A foreigner may sell property in Thailand without any special permission: the restrictions in this country apply to buying, not to leaving. The difficulties lie elsewhere. The pool of buyers for a freehold unit is narrower than it looks, a seller's costs can reach a tenth of the price, and the proceeds cannot be sent abroad without a document issued at the time of purchase several years earlier. Sellers tend to discover this once the transaction is already under way.
This article covers who you can sell to, what you will pay, how to get the money home, and why leaving in year three costs more than leaving in year six. Forms of ownership and the transaction process are covered in our guide on how a foreigner buys property in Thailand.
Content:
- Who you can sell to
- What the seller pays
- What it costs to exit in year three and in year six
- How to send the money abroad
- How long a sale takes and where the price is lost
- What to do if the property is not in your own name
- Who should not be selling right now
- What has changed for sellers
- Frequently asked questions
Who you can sell to
There is one restriction here, and it operates on the buyer's side.
- A Thai national or a Thai company — with no conditions attached. This is the widest pool of buyers.
- Another foreigner, where the property is held freehold — only where the building still has room in the foreign quota. Your buyer will check the remaining share exactly as you once did. How that works is covered in our guide to when a foreigner cannot register a Thai condo as freehold.
- A house with land cannot be sold to a foreigner as freehold at all. Here the buyers are Thai nationals, Thai companies, or tenants under a lease.
A practical conclusion follows: a unit in a building whose foreign quota is used up takes longer to sell. Some buyers drop out at the checking stage, and those who remain will ask for a discount in return for taking a lease rather than ownership.
What the seller pays
The costs come in four parts. Which side pays each is agreed in the contract, but established practice looks like this.
| Payment | How much | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fee | 2% of the appraised value | split equally |
| Specific business tax | 3.3% where the property was held under 5 years | seller |
| Stamp duty | 0.5% where specific business tax is not charged | seller |
| Withholding tax | on a scale, typically 1–3.5% of the appraised value | seller |
| Agency commission | 3–5% of the sale price | seller |
Specific business tax and stamp duty are never charged together: one applies or the other. Both are calculated not on the contract price but on the higher of two figures — the sale price or the appraised value set by the Land Office.
Withholding tax is deducted on registration day itself. For an individual it is calculated on a progressive scale with an allowance depending on the years of ownership, so two similar units can produce different figures. A full breakdown of every payment and how the sides divide them is in our guide to property taxes in Thailand and which side pays what.
One relief deserves a mention because it comes up constantly: the reduced transfer fee of 0.01% applies to Thai nationals only. It does not extend to transactions involving foreigners.
What it costs to exit in year three and in year six
Take a unit bought and sold at 5,000,000 baht ($139,000). The only variable is the length of ownership.
| Payment | Sale in year 3 | Sale in year 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Specific business tax at 3.3% | 165,000 baht ($4,600) | not charged |
| Stamp duty at 0.5% | not charged | 25,000 baht ($700) |
| Half of the transfer fee | 50,000 baht ($1,400) | 50,000 baht ($1,400) |
| Withholding tax, indicative | 100,000 baht ($2,800) | 100,000 baht ($2,800) |
| Agency commission at 4% | 200,000 baht ($5,600) | 200,000 baht ($5,600) |
| Total | about 515,000 baht ($14,300) | about 375,000 baht ($10,400) |
The gap of 140,000 baht ($3,900) comes down to a single condition: specific business tax applies where the property was held for less than five years. The sale price in the calculation did not change. Over a short horizon, in other words, an investor gives up around 10% of the price on the way out, and three years of capital growth does not always cover it.
How to send the money abroad
A seller's most common difficulty has nothing to do with tax and everything to do with a document five years old. To send the proceeds overseas, the bank will ask you to show that the money originally came into the country from abroad. The proof is the same FET form or bank letter you received when you bought.
The bank will ask for three things:
- the document showing that the purchase funds came from overseas;
- the sale contract and the receipts for the fees paid at the Land Office;
- confirmation that withholding tax has been paid.
Hence a rule worth following the moment you complete a purchase: keep the original bank document and pass it on with the rest of the file whenever you change solicitor or agent. Reissuing it years later is not always possible, and without it an outbound transfer stalls.
How long a sale takes and where the price is lost
Quick sales on the resale market are rare, and the reason is not demand but competition from new-build.
"Resale properties in our Thai transactions go for around a quarter less than new-build, and that is not a difference in quality. A developer offers interest-free instalments and a fresh finish, while a private seller competes on price alone. So the calculation of buying off-plan and selling higher on completion works far less often than people assume," says a sales specialist for Thailand.
Two further points come into it. First, a developer is almost always launching a new project in the same area, so the buyer compares your unit against that rather than against neighbouring resale listings. Second, foreign buyers often purchase remotely, whereas on the resale market they want a viewing or someone acting for them, and part of the pipeline falls apart at exactly that step.
"Deals come apart most often where the payment schedule is drawn out: the more points there are in it, the greater the chance a buyer stops at one of them. The same holds on a sale, which is why a short, simple schedule in the contract is worth more than a slightly higher price," says a sales specialist for Thailand.
What to do if the property is not in your own name
Two cases fall outside the ordinary procedure.
A unit held on a leasehold. What is sold is not the property but the remainder of the lease, and only where the contract permits a transfer. The fewer years remain, the lower the price. The detail is in our guide to how a 30-year leasehold works and what to expect on inheritance.
A house held through a Thai company. There are two routes: sell the property in the company's name, or sell the shares in the company. The second looks simpler, but the buyer and their solicitor will examine the structure, the history of the shareholders and the filings, and such companies have been under particular scrutiny since 2025. What the reviewers look for is covered in our guide to why a house held through a Thai company can be ordered sold.
Completion day itself follows the same pattern as a purchase: both parties attend the local Land Office, pay what is assessed and exchange documents. The order of events and the list of papers are in our guide to what happens on completion day at the Thai Land Office.
Who should not be selling right now
- Anyone who has held the property for under five years and is not pressed for time. Waiting for the five-year mark costs less than paying specific business tax.
- Anyone who no longer has the bank document evidencing the inward transfer. Find out from the bank whether it can be reissued before you list the property.
- Owners in buildings whose foreign quota is used up. The pool of buyers has narrowed, and that weighs on price more than any refurbishment.
- Anyone expecting to sell in under a month. Even with a buyer in hand, preparing the documents takes several weeks.
What has changed for sellers
- The reduced transfer fee of 0.01% has been extended to support the market, but it applies to Thai nationals only — foreigners pay the full 2%.
- Source-of-funds checks have tightened at both ends: banks examine the paperwork not only when money enters the country but when the proceeds leave it.
- Structures involving Thai companies are reviewed separately, and buyers now more often prefer to buy the property itself rather than shares.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner sell a condo in Thailand?
Yes, there are no restrictions on selling. The conditions apply to the buyer where they are also a foreigner taking the property as freehold.
What does a seller pay in total?
Around 9–11% of the price on a sale before five years, and roughly 6–8% afterwards, agency commission included.
When is specific business tax not charged?
Where the property has been held for five years or more. Stamp duty of 0.5% applies instead.
Can the sale proceeds be sent abroad?
Yes, with the document showing that the purchase funds came from overseas, the sale contract and confirmation that tax has been paid.
Do I have to travel to Thailand for completion?
No, a sale can be completed under a power of attorney certified by a notary and legalised abroad.
Is it better to sell a house from the company or to sell the shares?
Selling the property is more transparent for the buyer. A share sale calls for a review of the structure and more often drags on.