GRIP Library
Bangkok property ownership basics
Published 27 September 2026
Introduction
The condominium ceiling is an area test for that building. It is not a visa, and it is not a right to land.
Audio
Attach the final ElevenLabs recording for this commentary.
The transcript below is the text. Duration is shown after the recording is attached. The published file is public/audio/bangkok-property-ownership.mp3.
Key points
- Foreign-held condominium space may not exceed 49 percent of the total floor area of that building.
- A government description that uses a share of units is not the test. The statute’s area test is.
- A foreign individual does not take freehold title to land. A lease is a term of years.
- The quota does not grant a visa, and a visa does not put the unit in a foreign name.
Transcript
This commentary is about ownership in Bangkok, not about the coast. The resort markets are a different occupier and a different season.
Section 19 bis of the Condominium Act, as amended in 2008, says foreign-held space in a condominium may not exceed 49 percent of the total space of that building. It is an area test. A government page has also described the ceiling as 49 percent of the units. Where those descriptions differ, the area test in the statute is the one used here. The juristic person’s affidavit is the document that states how much foreign-held area that building already has.
A foreign individual does not take freehold title to land. Arranging a Thai company so that a foreigner controls land is a question under the Land Code and the Foreign Business Act. The condominium quota does not answer it. A lease is a contract for years, with a landlord and an end date.
A visa does not convey the unit, and the unit does not convey a visa. Working in Thailand requires a work permit as well as a visa that allows the holder to apply. A visitor arrival is not that permit.
Sources
- Condominium foreign quotathailand.go.thCites the Condominium Act. The 49 percent figure used here is the area test in section 19 bis.
- Department of Business DevelopmentDBDCompany registration. The Foreign Business Act is a separate statute from the Condominium Act.
- Ministry of LabourMinistry of LabourWork permits are issued by the Department of Employment.