Glossary, tax and fees

Stamp duty in Thai property

อากรแสตมป์

Stamp duty on a Thai property sale is 0.5% of the higher of the sale price and the appraised value. It is charged only when specific business tax does not apply, so a seller pays one or the other, never both.

In practice stamp duty applies when an individual sells after owning for more than five years, or otherwise qualifies for exemption from specific business tax. A developer or company seller pays specific business tax at 3.3% instead. Stamp duty is collected by the land office at transfer and is the seller's cost by default, though the contract can allocate it differently.

On a sale at THB 20 million, stamp duty is THB 100,000, against THB 660,000 if specific business tax applied.

Stamp duty also appears on leases. Registering a lease at the land office costs a 1% registration fee plus 0.1% stamp duty, both calculated on the total rent payable over the whole term. On a 30-year villa lease with a single upfront payment, that is 1.1% of the payment.

See property taxes and buying costs, or run your own figures through the purchase cost calculator.

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

Terms related to stamp duty

Specific business tax (SBT): Specific business tax is a 3.3% tax on the sale of property by a company or developer, or by an individual who has owned it for less than five years. It is charged on the higher of the sale price and the appraised value.
Transfer fee: The transfer fee is the Department of Lands' charge for registering a change of ownership: 2% of the property's official appraised value, paid at the land office on the day of transfer.
Leasehold: Leasehold is the right to occupy and use property for a fixed term under a lease. In Thailand the longest term that can be registered is 30 years, and a lease of more than three years is enforceable beyond three years only if registered at the land office.