areas foreign buyers ask about — each general information, not legal or tax advice.
Your Situation
Tell us the districts, budget and timeline you have in mind and we reply with a shortlist — or ask about a particular building and we confirm the details that matter.
If you are buying to hold
The guide covers ownership: quota, funds, transfer, tenure, due diligence. The investment hub covers what happens after — what our own price sheets show per square metre, what a year of ownership costs, where rent evidence exists, and five investor notes on the rest. Same rule about sources; same honesty block on every one.
Open the investment hubFinancing
Thai-bank mortgages for non-residents, developer instalment plans, home-country lending and the common cash outcome — set out factually, with an indicative instalment estimator.
How foreign buyers finance a purchaseLegal — Suwanvara Law Firm
Due diligence, contract review and transfer support are provided by Suwanvara Law Firm under a separate engagement — never bundled with a listing, never mandatory.
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