Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.
Last updated on September 5, 2026
Nor Sor 3 Gor (น.ส.3 ก., also written Nor Sor 3 Kor, N.S.3 K. or NS3K) is a certificate of utilisation issued by the Department of Lands that confirms a right of possession over a plot whose boundaries have been fixed from aerial photographs, with a green Garuda emblem at the head. It ranks one step below the chanote and one above the plain Nor Sor 3. Because its boundaries are surveyed, sales, leases, mortgages, usufructs and superficies on Nor Sor 3 Gor land are registered without the 30-day public notice, and the holder can apply to convert it into a chanote.
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What the certificate means under the Land Code
The Land Code reserves ownership (กรรมสิทธิ์) for land under a chanote. A Nor Sor 3 Gor certifies that the named holder has the right to possess and use the plot (สิทธิครอบครอง) and that the State recognises that possession. The document was introduced in the 1970s when the Department began mapping rural land from the air; each plot was marked on a photo map at a set scale and given a number, which is why the certificate carries a map sheet reference rather than a GPS survey.
Registration works as it does for a chanote. Transfers, mortgages, leases over three years, usufructs and superficies are entered on the back of the certificate at the Land Office, without the public notice that plain Nor Sor 3 land requires. A bank will usually lend against Nor Sor 3 Gor land, though often at a lower ratio than against a chanote. The difference from a chanote is the precision of the boundary and the legal character of the right, possession rather than ownership.
Buying or leasing this land as a foreigner
Nor Sor 3 Gor land is common in the provinces and on islands developed before the chanote programme reached them, and it is often what is behind a resort villa or a hillside plot. A foreigner can register a 30-year lease, a usufruct or a superficies on it, and the fees are the same as for chanote land. The photo-map boundary, however, can be tens of metres out compared with the fence line, and a neighbour’s Nor Sor 3 Gor may overlap the same ground.
Ask for the chanote conversion first. The holder applies at the Land Office for a ground survey; adjoining holders are notified and, if nobody objects, the office issues a chanote in exchange for the certificate. The process commonly takes a few months and is inexpensive compared with the plot’s value. A buyer who makes the purchase or lease conditional on the upgrade ends up with a red Garuda deed and a surveyed boundary; a buyer who skips it inherits whatever dispute the aerial line has been hiding. Due diligence on this class of land should always include a surveyor walking the boundary posts, or their absence.
Nor Sor 3 Gor compared with its neighbours
| Feature | Chanote | Nor Sor 3 Gor | Nor Sor 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right recorded | Ownership | Possession | Possession |
| Garuda colour | Red | Green | Black |
| Boundary method | Ground survey, GPS, concrete posts | Aerial photograph | Description only |
| 30-day notice before registration | No | No | Yes |
| Bank financing | Yes | Usually | Rarely |
| Upgrade | Not needed | To chanote on application | To Nor Sor 3 Gor or chanote |
The names confuse buyers because the difference between Nor Sor 3 and Nor Sor 3 Gor is one syllable and one colour. The distinction matters: the plain Nor Sor 3 has no survey and a 30-day notice on every transaction, while Nor Sor 3 Gor is close enough to a chanote that most lawyers accept it for a lease or usufruct. Possession on either can be lost more quickly than ownership if someone else occupies the land and the holder does not act within a year, so a Nor Sor 3 Gor plot should be fenced, visited and, ideally, upgraded.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nor Sor 3 Gor a good title in Thailand?
It is the second-best land document after the chanote. Boundaries are fixed from aerial photographs, transactions are registered at the Land Office without public notice, and it can be converted to a chanote on application. Its weakness is boundary accuracy, so a survey before purchase or lease is advisable.
Can Nor Sor 3 Gor be changed to a chanote?
Yes. The holder applies to the Land Office for a ground survey. Adjoining holders are notified and, if no objection is raised, the office issues a chanote in place of the Nor Sor 3 Gor. It usually takes a few months and is worth making a condition of any purchase.
What is the difference between Nor Sor 3 Gor and Nor Sor 3?
Nor Sor 3 Gor has boundaries surveyed from aerial photographs, a green Garuda and no public notice requirement; plain Nor Sor 3 has no survey, a black Garuda and a 30-day public notice before any sale, lease or mortgage can be registered. Both record possession rather than ownership.
See also: chanote, Nor Sor 3, Sor Kor 1, rai, ngan and square wah, title deeds in Thailand and how to read a title deed.
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