House or land checked before you buy
ตรวจบ้านหรือที่ดินก่อนซื้อ
The paper that comes with land in Thailand records one of three things: ownership, a right of possession, or a permit to use the land. The land office charges its 2% transfer fee on an assessed price, a second number next to the asking price.
Today's price ฿8,000
- 2%Transfer fee at the land office, charged on the appraised value dol.go.th
- 3.3%Specific business tax on a sale within 5 years of acquiring the property, on the higher of appraised value and sale price dol.go.th
- 49%Largest share of a condominium building's unit area that foreigners may hold together dol.go.th
Try it
Which paper does the land have?
How it goes
- The land office record for the plot is readHongdam · First
- The assessed price is set against the asking priceHongdam · After the record
- The street and the neighbours are looked atHongdam · Then
- What was found goes into a written reportHongdam · Last
- A lawyer's title check is a separate jobA lawyer · Separate
- The land office record for the plot is readHongdam · First
- The assessed price is set against the asking priceHongdam · After the record
- The street and the neighbours are looked atHongdam · Then
- What was found goes into a written reportHongdam · Last
- A lawyer's title check is a separate jobA lawyer · Separate
What you get
- House or land checked before you buy฿8,000We read the Thai land office record, compare the official value with the asking price, look at the street and neighbours, and write a report. A lawyer's check of the title deed is separate.
What others charge
| Title deed check from a Bangkok law firm that names network lawyers in Chiang Mai | from ฿3,900 on its service list; ฿4,900 on its menu thailawonline.com |
|---|---|
| Property rights due diligence (title and encumbrance checks, transfer history, zoning), same firm | from ฿30,000 thailawonline.com |
| Condo purchase package (contract review, foreign quota check, transfer, registration after purchase), same firm | from ฿19,900 thailawonline.com |
| Lawyer consultation, same firm | ฿2,000 an hour thailawonline.com |
| A copy of a title deed from the land office, by freelancers on Fastwork | from ฿500 fastwork.co |
| Hongdam · House or land checked before you buy | ฿8,000 |
Useful facts
- The land office charges 2% to register a transfer. The rate is applied to the appraised value (ราคาประเมินทุนทรัพย์). dol.go.th
- A specific business tax of 3.3% applies to a sale within 5 years of acquiring the property, among other listed cases. It is worked out on the appraised value or the sale price, whichever is higher. A sale after 5 years is among the exemptions on the page. dol.go.th
- Stamp duty is ฿1 for every ฿200 of value, or part of ฿200 (0.5%), on a transfer made for payment. dol.go.th
- The seller's income tax is withheld on the sale. For an individual, net income is divided by the years held (10 at most; a part year counts as one), taxed at the progressive rates, and multiplied back by the years. For a company the rate is 1% of the sale price or the appraised value, whichever is higher. dol.go.th
- The Department of Lands lists the ways a foreigner can acquire land, among them a home under section 96 bis of the Land Code and inheritance as a statutory heir under section 93. dol.go.th
- Foreigners, and companies the law treats as foreign, may together hold up to 49% of the unit area in a condominium building, measured when the building is registered (section 19 bis of the Condominium Act). dol.go.th
- Section 19 of the Condominium Act names who may hold a unit: a foreigner permitted to reside under immigration law, a foreigner admitted under investment promotion law, and a foreigner who brings in foreign currency or draws on a foreign-currency or non-resident baht account. dol.go.th
What people ask
Can a foreigner buy land in Thailand?
The Department of Lands lists the ways a foreigner can acquire land. They include land for a home under section 96 bis of the Land Code and inheritance as a statutory heir under section 93. A Thai with a foreign spouse, and a company in an investment-promoted project, have their own entries on the list. dol.go.th
Can a foreigner own a condominium unit?
Yes, within a limit. Foreigners, and companies the law treats as foreign, may together hold up to 49% of the unit area in a building (section 19 bis of the Condominium Act). Section 19 names who may hold, among them a foreigner permitted to reside under immigration law and a foreigner who brings in foreign currency. dol.go.th
Does a land document show burdens on the plot?
Yes, it can carry entries for burdens on the plot (ภาระผูกพัน). When a chanote is issued in place of an older document, section 59 quater of the Land Code has those entries, and any change of the right-holder during the issue, copied into it. comment.ocs.go.th
What is the assessed price (ราคาประเมิน) used for?
The land office applies its 2% transfer fee to the appraised value (ราคาประเมินทุนทรัพย์). The 3.3% specific business tax uses the appraised value or the sale price, whichever is higher. dol.go.th
Buying a second-hand house: which fees and taxes are on the sale?
The Department of Lands' page lists a 2% transfer fee, stamp duty of ฿1 per ฿200, and a 3.3% specific business tax for a seller who acquired the property within 5 years. It also sets out the seller's withholding income tax. dol.go.th
Can a Nor Sor 3 Gor be changed into a chanote?
In the Department of Lands' survey project, an NS3 ก. on rice-field land is replaced by a chanote at no cost and without a boundary survey (รังวัดปักหลักเขต). The NS3 ก. is cancelled when the chanote is handed out. dol.go.th
Is a Sor Kor 1 (ส.ค.1) a title deed?
No. The Department of Lands calls it a notice of possession from before 1954, not the ownership certificate (โฉนด) the state issues. A holder can use it to apply for a chanote, and since 9 February 2010 a court order confirming the right comes first. dol.go.th
Who can take over a Sor Por Kor 4-01 plot?
The Bueng Kan land reform office lists a spouse, an adult child, a parent, a brother or sister, a grandchild, and a brother's or sister's child. The permit is for working land in a land reform area. The same list applies when the holder dies. alro.go.th
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Document translation
from ฿500
Translation between Thai, English, Burmese and Chinese, for passports, contracts and certificates.
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฿1,500 / document
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฿2,000
Bank, visa, property or a death in the family: we write down the steps.
Elsewhere
Small print
Prices here move with demand: when most of a month's places are taken, the price goes up a step; when few are, it comes down a step.
Sources read 2026-10-24.