Reviewed by Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556, for ThaiLawOnline, a Thai law firm acting for foreigners since 2006.
Last updated on
Phuket in one paragraph: Phuket’s legal demand is overwhelmingly property, and it skews towards the two structures that cause foreigners the most trouble: villas on leased land, and off-plan purchases sold on a brochure. The recurring question here is not how to buy. It is whether what you are being sold is what you will actually own.
How we work. Bilingual legal services across Thailand since 2006. Most matters are handled online, without you travelling. Where a document must be signed locally, you sign it by appointment at your own district office or Land Office, or we act under a power of attorney you sign where you are. Jump to fees.
Contents
What Phuket Actually Asks For
Phuket’s search demand is dominated by lease renewal and title verification, which is a very accurate reflection of what goes wrong on the island.
| Matter | What it involves in Phuket | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Chanote and title verification | Checking that the deed is what the seller says, that the seller is the registered owner, and that access, encumbrances and building permissions are real. | Title deeds in Thailand |
| 30-year lease renewal promises | The most oversold instrument in Phuket. A registered lease runs 30 years; a promise of renewal beyond that is notoriously fragile. | Lease agreements |
| Off-plan villa and condominium purchases | Developer solvency, the construction permit, the project mortgage and its release, and what the deposit actually buys. | Property due diligence |
| Villa ownership structures | Whether a house on land can lawfully be held, and what the real alternatives are. | Can foreigners own a house |
| Usufructs and superficies | The registered rights that actually protect a foreigner living on land owned by someone else. | Usufruct agreements |
| Residence certificates | Phuket immigration issues them, and they are needed for vehicle and property transactions. | Certificate of residence |
Where Things Get Filed in Phuket
Knowing which counter a matter belongs at is half of getting it done without a wasted trip.
| Office | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Land Office | Phuket provincial and branch land offices for transfers, lease registration, usufructs, superficies and mortgages. Lease and usufruct registration is the step people skip. |
| Immigration | Phuket Immigration for extensions of stay and residence certificates. |
| District office (amphur) | Marriage and divorce registration. |
| Court | Phuket Provincial Court, with a separate juvenile and family division. |
How Working With Us Actually Works
We are going to be straightforward about the model, because it explains both the fees and the limits.
- There is no Phuket office. The firm is registered in Bangkok and works by appointment. Anyone claiming a branch on every beach is describing a shopfront, not a legal team.
- Most work does not need you in a room. Documents are drafted, reviewed and signed remotely, and we have been doing it that way since long before it was fashionable.
- Where a filing needs your signature, you give it locally. We prepare the file and the appointment, and you sign at your district office or Land Office; otherwise we act under a power of attorney you sign where you are. Court work is quoted separately.
- Fees are published and flat wherever the work allows it, so you know the number before you commit rather than after.
- Three working languages: English, Thai and French.
Our services for Phuket residents
Every service is delivered online by the Bangkok team, with documents signed at your local office in Phuket. These are the pages people in Phuket use most:
- Prenuptial agreement
- Thai will
- Divorce
- Usufruct
- Condominium due diligence
- Title deed check (4,900 THB)
- Child custody
- Permanent residence
- DTV visa
- 90-day report
- Notary services
- Power of attorney
- Condo lawyer Phuket: checks before you pay
All fixed fees are on the pricing page. To start, book a consultation. Contracts you can prepare yourself are in our template library.
Fees
These are firm-wide published fees and they do not change by city. Government fees, taxes and translation costs are separate and charged at cost.
| Service | Fixed fee | What is included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | 2,000 THB per hour | One hour with a bilingual Thai-licensed attorney, your legal options, a realistic outlook and a written fee estimate before any work begins. | Booked within 1 to 2 business days |
| Last Will and Testament | 3,900 THB 5,000 THB Last Will + Living Will together | Bilingual Thai and English will, drafted by a lawyer to comply with Thai inheritance law. 5,000 THB if taken together with a Living Will. | 3 to 5 business days |
| International Estate Will (assets in more than one country) | 15,000 THB | ||
| Will safekeeping at our office | 1,000 THB | Your signed original held at the firm, retrievable by your administrator. | Immediate |
| Living Will (advance medical directive) |
590 THB
|
590 if you build it yourself online and download it instantly. 1,900 if we draft the bilingual directive for you under s.12 National Health Act B.E. 2550. | Instant download, or 3 to 5 business days if we draft it |
| Prenuptial agreement | 8,900 THB | Bilingual agreement, lawyer-prepared, witnessed and registered at the Amphur. | 5 working days |
| Divorce by mutual consent | 9,900 THB | Bilingual divorce agreement covering assets, debts, custody and support, plus registration at the district office. | Agreement in 3 to 5 days, registered in one visit |
| Child custody and parental rights | Quoted after consultation | Consultation first at 2,000 per hour. A fixed fee for the court or district-office work is quoted after that. | Depends on route: district office or Juvenile and Family Court |
| Marriage registration | Quoted after consultation | Fast track and full packages including translation, MFA legalization and amphur coordination. | Fast track about 10 to 12 days, standard Bangkok appointment about 2 months |
| Usufruct agreement | 3,900 THB | Bilingual usufruct agreement plus Land Office registration guidance. | 5 to 7 business days |
| Property lease agreement | 4,900 THB | Bilingual lease specific to your property, advice on lease vs usufruct vs superficies, Dika 4655/2566 compliance, Land Office registration guidance. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Title Deed Check, certified Land Office copy, translation and lawyer's report | 4,900 THB | Certified copy of the title deed from the Land Office, both sides, with the official stamp and date. English translation of the front and of the registration index. Two-page report by our Thai lawyer with a verdict and the next step. Credited against the Condominium Package if ordered within 30 days. | 3 business days |
