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A chanote (โฉนดที่ดิน, officially Nor Sor 4 Jor, also spelled chanod ou chanote thi din) is the full freehold title deed for land in Thailand, issued by the Department of Lands after a ground survey with GPS coordinates and concrete boundary posts. It is the highest of the Thai land documents and the only one that records absolute ownership rather than a right of possession. Every sale, hypothèque, lease over three years, usufruct and superficie on the plot is written on its back page, which makes the chanote both the proof of title and the register of everything that burdens it.
Table des matières
Qu'est-ce qu'un chanote selon le Code foncier
Le Land Code B.E. 2497 recognises several land documents, but only the chanote confers ownership (กรรมสิทธิ์). The others, such as Ni Sor 3 Gor and Nor Sor 3, confirm a right of possession. The deed carries a red Garuda emblem, the deed number, the land and survey numbers, the tambon, amphoe and province, the area in rai, ngan and square wah, a plan of the plot and the name of the current owner.
Registration is what transfers the land. A private sale contract does not move ownership; the transfer must be registered at the Land Office on the official Tor Dor 13 sale form, and the new owner’s name is then entered on the deed. The same applies to a mortgage, a registered lease, a usufruct or a superficies: each is written on the back of the chanote in date order, so a clean back page means an unencumbered plot.
Points pratiques pour l'achat d'un terrain Chanote
Foreigners cannot own land, but the chanote is still the document they meet most, because a registered lease, usufruct or superficies is only worth taking over chanote land (or, at a pinch, Nor Sor 3 Gor). Banks lend against chanote land and refuse the lower documents.
Check the deed at the Land Office, not in the seller’s hand. The original is held by the owner and a duplicate by the Land Office; the two must match. A title search at the office shows the full transfer history and any registered mortgage, servitude or lease, and a licensed surveyor can re-check the boundary posts against the plan. Online map tools are not legal evidence. This search is the core of vérification préalable de la propriété, and it costs little compared with the price of buying a plot subject to someone else’s mortgage.
The common mistake is accepting a photocopy, a deed in a different name from the seller, or a deed whose area on the front no longer matches the last entry on the back after a partial sale or subdivision.
Le Chanote comparé aux autres documents fonciers
| Document | Garuda colour | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor) | Red | Ownership; GPS survey; all rights registrable, no public notice |
| Ni Sor 3 Gor | Green | Possession; aerial photo survey; registrable without notice; can be upgraded |
| Ni Sor 3 | Black | Possession; unsurveyed; 30-day public notice before any registration |
| Sor Kor 1, Por Bor Tor 5 | Aucun | No title; cannot be registered at the Land Office |
Chanote land is not beyond challenge. Under Section 1382 of the Civil and Commercial Code, a person who openly and peacefully possesses another’s titled land for 10 years can ask a court to be declared owner. An absentee owner who never visits the plot, or a buyer who leaves a neighbour’s fence where it stands, can lose part of the land this way. A registered chanote is the best title Thailand offers, but it still needs to be watched.
Foire aux questions
Un étranger peut-il avoir un chanote à son nom ?
No. Section 86 of the Land Code bars foreigners from owning land, so a chanote cannot be issued or transferred to a foreign individual except in narrow cases such as the 40 million baht investment route. A foreigner’s registered lease, usufruct or superficies is instead recorded on the back of the Thai owner’s chanote.
Comment vérifier l'authenticité d'un chanote ?
Prenez le numéro d'acte, le numéro de terrain et l'emplacement au bureau foncier qui détient le duplicata et demandez une recherche de titre. Le bureau confirme le propriétaire, la superficie et chaque charge enregistrée. Un géomètre peut alors vérifier que les bornes frontières en béton correspondent au plan de l'acte.
What is the difference between a chanote and Nor Sor 3 Gor?
A chanote records ownership and has GPS surveyed boundaries with concrete posts. Nor Sor 3 Gor records a right of possession with boundaries taken from aerial photographs. Both can be sold, mortgaged and used for a registered lease or usufruct without public notice, and Nor Sor 3 Gor can be upgraded to a chanote by applying for a ground survey.
Voir aussi : Ni Sor 3 Gor, Ni Sor 3, charge sur un titre de propriété, Bureau foncier, title deeds in Thailand compared ET comment lire un titre de propriété thaïlandais.
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