Buying property in Thailand from India

An Indian buyer in Thailand works within two sets of rules. Thailand decides what a foreigner may own and how the money must arrive. India decides how much a resident may send abroad and how the income is taxed at home. Neither is difficult, but India's remittance limit sets the timetable for the purchase, so plan the payments before you choose the property.

Why Indian buyers choose Thailand, and where

The flight is about four hours, Indian passports are on the visa exemption list, and a foreigner can own a Thai condominium in their own name. Indian buyers also tend to buy larger homes. They registered 237 condominium transfers in 2025, and their units were the largest of the leading foreign nationalities, at about 76 sqm on average. Indian buyers were also prominent in Phuket in the first half of 2026.

The flight network points to four places:

• Bangkok, served non-stop from eight Indian cities by Thai Airways. Freehold condominiums along Sukhumvit and in Lumpini and Ploenchit, for city use and long lets.
• Phuket, with IndiGo non-stops from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Managed condominiums and leasehold villas around Bang Tao and Kamala, and branded residences.
• Pattaya, by road from Bangkok's airports, with sea-view condominiums in Wongamat and Pratumnak.
• Krabi, which IndiGo serves non-stop from Delhi.

Our guide to where to buy in Thailand compares them.

What is different from buying in India

• No land. A foreigner may own a condominium unit freehold, provided foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total floor area of all units. A villa stands on land held on a registered lease, which the Civil and Commercial Code limits to 30 years. Renewal clauses are contractual promises, not registered rights. See freehold vs leasehold.
• No company route. Holding land through a Thai company with nominee shareholders is an offence under the Land Code, and the Department of Lands issued a circular on nominee holdings in May 2026. See Thai company ownership risks.
• The money must arrive as foreign currency. The Land Office will not register a foreign freehold condominium without bank evidence that the price came from abroad.
• Short lets are restricted. Lets of under 30 days need a hotel licence. See short-term rental rules.

Getting to Thailand: flights for Indian buyers

In winter 2026/27 Thai Airways flies non-stop to Bangkok from New Delhi, 28 a week, and Mumbai, 14 a week, as well as from Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Gaya. IndiGo flies to Bangkok from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, and added Gaya from 26 October 2026. Air India Express began flying Bengaluru to Phuket in June 2026.

Thai Airways' Delhi to Bangkok flight is timetabled at four hours. Where there is no direct flight, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui are a short connection from Bangkok. See flights and getting around.

How long Indian buyers can stay in Thailand

India is on Thailand's list of 60 countries and territories whose passport holders are admitted without a visa for 30 days, in force since 15 September 2026. One extension of up to 30 days is available at an immigration office for THB 1,900.

Buying property alone gives no right to stay. For longer stays:

• The Destination Thailand Visa: five years, multiple entry, for remote workers and approved activities.
• Thailand Privilege: paid membership with no investment condition.
• The retirement visa from age 50. Indian nationals are not on the list for the 10-year O-X.
• The Long-Term Resident visa, where Thai property held in your own name can count toward the investment test.

Moving money to Thailand from abroad: Indian buyers

Two sets of rules apply: India's on the way out and Thailand's on the way in.

Leaving India. The Reserve Bank of India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme lets a resident individual send up to USD 250,000 in each financial year, April to March, for permitted current and capital account transactions. The limit covers all remittances combined. Once it is used, it cannot be refreshed in the same year, even if money comes back. The conditions:

1. Designate one branch of an authorised dealer bank for all capital account remittances. You should have held an account with that bank for at least a year, and it may ask for the previous year's statements to see where the money came from.
2. Quote your PAN and complete Form A2, declaring the purpose and that the funds are your own.
3. Remit in any freely convertible foreign currency.
4. Relatives resident in India who each comply with the scheme may consolidate their remittances to buy property abroad.

The RBI does not envisage banks lending to fund a capital account remittance under the scheme. A property priced above one person's allowance can be funded by family allowances combined, or over more than one financial year. An off-plan payment plan, with instalments spread across construction, can fit that pattern. See the off-plan buying process. Ask your bank whether tax will be collected at source on each remittance, and how to set it against your income tax.

Arriving in Thailand. The Thai bank that receives the money converts it to baht and issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form for each transfer of USD 50,000 or more, or a bank certificate of the foreign currency purchase for smaller amounts. The Land Office needs these to register a foreign freehold condominium. Send the money from your own account, give the purpose as the purchase of the named unit, and keep the originals. The full procedure is in sending money to Thailand.

Coming back. Under the scheme, income from an investment may be retained and reinvested, but foreign exchange received or realised and not reinvested must be repatriated within 180 days. Plan for that before you sell.

Indian tax in outline

India taxes by residential status:

• Resident and ordinarily resident. Taxed on worldwide income, so Thai rent and a gain on sale belong on the Indian return.
• Resident but not ordinarily resident, or non-resident. Taxed on income that arises in India, not on income earned and received outside it.
• Foreign assets. An ordinarily resident individual who holds assets abroad must file a return. Undisclosed foreign income or assets are taxed at 30% under the Black Money Act, and failure to disclose carries a penalty of INR 1 million.

Thailand taxes the rent first: 15% is withheld from rent paid from Thailand to a non-resident owner. Anyone who spends 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year becomes a Thai tax resident and is assessed differently. The double taxation agreement between India and Thailand was signed on 29 June 2015 and has been in force since 5 January 2016.

How relief for Thai tax is given on your Indian return, and how a gain is computed in rupees, are questions for a chartered accountant with cross-border experience. The Thai side is set out in rental income and tax.

A buying checklist for Indian buyers

1. Map the remittances against the payment plan, by financial year and by family member, before you reserve.
2. Decide between a freehold condominium and a leasehold villa.
3. Appoint an independent Thai lawyer and commission title and due diligence checks.
4. For a condominium, obtain written confirmation that the unit is within the foreign quota.
5. Remit through your designated bank in foreign currency, and collect the Thai bank's forms.
6. Budget for property taxes and buying costs.
7. Take advice from a chartered accountant on Indian tax and disclosure before completion.