ReThai

Can foreigners own land or a house in Thailand?

As a rule, no. A foreigner cannot own land in Thailand. A foreigner can own a house as a building, separately from the land, and can hold the land under a registered lease of up to 30 years, a usufruct or a superficies.

The Land Code has two narrow routes to ownership: inheritance as a statutory heir, and an investment of at least 40 million baht. Both need the permission of the Minister of Interior.

Last reviewed · Sources

The lawful options and their limits

OptionWhat you getLimits
Registered lease Use of the land, or of the land and house, for the term. At most 30 years. Registered if longer than three years. Renewal is not guaranteed.
Superficies Ownership of the buildings on someone else's land. A fixed period of at most 30 years, or the lifetime of the landowner or of the holder.
Usufruct The right to possess, use and take the benefit of the property. A fixed period of at most 30 years, or the holder's lifetime. It always ends when the holder dies.
Owning the building only The house is yours; the land is not. You need a right over the land (one of the three above) for the house to stay where it is.
Investment route (Land Code, section 96 bis) Ownership of up to one rai for your own home. An investment of at least 40 million baht, a qualifying location, and the Minister's permission.
Inheritance as a statutory heir (section 93) Ownership of the inherited land. The Minister's permission, within the area limits of the Land Code.

How a lease compares with ownership: leasehold and freehold.

The investment route in detail

  • Amount. Not less than 40 million baht, brought into Thailand and invested in assets the ministerial regulation lists, such as Thai government bonds.
  • How long. The Land Code sets a minimum of three years for the regulation; the government's information page states at least five years. Plan on the longer period.
  • Where. In Bangkok, Pattaya City, a municipality, or an area zoned residential, and outside military safety zones.
  • How much land. Up to one rai, for the buyer's own residence.
  • Use. If the land is not used as a residence within two years of registration, or the conditions are broken, the Department of Lands can order it sold.

The procedure

  1. Take the documents to the Land Office for a first check.
  2. File the application and pay the application fee. Where a public announcement is required, it runs for 40 days.
  3. The Land Office asks the Minister of Interior for permission.
  4. When permission is granted, the Land Office sets a date and registers the transfer.

The file includes proof of the foreign money brought in, proof of the investment, a town-planning certificate that the land is in a residential area, and a confirmation that it is outside a military safety zone.

Companies and nominees

A Thai company can own land. A company is treated as a foreigner, and cannot, when foreigners hold more than 49% of its registered capital or are more than half of its shareholders. The same applies to a company owned by such a company.

Setting up a company in which Thai shareholders hold shares on a foreigner's behalf does not make the purchase lawful. A person who acquires land as an agent of a foreigner is liable to a fine of up to 20,000 baht, to imprisonment of up to two years, or both, and the land can be ordered sold. Lawyers report closer scrutiny of such companies by the authorities.

Companies with investment promotion, or operating in an industrial estate, may be allowed land for their business under separate laws. That is not a way to buy a home.

We do not describe company structures for holding land. If one is offered to you as routine, ask a lawyer who is independent of the seller.

Before you sign for a house or a villa

  • Ask which right you are buying: a lease, a superficies, a usufruct, or shares in a company. They are different things.
  • Check that the right will be registered at the Land Office on the title of the land.
  • Check the title document itself: see title deeds explained.
  • Count only on the first registered term, not on promised renewals.

Questions

Can a foreigner own a house in Thailand?
The building, yes: a house can be owned separately from the land it stands on. The land itself stays with its owner, and the foreigner holds it under a registered lease of up to 30 years, a superficies or a usufruct.
If I invest 40 million baht, can I own land?
Possibly. The Land Code lets the Minister of Interior permit a foreigner who has brought in an investment of not less than 40 million baht to acquire up to one rai for a home, in Bangkok, Pattaya, a municipality or a residential zone. The money is an investment in assets the regulation lists, not the price of the land, and permission is at the Minister's discretion.
Can I own land through a Thai company?
Not if the company counts as foreign: more than 49% foreign capital, or foreigners as more than half of the shareholders. Thai shareholders who hold shares for a foreigner do not change that. Acquiring land as an agent of a foreigner is punishable by a fine of up to 20,000 baht, up to two years in prison, or both.
What happens to land a foreigner acquired unlawfully?
It must be sold within a period set by the Director-General of the Department of Lands, of at least 180 days and at most one year. If it is not, the Director-General can sell it.
Can a foreigner inherit land?
A foreigner who inherits land as a statutory heir may be permitted by the Minister of Interior to acquire it, within the area limits of the Land Code. Without permission the land has to be sold.

Sources

  1. Land ownership by foreigners in Thailand: acquisition of land Government Public Relations Department (thailand.go.th). Read 11 November 2026.
  2. Foreign ownership of land in Thailand: ownership procedures Government Public Relations Department (thailand.go.th). Read 11 November 2026.
  3. Land ownership by foreigners in Thailand: documents required for registration Government Public Relations Department (thailand.go.th). Read 11 November 2026.
  4. Land Code B.E. 2497 (1954), chapter 8, sections 86 to 96 ter (Thai text with Council of State translation) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  5. Land Code, chapter 9, sections 97 to 100 (Council of State translation) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  6. Land Code, chapter 12, sections 111 to 113 (Council of State translation) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  7. Civil and Commercial Code, section 538 (written form and registration of leases) ThaiLawOnline law library (Thai text with English translation). Read 11 November 2026.
  8. Civil and Commercial Code, section 540 (thirty-year limit on leases), with Supreme Court decisions ThaiLawOnline law library (Thai text with English translation). Read 11 November 2026.
  9. Civil and Commercial Code, sections 1402 and 1403 (habitation) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  10. Civil and Commercial Code, sections 1410 to 1413 (superficies) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  11. Civil and Commercial Code, sections 1417 and 1418 (usufruct) ThaiLawOnline law library. Read 11 November 2026.
  12. Real Estate 2026: Thailand, law and practice Chambers and Partners practice guides (Duensing Kippen). Read 12 November 2026.