Myth Busted – Owning 100% of a landed house in Thailand is possible

6 Jan 2020 Immigration Information ,


This is a common question. Can a foreigner legally purchase and own 100% of a landed house in Thailand?

The answer is, it is possible.

All you need to ask is HOW.

Too many naysayers out there saying that this is impossible. Truth is, they don’t know how. But lucky for you, we do.

Before we dive in, let’s just review some facts and legal terms:



FACT #1 – Foreigners cannot own a landed house


Under Thailand’s law, foreigners CANNOT own a landed house. The only property a foreigner can fully own is a condo, providing that 51% of the entire condo is owned by Thai nationals.



FACT #2 – Foreigners can start a business in Thailand and purchase a landed house under the business’ name


This is a common method for foreigners to purchase a landed house in Thailand. However, Thailand’s law also restrict foreigner ownership of a Thai business to 49%.

This means that 51% of your business assets belong to your business partners.



FACT #3 – Foreigner can lease land in Thailand and build a house on the land


Some foreigners come to an agreement with land owner to lease their land for a period of time, usually 30 years, and build their house on the land. Using this method, only the title of the house belongs to the foreigner, but not the land. 

Foreigners need to be aware that once the 30 years is over, the land owner has absolute control on the house. If they choose not to renew the lease, you are basically giving the house away.



But Wait…


Now you are probably thinking we are just bluffing in the beginning.

Looking at all these facts, there are no evidence that a foreigner can own 100% of a landed house in Thailand, under their own name.

While this is true, if we change our direction a little, and make the foreigner a Thai citizen, he/she will then be able to legally own a landed house in Thailand.

For those who has direct Thai family members, they can obtain their Thai citizenship through family migration, or marriage migration.

As for those who do not, obtaining Thai citizenship through business stream is another way:



Step #1: Open a Thai business


First off, acquire your landed house using your Thai business. Obviously, you will need another Thai national to act as a director or a shareholder of your business, holding 51% of share.

We highly recommend to contact an experienced lawyer to assist with setting up the correct business structure and get some agreement in place to protect yourself.



Step #2: Turn your Thai business into a corporation


For a business to be categorised as a corporation, the business will need to:

  • Have a registered capital of 40,000,000 baht (Don’t worry, you don’t need to have this much money in the bank)
  • Contribute to the country by fulfilling social responsibilities as the owner of the corporation, such as –
  • Employing numbers of Thai nationals
  • Paying business tax
  • Paying personal income tax

The whole process takes approximately 3 to 5 years. During this time, the foreigner will be residing in Thailand under a business visa.



Step #3: Register to become a Thai citizen


Once eligible, you will be invited for a Thai citizenship interview. If you pass, you will be granted a Thai ID card and you are officially a Thai citizen.

Don’t panic if you failed. You can line up for the interview again.



Step #4: Transfer all assets from your business back to your personal name


Final steps.

All your hard work finally pays off. Once you have obtained your Thai citizenship, you basically has all the benefits as a Thai national. Not only do you have legal rights to:

(i) stay in Thailand permanently,
(ii) own landed house 100% under your name, but also;
(iii) life-time free/close to free medical.


The entire process seems like a lot of works, and it is. However, the benefits definitely outranked the trouble. The best thing is, you don’t have to do this on your own. Finding someone with the right expertise and experience can make this stress-free. You can focus on your life, and let the experts focus on the troubles.

Remember, owning your own home in paradise is certainly possible.






If you are serious about your future, willing to spend the time to understand what it takes, and allow us to help fulfil your dream, contact us TODAY.

Thai Citizenship

30 Dec 2019 Immigration Information , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Being a Thai national can have certain benefits. Obviously you get to stay in Thailand for as long as you want without any worries for visa renewal and visa runs, and you also get to save on your visa application fees and all the hassle involved in the visa application process. But the biggest gains for being a Thai citizen are that you get to have free education, extremely low cost medical, work rights, house and land ownership rights and business ownership rights. This can be especially important and beneficial for people who wants to do business and settle down in Thailand.

Unlike Australia where a foreigner can own 100% of a business’ share, Thailand has a rule where foreigner can only own 49% of a Thai company. Foreigners are also not allowed to own any house or land in Thailand, only condo. More reasons to consider becoming a Thai citizen.

There are 4 main ways we recommend to obtain Thai citizenship. Applicants will need to be aware however, that there are very limited number of spots available for foreigners to become a Thai citizen through business stream. Thai government only looks at Thai citizenship request on a case by case manner. Generally speaking, only approximately 100 applicants will be accepted per country per year.

