Ownership term
Leasehold
Leasehold in Thailand is the right to use a property for a fixed term, typically 30 years, registered on the title at the Land Office, and is the standard foreign route to a villa because a foreigner cannot own land freehold.
Last updated 2026-07-26
Thai scriptสัญญาเช่า
In full
A Thai leasehold for a foreign individual is registered for up to 30 years and is recorded on the chanote at the Land Office, which makes it enforceable against successive owners of the land. The lease must be registered, not merely contractual, to bind third parties. As of Q3 2026 the 30-year leasehold is the structure we recommend for a foreign villa buyer in Hua Hin. We do not recommend setting up a Thai company to hold the land.
The weakness of a leasehold is the diminishing term. A 30-year lease at year 0 is worth the full term; at year 20 it has roughly one third of the term remaining and its resale value reflects that.
Common misunderstanding
A 30-year leasehold is not renewable automatically for 90 years. The 30-year cap is statutory for a single registered term. Renewal is a contract right that may or may not be honoured by a future landowner. Price a leasehold as a 30-year depreciating asset.