Selling real estate in Thailand: procedure, taxes, pitfalls

Pattaya and Phuket are among our audience's favorite markets. Russians have been buying vacation homes for decades, wintering, renting, saving or increasing capital. Some have moved, forming a large Russian-speaking diaspora. 

We often talk about buying real estate (for example, about taxes on the purchase and ownership of housing), however, in this publication we will focus on the transaction with the seller's point of view.

Is it difficult to sell real estate in Thailand in 2026?

"It will not be easy to sell second homes in the next few years, as new projects come out like mushrooms after the rain, and competition is growing," says Adel Mukhetdinov, CEO of 50Lemons agency.

According to him, it is easier for a buyer to choose a new property today - there are installments, transparent conditions, a choice of layouts, you can study the developer and calmly make a decision.

The purchase of a secondary property requires more preparation: you need to give the contract to a lawyer for verification, make sure there are no debts, unpaid taxes and properly arrange the transfer of ownership.

In highly competitive conditions, location, type, number of floors and price play a key role. To sell profitably, you need to enter the project at an early stage or buy at a maximum discount - then you can make a profit at the exit.

"There is demand for secondary housing, and it is about the same as for new buildings - 50-50," says Polina Chebukina, director of the ATHOME agency in Pattaya. "Ready-made housing is bought mainly by investors for renting and receiving passive income at the moment. But there are also those who move to Thailand and buy for themselves.

"It's not difficult to sell real estate if you set a market price, take professional photos, and enable advertising. Sometimes it's enough for us to launch a newsletter to our customer base and the apartment is for sale, says Polina Chebukina.

How to sell faster and more profitably?

The recommendations are generally standard, but no less effective:

1. Work on the interior: add decorative elements, such as paintings or plants. Sometimes a small cosmetic repair is advisable.
2. Take high-quality photos yourself or order a professional shoot.
3. Prepare an attractive description of your property and correctly place an ad on the real estate portal (we talked about how to do this in special articles for private individuals and market professionals).
4. Choose an agency with good experience. A specialist will help you prepare the object and promote it on the sites.

The sequence of actions when selling an apartment or house in Thailand

The main stages after the buyer is found:

1. Prepare a purchase and sale agreement. Your agent or lawyer will handle this.

If you sell on your own, you need to hire a lawyer! The cost of his services is usually about 30,000 baht (approximately 900 USD).

2. Get a certificate of absence of debts to the management company (if it is an apartment or villa in the complex).

3. Prepare documents confirming ownership.

4. Get a deposit from the buyer - usually 5-10%.

5. Make an appointment at the Land Office for the final settlement and re-registration of the property.

When transferring rights, a registration fee is charged - agree in advance who pays it (you or the buyer).

How is the transaction going?

The deal is being handled by the land department Taxes and fees are paid there, documents are signed and a new certificate of ownership is immediately issued in the name of the buyer.

The agency prepares a package of documents in advance, and on the day of the transaction, the agency's officer personally verifies the authenticity and correctness of all papers, requests confirmation from the seller of receipt of funds, and from the buyer of the intention to purchase this particular property.

As soon as everything is agreed, the parties pay the tax, and within 30 minutes the buyer receives an updated chanot (certificate of ownership). with his name as the new host.

If we are talking about selling a house, the process will depend on the registration method. If the property is registered to a company, and the house is sold together with the company, then the last stage does not take place at the land department, but at the local DBD (Business Development department). The documents on the change of founder and director are signed there.

Taxes and additional expenses when selling real estate in Thailand

When selling real estate, the following are paid:

Transfer fee (registration fee) - 2% of the estimated value (usually divided in half between the seller and the buyer).

Withholding tax (withholding tax) is about 1% (for individuals, it depends on the period of ownership).

Specific business tax 3.3% if you have owned the property for less than 5 years.

Stamp duty (stamp duty) 0.5% (if the property has been owned for more than 5 years and there is no business tax).

Legal and agent expenses 5%

In total, taxes and other expenses take approximately 5 to 7% of the value of the property, and most often these expenses are divided between the buyer and seller by mutual agreement.

How do calculations happen, and what difficulties do Russians have?

There are different payment methods. The buyer can:

• Make a bank transfer to Thailand (in BAHT or dollars).
• Pay with cryptocurrency.
• Pay through intermediary companies (for example, those with offices in Russia) that accept rubles and transfer funds to Thailand.

There are intermediary currency exchange companies that accept rubles from the buyer and make a transfer from a third country, for example, Hong Kong, to Thailand. 

If the seller does not have an account in Thailand, the agent can help open it. Another option is to use a payment company (for example, Exchange24). They accept cash in Russia and make a transfer to your Thai account and vice versa. The payment is received instantly.

If the buyer is also from Russia, you can make a payment in rubles, but it is important to remember that banks in Russia can request documents on the origin of funds. Therefore, it is safer to complete everything in Thailand, and then transfer the funds home. 

Important! Carefully choose intermediaries in matters of transferring funds abroad and from abroad!

There are procedural differences for the buyer, depending on whether the housing is purchased in a freehold or a lease:

• If this is a freehold, to transfer funds from abroad, you need to get a FET Form certificate from the bank confirming that the money came from abroad. 
• If this is a leasing company, everything is easier - payment can be made in Thailand even in cash, FET is not required.

How are the seller's rights protected during the transaction?

1. The seller's rights are protected by the Civil and Commercial Codes.

2. Legal protection is provided by the purchase and sale agreement and registration of the transaction in the Land Office.

3. The transaction must be accompanied by a lawyer who ensures that the seller receives the payment in full on time.

4. The deposit is kept by a lawyer or agent (depending on the agreement of the parties) until the documents are signed and the payment is made.

Pitfalls of selling

The process is generally simple if you work with a professional agent or lawyer.Here are some expert recommendations:

1. It is necessary to ensure that there are no debts to the management company. Otherwise, you will have to repay the accumulated debt amount before selling. Before the transaction, be sure to get a certificate confirming that everything has been paid.
2. It is necessary to ensure that all taxes are paid on time. Delay may delay the transaction, as non-payment of taxes imposes restrictions on transactions with this property. This should be checked in advance.
3. Before selling, discuss with your lawyer what taxes you should pay.If you own an object for less than 5 years, you will be subject to business tax, which may affect the entire economics of your transaction.
4. Make sure that there are no spelling errors in the documents, for example, in the power of attorney.Such a document will be invalid.
5. Damaged papers are also a problem.The Chanot (certificate of ownership) may not be accepted if it is damaged, and then it will have to be restored, and this is only through the police.