| Condominium purchase, full legal package |
19,900 THB
|
Title and foreign-quota check, due diligence, sale and purchase contract review, FET guidance. 34,900 if we attend the Land Office transfer with you and translate. | 7 to 14 business days, transfer typically 1 day |
| Mortgage agreement | 9,900 THB | Property mortgage contract including registration. | 7 to 10 business days |
| Property due diligence (land or house) | from 19,900 THB | Title history, encumbrances, access, zoning and building-permit checks for a single Chanote plot with a simple contract. Several parcels, a Nor Sor 3 or a company seller are quoted before we start. | Quoted before we start, report in 7 to 14 business days |
| Loan agreement | 4,900 THB | Bilingual loan agreement covering amount, interest, repayment, collateral, default remedies and dispute resolution. | 2 to 4 business days |
| Power of Attorney | 3,900 THB | Bilingual authorization document for the specific acts you name. | 1 to 2 business days |
| Notarial services | 950 THB per document | Notarization by a licensed Notarial Services Attorney. Remote by video conference, originals returned by courier or EMS. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Contract drafting (custom) | 20,000 THB | A contract written for your specific business or personal situation, not a template. | 5 to 10 business days |
| Contract review | 9,000 THB | Review of an existing contract with written advice on the risks. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Thai company registration | 45,000 THB | Complete formation service, all inclusive: the government DBD registration fees are covered by the 45,000 THB fee. | 14 to 21 business days |
| Work permit | 15,000 THB | Document preparation, DOE filing, guidance on the Non-B visa required beforehand. Also cancellation and employer transfers. Government fee 3,000 (1 yr) or 6,000 (2 yrs) at cost. | 10 to 15 business days new, 5 to 7 renewal |
| Visa application and extension assistance | 14,900 THB | Extensions, conversions and new applications. | 7 to 14 business days |
| Permanent Residency application | 75,000 THB | Eligibility assessment, document preparation, filing, interview coaching, Thai language test preparation and Blue Book registration. Applications open once a year, typically October to December. | 12 to 18 months |
| Police Clearance Certificate |
4,400 THB
|
Full application handled with the Royal Thai Police under power of attorney, all forms, government fee, follow-up, scan of the certificate by email and delivery of the original within Thailand. Per person, government fee included. Not included: international courier (usually around 2,000 THB at cost, exact amount confirmed before dispatch), Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalization (2,500 THB for about 30 days or 3,500 THB for about two weeks), embassy legalization and translation (price can vary and must be verified each time). Bank transfer only. | Normal: about 25 to 30 days after we confirm your complete original documents. Fast track: we confirm the expected issue date before you pay. No guaranteed delivery within seven days. |
| Civil litigation | from 70,000 THB | Full representation in Thai courts. Court filing fees are government disbursements charged at cost. | Varies by case |
| Criminal defence | Quoted after consultation | Defence of charges, criminal complaints, bail and related proceedings. Each matter is fact-specific and quoted after an initial consultation. | Varies by case and court schedule |
Government disbursements are charged at cost unless the service says they are included.
Book a consultation Answer within 24 to 48 hours EN · FR · TH
Anything not on that list, including litigation and contested family matters, is quoted individually after a consultation, and the quote comes in writing before work starts.
Questions people in Phuket ask
What should a lawyer check before I buy a villa in Phuket?
The deed and its type, that the seller on the deed is the person signing, encumbrances and mortgages, legal access to the plot, building permissions, and for off-plan the developer’s record, the construction permit and the mechanism for releasing the project mortgage on your unit. Most Phuket disputes trace back to something on that list that was checkable before the deposit moved.
Is a 90-year lease in Thailand real?
A registered lease of immovable property runs for a maximum of 30 years. Arrangements marketed as 30 plus 30 plus 30 depend on renewal promises whose enforceability against a future owner is far weaker than buyers are led to believe. Treat the first 30 years as what you are buying and anything beyond it as a hope.
How much does property due diligence cost in Phuket?
Our condominium package is 19,900 THB, contract review alone is 9,000 THB, and broader property due diligence starts at from 19,900 THB depending on complexity. A consultation is 2,000 THB per hour.
Do you have an office in Phuket?
No. The firm is registered in Bangkok and works by appointment, handling most matters remotely and preparing the Phuket Land Office filing for you to sign locally, or acting under a power of attorney, when a transfer requires it.
Where do I sign documents if I live in Phuket?
At your district office (Mueang Phuket, Kathu or Thalang) and the Phuket Land Office branch that holds your title, by appointment. We prepare the documents and the checklist beforehand, so the visit is a signature rather than a negotiation. For a document signed abroad, you sign before a Thai embassy or consulate, or a notary public whose signature is then legalised.
Speak to a Lawyer
A consultation is 2,000 THB per hour, normally within one to two business days, and you leave it with a written fee estimate rather than an open meter.
Contact us or start your case.
Email: info@thailawonline.com | Phone: +66 87 225 1340 (English and French), +66 87 414 9288 (Thai and English).
This page is general information, not advice on your matter, and states the position as at November 2026. ThaiLawOnline Co., Ltd. is registered in Bangkok and works throughout Thailand by appointment; we do not maintain a branch office in Phuket.
Thai Law Updates, free by email
Plain-English updates on Thai law changes that affect foreigners: property, visas, marriage, business and wills. One short email a month from a firm practicing since 2006. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.