# Buying property in Thailand from Saudi Arabia

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

## The short answer

Saudi 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. Saudi 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. Saudi Arabia has no individual income tax and no general tax treaty with Thailand, so for a Saudi national the tax that matters is Thailand's.

## Key points

- Saudi buyers can own a condominium freehold but must lease, not own, the land under a villa.
- Saudi passport holders are admitted visa-free for 30 days under the list in force since 15 September 2026.
- Saudia flies to Bangkok and Phuket from Riyadh and Jeddah, and Riyadh Air flies Riyadh to Bangkok.
- Thailand and Saudi Arabia have no general double taxation agreement: the only treaty between them covers air transport.
- Saudi Arabia has no individual income tax, but Thailand taxes Thai rent and gains.

For a buyer in Saudi Arabia, Thailand is a direct flight of under eight hours from Jeddah, open to Saudi passports without a visa for 30 days, and outside the scope of any Saudi income tax. What a foreigner may own there, how the money must arrive and how long you may stay all follow Thai rules. They are clear, but they differ from the Gulf's, and they are worth knowing before the first viewing.

## Why Saudi buyers choose Thailand, and where

The practical case rests on three things: direct flights from both of the Kingdom's main cities, a visa exemption for Saudi passports, and the right to own a Thai condominium in your own name.

The direct routes describe where to look:

- [Phuket](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket), served by Saudia from Riyadh and Jeddah. Hotel-managed residences and leasehold villas from [Bang Tao](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/bang-tao) to [Mai Khao](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/mai-khao), and [branded residences](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/branded-residences-in-thailand).
- [Bangkok](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/bangkok), served by Saudia and Riyadh Air. Freehold condominiums in [Lumpini and Ploenchit](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/bangkok/lumpini-ploenchit), [Sathorn and Silom](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/bangkok/sathorn-silom) and on the [riverside](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/bangkok/riverside).
- [Pattaya](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/pattaya), by road from Bangkok's airports, with sea-view condominiums in [Wongamat](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/pattaya/wongamat) and [Pratumnak](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/pattaya/pratumnak).
- [Koh Samui](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui), a short connection from Bangkok, for hillside villas on lease.

Families should read our pages on [international schools](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/international-schools) and [healthcare](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/healthcare) alongside the area guides. If you plan to use the home in the summer holidays, read [climate and seasons](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/climate-and-seasons) before choosing a coast.

## What a foreigner can own

- **A condominium, freehold.** A foreigner can own a unit outright, provided foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total floor area of all units. See the [condominium foreign quota](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/condominium-foreign-quota).
- **A villa, on lease.** Under the Land Code a foreigner cannot acquire land directly. The land under a villa is held on a registered lease, which the Civil and Commercial Code limits to 30 years. Renewal clauses are contractual promises, not registered rights. See [buying a villa in Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/buying-a-villa-in-thailand).
- **No nominee structures.** Acquiring land as a representative of a foreigner 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](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/thai-company-ownership-risks).
- **Short lets need a licence.** Lets of under 30 days need a hotel licence. If rental income matters, look at [hotel-managed and rental pool schemes](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/hotel-managed-and-rental-pool-schemes) and ask who holds the licence.

## Getting there

Saudia flies to Bangkok from both Jeddah and Riyadh. It added Phuket in December 2024 as a seasonal route and resumed it in August 2026, three flights a week from Riyadh and three from Jeddah, with Jeddah restarting on 5 August 2026. Saudia's Jeddah to Phuket flight is timetabled at 7 hours 50 minutes.

Riyadh Air launched Riyadh to Bangkok in September 2026 with three flights a week, rising to daily from 9 November. Koh Samui, Krabi and the other islands are a short connection from Bangkok. See [flights and getting around](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/flights-and-getting-around).

## How long you can stay

Saudi Arabia 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 [Long-Term Resident visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/long-term-resident-visa): 10 years, and the route that can count Thai property held in your own name toward its investment test.
- [Thailand Privilege](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/thailand-privilege): paid membership with no investment condition.
- The [Destination Thailand Visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/destination-thailand-visa): five years, multiple entry, for remote workers and approved activities.
- The [retirement visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/retirement-visa) from age 50. Saudi nationals are not on the list for the 10-year O-X.

## Moving the money

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

1. Send riyals 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 of USD 50,000 or more. Below that, it issues a certificate of the foreign currency purchase.
4. The Land Office asks for these at registration.

Send from an account in the buyer's own name, not a company's or a relative's. Expect the receiving bank to ask where a large sum came from, and have statements ready. Keep every form, because you will need them to [repatriate the proceeds](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/selling-property-and-repatriating-funds) when you sell. See [sending money to Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/sending-money-to-thailand).

## Tax in outline

Saudi Arabia has no individual income tax. Investment and business income is taxed at the level of an entity or permanent establishment. Ask a Saudi adviser whether zakat, or holding the property through a business, changes that for you.

Thailand does tax Thai property income:

- Rent paid from Thailand to a non-resident owner has 15% withheld.
- Anyone who spends 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year becomes a Thai tax resident. A resident's foreign income earned from 2024 onwards is taxable in Thailand when it is brought into the country.
- Taxes on a sale are collected at the Land Office. See [property taxes and buying costs](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/property-taxes-and-buying-costs).

