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30-Year House & Land Leasehold (+30+30)

The standard route for foreigners who want a detached house — 30-year lease with 30+30 renewal options

AI Quick Answer

Foreigners can lease house + land up to 30 years per contract (Civil & Commercial Code Sec. 540) plus 30+30 year renewal options — total up to 90 years (each renewal must be re-registered at the Land Office if over 3 years). Registration fee 1.1% of lease value. Houses cost THB 3–15M in provinces, THB 20–100M in Bangkok suburbs. Beware: renewal clauses may not be enforced by Thai courts.

Cost

Registration 1.1% of lease value + lawyer THB 30,000–80,000

Timeline

30–90 days with due diligence

Documents

5 items

+66 92 242 9293 LINE @nyc-notary

Steps (5)

1
Title due diligence
Get Nor Sor 4 Jor or Chanote title / check encumbrances / 30-year chain of title / verify access rights and utilities
2
Lawyer drafts the lease
Specify 30 years + 30+30 renewal options / right to sublease/assign / right of first refusal / penalty clauses
3
Wire funds via FET
Transfer from abroad so the bank issues a FET form (required by the Land Office) — do not use a regular Thai-resident account
4
Register at Land Office
Both parties attend / pay 1.1% of total lease value / receive title with lease registered
5
TM30 + utilities
Owner files TM30 within 24h (same rule as condos) + transfer water/electricity meters into your name

Documents

Passport + visa
FET form
Lease registered at Land Office
Owner's title deed + house registration
Thai lawyer draft in bilingual format

Frequently asked questions

Are the 30+30 renewal options enforceable?

Supreme Court decisions treat renewal options as personal promises rather than rights that bind a future owner, so the second and third 30-year terms are not automatically enforceable. For real security, layer instruments: register the lease, add a usufruct (sitthi-kep-kin) and a superficies right over the structure.

Can I build on leased land?

Yes. Register a superficies right (sitthi-nuea-phuen-din) at the Land Office and you own the building separately from the land. The right can be sold, mortgaged or inherited within its term, which is why long-term expat houses on leased plots are usually structured this way.

Can I sign one 90-year lease?

No. Section 540 of the Civil and Commercial Code caps a residential lease at 30 years. A marketed "90-year lease" means one registered 30-year term plus two contractual renewal promises, each of which must be re-registered at the Land Office when the previous term expires.

Can I assign or sublease?

Only if the lease says so explicitly. Under Thai law the right to assign or sublet is not implied and needs a written clause; without it the landlord can terminate for breach. Ask for assignment rights before signing, especially if you may later sell the leasehold interest.

Should I use a Thai limited company?

Treat it as high risk. Since 2022 the Land Department and DSI have investigated nominee shareholding, with fines and forfeiture of the land. A company is only defensible when it carries on real business with genuine Thai shareholders. Safer routes are a BOI investment or Treaty of Amity structure.