Article 540: Maximum lease term, 30 years for immovables
Statutory text (Thai original)
อันอสังหาริมทรัพย์ ท่านห้ามมิให้เช่ากันเป็นกำหนดเวลาเกินกว่าสามสิบปี ถ้าได้ทำสัญญากันไว้เป็นกำหนดเวลานานกว่านั้น ท่านก็ให้ลดลงมาเป็นสามสิบปีอนึ่ง กำหนดเวลาเช่าดังกล่าวมานี้ เมื่อสิ้นลงแล้วจะต่อสัญญาอีกก็ได้ แต่ต้องอย่าให้เกินสามสิบปีนับแต่วันต่อสัญญา
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
The duration of a hire of immovable property cannot exceed thirty years. If it is made for a longer period, such period shall be reduced to thirty years. The aforesaid period may be renewed, but it must not exceed thirty years from the time of renewal.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 540 is the cap on Thai lease duration. The famous "90-year lease" marketed by some property developers is a myth, it is actually three back-to-back 30-year leases, each requiring renewal by mutual consent and Land-Office registration. Courts have struck down upfront-paid 90-year arrangements as attempts to circumvent §540. SC decisions on renewal options consistently hold that the renewal must be a true new agreement, not a unilateral right of the lessee. For long-term foreign investment, Usufruit (life-of-lessee) or superficies (separately registered building right) are more durable than lease-renewal chains.
Residential vs commercial. The 30-year ceiling governs ordinary and residential leases. A genuine commercial or industrial lease can instead run up to 50 years (renewable for up to 50 more) under the Lease of Immovable Property for Commercial and Industrial Purposes Act B.E. 2542 (1999), provided the land is in an approved commercial/industrial area or industrial estate, the investment qualifies (broadly, a commercial investment of at least 20 million baht, or a BOI-eligible industry), and the lease is registered. Renewal is never automatic: it must be a fresh agreement made after the current term ends, and an automatic, prepaid, or pre-agreed renewal that effectively exceeds 30 years is void as a circumvention of §540 (see Supreme Court Decision 4655/2566). One exception binds the parties: where the tenant gives consideration beyond ordinary rent, typically by constructing the building or paying for major improvements, the contract may qualify as a reciprocal agreement (สัญญาต่างตอบแทนยิ่งกว่าสัญญาเช่าธรรมดา). The Supreme Court enforces such a contract between the parties and their heirs even without registration, but it stays a personal right, it does not bind a later good-faith purchaser and cannot defeat the 30-year cap.
Why this matters in practice
Lawyers: A provision purporting to grant a 99-year lease, or perpetual use, is automatically reduced to 30 years, no court order is required. A contractual option to renew after 30 years is valid, but the renewal requires a new written and registered agreement for the renewed term to be enforceable beyond 3 years. Laypeople: The longest enforceable lease of Thai land or buildings is 30 years. At the end, you must negotiate a new lease, your rights do not continue automatically.
Legislative history
Part of the original Civil and Commercial Code codification; no major subsequent amendment.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
- 4655/2566 (2023) ★ 90-Year Lease Exceeds the 30-Year Cap, Void
- 5277/2540 (1997) ★ La clause de renouvellement du bail est discrétionnaire.
Affichage des décisions de notre base de données citant cette section. La liste est mise à jour automatiquement lors de l'ajout de nouvelles décisions.
Cited in 6 Supreme Court decisions (1949 to 2023)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 4655/2566 (2023) 90-Year Lease Exceeds the 30-Year Cap, Void
- Decision 801/2492 (1949)
- Décision 2297/2541 (1998)
- Decision 1729/2540 (1997)
- Decision 1554/2500 (1957)
- Décision 4809/2548 (2005)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Puis-je signer un bail de 50 ans en Thaïlande ?
It depends on the purpose. For an ordinary residential lease, no: Section 540 caps a hire of immovable property at 30 years, and any longer term is automatically reduced to 30. But a lease for genuine commercial or industrial purposes can run up to 50 years under the Lease of Immovable Property for Commercial and Industrial Purposes Act B.E. 2542 (1999), if the conditions are met (the land is in an approved commercial/industrial area or industrial estate, the investment qualifies, and the lease is registered). In both cases the term is a single registered period; a renewal is valid only as a fresh agreement made after the current lease ends: it cannot be automatic or agreed in advance (Supreme Court Decision 4655/2566).
Un bail commercial en Thaïlande peut-il avoir une durée de 50 ans ?
Yes. The 30-year limit in Section 540 is the general rule, but the Lease of Immovable Property for Commercial and Industrial Purposes Act B.E. 2542 (1999) allows a lease for commercial or industrial purposes of up to 50 years, renewable for up to another 50 years. It applies only to qualifying activity: broadly, a commercial investment of at least 20 million baht, or an industry eligible for BOI promotion: on property in an approved location, and the lease must be registered with the Land Department.
Le renouvellement d'un bail est-il automatique en Thaïlande ?
Non. Une clause de renouvellement n'est qu'une option ; le renouvellement doit faire l'objet d'un nouveau contrat à l'expiration du bail en cours. Un renouvellement automatique, prépayé ou convenu à l'avance pour prolonger la durée du bail au-delà de 30 ans est nul, car il constitue une tentative de contournement de l'article 540 (arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 4655/2566). Le bailleur ne peut être contraint de renouveler le bail, et la Cour suprême a refusé de faire appliquer un renouvellement anticipé, même au titre d'un droit personnel, lorsque son but était de contourner la limite de 30 ans.
Qu’est-ce qu’un accord réciproque, et peut-il lier les parties au-delà d’un bail ordinaire ?
A "reciprocal contract more than an ordinary lease" (สัญญาต่างตอบแทนยิ่งกว่าสัญญาเช่าธรรมดา) arises where the tenant gives consideration beyond ordinary rent: for example, constructing the building or paying for major improvements. The Supreme Court treats it as a binding personal contract: it is enforceable between the parties even if it was not registered, and it passes to the parties' heirs rather than ending automatically. It remains a personal right, so it does not bind a later good-faith buyer of the land, and it cannot be used to evade the 30-year cap. Whether a contract qualifies is decided case by case.
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Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Civil and Commercial Code, s. 540 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Civil and Commercial Code (Thailand), s. 540. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-540/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.พ.พ. มาตรา 540 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-540/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-540/"><p>The duration of a hire of immovable property cannot exceed thirty years. If it is made for a longer period, such period shall be reduced to thirty years. The aforesaid period may be renewed, but it must not exceed thirty years from the time of…</p><footer>Civil and Commercial Code, s. 540 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-civil-code/section-540/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.