Buying property in Thailand from Hong Kong

For a buyer in Hong Kong, Thailand offers two things the home market does not: space, and a freehold title. It is also close. Phuket is about three and a half hours away by direct flight, and Bangkok is nearer still.

Why Hong Kong buyers choose Thailand, and where

The comparison with home is direct. Hong Kong property is, almost without exception, held on government leases. A Thai condominium bought within the foreign quota is freehold and registered in the buyer's own name. Transfers to foreign buyers by nationality are in our foreign buyer data.

Where buyers from Hong Kong look:

• Bangkok, for freehold condominiums on the mass transit lines, in Sukhumvit, Sathorn and Silom and along the riverside.
• Phuket, for resort condominiums and leased villas, with direct flights.
• Pattaya, for sea-view condominiums within reach of Bangkok's airports.
• Chiang Mai, in the north, with direct flights from Hong Kong.

Our guide to where to buy in Thailand compares them.

Getting to Thailand: flights for Hong Kong buyers

HK Express flies direct from Hong Kong to Phuket in about three and a half hours, and also to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Cathay Pacific and other carriers operate on the Thai routes as well. Check the airlines' timetables for current operators and frequencies. See flights and getting around.

How long Hong Kong buyers can stay in Thailand

Hong Kong is not on Thailand's general visa exemption list. Hong Kong passport holders are admitted under a separate bilateral agreement, which gives 30 days under the rules effective from 15 September 2026.

That covers viewing trips, the transfer at the Land Office and ordinary holiday use. Buying property alone gives no right to stay longer. For extended stays:

• The Destination Thailand Visa gives 180 days per entry to remote workers.
• Thailand Privilege is a paid membership of 5 to 20 years.
• The retirement visa is available from age 50, although not the 10-year O-X.
• The Long-Term Resident visa can count a purchase of USD 500,000 or more in your own name.

Moving money to Thailand from abroad: Hong Kong buyers

A foreign buyer of a freehold condominium must bring the price into Thailand as foreign currency.

1. Send Hong Kong dollars or US dollars from your own account to the Thai account named in the contract. Do not convert to baht before sending.
2. Give the purpose as the purchase of the specific unit.
3. The Thai bank converts the funds and issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form for each transfer worth USD 50,000 or more. Below that, it issues a letter confirming the inward transfer.
4. The Land Office asks for these at registration.

The name on the remittance should match the name going on the title. Where a spouse or a family company is paying, raise it with your lawyer before the first transfer, not at the Land Office. See sending money to Thailand.

Tax for Hong Kong buyers, in outline

Hong Kong taxes on a territorial basis. Its Inland Revenue Department taxes profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong, and treats profits from selling real property as taxable where the property is in Hong Kong. Rent and gains from a Thai property are therefore, in general, outside Hong Kong tax.

That leaves Thailand:

• Rent paid from Thailand to a non-resident owner has 15% withheld.
• On a sale, withholding tax and either specific business tax or stamp duty are collected at the Land Office.
• Land and building tax is charged annually on appraised value.

Hong Kong and Thailand signed a comprehensive double taxation agreement on 7 September 2005. It entered into force on 7 December 2005.

Two cautions. Buying and selling repeatedly as a business is a different matter from holding one home, in Hong Kong as elsewhere. And many Hong Kong residents remain taxable in another country by nationality or residence. Take advice, and read rental income and tax for the Thai side.

A buying checklist for Hong Kong buyers

1. Decide between a freehold condominium and a leasehold villa. Read freehold vs leasehold.
2. For a condominium, obtain written confirmation that the unit is within the foreign quota.
3. Appoint an independent Thai lawyer and commission title and due diligence checks.
4. If buying off-plan, read the off-plan buying process and check the developer's record.
5. Send foreign currency in the buyer's own name and keep the bank forms.
6. Budget for property taxes and buying costs.
7. Decide how the property passes on death. See inheritance and wills.