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
Sor Kor 1 (ส.ค.1, also written Sor Kor Neung, S.K.1 or SK1) is a notification of possession of land, a form on which occupiers declared to the district office in 1955 that they were in possession of a plot when the Land Code came into force. It is not a title deed and confers no ownership or registered right; it is a historical claim that the State agreed to look into. The Land Office cannot register a sale, lease, mortgage or usufruct on Sor Kor 1 land, and since 2010 the only route from a Sor Kor 1 to a real title runs through a court.
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What the Sor Kor 1 form actually records
When the Land Code B.E. 2497 took effect, the Act promulgating it required anyone in possession of land without a title document to notify that possession to the district officer within 180 days. The form used was the Sor Kor 1. It records the claimant’s name, the approximate location, the neighbours and an estimated area, without a survey or map; boundaries are typically described by reference to a canal, a road or a neighbour’s field. The Department of Lands stopped accepting new notifications in 1972.
The holder has a claim, not a right. A Sor Kor 1 is evidence that someone once occupied the land and told the State so. Whatever right exists is the bare possession protected by the Civil and Commercial Code, which is transferred by handing over the land (Section 1378) and lost within a year if someone else takes it (Section 1375). The document itself carries no Garuda emblem and appears in no Land Office register of dealings.
Why a foreigner should walk away
Sor Kor 1 plots turn up in beach and hillside locations at prices that look like bargains, sold with the promise that the title will be upgraded later. A 2008 amendment to the Land Code gave holders two years, until early 2010, to apply for a Nor Sor 3 Gor or chanote on the strength of the notification; that window has closed. A holder now has to petition the court for a judgment confirming the possession, with witnesses and old records, and only then can the Land Office issue a title. Many petitions fail because the land is inside a forest reserve or other State land, which is why it was never titled in the first place.
Nothing can be registered. A foreigner cannot take a lease, usufruct or superficies over Sor Kor 1 land because there is no title to write it on, so any contract is a private paper against the seller only. Sales are done by handing over the form and the land, a transaction with no legal protection at all, and the same plot can be sold to several buyers. Fraudsters present a Sor Kor 1 as if it were a deed to buyers who cannot read Thai. Due diligence on any provincial plot starts by identifying which document the seller actually holds.
Sor Kor 1 among the Thai land documents
| Document | Nature | Registrable at the Land Office | Route to a chanote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanote | Ownership | Yes | Not needed |
| Nor Sor 3 Gor | Possession, aerial survey | Yes | Application and ground survey |
| Nor Sor 3 | Possession, unsurveyed | Yes, after 30-day notice | Application and survey |
| Sor Kor 1 | Notification of possession (1955) | No | Court judgment, then Land Office |
| Por Bor Tor 5 | Local tax receipt | No | Usually none |
Sor Kor 1 is often mentioned in the same breath as Por Bor Tor 5, and both are dead ends for a buyer, but they are different things. The Sor Kor 1 is at least a Land Department document with some standing as evidence of long possession, and a Thai holder with a strong history can sometimes convert it through the court. The Por Bor Tor 5 merely shows that someone paid local land tax. Neither gives a foreigner anything to register, and a plot offered on either should be priced at zero until a chanote or Nor Sor 3 Gor exists.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy or lease Sor Kor 1 land in Thailand?
No. A foreigner cannot own land in any case, and on Sor Kor 1 land there is no title on which a lease, usufruct or superficies can be registered, so a contract gives the foreigner nothing enforceable against the land. Money paid for such a plot is at the mercy of the seller.
Can a Sor Kor 1 be upgraded to a chanote?
Only through the court. The administrative window for converting Sor Kor 1 notifications closed in early 2010. The holder must now obtain a judgment confirming the possession, after which the Land Office can survey the plot and issue a title, provided the land is not State or forest land.
What is the difference between Sor Kor 1 and Nor Sor 3?
A Nor Sor 3 is a certificate issued by the Department of Lands confirming a right of possession; it can be sold, mortgaged and encumbered at the Land Office after a 30-day notice. A Sor Kor 1 is only a 1955 notification that someone claimed to possess the land, and nothing can be registered on it.
See also: Por Bor Tor 5, Nor Sor 3, Nor Sor 3 Gor, chanote, title deeds in Thailand and risks of buying property in Thailand.
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