Foreigners Buying Thai Property 2026 — What You Can Do, and the Nominee Risk
The most common question from foreign buyers is whether they can own land or a house in Thailand. The short answer: not land, but condos within a quota, plus a few other legal routes. Using a nominee to hold on your behalf, however, is clearly illegal.
- •Land in a foreigner's name: not allowed (save BOI/special cases)
- •Condo: 49% foreign quota of a building's saleable area
- •30-year lease / company must run a real business
- •Nominees illegal — heavy penalties + forced sale (tighter since 2024-25)
Land vs condo
Foreigners cannot hold land in their own name except in very narrow cases (e.g., qualifying BOI investment). For condominium units, foreigners may own outright, but combined foreign ownership must not exceed 49% of a building's saleable area under the Condominium Act.
Legal routes
Legitimate options include buying a condo within the foreign quota, signing a 30-year long lease (renewable by contract but not automatically guaranteed), or holding through a Thai company that runs a genuine business with a real Thai majority — not a vehicle to bypass the law.
Nominees = illegal
Having a Thai national hold land or shares on a foreigner's behalf (a nominee) violates both the Land Code and the Foreign Business Act, carrying fines and imprisonment and possible forced sale. Authorities have tightened scrutiny since 2024-2025. A proposed 99-year lease remains only a proposal, not law.