How a foreigner buys a The Title condo or villa in Phuket

What a foreigner can own in their own name

Thailand's Condominium Act allows foreigners to own condominium units freehold. The only limit is that foreigners together may hold no more than 49% of a building's saleable area; the other 51% is the Thai quota. Almost every The Title condominium sells units in the foreign freehold quota, and the developer's price list shows the status of each unit.

A foreigner cannot buy land in their own name, which is why a freehold condo is the simplest, most direct option. You receive a condominium title deed (Or.Chor.2) in your name, together with a share of the common land and facilities. You can sell, gift, rent out or bequeath the unit.

Freehold vs leasehold

Freehold is ownership with no end date. It is the standard for the foreign quota in The Title projects such as Legendary, Heritage, Serenity, Modeva, Katabello, Coralina and Sierra.

Leasehold is a long lease registered at the Land Office for up to 30 years. Renewals for further terms are written into the contract — the market often calls this "30+30+30". Leasehold is used when a building's foreign quota is full, and in some of the developer's newer projects. The first term is officially registered while renewals are a contractual promise, so the wording matters, including whether it passes to the next buyer if you sell.

Villas work differently: land cannot be sold to a foreigner, so ownership in villa projects (Villa Estella, Villa Kirara, Casa De Monte) is set out in each project's contract, most often as a long land lease with rights to the house. Nominee structures — a Thai company with stand-in shareholders — are illegal, and we do not offer them.

The key freehold condition: money from abroad

To register a unit in the foreign quota, you must show that the full purchase price entered Thailand from overseas in foreign currency. The Thai bank that receives the transfer issues proof: a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form (FET) for larger amounts, or a credit advice for smaller ones. You present these at the Land Office on transfer day.

You can send money straight to the developer's account or to your own Thai account. State in the payment reference that it is for the purchase of a condominium unit, with the unit number — this makes the bank's paperwork straightforward. Keep every confirmation: an instalment plan means several transfers, and you will need all of them.

• transfer in foreign currency, not in baht
• sent by you or from your overseas account
• reference: purchase of a condo unit, unit number and project
• an FET or credit advice from the Thai bank for each transfer

The steps, from booking to title deed

The sequence is the same across The Title new builds; only the timing and schedule percentages differ.

• Choose a unit. We shortlist from the developer's price list or from assignments: floor, view, building, completion date, fees.
• Booking. You pay a fixed booking deposit and the unit comes off the market. It counts towards the price and is usually non-refundable — check the terms before paying.
• Sale and purchase agreement. Within the period stated in the booking form you sign the contract and make the first payment, most often 25%.
• Instalments. Further payments follow construction milestones, typically another 25% and 25%, each sent from abroad with a bank confirmation.
• Inspection. Before handover you inspect the unit in person or through a representative, list any defects, and the developer fixes them.
• Transfer. At the Land Office you pay the balance (usually 25%) plus taxes and fees as agreed in the contract, and receive the title deed in your name.

Buying remotely

You can buy a The Title unit without flying to Phuket. We show the unit by video — the show unit, the site, the view from your floor. Booking and contract are signed electronically or sent by courier, and you make payments from your own bank.

For inspection and transfer you sign a power of attorney, either before a notary or at a Thai consulate in your country; a lawyer prepares the Land Office form. Your representative then carries out the inspection, pays the fees and collects the title deed, which is passed on to you.

If you would rather attend the transfer yourself, the date can be set around your flight: the Land Office procedure takes one working day.

Documents you will need

The list is short, and you probably have most of it already.

• passport — a copy for booking and contract, the original or a notarised copy for transfer
• an FET or credit advice for each payment
• power of attorney, if a representative handles the transfer
• postal address and contacts for the contract and management invoices
• a Thai bank account — optional, but handy for paying monthly fees

Transfer costs and visas

At transfer, a registration fee of 2% of the appraised value is due, plus the seller's taxes: specific business tax of 3.3% (if sold within five years of acquisition) or stamp duty of 0.5%, and withholding tax. The split is set by the contract — typically the transfer fee is shared 50/50 and the seller pays the taxes. On top come the one-off sinking fund and the common area fee; the rates for each project are in our payment and fees guide.

Owning a condo does not by itself give you a visa. For longer stays, owners use Thailand Privilege (formerly Elite) or the LTR visa if they meet its criteria — both programmes are separate from property ownership.

This is an overview of general rules; the terms of your purchase are set by your contract and the Land Office.