# Buying property in Thailand from France

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/buyers/france
Updated: 2026-11-14
Publisher: Thailand Property Investor (Omnia Capital Group)

## The short answer

French buyers can own a Thai condominium freehold in their own name, within the 49% foreign quota, and can hold a villa on a registered lease of up to 30 years. They cannot own land. French passport holders enter visa-free for 30 days, and buying property alone gives no right to stay. The price must be sent from abroad in foreign currency and documented by the Thai bank. France and Thailand have a tax convention signed in 1974 and in force since 29 August 1975, which governs how Thai rent is treated in France.

## Key points

- French buyers can own a condominium freehold but must lease, not own, the land under a villa.
- There is no notaire in a Thai purchase, so the checks fall to a lawyer the buyer engages.
- Paris has non-stop flights to Bangkok with two airlines and to Phuket with Air France.
- French passport holders have been admitted visa-free for 30 days, not 60, since 15 September 2026.
- The 1974 tax convention applies to Thai rent, and France is on the list for the 10-year O-X visa.

A French purchase runs through a notaire, who checks the title, holds the money and registers the sale. A Thai purchase has no such figure. The buyer, or more exactly the buyer's lawyer, does the checking, and the state only records the result. That single difference explains most of what a French buyer needs to do differently.

## Why French buyers choose Thailand, and where

Paris has non-stop flights to both Bangkok and Phuket, and French nationals qualify for every long-stay visa Thailand offers, including the 10-year O-X.

Where to look:

- [Phuket](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket), now reached non-stop from Paris in winter. Villas on lease and managed condominiums, from [Bang Tao](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/bang-tao) and [Surin](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/surin) to [Kata and Karon](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/kata-karon).
- [Koh Samui](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui), for hillside villas around [Bophut](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/bophut), [Choeng Mon](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/choeng-mon) and [Lamai](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/lamai), reached by a connection in Bangkok.
- [Bangkok](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/bangkok), for freehold city condominiums.
- [Hua Hin](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/hua-hin), a quieter Gulf resort town within driving distance of Bangkok.

## What is different from a French purchase

- **No land ownership.** A foreigner may own a condominium unit freehold. A house stands on land that must be leased, for a maximum registered term of 30 years, and renewal clauses are contractual promises, not registered rights. See [freehold vs leasehold](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/freehold-vs-leasehold).
- **No notaire and no escrow by default.** Payments often go straight to the seller or developer. See the [off-plan buying process](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/off-plan-buying-process).
- **Title documents vary in strength.** See [title deeds and due diligence](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/title-deeds-and-due-diligence).
- **Company structures are a trap.** Holding land through a Thai company with nominee shareholders is illegal. See [Thai company ownership risks](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/thai-company-ownership-risks).

## Getting there

Thai Airways and Air France both fly non-stop from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Bangkok. Thai Airways doubles its service to two flights a day from 1 December 2026. Its midday departure leaves Paris at 12:30 and reaches Bangkok at 05:40 the next morning, which is about 11 hours 10 minutes in the air.

Air France opened a non-stop route to Phuket on 27 November 2025, with three flights a week. Check whether it runs outside the winter season before you plan around it. See [flights and getting around](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/flights-and-getting-around).

## How long you can stay

Since 15 September 2026, French passport holders have been admitted visa-free for 30 days, down from 60. 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 a full season you need a visa:

- The [Destination Thailand Visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/destination-thailand-visa): 180 days per entry for remote workers.
- The [retirement visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/retirement-visa) from age 50, including the 10-year O-X.
- [Thailand Privilege](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/thailand-privilege): paid membership with no age test.
- The [Long-Term Resident visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/long-term-resident-visa), where a purchase of USD 500,000 or more in your own name can count.

## Moving the money

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

1. Send euros from your own account to the Thai account named in the contract. Do not let your bank 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.

Ask your French adviser what has to be declared at home when you open a Thai bank account. The procedure is in [sending money to Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/sending-money-to-thailand).

## Tax in outline

The convention between France and Thailand was signed in Bangkok on 27 December 1974 and entered into force on 29 August 1975.

- **In Thailand.** Rent paid from Thailand to a non-resident owner has 15% withheld. On a sale, taxes and fees are collected at the Land Office.
- **In France.** A French resident reports worldwide income. Whether Thai rent is then exempted, with or without an effect on the rate applied to other income, or taxed with a credit for Thai tax, depends on the convention's article on double taxation. The wording is open to more than one reading, so ask a French adviser to confirm it from the text.
- **Wealth tax.** Ask the same adviser how a Thai property enters the French real estate wealth tax.
- **Living in Thailand.** Spending 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year makes you a Thai tax resident, which changes the analysis again.

Our guide to [rental income and tax](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/rental-income-and-tax) covers the Thai side.

## A short buying checklist

1. Decide between a freehold condominium and a leasehold villa. Read [buying a villa in Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/buying-a-villa-in-thailand).
2. Appoint an independent Thai lawyer, engaged and paid by you, to do the work a notaire would do.
3. Have the title, the seller and the building's [foreign quota](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/condominium-foreign-quota) checked before paying a deposit.
4. Send euros and keep the bank forms with the title.
5. Budget for [property taxes and buying costs](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/property-taxes-and-buying-costs).
6. Take French tax advice on rent, the sale and wealth tax.
7. Settle your visa route, and make a will that deals with the Thai asset.

## Questions

### Is there a notaire, as in a French purchase?

No. The transfer is registered by officials at the Land Office, who do not advise the buyer, hold the price or verify the seller's history in the way a notaire does. An independent Thai lawyer, engaged by you, has to do that work before you pay.

### Can I buy through a French SCI?

A French company is a foreign entity in Thailand, so it does not escape the ban on foreign land ownership or the condominium quota rules, and it adds cost and complexity in both countries. Take advice in France and Thailand before using any company.

### Can I retire to Thailand in my property?

Through a visa, not through the purchase. From age 50 the retirement visas require THB 800,000 on deposit or THB 65,000 of monthly income, and French nationals are eligible for the 10-year O-X. A purchase of USD 500,000 or more can count toward the Long-Term Resident visa.

### Do French forced heirship rules affect a Thai property?

Succession to real estate abroad raises questions under both French and Thai law. A will that deals expressly with the Thai asset reduces the practical difficulty. See our guide to inheritance and wills and take advice in both countries.

## Sources

- [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: revision of visa exemption schemes effective 15 September 2026](https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/TkZZJfspCP/Visa_Exemption_Scheme/PR-eng.pdf)
- [BOFiP (French tax administration): convention with Thailand of 27 December 1974](https://bofip.impots.gouv.fr/bofip/490-PGP.html/identifiant=BOI-INT-CVB-THA-20120912)
- [Milesopedia: Thai Airways to fly Paris to Bangkok twice daily from 1 December 2026](https://milesopedia.fr/aerien/thai-airways-paris-bangkok-deux-vols-par-jour/)
- [Ulysse: Air France non-stop service from Paris to Phuket](https://ulysse.com/news/air-france-vous-propulse-paradis-thailandais)
- [Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chicago: O-X long-stay visa, eligible nationalities](https://cgchicago.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visa-oaox)
- [Siam Legal: foreign currency requirements for purchasing a condominium](https://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-law/foreign-currency-requirements-for-purchasing-a-condo/)
- [Siam Legal: Thailand approves end of 60-day visa-free stay (extension rules)](https://siam-legal.com/travel-to-thailand/thailand-approves-end-of-60-day-visa-free-stay/)