Selling a Condo in Thailand: Taxes, Fees and Repatriation

Selling a condo in Thailand as a foreign owner is legal and fairly routine: you sign a sale agreement, clear the building's common fees, register the transfer at the Land Office, pay the transfer fee and taxes on the day, and then send the proceeds abroad through a Thai bank. The details that cost sellers money are usually the taxes, who pays which fee and the paperwork needed to get the money out.

This guide walks Phuket owners through each step, with the official rates collected at the Land Office and the documents banks normally ask for.

Can a foreigner sell a condo to anyone?

Yes. A foreign owner can sell to a Thai buyer, to another foreigner or to a Thai company. What changes is the building's foreign ownership quota. Foreigners may together own up to 49% of the total unit area in a registered condominium, so a sale to another foreigner keeps the unit within that share, while a sale to a Thai buyer reduces it and frees space for future foreign buyers. Our explainer on the Phuket condo foreign quota covers how the juristic person tracks it.

A foreign buyer must also show that the purchase money came into Thailand in foreign currency, usually with a Foreign Exchange Transaction form from their bank. See our guide to the FET form in Thailand for what buyers and sellers should check.

What are the steps for selling a condo in Thailand?

• Prepare documents: the condominium unit title deed (Or Chor 2), your passport, and the FET form or bank credit advice from your original purchase.
• Set a price and agree terms: sign a reservation or sale and purchase agreement that states the price, deposit, transfer date and who pays each fee and tax.
• Clear common fees: ask the building's juristic person manager for the certificate confirming there are no outstanding common area fees. The Land Office will not register the sale without it. Our guide to Phuket condo common area fees explains these charges.
• Transfer day: buyer and seller, or their attorneys, attend the Land Office, pay the fees and taxes, and the unit is registered in the buyer's name.
• Repatriate funds: take the sale documents and tax receipts to your bank to convert the baht and send the money abroad.

If you cannot travel to Phuket for the transfer, you can appoint someone you trust under a power of attorney, normally on the Land Department's own form. For a closer look at what happens at the counter, read our Phuket condo title transfer process guide.

Which taxes and fees apply when selling a condo in Thailand?

The Land Office collects four sums on transfer day, based on the Revenue Department and Department of Lands rules summarised in the table below.

Charge	Rate	Base
Transfer fee	2%	Official appraised value
Specific business tax	3.3% if sold within five years of acquisition	Higher of sale price or appraised value
Stamp duty	0.5%, only when specific business tax does not apply	Higher of sale price or appraised value
Withholding tax (individual seller)	Progressive personal income tax rates after a deduction for years held	Appraised value, capped at 20% of the sale price

Specific business tax and stamp duty are never paid together. An individual who has owned the unit for more than five years normally pays stamp duty instead, and the specific business tax can also be avoided on an earlier sale if the property was inherited or if the seller's name was in the unit's house registration book for at least one year. A company seller pays withholding tax at 1% of the higher of price or appraisal instead of the personal calculation.

For individuals, the Land Office first deducts a standard expense allowance that falls from 92% of the appraised value after one year of ownership to 50% after eight years or more. The remainder is divided by the number of years held, taxed at personal rates and multiplied back. The officer calculates it on the spot, so ask for an estimate from the Land Office or your lawyer before agreeing a net price.

Who pays the transfer fee, the buyer or the seller?

Thai law leaves this to the contract. If the agreement says nothing, the Civil and Commercial Code splits the costs of a sale equally. In the resale market a common arrangement is that buyer and seller share the 2% transfer fee, while the seller pays the specific business tax or stamp duty and the withholding tax. Write the split clearly into the agreement before taking a deposit. Our breakdown of Phuket property transfer fees compares the usual options.

One new factor helps sellers targeting local buyers. Until 30 June 2027, Thai individual buyers pay a transfer fee of just 0.01% instead of 2% on residential property, including condo units, where both the price and the appraised value are no more than 7 million baht, as reported by the Bangkok Post. Foreign buyers still pay the full rate, so a unit priced under that line can be more attractive to Thai buyers this year.

How do you send the sale money out of Thailand?

Repatriating the proceeds of a property investment is permitted, but the bank must see why the money is leaving. Under Bank of Thailand rules, banks normally require supporting documents for transfers of 200,000 US dollars or more, and many banks ask for them on smaller amounts as well. Expect to show your passport, the original FET form or credit advice from the purchase, the sale agreement, the Land Office transfer documents and the tax receipts.

Planning this step early is the easiest way to keep selling a condo in Thailand smooth. If your original FET form is lost, ask the bank that received the money for a copy or a confirming letter well before transfer day. Owners weighing whether to sell or keep renting the unit can compare returns in our guide to Phuket condo rental yields.

Selling a condo in Thailand FAQ

Do I have to be in Phuket to sell my condo?

No. You can sign a power of attorney so a trusted person or lawyer attends the Land Office for you, but check the requirements with the Land Office first.

Is there tax if I sell my condo at a loss?

Usually yes. Withholding tax is based on the official appraised value, not on your profit, so it can still be due even if you sell below your purchase price.

Does five years of ownership remove the specific business tax?

For an ordinary individual seller, a sale after five years normally pays 0.5% stamp duty instead of 3.3% specific business tax.

Can I sell to a Thai buyer if the foreign quota is full?

Yes. A sale to a Thai buyer does not need foreign quota space; it lowers the building's foreign share.