Is it legal for a foreigner to buy a house in Thailand?

It is possible, although, a bit more complicated than buying a condo. An alien in the Thai country cannot buy nor own a land, it is prohibited by Thai laws. Therefore, owning a house requires some workarounds.

Own a house by becoming the shareholder of a Thai Limited Company

That’s right! You can buy a property under a company as a foreigner. To become a shareholder, you will need the help of a lawyer in most cases, thus why doing business with Gold and Tree is the simplest way to buy your future home in Thailand! We can help on both fronts, with our law firm department.

How to get a Long term leasehold land and own a new House Construction?

A landowner can lease a land for up to 30 years to a foreigner. From there, the foreigner can register a new house construction on that land under his or her name! Simple, right? Although, if you go towards this option, you will need a Construction Permit. A building license and a building permit are 2 different things, and you will need to have all that paperwork in order if you don’t want your house to be taken down or to pay a huge fine!

The Importance of Usufruct in Thailand

Seen as an insurance policy for many, the Usufruct will cover you, if let’s say, the house is under your Thai wife’s name, and later on there is a case of divorce or death. With the Usufruct registered, you can be reassured that you still have some leverage in such case, and still have the right to live in the house.

Placing the house or building permit in the name of the Thai spouse

The natural continuation of the previous point. This avenue is an easier solution, yes, but it comes with its lot of risks that you have to be willing to take. Always be sure to be in a serious relationship before going any further. Once the papers are registered under the Thai wife or the Thai husband, she or he has the rights to the house, no matter how much money you put into the project, thus why the Usufruct is important.