Thailand has one agreement with Saudi Arabia, signed on 10 May 1994, and it covers air transport only. There is no general double taxation agreement. For a Saudi national with no home income tax, that changes little. For an expatriate living in the Kingdom, the agreement that matters is the one between Thailand and your home country. Read the page for [the United Kingdom](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/buyers/united-kingdom), [the United States](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/buyers/united-states), [Germany](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/buyers/germany) or [France](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/buyers/france), and our guide to [rental income and tax](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/rental-income-and-tax).

## A short buying checklist

1. Decide between a freehold condominium and a leasehold villa.
2. Appoint an independent Thai lawyer and commission [title and due diligence checks](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/title-deeds-and-due-diligence).
3. For a condominium, obtain written confirmation that the unit is within the foreign quota.
4. If rental income is the aim, check who holds the hotel licence and what the operator's contract says.
5. Send foreign currency in your own name and keep the bank forms.
6. Budget for [property taxes and buying costs](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/property-taxes-and-buying-costs).
7. Settle your visa route before you plan long stays.

## Questions

### Can I own a villa and its land in Thailand?

Not in your own name. Under the Land Code a foreigner cannot acquire land directly. The lawful route to a villa is a registered lease of the land, limited to 30 years. Condominium units are different: a foreigner can own one freehold, provided foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total floor area.

### Does buying property come with a residence visa?

No. Buying property alone gives no right to stay in Thailand. The Long-Term Resident visa is the route that can count Thai property held in your own name toward its investment test, alongside other conditions on assets and health cover.

### I live in Saudi Arabia but hold another passport. Which rules apply?

Entry follows your passport, and tax follows your residence and, for some nationalities, your citizenship. Many passports held by expatriates in the Kingdom are also on Thailand's 30-day list, including British, American and Indian. Read the page for your home country as well as this one, and take advice.

### Can a company hold the property for me?

A company does not avoid the ban on foreign land ownership, and acquiring land as a nominee for a foreigner is an offence under the Land Code. Most buyers are better served by holding a condominium personally or taking a registered lease. Take independent legal advice.

### Which coast suits a summer holiday?

The Andaman coast, where Phuket lies, and the Gulf coast, where Koh Samui lies, take their heavy rain at different times of year. Decide which months you will spend in Thailand before choosing a coast. Our climate and seasons page sets out rainfall by month for each area.

## Sources

- [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: revision of visa exemption schemes effective 15 September 2026 (status as of 31 August 2026)](https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/TkZZJfspCP/Visa_Exemption_Scheme/PR-eng.pdf)
- [Siam Legal: Thailand approves end of 60-day visa-free stay (updated 28 September 2026)](https://siam-legal.com/travel-to-thailand/thailand-approves-end-of-60-day-visa-free-stay/)
- [Revenue Department of Thailand: double tax agreements (Saudi Arabia, air transport only, signed 10 May 1994)](https://www.rd.go.th/english/766.html)
- [Revenue Department of Thailand: Revenue Code, Section 50 (withholding on rent paid to non-residents)](https://www.rd.go.th/english/37749.html)
- [PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Saudi Arabia, taxes on personal income (reviewed 29 July 2026)](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/saudi-arabia/individual/taxes-on-personal-income)
- [PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, residence (reviewed 24 August 2026)](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/thailand/individual/residence)
- [PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Thailand, taxes on personal income (reviewed 24 August 2026)](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/thailand/individual/taxes-on-personal-income)
- [Wego: Saudia resumes direct flights to Phuket from Riyadh and Jeddah (4 August 2026)](https://blog.wego.com/saudia-resumes-direct-flights-to-phuket-from-riyadh-and-jeddah/)
- [Thailand Business News: Tourism Authority of Thailand marks Saudia's first Phuket flights (December 2024)](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/middle-east/178876-tourism-authority-of-thailand-commemorates-saudias-direct-flights-from-riyadh-and-jeddah-to-phuket)
- [TradeArabia: Riyadh Air launches direct flights to Bangkok (3 September 2026)](https://tradearabia.com/News/467553/Riyadh-Air-launches-direct-flights-to-Bangkok)
- [FlightStats: Saudia SV 852, Jeddah to Phuket, scheduled 13 November 2026](https://www.flightstats.com/v2/flight-details/SV/852)
- [Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chicago: O-X long-stay visa, eligible nationalities](https://cgchicago.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visa-oaox)
- [Tilleke & Gibbins: Condominium Act, the 49% foreign ownership limit](https://www.tilleke.com/insights/inheritance-condominium-units-foreigners-thailand)
- [Siam Legal law library: Civil and Commercial Code, Section 540 (30-year lease limit)](https://library.siam-legal.com/?p=107)
- [Juslaws & Consult: Land Code Sections 86 and 113 and the Department of Lands circular of May 2026](https://www.juslaws.com/articles/foreign-nominee-land-holding-thailand-department-of-lands-circular-may-2026)
- [Siam Legal: foreign currency requirements for purchasing a condominium](https://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-law/foreign-currency-requirements-for-purchasing-a-condo/)