Glossary, ownership

Foreign quota in Thai property

โควตาต่างชาติ

The foreign quota is the share of a condominium that foreigners may own freehold: no more than 49% of the total floor area of all units in the building, under section 19 bis of the Condominium Act.

The quota is measured by unit floor area, not by number of units, and it applies building by building. Each time a unit is transferred to a foreigner, the land office asks for a letter from the condominium's juristic person stating the current foreign ownership ratio. If the transfer would take the building over 49%, it is refused.

A unit is not permanently tagged as foreign or Thai. What matters is whether there is room in the ratio on the day of transfer. In buildings popular with overseas buyers the quota can be full. The options then are to buy from an existing foreign owner, to take a registered lease of up to 30 years on a Thai quota unit, or to look elsewhere. Do not put a unit in a Thai person's or company's name on your behalf: that is a nominee arrangement.

Raising the cap to 75% has been discussed since 2024 but had not been enacted at our November 2026 review. See the condominium foreign quota.

General guidance, not legal or tax advice. Take independent legal advice before you commit to a purchase.

Terms related to foreign quota

Thai quota: The Thai quota is the 51% or more of a condominium's unit floor area that must remain in the hands of Thai nationals or Thai companies. A foreigner cannot take freehold title to a unit if the transfer would reduce that share.
Condominium Act: The Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979) is the statute governing how condominiums in Thailand are registered, owned and managed. Sections 19 and 19 bis set out which foreigners may own units and cap foreign ownership at 49% of a building's unit floor area.
Condominium juristic person: The condominium juristic person is the legal entity, created when a condominium is registered, that manages the building's common property for all unit owners. It collects fees, enforces the by-laws and is run by a manager under an elected committee.
Freehold: Freehold is outright ownership of property with no time limit, registered in the owner's name at the land office. In Thailand a foreigner can own a condominium unit freehold within the building's foreign quota, but cannot own land.