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Réponse courte : A condo lawyer for Hua Hin costs 4,900 THB for a Title Deed Check or 19,900 THB for the full Condominium Package, and the whole file is handled remotely from our Bangkok office. The one thing that matters most in Hua Hin is that most foreign buyers are over 60 and buying resale: the unit must be checked for unpaid common fees and a valid foreign quota before any deposit, and the purchase should be paired with a Thai will.
Table des matières
Which Land Office registers condominiums in Hua Hin
A condominium unit in Hua Hin town, Khao Takiab, Hin Lek Fai, Nong Phlap or Thap Tai is registered at the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Land Office, Hua Hin Branch, which sits in Nong Kae subdistrict, the same subdistrict as Khao Takiab. That office holds the unit title deed register, counts the foreign ownership ratio for every building in the district and is where the transfer is signed.
Cha-Am is a different province. A unit in Cha-Am is registered at the Phetchaburi Provincial Land Office, Cha-Am Branch, on Phetkasem Road. Pranburi and Pak Nam Pran have their own branch of the Prachuap Khiri Khan office. Agents market the whole coast as “Hua Hin”, so the first thing we confirm is which office holds the register, because the certified copy, the quota count and the transfer appointment all depend on it.
What is different about buying a condo in Hua Hin
Retirees from Europe and Australia are the largest group of foreign buyers in Hua Hin. The stock is mostly beach and near-beach projects spread along the coast from Cha-Am, through Hua Hin town, to Khao Takiab, the beachside enclave south of the centre. Cha-Am and Pranburi are the cheaper satellite markets.
Three consequences follow. First, a large share of sales are resales from one foreigner to another, often from an owner who has died or left Thailand, so the unit may carry years of unpaid common fees and an out-of-date quota position. Second, many buyers pay from savings already held in a Thai bank account, which creates a problem with the foreign remittance evidence the Land Office requires under section 19 ter of the Condominium Act. Third, a buyer over 60 who registers a unit in Hua Hin in his own name should sign a Le testament thaïlandais at the same time, so the unit passes to the person he chooses rather than under default succession rules in a foreign language.
Mistakes buyers make in Hua Hin
- Paying from a Thai bank account. Section 19 ter requires evidence that the purchase price was remitted into Thailand in foreign currency. Money that has sat in a Thai account for years, or that a friend transferred locally, does not produce an FET form in the buyer’s name, and the Hua Hin Branch officer will refuse the registration. See the FET form explained.
- Paying the reservation deposit before seeing the debt-free certificate. Section 18 makes the owner liable for common expenses and section 29 stops the officer registering a transfer unless the juristic person certifies the unit is free of them. Deposits paid to agents in Hua Hin are rarely refundable when the seller turns out to owe three years of fees.
- Trusting a verbal “there is quota” from the agent. The foreign quota is 49 per cent of the combined area of all units under section 19 bis. The only proof is the juristic person’s letter stating the ratio after this transfer, checked against the count at the Land Office. In older Khao Takiab buildings the two often disagree.
- No will. A unit registered in the buyer’s own name is an asset in Thailand and the heirs abroad will need a Thai court order to receive it. A short Thai will covering the unit, signed with the purchase, is cheap paperwork.
What the Supreme Court has said: unpaid common fees block the transfer
In Dika 4457/2565 two condominium units were sold at an execution auction and the juristic person and the mortgagee bank disputed who was paid first from the proceeds. The Supreme Court held that the common charges notified to the Land Office ranked ahead of the bank’s mortgage.
Apply that to a Khao Takiab resale. The seller has lived abroad since 2022, the fees have not been paid, and the agent says the seller will “sort it out at the office”. Under section 29 the officer will not register your transfer without the debt-free certificate, and the juristic person will not issue it until every baht of arrears and penalties is paid. If your deposit was already in the seller’s account, you are financing his debt with no title in return. We ask for the certificate and the quota letter before any money moves, and we write the contract so that the deposit is refundable if either is refused.
How we handle a Hua Hin purchase from Bangkok
ThaiLawOnline has one office, in Bangkok, open by appointment. We do not have an office, staff or meetings in Hua Hin or Cha-Am, and we do not need them. Documents move by email and through the client portal. We obtain the certified copy of the unit title deed, front and back with the official stamp and date, through the Land Office network.
The report is written in English and reviewed by Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556, our Thai lawyer of record. Sebastien Brousseau, LL.B., B.Sc., Managing Director, who has managed law firms in Thailand since 2006, supervises every file. On transfer day you receive written transfer instructions: what to bring, what the officer will ask, what each fee line means and what the quota letter must say. Land Office attendance in Hua Hin or Cha-Am is outside the Premium package area, so if you want one of our team at the counter with you we quote that cost before you commit, not after.
