Ownership of property in Thailand does not arise when the contract is signed, nor when the last payment clears, but on the day both parties attend the local Land Office and the transfer is entered on the title document. It takes between one and three hours, and sometimes the whole day. This is where every loose end from months of preparation comes to light: a name spelled differently in the passport and in the bank letter, a mortgage still on the title, a missing letter from the building's management. Registrations are put off because of a single document more often than buyers expect.
This article sets out what each side brings, how the day runs, how the money changes hands and what to do if travelling to Thailand for completion is not an option. The purchase as a whole is covered in our guide on how a foreigner buys property in Thailand. Here we deal only with the final day.
Content:
- What actually happens at the Land Office
- What to bring
- How the day runs
- How the money changes hands
- If you cannot attend completion
- Why registrations fall through on the day
- How long it takes to get from choosing a property to registration day
- What has changed in the checks
- Who should prepare for completion with particular care
- Frequently asked questions
What actually happens at the Land Office
The office keeps the register of property rights for its district. The parties attend together, submit their documents, and an official checks them and calculates the fees. Once payment is made at the cashier's desk, buyer and seller sign the application, the entry goes into the register and onto the title document.
For a condominium unit that document is the certificate of ownership of the unit; for a house with land it is the Chanote, the title deed for the plot. The new owner's name is entered on the reverse, together with the date and the basis of the transfer. The buyer leaves with the original in hand the same day.
There is no choice of venue: registration takes place only at the office covering the property. A unit in Phuket cannot be registered in Bangkok, even if both parties happen to be there.
Long leases are registered here as well, with the entry recorded on the reverse of the same title document. What that entry gives a tenant, we cover in our guide to how a 30-year leasehold works and what to expect on inheritance.
A sale goes through the same procedure: the parties swap roles, while the order of events and the documents stay the same. What a seller pays and how sale proceeds are sent abroad, we cover in our guide to selling property in Thailand and the taxes and fees involved.
What to bring
The list depends on what is being bought and who the parties are.
| Who | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Seller | original title document, passport or Thai ID card, house registration book, spouse's consent where married |
| Foreign buyer | passport with a valid visa, evidence of the source of funds, residence certificate where required |
| Additional for a condominium unit | the management's debt-free certificate and the foreign quota certificate |
| Additional for a company | certificate of incorporation, shareholder register, resolution approving the transaction, director's identity documents |
The debt-free certificate confirms that no service charges or maintenance contributions are outstanding on the unit. Without it registration will not proceed: debts run with the property, and the office checks the point before signature.
Evidence of the source of funds for a freehold purchase means the FET form or a bank letter confirming receipt of foreign currency. Requirements for the transfer itself and for the payment reference are covered separately, in our guide to when a foreigner cannot register a Thai condo as freehold.
How the day runs
Offices open in the morning and the queue builds quickly, so it is worth arriving at opening time. The order of events is as follows.
Step 1. The parties take a ticket and hand in their documents at the registration window. The official checks the originals, confirms there are no encumbrances and verifies that names match across every paper.
Step 2. An assessor values the property and calculates the fees and taxes on the official appraised value. That value may differ from the price in the contract, so the final figure sometimes departs from the earlier estimate.
Step 3. The parties pay what has been assessed at the cashier's desk. Who pays what is a matter for the contract; how the costs divide between seller and buyer is covered in our guide to property taxes in Thailand and which side pays what.
Step 4. The buyer hands over the purchase money and the seller hands over the title document. The exchange takes place there, in front of the official.
Step 5. The parties sign the application, the official makes the entry and issues the document in the new owner's name.
With a complete set of papers all of this takes one to three hours. In the busy offices of Bangkok and Phuket the whole day can go on it during high season, while provincial offices have shorter queues.
How the money changes hands
Cash is not used at the Land Office. The standard method is a cashier's cheque from a Thai bank, made out to the seller in baht. The buyer collects it from the bank in advance, usually the day before or that morning, and hands it over at registration.
