Can foreigners buy property in Thailand?

What a foreigner can own

• A condominium unit, freehold, in your own name, within the building's 49% foreign quota.
• A building, such as a house, held separately from the land it stands on.
• A lease on land or on a unit, registered at the Land Office for up to 30 years.

What a foreigner cannot own

• Land in your own name. This is the general rule across Thailand, including Pattaya.
• A condominium unit freehold once the building's foreign quota is full.
• Land through a Thai company whose Thai shareholders hold their shares on your behalf. Nominee arrangements are illegal and carry fines and prison terms.

Buying a condominium

Under the Condominium Act, foreigners together may hold up to 49% of the total floor area of all units in a building. The measure is area, not the number of units. Within that quota you own the unit outright, with a title deed in your name.

The purchase money must come from abroad in foreign currency, and you must be able to prove it at the Land Office when the unit is transferred to you.

When a building's foreign quota is full, the usual alternative is a leasehold unit: a lease registered for up to 30 years.

Buying a house or villa

Because a foreigner cannot own the land, the lawful route is a registered lease of up to 30 years on the land, together with ownership of the building, which can be held separately.

Promises to renew a lease beyond 30 years are not something you can rely on. Thai courts have held that pre-agreed renewals designed to exceed 30 years cannot be enforced, so value a lease on its registered term.

Does buying give you a visa?

No. Buying a property does not give you a visa or a right to live in Thailand. Long-stay options such as the Long-Term Resident visa and Thailand Privilege membership are separate applications with their own conditions.

Are the rules about to change?

In 2024 the government asked for a study of raising the condominium quota to 75% and allowing leases of up to 99 years. As of mid-2026 neither has become law. Buy on the rules as they are, not on proposals.