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Buying property in Thailand as a foreign buyer
Document Checklist
หนังสือเดินทาง (Nangsue Doen Thang)
Passport
Required for: Identity and nationality verification at the Department of Lands
Document: Original passport plus a copy of the biographical page and the current Thai entry stamp
Issued by: Country of citizenship
Buyer attends in person, or appoints an attorney under a Tor Dor 21 power-of-attorney form.
แบบ ธ.ต.3 (Baeb Tor Tor 3 — Foreign Exchange Transaction Form, FET)
Foreign Exchange Transaction form
Required for: Condominium freehold under Section 19 category five — statutory evidence of foreign-currency funding
Issued by: Receiving Thai commercial bank, automatically for inward remittances of USD 50,000 or above (or equivalent)
Sub-threshold substitutes: Credit note or bank letter of guarantee on request from the same bank — both accepted by the Department of Lands
The form must identify the sender, recipient, foreign-currency amount, baht amount, and stated purpose. The recipient name and stated purpose must match the Sale and Purchase Agreement. Below the USD 50,000 threshold, request the substitute document before the wire is sent so the bank captures the required fields.
หนังสือรับรองจากนิติบุคคลอาคารชุด (Nangsue Rap Rong Jak Niti Bukkhon Akhan Chut)
Letter of guarantee from the condominium juristic person
Required for: Statutory evidence of 49% foreign-quota compliance under Section 19/2 of the Condominium Act
Issued by: The condominium juristic person (the building's management body), typically within three to seven business days of request
Confirms in writing that the unit falls within the available foreign quota at the planned transfer date. This is the single most decisive pre-registration check.
โฉนดที่ดิน (Chanot Thi Din — Ownership Certificate of Condominium Unit)
Unit title deed
Required for: Title chain at the Department of Lands
Held by: Seller; produced at registration
Accompanied by the *ทะเบียนบ้าน* (Tabien Baan — house registration book for the unit).
สัญญาซื้อขายห้องชุด (Sanya Sue Khai Hong Chut)
Sale and Purchase Agreement
Required for: Binding contract between buyer and seller — signed before registration
Issued by: Brokerage or developer; reviewed by buyer's Thai counsel before signature
Fixes the buyer-seller cost-sharing convention for transfer fee, business tax, withholding tax, and stamp duty. Customary 50/50 split on transfer fee is negotiable and must be set in writing.
สัญญาเช่า (Sanya Chao — Lease Agreement)
Lease agreement (registered leasehold pathway only)
Required for: Registration of a lease over three years under Civil and Commercial Code Section 538
Form: Bilingual Thai-English drafting is standard practice; the Thai version controls in case of dispute
A lease over three years that is not registered is enforceable only for three years regardless of the written term. The maximum registrable term is 30 years per Section 540.
แบบ ทด.21 (Baeb Tor Dor 21)
Power of attorney
Required for: Registration through an attorney when the buyer is not appearing at the Department of Lands in person
Issued by: The buyer, on the Land Department's standard Tor Dor 21 form
Notarised and, where executed abroad, commonly apostilled. Many foreign buyers appoint a Thai-licensed property lawyer as attorney for the registration leg.
หนังสือยินยอมของคู่สมรส (Nangsue Yin Yom Khong Khu Somrot)
Spouse consent or marriage / divorce certificate
Required for: Married buyers — spouse's written consent or proof of marital status under Thai matrimonial-property rules
Where the buyer's spouse is Thai, additional declarations regarding the source of funds and the spouse's interest in the property may be required by the Land Office.
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