# Thai title deeds and due diligence: what a lawyer checks

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/title-deeds-and-due-diligence
Updated: 2026-11-14
Publisher: Thailand Property Investor (Omnia Capital Group)

## The short answer

Buy or lease only on a Chanote, the full title deed, or at the least a Nor Sor 3 Gor. A Nor Sor 3 has no surveyed boundaries and needs 30 days' public notice before any dealing. A Sor Kor 1 is a notice of possession, not a title, and nothing can be registered on it. Before you pay, an independent lawyer should search the title at the Land Office, check for mortgages, leases and other encumbrances, confirm legal access, and verify building permits and any required environmental approval.

## Key points

- A Chanote is the only document that gives full ownership with surveyed, marked boundaries.
- A Nor Sor 3 Gor confirms a right of possession, is based on aerial survey, and can be sold, leased or mortgaged without public notice.
- A Nor Sor 3 has no precise boundaries, and every dealing requires 30 days' public notice.
- A Sor Kor 1 and a local tax receipt are not title documents, and no sale, lease or mortgage can be registered on them.
- Mortgages, leases, servitudes and similar rights bind a buyer only if registered, and they appear on the back of the title deed.
- The official online land map is not legal evidence, so a search of the records at the Land Office is necessary.

Thailand has several kinds of land document, and they are not equal. Only one, the [Chanote](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/chanote), is a full title deed with surveyed boundaries. The next, the [Nor Sor 3 Gor](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/nor-sor-3-gor), is acceptable with care. Below that the risk rises quickly, and the lowest documents are not titles at all. Knowing which paper the seller holds is the first step. The second is a lawyer's search of the records at the [Land Office](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/land-office), because the paper in the seller's hand tells only part of the story.

## The title documents compared

| Document | What it gives | Survey | What can be registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor) | Full ownership | Surveyed with boundary marker posts at each corner | Sale, lease, mortgage, usufruct, superficies, with no notice period |
| Nor Sor 3 Gor | Confirmed right of possession, awaiting full title | Aerial survey, no marker posts | Sale, lease, mortgage, usufruct, superficies, with no notice period |
| Nor Sor 3 | Possessory right | Not surveyed. Boundaries described by reference to neighbours and landmarks | Dealings possible, each after 30 days' public notice |
| Sor Kor 1 | Notice of a claim to possession. Not a title | None | Nothing. Cannot be transferred, leased or mortgaged at the Land Office |
| Por Bor Tor 5 and similar | A local tax receipt. Not a title | None | Nothing |
| Sor Por Kor 4-01 | Agricultural reform allotment | Not relevant | Cannot be sold, or leased to foreigners |

A few points behind the table.

**Chanote.** The holder has ownership in the full sense, and the plot can be found on the ground from its marker posts. For a foreign buyer of a villa, the lease and any [superficies](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/superficies) are registered against the landowner's Chanote. A condominium unit has its own unit title deed.

**Nor Sor 3 Gor.** It can be dealt with much as a Chanote, and the owner can apply to upgrade it, which the Land Office may grant if neighbours raise no objection. The weakness is the boundary. Aerial survey points do not always match fences and walls, so commission a ground survey and tie the price to the measured area.

**Nor Sor 3.** The land has never been measured by the Land Department. Each dealing must be advertised for 30 days, during which anyone can object and stop the transaction. A possessory right can also be lost after a year of dispossession, a real risk for an owner who lives abroad.

**Sor Kor 1 and tax receipts.** These record that someone has claimed or paid tax on land. They prove no right the Land Office will register. Land offered on these papers in resort areas may overlap forest or national park. A foreign buyer has nothing to gain here.

One caution. Land Office practice allows leases and mortgages to be registered on a Nor Sor 3 Gor, but some advisers will accept nothing below a Chanote. Our working rule is Chanote wherever possible, Nor Sor 3 Gor only with a survey and a lawyer's confirmation that your right will be registered, and nothing lower.

## What a lawyer checks on the land

A title search is a visit to the Land Office that holds the records, not a look at a photocopy. These are the core checks.

1. **The level and history of the title.** What document it is today, and whether it was properly upgraded from a lower one. Check that the deed was lawfully issued, particularly where the land began on a lower-level document.
2. **The seller.** That the person or company selling is the registered owner and has authority to sell. For a company, that means its registration documents, directors and any power of attorney.
3. **Encumbrances.** Mortgages, servitudes, leases of more than three years, [usufructs](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/usufruct) and superficies bind the land only if registered, and registered ones are listed on the back of the deed. A registered lease is not ended by a sale: the buyer steps into the landlord's shoes.
4. **Litigation and seizure.** Court cases against the owner that could affect the property, and any attachment order noted on the title.
5. **Area and boundaries.** A site visit with the deed map to confirm that the plot being shown is the plot being sold, and that marker posts are where they should be.
6. **Access.** The land should reach a public road, directly or across another plot. Where access crosses someone else's land, a servitude should be registered over that land. Access over a private estate road with no registered right is a defect to cure before you buy.
7. **Zoning and building control.** Land use is regulated under the City Planning Act. Confirm the current zoning and that the land can be used, and built on, as you intend.
8. **The appraised value.** The government's assessed price, on which the [transfer fee](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/transfer-fee) is calculated.

