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Aug 13, 2004 I am at present in Thailand and I possess a holiday home here. It occurred to me that it might help other people who are thinking of following the same path, to set out the legal situation here for foreigners who wish to own property. The first thing to realize is that according to present Thai laws, it is impossible for a foreigner to own land. This will strike many adherents of the free market as a quite deplorable state of affairs, but there is no sign of any imminent change on the part of the Thai government. There are however, certain ways around this law, the chief of which are: 1. Get a thirty year lease. Essentially you rent the land for thirty years and own the house which is built on the land. This is a good solution for people who have invested a comparatively small amount of money in a little holiday home somewhere in the abundant and luxurious countryside of Thailand. It fixes the problem until you die, or no longer care. 2. Although foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, they CAN own a company. It is possible to pay for the setting up of a company and arrange things so that this company will own the land on which your house is built. This option doesn't come cheaply and unless you're thinking of investing at least $70-$100000 USD it's probably best to consider one of the other options. 3. You can come to an agreement with a Thai person to rent his or her land on whatever terms you can get (if you're lucky, you might pay no more than $1500 USD for a five year period). After that, you can pay for the construction of a house that can be your property according to Thai law--but make sure you set it up legally with a good Thai lawyer. As far as I know, these are the three main ways by which a foreigner might build a house in Thailand. It will not be easy to get through the legalese and Thai red tape--but if you persevere, you will find that you have a pleasant, comfortable and safe base in a picturesque and tranquil part of the world. ------------ About the author Jon Aristides: Read, 'The Black Scarab of Amun-Ra'. Visit www.jon-aristides.com Email: aristidesjon2001@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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