Two practical points follow. The money has to reach the buyer's Thai account well ahead of time: an international transfer takes anywhere from one to several working days, and timing it to the completion date is a gamble. And the amount on the cheque has to match the contract to the baht — a bank will reissue a cheque, but that costs time, and the transaction stands still while it happens.
If you cannot attend completion
Registration can be handled under a power of attorney. It is drawn up on the Land Department's own form, with separate versions for land transactions and for condominium units. The signature is certified by a notary, and where the document is signed outside Thailand it is also legalised at a Thai consulate or carries an apostille.
Three things get a power of attorney rejected:
- the name in it is written differently from the passport or from the property documents;
- fields on the form have been left blank, which the office refuses to accept because of the risk of later additions;
- the legalisation has expired, or the consular endorsement relates to a different document.
The attorney is usually the solicitor handling the transaction. They will need the originals and the cashier's cheque as well, so a power of attorney is best prepared weeks rather than days in advance.
Why registrations fall through on the day
The reasons repeat from deal to deal, and nearly all of them can be dealt with in advance.
- Names spelled differently. The passport, the bank letter and the contract have to match letter for letter. Variations in the transliteration of a patronymic or middle name are a common ground for refusal.
- An encumbrance still in place. Where the property carries a mortgage, it is discharged before registration, usually the same day at the same office but as a separate procedure.
- No certificate from the management. It takes two days to a week to prepare, and it cannot be ordered the day before completion.
- Incomplete evidence of funds. The currency arrived, but the bank letter shows a different amount or a different payment reference.
- No consent from the seller's spouse. For property acquired during a marriage it is mandatory, and obtaining it on the day is not realistic.
- The wrong class of land title. For plots held under a Nor Sor 3 title the law requires 30 days of public notice of the transfer, so registration will not even begin that day.
- Questions over the ownership structure. Companies with foreign participation are reviewed separately; the signs investigators look for are covered in our guide to why a house held through a Thai company can be ordered sold.
How long it takes to get from choosing a property to registration day
Registration day itself is short. Preparing for it is not.
"One in five of our Thai transactions completes in under a week: typically a finished unit, a buyer with money already in a Thai account and a seller with a full set of papers. The rest stretch out, and almost always because of documents rather than the buyer's decision," says a sales specialist for Thailand.
Three situations call for extra time.
- The property carries the seller's mortgage. Discharging it adds a week or more.
- Completion under a power of attorney. Legalising documents abroad moves at its own pace.
- A house with land rather than a unit. There are more documents, and a higher chance that questions arise over the plot.
What has changed in the checks
The registration procedure itself is unchanged; the scrutiny of documents has grown.
- The source of funds is examined more closely: the bank letter is compared against the contract price and the payment reference.
- Transactions from 5,000,000 baht ($139,000) and cash settlements from 2,000,000 baht ($55,000) trigger a separate source-of-funds review.
- Companies with foreign participation are kept on separate registers by land offices and checked against the companies register.
For an ordinary purchase of a condominium unit the message is simple: assemble the full set of documents in advance, because on the day a missing paper cannot be replaced by a verbal assurance.
Who should prepare for completion with particular care
- Buyers flying in for a few days. If registration is put off over a single certificate, there may be no second attempt on that trip.
- Anyone sending money at the last minute. The currency takes days to arrive, and without it the bank will not issue the cheque.
- Buyers of houses with land. There is more paperwork, title classes differ, and not every class registers on the same day.
- Anyone running the transaction without a solicitor. In that case nobody checks encumbrances, spellings and the completeness of the file in advance.
Frequently asked questions
How long does registration at the Land Office take?
One to three hours with a complete set of documents. In busy offices during high season it can take the whole day.
Can a transaction be registered in another city?
No, only at the office covering the property.
How is the money paid to the seller?
By cashier's cheque from a Thai bank in baht, made out to the seller. It is exchanged for the title document at the office.
Can I avoid attending in person?
Yes, under a power of attorney on the Land Department's form, certified by a notary and legalised if signed abroad.
Which documents are needed from the building's management?
A debt-free certificate for the unit and the building's foreign quota certificate.
What if names are spelled differently across the documents?
Correct the spelling at the bank or before a notary ahead of completion. It cannot be resolved on the day.