## What a lawyer checks on the building

- **Construction permit.** That the building was permitted, and built as permitted. An extension or pool added without a permit is the buyer's problem after completion.
- **Use certification.** Certain buildings, including condominiums and hotels, need certification of use after completion.
- **Environmental approval.** A condominium or hotel of 80 rooms or more, or with 4,000 sqm or more of usable floor area, requires an approved [environmental impact assessment](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/environmental-impact-assessment). Buildings 23 metres or taller, or with 10,000 sqm or more of floor area, are also caught, as are projects on the coast or beside rivers, lakes and national parks, and the rules contain specific provisions for Phuket and Pattaya. Ask for the approval letter.
- **Operating licences.** If nightly letting is part of the plan, whether a [hotel licence](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/hotel-licence) is held. See [short-term rental rules](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/short-term-rental-rules).

## Extra checks for a condominium

For a completed building, your lawyer confirms the seller's unit title deed, that the condominium is registered, and three documents from the [juristic person](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/juristic-person): the letter stating the current [foreign quota](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/foreign-quota) position, the certificate that no common fees are owed on the unit, and the building's accounts, including the [sinking fund](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/glossary/sinking-fund). The regulations are worth reading for rules on pets, renovation and letting.

For an off-plan purchase the checks move to the developer: its title to the site and any mortgage over it, the construction permit, environmental approval, and its record on earlier projects. See [the off-plan buying process](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/off-plan-buying-process).

## Extra checks where a company is involved

If the seller or landlord is a company, the lawyer reviews its shareholders, directors and filings. If you are offered shares in a company that owns a villa, the review must cover how the Thai shareholders funded their shares, because nominee structures are unlawful and Land Offices now examine exactly that. See [Thai company ownership risks](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/thai-company-ownership-risks).

## How to run the process

- **Appoint your own lawyer.** A lawyer introduced and paid by the seller or agent has a conflict. Choose one who acts only for you.
- **Search before you pay.** Make any reservation deposit refundable if the search is unsatisfactory, and put that in writing.
- **Get a written report.** It should attach copies of the title deed, front and back, taken from the Land Office.
- **Search again before transfer.** Encumbrances can be registered between your first search and completion.
- **Do not rely on the online map.** The Department of Lands' online land map is not legal evidence.

## Considerations

Due diligence reduces risk. It cannot remove it. A search shows what is registered, not what is unregistered: an informal occupier, a boundary quarrel with a neighbour or a short unregistered lease will not appear on the deed, which is why the site visit matters. Title can also be challenged later if it was wrongly issued in the first place. For a villa on leased land, the quality of the landowner's title is as important as your own lease, because your rights can be no better than theirs. [Buying a villa in Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/buying-a-villa-in-thailand) explains how the lease and the title fit together. Take independent legal advice before any payment that is not refundable.

## Questions

### Is a Nor Sor 3 Gor safe to buy or lease?

It can be, with extra care. A lease, mortgage or sale can be registered on it, but it confirms possession and not ownership, and its boundaries come from aerial survey without marker posts. Have a surveyor check the boundaries on the ground and price the uncertainty. Do not pay a Chanote price for it.

### Can I check a title deed online?

The Department of Lands' online map helps you locate a plot, but it is not legal evidence. Ownership, encumbrances, seizures and the authenticity of the deed are confirmed only by a search of the records at the Land Office where the land is registered.

### What is written on the back of a Chanote?

The back page is the register of dealings. It lists each transfer of ownership and each registered encumbrance, such as a mortgage, lease, usufruct, superficies or servitude, with dates. Your lawyer compares the owner's copy with the Land Office copy, because the two must match.

### Does a registered lease or mortgage disappear when the land is sold?

No. Registered rights stay with the land. A buyer takes the land subject to an existing registered lease for the remainder of its term, and a mortgage remains until it is released at the Land Office. This is why encumbrances are checked before signing and again just before transfer.

### Do I need due diligence for a condominium from a well-known developer?

Yes, though it is narrower. The checks cover the developer's title to the site, any mortgage over it, the construction permit, environmental approval, condominium registration and the foreign quota. For a resale, add the seller's title, outstanding common fees and the state of the sinking fund.

## Sources

- [Tilleke & Gibbins, due diligence checklist for property buyers](https://www.tilleke.com/insights/due-diligence-checklist-property-buyers)
- [Siam Legal, title deeds in Thailand](https://siam-legal.com/realestate/thailand-title-deeds.php)
- [ThaiLawOnline, title deeds in Thailand (types, survey, registrable dealings)](https://www.thailawonline.com/title-deeds-in-thailand/)
- [Siam Legal, buying off-plan and the sales and purchase agreement (form O.C. 22)](https://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-law/?p=317)
- [C9 Hotelworks, EIA thresholds for condominiums and hotels](https://www.c9hotelworks.com/news/new-eia-development-guidelines-in-december)
- [Chambers Real Estate 2026, Thailand chapter (Duensing Kippen), building use certification](https://gpg-pdf.chambers.com/Real-Estate-2026/632/)
- [The Thaiger, what the 49% foreign quota means for buyers, 3 July 2026](https://thethaiger.com/thai-life/property/what-thailand-foreign-quota-means-for-buyers)
- [Juslaws & Consult, Department of Lands circular of 15 May 2026 and Land Code Sections 86 to 113](https://www.juslaws.com/articles/foreign-nominee-land-holding-thailand-department-of-lands-circular-may-2026)