Living in Thailand

Supreme Court 1511/2569: a developer cannot keep 2.8M baht of instalments as a forfeited deposit. Earnest-money rules (CCC s.377-378) for condo buyers.

Quick answer. A Thai prenuptial agreement may have effect outside Thailand, but its treatment abroad depends on the law of

You paid the reservation fee. You picked the unit. Then the sales office called: the foreign quota is full. This page is for that moment. It sets out the five legal options a foreign buyer has in Thailand when a condo’s 49% foreign quota is exhausted. They’re ranked from lowest risk to highest, with the statute behind each one.

Short answer. When the foreign quota is full, the Land Office will not register the unit in your name (Condominium Act B.E. 2522, Section 19 quater). You have five options. (1) Walk away and recover your reservation fee. (2) Move to a unit or building that still has quota. (3) Register a 30-year lease. (4) Buy in a Thai spouse’s name. (5) Buy through a real Thai-majority company. Options 1 and 2 are low risk. Option 3 is medium. Options 4 and 5 carry real legal and financial exposure. Nothing else on offer (joint ownership with a Thai, “30+30+30” leases, a promised 75% quota) actually works.

We’ve handled this call many times while advising foreign clients in Thailand since 2006. The buyer is usually a few days into a transaction and under pressure to “just sign the lease version”. Don’t. Read this first. It takes ten minutes, and it can save you from paying for a unit you never legally own.

Thai Customs seized your goods? Ruling 208/2569 shows which court hears a claim to get them back, and the deadlines that decide it.

Two 2026 rulings of the Committee on Jurisdiction between Courts (212/2569, 213/2569) decide which court hears land disputes with the State. What foreign buyers and condo owners must know.

What the Labour Protection Act actually requires, what the cabinet calendar does not, and how to pay staff correctly when

Thailand has three retirement routes, not one. What each costs, how long your money is locked, and which one needs insurance.

Updated 14 August 2026. You won your case abroad. The money, the company, or the land sits in Thailand. What

Every English guide to child support in Thailand tells you the same thing: there is no formula, it depends. That is true

Deportation from Thailand is not one procedure. It’s four. Most foreigners find that out too late, usually while sitting in a