Thailand caps foreign freehold condo ownership at 49% of a building’s total saleable floor area — not a simple headcount of units. Set the building’s size, what’s already foreign-owned, and your target unit to estimate whether your purchase fits, then read the real rules on funding, alternatives and the 2026 nominee crackdown below.
Set the building’s total saleable floor area, the area already foreign-owned, and the unit size you want to buy, to estimate whether your purchase would fit inside the Condominium Act’s 49% foreign-quota cap. The 49% limit is calculated on total saleable floor area, not a simple headcount of units. This is a planning estimate only — always confirm the real, current quota figure with the building’s juristic person / management office before relying on it.
Under Thailand’s Condominium Act, foreigners may hold freehold title to units in a registered condominium building, but the combined foreign-owned floor area cannot exceed 49% of the building’s total saleable area — common areas like lobbies, pools and corridors are excluded from that calculation. With the figures above, this building would sit at roughly 40.3% foreign-owned after your purchase, against a cap of 49.0%. If a building’s foreign quota is full, the usual alternatives are a long-term leasehold (commonly up to 30 years, with renewal typically left to agreement rather than guaranteed by law), waiting for a resale from an existing foreign owner, or buying a Thai-quota unit through a majority-Thai-owned company — a structure now under significantly tighter scrutiny after the Department of Business Development’s 2026 nominee-shareholder crackdown, so it should only be used with proper legal advice, never as a workaround to disguise foreign beneficial ownership.
Planning estimate only, from the figures you enter — not legal advice, and not a substitute for the building’s own official foreign-quota confirmation. This tool cannot see any specific building’s real, current quota usage; always verify with the juristic person / management office and your conveyancing lawyer before making an offer. BAANLYY never takes paid placement.
The Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979) ties the foreign-ownership cap to the building’s total saleable floor area, excluding common areas such as lobbies, corridors, parking and pools. A single large penthouse can therefore consume a much bigger share of the 49% cap than several small studios combined -- which is why the practical, correct way to check eligibility is by square metres, not by asking “how many units are left in the foreign quota.” Developers and juristic persons track this figure continuously as units sell and resell.
This calculator is a planning estimate built from figures you enter -- it has no way to see any specific building’s actual, live foreign-quota usage. Before making an offer, ask the building’s juristic person (management office) for written confirmation of the remaining foreign quota, and have your lawyer verify it again immediately before transfer, since the figure can move as other foreign buyers and sellers transact. The Land Office will simply refuse to register a foreign-quota transfer once a building’s 49% cap is full, regardless of what a private calculator estimated.
To register foreign freehold ownership, the purchase funds generally need to arrive from overseas in foreign currency and be received by a Thai commercial bank. For remittances equivalent to USD 50,000 or more, the bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction form (an “FET form,” sometimes called Thor Tor 3), which the Land Office requires at the transfer appointment. Smaller remittances typically get a standard bank credit advice or confirmation letter instead. Make sure the transfer reference clearly states it is for a condominium purchase -- banks can decline to issue FET documentation without it.
When a building’s foreign quota is exhausted, buyers typically choose between a long-term leasehold (commonly structured up to 30 years, with renewal generally a matter of agreement between the parties rather than a right guaranteed by law), waiting for a foreign-quota resale to come onto the market, or purchasing through a majority-Thai-owned Thai limited company. That last route has come under considerably tighter scrutiny since the Department of Business Development’s 2026 nominee-shareholder crackdown (DBD Orders 2/2568, effective 1 January 2026, and 1/2569, effective 1 April 2026), which requires proof of genuine source-of-funds and signed investment confirmation letters for company incorporations and amendments. Get independent legal advice before using a company structure -- it should reflect a genuine Thai business arrangement, never a disguised foreign nominee purchase.
Not yet, as of mid-2026. The 49% quota has stood unchanged since the Condominium Act took effect in 1979. There is active policy discussion of lowering it -- figures around 30-39% generally, with steeper reductions (around 25%) floated specifically for high-foreign-demand tourist markets such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Pattaya -- but no amendment bill has passed Parliament, and realistic estimates put any change at late 2026 or into 2027 at the earliest. Any reform would be expected to apply to future transactions rather than retroactively affecting existing foreign freehold titles, though buyers weighing a purchase in a near-full-quota building in a high-demand area should factor this policy uncertainty into their timeline.
Thailand foreign-ownership rules involve statute, Land Office practice and evolving policy discussion -- this page reflects publicly available guidance as of mid-2026 and is not a substitute for independent legal advice on a specific transaction.
Get the building’s real, current foreign-quota confirmation and full ownership guidance from BAANLYY.
General information and a self-input estimating tool only — not legal, tax or financial advice. The 49% foreign-quota rule reflects the Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979) as of mid-2026; policy discussion of lowering the cap is ongoing but not yet law. Results reflect the figures you enter, not any specific building’s real, current quota usage. Always confirm with the building’s juristic person and a qualified Thai property lawyer before relying on this. BAANLYY never takes paid placement.