Révisé par ThaiLawOnline, un cabinet d'avocats thaïlandais agréé exerçant en Thaïlande depuis 2006. Avocate thaïlandaise en charge du dossier : Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., licence du barreau thaïlandais 3149/2556.
Dernière mise à jour :
Droit de superficie (สิทธิเหนือพื้นดิน, droits fonciers, parfois écrit droit de superficie ou superficies droite) is a real right, registered at the Bureau foncier, under which the owner of land allows another person to own buildings, structures or plantations on, above or below that land. It is governed by Sections 1410 to 1416 of the Code civil et commercial. Because Thai law lets a house be owned separately from the ground beneath it, superficies is the tool that lets a foreigner, who cannot own land, hold a house in their own name on land owned by a Thai spouse, a friend or a lessor.
Table des matières
Comment fonctionne la superficie selon le Code civil et commercial
Section 1410 lets a landowner create a right of superficies in favour of another person, who then owns what is built or planted on the land. Under Section 1412 the right may be granted for a fixed period of up to 30 years or for the lifetime of the landowner or of the superficiary; a longer fixed term is cut back to 30 years, and a term can be renewed at expiry. Section 1411 makes the right transferable and inheritable unless the registration says otherwise, which is the main advantage over a usufruct.
Registration makes it real. The agreement is recorded on the back of the land’s chanote ou Nor Sor 3 Gor at the Land Office. Once registered it binds any later buyer of the land and survives the landowner’s death. An unregistered superficies is only a contract between the two signatories; the person who built the house has no right against a new owner of the land.
Utiliser la superficie en tant qu'étranger en Thaïlande
The usual pattern is land owned by a Thai spouse or bought under a 30-year lease, with the foreigner named as superficiary and as applicant on the permis de construire. The house is then the foreigner’s property: it can be sold, mortgaged if a lender will take it, and left by will. Both parties attend the Land Office with the title deed, passports or ID cards, the livret d'enregistrement de domicile if the house exists, and a Thai-language agreement; a Tor Dor 21 power of attorney covers anyone who cannot attend.
The Land Office charges a registration fee of 1% of the consideration declared, plus 0.5% stamp duty, and a fixed fee only when the right is granted without consideration, which is common between spouses. Withholding tax may be assessed when a payment is declared.
L'erreur courante is to register superficies on land the foreigner has funded through a nominee, or to grant it for the landowner’s lifetime when the superficiary is the younger party: the right then ends when the landowner dies, and the superficiary is left with the Section 1416 position: remove the house and restore the land, or sell it to the heirs at market price if they choose to buy it.
Superficie comparée à l'usufruit et au bail emphytéotique
| Caractéristique | Droit de superficie | Usufruit | Bail enregistré |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sections du CCC | 1410 to 1416 | 1417 to 1428 | 537 onwards; 538 and 540 |
| Durée maximale | 30 years or a lifetime, renewable | 30 years or the usufructuary’s lifetime | 30 years, renewable |
| Owns the building | Oui | No, only the use | No, unless the lease says so |
| Transferable or inheritable | Yes, unless excluded | No, ends on death | Personal; ends on lessee’s death unless agreed |
| Binds a buyer of the land | Oui | Oui | Yes, while registered |
Superficies gives ownership of the structure; a Usufruit gives the use of land and house for life but nothing to pass on; a lease gives possession for a term. Many foreigners combine a registered lease of the land with a superficies over the house, so that the house is theirs even when the lease is renegotiated. When the superficies ends, Section 1416 lets the superficiary remove the building and restore the land, unless the landowner elects to buy it at market value.
La dernière révision : 27 septembre 2026. Civil and Commercial Code sections 540, 1299, 1403 and 1410 to 1416 were read in Thai. The registration fee and stamp duty figures were checked against the reviewed figures on our usufruct page, not re-read from the Ministerial Regulation in this review.
Foire aux questions
Un étranger peut-il enregistrer un droit de superficie en Thaïlande ?
Oui. L'interdiction dans le Code foncier concerne la propriété des terres et non des bâtiments. Un étranger peut être enregistré comme superficiaire sur un terrain appartenant à un Thaïlandais et ainsi posséder la maison qui s'y trouve. Ce droit est enregistré au Bureau foncier au dos du titre de propriété et est transférable et transmissible par héritage, sauf si l'enregistrement l'exclut.
Combien de temps dure un droit de superficie ?
A fixed term of up to 30 years, or the lifetime of either the landowner or the superficiary, under Section 1412 of the Civil and Commercial Code. A fixed term can be renewed by a new registration. Choosing a lifetime term is a double-edged tool: if it is the landowner’s lifetime, the right ends when the landowner dies.
Quelle est la différence entre la superficie et l'usufruit ?
A superficies makes the holder the owner of the building on another person’s land and can be sold or inherited. A usufruct gives the holder the right to use and enjoy the land and any house on it, but it is personal and ends at the usufructuary’s death. Superficies is the better choice when the aim is to own or pass on the house.
Voir aussi : superficiaire, Usufruit, bail, permis de construire, Les superficies en Thaïlande ET Les étrangers peuvent-ils posséder une maison en Thaïlande ?.
Actualités juridiques thaïlandaises, gratuites par courriel
Des informations claires et concises 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.