Buying land in Thailand can and will be very problematic. The issue we wish to cover is not the issue of buying land but the different types of land titles you get in Thailand as most people don’t understand the classes of land. There are two types of title deeds available in Thailand. Many foreigners have a wife purchase a small pice of land only to discover later that they dont actually own the land as the title is not correct.
Private land in Thailand is divided into full ownership with a title deed and the other is posession and occupation only. The one can be sold the other not. Por Bor Tor 5, Sor Kor 1, Tor Bor 5, Sor Por Gor 4 only give you posession of the land and the right to use such land. You may not sell this land as you are not the owner of the land. This type of land has been been conveyed and you may not even build on this type of land. Traditionally this classes of land has been sued for farming only. The government has turned a blind eye generally when Thai;s have built a small house of this type of land to occupy themselves while farming. Some have overstepped the borders and recieved problems by way of government officials. Dont ever look at land in Thailand for your wife or in-laws where they cannot hold the title to the farm.
Not to long back in Samui a certain type of ‘upgrading’ of the title deeds occured which saw the government step in and evict people from the land as it was not classified correctly. What you are looking for in title deeds in Thailand is the Chanote. This is the real title deed.
If you are considering buying land then speak to one of our attorneys with regards to property rights in Thailand and the different grades of land which is available and what rights these hold. Don’t buy any property until such time that you have spoken to a qualified attorney about property matters. Buyer Beware!