How it runs, step by step
| Étape | Ce que nous faisons | What you do | Calendrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Order | Open the file, confirm which Land Office holds the register (Hua Hin Branch or Cha-Am Branch) | Send the unit number, project name, seller’s name and the agent’s listing | Day 1 |
| 2. Title Deed Check | Obtain the certified copy, translate it, report on owner, encumbrances, area and building | Nothing until the report arrives | 3 business days |
| 3. 25-point due diligence | Quota letter, debt-free position, juristic person accounts, building permit, seller’s capacity, mortgage status | Forward anything the seller or agent sends you | Days 4 to 10 |
| 4. Contract review | Mark up the sale agreement, make the deposit conditional, set the FET and tax clauses | Sign only the version we have cleared | Days 8 to 12 |
| 5. FET guidance | Instructions for your bank abroad and the receiving Thai bank so the FET form is in your name | Remit from abroad in foreign currency | Before transfer |
| 6. Transfer instructions | Written checklist for the Hua Hin Branch or Cha-Am Branch counter, quoted attendance if requested | Attend the Land Office, or appoint a representative under a Land Office power of attorney | Transfer day |
| 7. After transfer | Verify the new unit title deed, close the file, prepare the Thai will if ordered | Send a scan of the registered deed | Within 7 days |
Ce que ça coûte
Fees are flat and quoted in Thai baht. Government fees at the Land Office (2 per cent transfer fee, 3.3 per cent specific business tax or 0.5 per cent stamp duty, and withholding tax) are paid at the counter and are never included in our fees.
- Title Deed Check: 4,900 THB. Certified copy of the unit title deed from the Land Office, front and back, official stamp and date, English translation and a two-page lawyer’s report, in 3 business days. Credited against the Condominium Package if ordered within 30 days.
- Condominium Package: 19,900 THB. The 25-point due diligence, contract review, FET guidance and written transfer instructions, in 7 to 14 business days.
- Condominium Premium Package: 34,900 THB. Adds Land Office attendance and translation on transfer day in Bangkok, Pattaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Surin, Buriram or nearby. For Hua Hin or Cha-Am, attendance is quoted separately before you commit.
- Consultation: 2,000 THB per hour, credited against a package.
Order the Condominium Package (19,900 THB)
Order a Title Deed Check (4,900 THB)
Download the free condo buying checklist, réserver une consultation, or see all forfaits immobiliers à tarif fixe.
Foire aux questions
Do you have an office in Hua Hin?
No. Our only office is in Bangkok, by appointment. Every Hua Hin and Cha-Am file is handled remotely: documents by email and the client portal, the certified copy through the Land Office network, the report and contract mark-up in English. If you want someone at the Land Office counter on transfer day, we quote that before you commit.
Which Land Office handles my unit if the project is in Cha-Am?
The Phetchaburi Provincial Land Office, Cha-Am Branch, because Cha-Am district is in Phetchaburi province, not Prachuap Khiri Khan. Units in Hua Hin town, Khao Takiab and the rest of Hua Hin district go to the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Land Office, Hua Hin Branch. We confirm the office on day one, since the certified copy and the quota count come from it.
Can I pay for the condo from my Thai bank account?
Not if you want the unit registered in your name. Section 19 ter of the Condominium Act requires evidence that the price came into Thailand in foreign currency, normally the FET form issued by the receiving Thai bank. Money already in Thailand does not produce that evidence. We give you remittance instructions for both banks before you send anything.
The seller is a foreigner living abroad. Is that a problem?
It is common in Hua Hin and it is manageable, but it adds checks. The seller signs a Land Office power of attorney, usually certified at a Thai embassy, and someone must settle his common fees and withholding tax at the counter. We verify the power of attorney, the debt-free certificate and the seller’s identity against the certified copy before your deposit is released.
Why do you recommend a Thai will with the purchase?
Because a unit registered in your own name is an asset located in Thailand, and your heirs abroad will need a Thai court appointment to receive it. A short Le testament thaïlandais limited to your assets in Thailand names the person you choose and the administrator who will act for them. Most Hua Hin buyers are over 60; it is the right moment to sign one.
What does the 25-point due diligence cover that the Title Deed Check does not?
The Title Deed Check reads the certified copy: owner, area, encumbrances, building and unit numbers. The 25-point due diligence goes into the building: the juristic person’s quota letter and accounts, the debt-free position, the building permit, the seller’s capacity and any mortgage, plus the sale contract itself. For a resale from an absent owner, the second layer is where the problems are found.
How is the foreign quota counted in a low-rise Hua Hin project?
By area, not by unit count. Section 19 bis caps foreign ownership at 49 per cent of the combined area of all units in the building, as registered at the Land Office. In a small beach project a few large units sold to foreigners can fill the quota early. We read the quota from the juristic person’s letter and the Land Office count, not from the brochure.
Actualités juridiques thaïlandaises, gratuites par courriel
Des mises à jour en anglais simple sur les changements législatifs thaïlandais concernant les étrangers : propriété, visas, mariage, affaires et testaments. Un court courriel par mois, envoyé par un cabinet d’avocats établi depuis 2006. Zéro spam, désabonnement possible à tout moment.