A Thai condo transfer can involve a registration fee, specific business tax or stamp duty, and seller withholding tax. The final Land Office total is not determined by the sale price alone: it can depend on the official appraised value, declared consideration, seller type, ownership history, exemptions and any temporary fee measure in force on the transfer date. A 50/50 split is never automatic; the contract must say who bears each cost.
The government charges to identify
These are the main Land Office and Revenue Department items that should appear in a transfer-cost schedule. The table states the normal legal baseline, not a guaranteed quote for a particular unit.
| Charge | Calculation basis | Who normally bears it | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership transfer registration fee | Standard baseline: 2% of the official appraised value | Negotiated in the sale contract; a split is common but not automatic | Temporary government reductions may apply to qualifying transactions. Confirm eligibility and the rate for the actual transfer date. |
| Specific business tax | 3.0% plus municipal tax equal to 10% of that tax, producing a combined 3.3%; generally calculated on the higher of official appraised value or declared consideration | Seller-side tax liability, although the contract may allocate the economic cost | Applies unless a statutory exemption is available. The exemption analysis is fact-specific and is not limited to a simple holding-period rule. |
| Stamp duty | 0.5% on the value used under the Revenue Code rules, generally the higher of official appraised value or declared consideration | Normally seller-side | Ordinarily relevant when specific business tax is not payable; it should not be budgeted as an automatic additional charge on top of specific business tax. |
| Withholding tax — individual seller | Calculated by the Land Office from the official appraised value using the seller's ownership period, statutory expense deduction and progressive personal-income-tax method | Seller-side tax collected at registration | It is not a flat percentage that can be estimated reliably from the sale price alone. |
| Withholding tax — corporate seller | Generally 1% of the higher of official appraised value or declared consideration | Seller-side tax collected at registration | Confirm the seller's legal status and transaction documents before using this calculation basis. |
Why the contract matters
Thai sale contracts often use shorthand such as “transfer fee shared equally” or “all taxes paid by the seller.” That language should be expanded into a charge-by-charge allocation before the deposit becomes non-refundable. The parties can agree who bears the economic cost, but they cannot rewrite the statutory taxpayer or the Land Office collection process.
- List the transfer registration fee separately from specific business tax, stamp duty and withholding tax.
- State whether a quoted purchase price is inclusive or exclusive of buyer-borne transfer costs.
- State who pays any mortgage-registration cost, bank fee, lawyer fee or power-of-attorney expense.
- Require an updated Land Office cost estimate before the final transfer appointment.
Appraised value versus sale price
The Department of Lands maintains an official appraised value used in registration calculations. Some charges use that appraisal; others use the higher of the appraisal or the declared consideration. This is why applying every percentage to the advertised price can produce a misleading estimate.
Ask for the current appraisal attached to the exact unit and confirm which figure the Land Office will use for each charge. Do not assume that a developer price sheet, bank valuation, online estimate or prior owner's tax receipt is the current official base.
New project and resale transfers are not identical
The developer's sale agreement usually specifies its own cost allocation and may reflect a temporary government incentive. Verify that the contract language matches the Land Office calculation and that no marketing statement is being treated as a binding tax quote.
Seller identity, ownership period, acquisition history, household-registration facts and legal status can materially affect seller-side taxes. Obtain the seller's Land Office estimate before finalizing the allocation.
Transfer-day buyer checklist
- Final sale agreement and a written schedule showing who bears each government charge.
- Current title-deed details and confirmation that the seller is the registered owner.
- Condominium juristic-person certificate confirming no outstanding common-area fees.
- Foreign-ownership quota confirmation and remittance evidence when the buyer is registering foreign freehold ownership.
- Current Department of Lands appraisal and the responsible Land Office's transfer-cost calculation.
- Original identification, marital-status documents, company papers or powers of attorney required for the parties.
- Separate confirmation of any bank mortgage-registration cost rather than folding it into the transfer fee.
For the broader purchase sequence, see the Thailand buying guide. For methodology and source-status definitions, see BAANLYY's data methodology.
Questions and answers
Is the Thailand condo transfer fee always 2%?
Two percent of the official appraised value is the standard registration-fee baseline. A temporary government reduction may apply only when the transaction and parties meet the measure's conditions. Confirm the rate with the responsible Land Office for the actual transfer date.
Are condo transfer costs automatically split 50/50?
No. A 50/50 split is a contract convention, not an automatic rule. The sale agreement should identify each charge and who bears it. Tax liability and Land Office collection mechanics still follow Thai law even when the parties agree to reimburse one another.
Does a seller always pay both specific business tax and stamp duty?
Generally no. Stamp duty is ordinarily relevant when specific business tax is not payable. The result depends on the seller, the transaction and any statutory exemption, so the Land Office should calculate the final amount from the transfer file.
Is five years of ownership the only test for specific business tax?
No. Holding period can matter, but it is not the only possible condition. Residence-registration history, how the property was acquired and other statutory facts may affect an exemption. Do not rely on a simple five-year shortcut without checking the seller's documents.
Do foreign condo buyers pay an extra transfer tax?
The core Land Office fee and tax categories are not a separate foreign-buyer surcharge. Foreign freehold buyers do have additional ownership-quota and remittance-evidence requirements that should be cleared before transfer day.
Can the final Land Office amount differ from an agent's estimate?
Yes. The final calculation can depend on the official appraised value, declared consideration, seller type, ownership history, exemptions and any temporary government measure in force on the registration date. Treat pre-transfer figures as estimates until the Land Office confirms them.
Sources & References
Primary and official sources are cited above. Government rules, fees and procedures in Thailand change over time and vary by office; always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before relying on them. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.
Budget beyond the purchase price
Model the full acquisition cost, then verify the government calculation before transfer.
Educational information only — not legal, tax or financial advice. Thai tax rules, appraised values and temporary fee measures can change. Confirm the exact transaction with the responsible Department of Lands office and a qualified Thai legal or tax adviser before signing or transferring funds.
