# Stamp duty (อากรแสตมป์)

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/stamp-duty

**Definition:** 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](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/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](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/property-taxes-and-buying-costs), or run your own figures through the [purchase cost calculator](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/tools/purchase-cost-calculator).