1) Invest and participate in the Board of Investment (BOI) with the Thai government. Investment amount varies depending on the type of projects, but generally are upwards of 20,000,000 THB.

2) Thai citizenship through business stream. Applicants will demonstrate that they have operated a corporation in Thailand for a set amount of years, and that they have contributed to the Thai government in varies ways, i.e. business tax, personal tax, generated employment opportunities for locals, etc.

3) Through marriage to a Thai national. This option is relatively straight forward. If you are married to a Thai national, you are eligible to be a Thai citizen.

4) Family migration. All direct family members, i.e. parents, children and grand children are eligible to be a Thai citizen.

The time required to obtain Thai citizenship through option 1 & 3 fluctuate. Option 2 as mentioned above, was only allowed for a very limited application every year. Typical waiting time can varies from 3.5 years to 5 years.

What’s next?

If you are interested in becoming a Thai citizen, get in touch with us today.

Thai Immigration Service Ltd.
Ph: 1300 988 520
facebook.com/ThaiImmigrationLtd

Business Visa Thailand

30 Dec 2019 Immigration Information , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Business visa allows foreigners to work (either for their own company, or someone else’s) and live in Thailand. This visa type is proven to be one of the best and available visa options to migrate to Thailand.

Most people are overwhelmed by the name of the visa and are often frightened by the requirement of Business Visa as it involves setting up and running a business. However, with the right expert on your side, business visa can be as easy as any other types of Thai visa. Here are some basic requirement:

Applicants need to –
1) Open a business in Thailand
2) Has a business address in Thailand
3) The business will need to have 2,000,000 THB of registered capital
4) Open a business bank account in Thailand

Thai Immigration Service Ltd. has helped hundreds of clients realise their dream to move to Thailand using business visa. Get in touch with us today.

Retirement Visa Thailand

29 Dec 2019 Immigration Information , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

One of the easiest, most cost effective, most popular visa option for people to move and retire in Thailand, is the retirement visa. If you are wishing for the perfect retirement, look no further but here.

How to be eligible for the retirement visa in Thailand? The applicant will need to:

1) Be over 50 years old
2) Has 800,000 THB (approx. 40,000AUD) of savings in a Thai bank account, certified by the Embassy of Australia in Thailand
3) Has a Thailand residential address
4) Purchased a health insurance to cover any health related expenses in Thailand
5) A satisfactory police check
6) A satisfactory medical check

One of the good thing for this visa is that applicants can choose to apply for this visa in their home country’s Thai consulate general or in Thailand, but keep in mind that retirement visa holders will need to renew their retirement visa annually, and they are prohibited to have any income in Thailand whatsoever. If you break the law, you may never be able to go back to the paradise again.

Talk to us if you need help with any visa application!

Moving to Thailand

10 Dec 2019 Immigration Information , , , , , , , , , , ,

Moving to a new country for good is exciting. If you are here, it means that you probably have a fair idea where you want to go.

I know, Thailand is a paradise. Low cost of living, friendly neighbourhood, great health care, good food everywhere…the list goes on.

But from a migration perspective, there are multiple visa options, the eligibility criteria is unclear, the application process is lengthy and complicated. And there aren’t many resources out there to answer these questions. Language is one of the obstacle, but the constant changes to immigration law also make the whole process miserable.

We understand your pain – that’s why we are here. We are here to help you fulfil your dream, without the stress.

But first of all, have an understanding on which visa or citizenship you are eligible for. You can use the below diagram to figure out your visa/migration options.

Diagram above: Thai Migration & Visa Decision tree

Interested?


Get in touch with us for an obligation free consultation.

3 common questions on property purchases in Thailand

23 Nov 2017 Immigration Information, Real Estate , , , , , , , ,

3 common questions on property purchases in Thailand:

Q1) What are the legal restrictions?

A: Foreigners in Thailand can legally purchase apartments and receive permanent property rights. However, for townhouse / villa / landed house, foreigners will not have permanent property rights.

Q2) What is the property purchase procedure in Thailand?

A: There are typically two ways to buy a home.

a) Off-the-plan:

  • Deposit
  • Contract payment
  • Instalments
  • Pay the balance and transfer
  • Obtain real estate license

b) Existing home:

  • Deposit
  • Signing fee
  • Pay the full amount and transfer
  • Access to real estate license

Q3) For foreign property owners away from Thailand for extended period of time, will there be option to lease out the property?

A: Yes. Fragrant and Sansiri are two examples of real estate company in Thailand. They provide purchasing, leasing and sales services. Property owners can get in touch with them to discuss their needs and requirement.

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