How to sell property in Thailand as a foreigner (2026)

What can foreigners actually own — and sell — in Thailand?

Foreigners in Thailand most commonly own freehold condominium units, long-term leaseholds, or property held through a Thai company — and all three can be sold. What you own determines the paperwork and the buyer pool, so identify your structure before you price anything.

Freehold condos and the 49% foreign quota

Under the Condominium Act, foreigners may own condo units freehold as long as foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total unit floor area. When you sell, your unit's quota slot matters: selling to another foreigner keeps it in the foreign quota, while selling to a Thai national frees it up. A unit with available foreign quota is often easier to market to overseas buyers, so ask the building's juristic person for a current quota letter early — the buyer's side will need it at transfer anyway.

Leasehold: you're selling the remaining lease term

A registered lease in Thailand runs up to 30 years, and what you sell is an assignment of the remaining term — a 30-year lease with 18 years left is an 18-year asset, and buyers will price it that way. Assignment usually needs the freehold owner's (lessor's) consent, and the new lease or assignment must be registered at the Land Office to bind third parties. Check your lease contract for assignment and renewal clauses before listing, because they shape both the price and who can realistically buy.

Company-held property: sell the asset or the shares

Foreigners can't own land directly, so houses and villas are often held through a Thai limited company in which the foreigner holds a minority stake. Selling gives you two routes: the company sells the property (a normal Land Office transfer, taxed at company rates), or you sell the company's shares with the property inside it. Each has different tax and liability consequences, and share deals need careful due diligence on the company itself. Be aware that structures relying on Thai nominee shareholders are illegal under Thai law — if that describes your setup, engage a qualified Thai lawyer before marketing the property. This guide describes the process factually and is not legal or tax advice.

How does the sale process work, end to end?

The process is: price the property, choose how to market it, negotiate and sign a sale-and-purchase agreement (usually with a 10% deposit), then complete the transfer at the Land Office where taxes are paid and the balance changes hands. Most sales follow that exact arc; the variables are how long the marketing stage takes and how prepared your paperwork is.

How should I price it?

Price against what comparable units have actually sold for recently — not against what you paid, what you spent on renovation, or what neighbouring units are asking. Thailand has no public sold-price database, which is why a good local agent's transaction knowledge matters: they know what closed in your building or soi and at what number. Overpricing is the single biggest reason foreign-owned listings sit for years; buyers simply filter you out and never make contact.

Agent, FSBO, or a co-broking network?

Selling yourself (FSBO) saves commission but leaves you handling pricing, marketing, screening, viewings and Land Office logistics. A single agent adds expertise but has one buyer pool. An agent connected to a co-broking network can share one current listing with participating agents who serve the area and accept the terms, while remaining your accountable contact.

What documents do buyers (and the Land Office) expect?

The core set: the title deed (chanote, โฉนด) or condo unit title, your passport, the original sale agreement from when you bought, and — for condos — a debt-free certificate and foreign-quota letter from the juristic person, both issued shortly before transfer. Keep your FET (foreign exchange transaction) evidence from the original purchase with this pack. If you'll sell remotely, a Land Office power of attorney (the official Tor Dor 21 form) must be prepared and, when signed abroad, notarised and legalised — arrange it early, it's the most common last-minute blocker for overseas sellers.

What taxes and fees do sellers pay in 2026?

Four items can apply at transfer: the 2% transfer fee, specific business tax of 3.3% (only if you sell within five years of acquiring), withholding tax on the gain, and 0.5% stamp duty (only when specific business tax doesn't apply). All are calculated and paid at the Land Office on transfer day — the table below shows how each works.

Who actually pays what is negotiable in Thailand: a common convention is to split the transfer fee 50/50 and have the seller carry the taxes, but every allocation must be written into the sale agreement explicitly. Never leave it to a verbal understanding on transfer day.

How do I get the money out of Thailand after selling?

You can repatriate the full sale proceeds through a Thai bank, provided you can document that the money came from a genuine property sale — and, ideally, that the original purchase funds came into Thailand as foreign currency. The single most useful document is the FET (foreign exchange transaction) form or bank credit advice issued when you first transferred money in to buy: banks issue it for inward remittances of USD 50,000 or more, and it is the cleanest evidence trail for sending money back out.

For the outbound transfer, banks typically ask for: the FET or credit advice from your purchase, the new sale-and-purchase agreement, the Land Office tax receipts, and the transferred title documentation. Lost your FET? Your bank can often re-issue evidence of the original remittance, but start that process before you list — not the week you need to move the money.

How long does a sale realistically take?

Expect months, not weeks — even for attractive properties. A competitively priced condo in a liquid Bangkok or Phuket market can find a buyer within a few months; a mispriced one can sit for years. Landed houses and villas held through company structures move slower because the buyer pool is smaller and due diligence is heavier, and leaseholds slow down as the remaining term shortens. Once you have a signed agreement and deposit, the transfer itself is quick: with documents in order, the Land Office appointment typically completes in a single day, and 30–60 days from agreement to transfer is a normal window.

What are the common pitfalls for foreign sellers?

The five that come up constantly: (1) pricing off your purchase price plus renovations instead of current comparables; (2) discovering the specific business tax the week of transfer because the sale lands inside the five-year window; (3) missing FET evidence, which turns repatriation into a paper chase; (4) a power of attorney signed abroad without proper notarisation and legalisation, which the Land Office will reject; and (5) signing a long exclusive listing agreement with no performance obligations, which parks your property with an agent who has no pressure to sell it. Every one of these is avoidable with two weeks of preparation before you list.

How does TPN help foreign sellers?

TPN is a Thai MLS-style co-broking network. You list once with one accountable TPN agent, who can share the current record with eligible participating agents under explicit commission terms. You keep one contact for pricing, marketing, screening and Land Office coordination; if a buyer-side agent closes the deal, the agents split the agreed commission.