Generally no — foreigners cannot own land outright in Thailand, but they can own a condominium unit freehold within the building's 49% foreign quota, and can use a long registered lease or other lawful structures for a house.
The simple answer is that foreigners cannot own land outright in their own name in Thailand. Thai law reserves freehold land ownership for Thai nationals and Thai-majority companies. This is the single most important thing overseas buyers need to understand before they start looking.
There is, however, a clear and well-established exception for condominiums. Under the Condominium Act, a foreigner can own a condominium unit on a genuine freehold basis, registered in their own name, provided the foreign-owned units in the building stay within the 49% foreign-ownership quota and the purchase money is brought in from abroad and documented. You own the unit, not the land beneath the building — which is exactly why freehold condominiums are the clean, standard route for foreign buyers.
For a house or villa, where land is involved, foreigners typically use a long registered lease (commonly 30 years), a usufruct or superficies right, or — with proper legal advice — other lawful structures. Beware the shortcuts: leases sold with promises of automatic renewal became far riskier after a 2025 Supreme Court ruling made pre-agreed renewals unenforceable, and Thai-company nominee arrangements are actively prosecuted. A freehold condominium within the quota avoids both problems.
Land ownership is protected under Thai law for Thai nationals, so a foreigner cannot appear on a land title deed (chanote) as the outright owner. This isn't a loophole to be engineered around — nominee structures that pretend a Thai owner holds land on a foreigner's behalf are illegal and prosecuted. The lawful routes are condominium freehold, where no land is owned at all, or a properly registered lease or usufruct over land. We only ever introduce developments that are structured within the law.
In practice, most overseas investors own a freehold condominium unit — held in their own name, indefinitely, within the building's foreign quota. If you want a house, the land is usually held on a long registered lease or via a usufruct or superficies right, while you separately own the building itself. Which structure fits depends on your goals and the specific property, and it's covered in our overview of the ownership structures foreigners can use — then we go through the right option for you privately.
Thinking about buying in Phuket?
See if you qualify →Not outright. A foreigner cannot own the land under a house in their own name. In practice buyers hold the land on a long registered lease, a usufruct or a superficies right, and own the building itself. A freehold condominium avoids the land question entirely. Always take independent legal advice on the right structure.
Using a Thai company purely as a nominee to hold land for a foreigner is unlawful and actively prosecuted. Genuine, properly-run companies have legitimate commercial uses, but the nominee shortcut is a real risk. Most investors avoid it altogether by buying a freehold condominium within the foreign quota instead.