Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.
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Sor Por Kor 4-01 (ส.ป.ก. 4-01, also written SPK 4-01, Sor Por Gor or S.P.K.) is a land allotment document issued by the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) to a landless Thai farmer, giving that person the right to farm a plot of State land under the Agricultural Land Reform Act B.E. 2518 (1975). It is not a title deed. The land remains State land, the allotment can be used only for agriculture, and it cannot be sold, mortgaged or transferred except by inheritance to a statutory heir or by a transfer to a farmers’ institution or to the Agricultural Land Reform Office itself (section 39). A foreigner cannot hold, lease or benefit from Sor Por Kor land under any structure.
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What the Agricultural Land Reform Act provides
Sor Por Kor land is not part of the ordinary Land Code system of title documents. It is land taken into the agricultural land reform programme, either State land or private land bought by the State, and allotted to qualifying farmers. The Agricultural Land Reform Office, not the Department of Lands, issues the ส.ป.ก. 4-01 document and keeps the register. Section 39 of the Act prohibits the allottee from transferring the right to anyone else; the only exceptions are inheritance by a statutory heir and a transfer to a farmers’ institution or to ALRO for land reform purposes. The Supreme Court applies it strictly: a divorce memorandum giving Sor Por Kor land to a foreign spouse is void (Decision 679/2558, an Italian husband), and so is a will leaving the land to someone other than a statutory heir (Decision 6527/2561).
Use is restricted as well as transfer. The allotment is for farming. Building a resort, a housing estate or a second home on it breaches the conditions and can lead ALRO to revoke the allotment and recover the land, as it has done with resorts built on reform land in areas such as Khao Yai.
Why foreigners keep meeting Sor Por Kor land
Sor Por Kor plots are large, scenic and cheap, which is exactly why they are offered to foreigners for villas and farms, often with a 30-year “lease” or a Thai company as the vehicle. None of it works. The Land Office cannot register a lease, usufruct, superficies or mortgage on Sor Por Kor land because there is no title to register against, so the foreigner’s contract is a private paper with no effect on the land. If the buyer builds a house, the house sits on State land in breach of the allotment and can be ordered removed.
Check the top of the document, not the seller’s story. A ส.ป.ก. 4-01 form names the Agricultural Land Reform Office at the head and carries no red or green Garuda. Any purchase, lease or investment on it should be declined, whatever the price. The general foreign land ownership restriction already applies; on Sor Por Kor land even the usual work-arounds are void, and the money is unrecoverable.
Sor Por Kor compared with real title documents
| Document | Issued by | Sale | Registered lease or usufruct | Mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor) | Department of Lands | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nor Sor 3 Gor | Department of Lands | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sor Por Kor 4-01 | Agricultural Land Reform Office | No (inheritance by a statutory heir, or transfer to ALRO or a farmers’ institution) | No | No |
| Por Bor Tor 5 | Local administrative organisation | No | No | No |
Since 2024 the government has been converting some Sor Por Kor allotments into what it calls agricultural chanotes, so that the farmer can borrow against the land through State banks. The conversion keeps the farming condition and the ban on transfer to non-farmers, so a converted plot is still not available to a foreigner or a foreign-controlled company. A disguised sale to a foreigner, through a Thai spouse, a nominee or a company, is void, and the State can reclaim the plot without compensating the foreigner. The nominee route carries criminal exposure for both sides.
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026. Section 39 of the Agricultural Land Reform Act B.E. 2518 was read in Thai in its current form (last amended in B.E. 2532), together with Supreme Court Decisions 679/2558 and 6527/2561. Not verified in this review: the terms of the agricultural chanote conversion scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner buy or lease Sor Por Kor land?
No. Sor Por Kor land is State land allotted to a Thai farmer for agriculture. The Land Office has no title to register against, so no lease, usufruct or superficies can be registered, and a private contract gives the foreigner nothing enforceable against the land. Any disguised transfer is void.
Can Sor Por Kor land be converted to a chanote?
Only within the land reform programme. The recent agricultural chanote scheme lets the farmer borrow against the plot, but the land stays subject to the farming condition and the ban on transfer to non-farmers. It does not become ordinary freehold land that a Thai company or a foreigner’s spouse can buy.
What is the difference between Sor Por Kor and Por Bor Tor 5?
Sor Por Kor 4-01 is an allotment of State land to a farmer, issued by the Agricultural Land Reform Office. Por Bor Tor 5 is merely a local tax receipt showing that someone paid land tax on a plot. Neither is a title deed and neither can be sold, leased or mortgaged at the Land Office.
See also: Por Bor Tor 5, chanote, Sor Kor 1, Land Code, title deeds in Thailand and State land disputes in Thailand.
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