Reviewed by Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556, for ThaiLawOnline, a Thai law firm acting for foreigners since 2006.
Last updated on
Koh Samui in one paragraph: Samui’s property market runs on land rather than condominiums, which puts foreign buyers straight into the hardest part of Thai property law. Add off-plan villas, hillside plots with access and permit questions, and a large French-speaking community, and the island’s legal profile is quite unlike the mainland resort towns.
How we work. Bilingual legal services across Thailand since 2006. Most matters are handled online, without you travelling. Where a document must be signed locally, you sign it by appointment at your own district office or Land Office, or we act under a power of attorney you sign where you are. Jump to fees.
Contents
What Koh Samui Actually Asks For
Search demand here concentrates on due diligence for villa purchases, and on French-language legal help, which is unusual enough to be worth saying plainly.
| Matter | What it involves in Koh Samui | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Off-plan villa due diligence | Developer record, construction permits, the project mortgage, and what the deposit actually secures. The single most common Samui instruction. | Property due diligence |
| Land title verification | Deed type matters enormously on Samui, where plots range from full chanote to weaker possessory documents, and access and slope restrictions are real. | Title deeds in Thailand |
| Lease structures over land | Registered 30-year leases, and a realistic view of renewal promises. | Lease agreements |
| Usufructs and superficies | Registered rights for a foreigner living on land held by a Thai spouse or a Thai owner. | Usufruct agreements |
| French-speaking legal help | Samui has one of Thailand’s larger French-speaking communities, and we work in French as a first language, not through translation. | Avocat francophone en Thaïlande |
| Company structures holding land | Widespread on Samui, and now a live enforcement risk. | Restructuring a property company |
Where Things Get Filed on Koh Samui
Knowing which counter a matter belongs at is half of getting it done without a wasted trip.
| Office | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Land Office | Koh Samui land office, part of Surat Thani province, for transfers, leases, usufructs and mortgages. |
| Immigration | Koh Samui immigration for extensions of stay and residence certificates. |
| District office (amphur) | Koh Samui district office for marriage and divorce registration. |
| Court | Koh Samui Provincial Court, with appeals to the Surat Thani region. |
How Working With Us Actually Works
We are going to be straightforward about the model, because it explains both the fees and the limits.
- There is no Koh Samui office. The firm is registered in Bangkok and works by appointment. Anyone claiming a branch on every beach is describing a shopfront, not a legal team.
- Most work does not need you in a room. Documents are drafted, reviewed and signed remotely, and we have been doing it that way since long before it was fashionable.
- Where a filing needs your signature, you give it locally. We prepare the file and the appointment, and you sign at your district office or Land Office; otherwise we act under a power of attorney you sign where you are. Court work is quoted separately.
- Fees are published and flat wherever the work allows it, so you know the number before you commit rather than after.
- Three working languages: English, Thai and French.
Our services for Koh Samui residents
Every service is delivered online by the Bangkok team, with documents signed at your local office in Surat Thani. These are the pages people in Koh Samui use most:
- Prenuptial agreement
- Thai will
- Divorce
- Usufruct
- Condominium due diligence
- Title deed check (4,900 THB)
- Child custody
- Permanent residence
- DTV visa
- 90-day report
- Notary services
- Power of attorney
- Condo lawyer Koh Samui: checks before you pay
All fixed fees are on the pricing page. To start, book a consultation. Contracts you can prepare yourself are in our template library.
Fees
These are firm-wide published fees and they do not change by city. Government fees, taxes and translation costs are separate and charged at cost.
| Service | Fixed fee | What is included | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | 2,000 THB per hour | One hour with a bilingual Thai-licensed attorney, your legal options, a realistic outlook and a written fee estimate before any work begins. | Booked within 1 to 2 business days |
| Last Will and Testament | 3,900 THB 5,000 THB Last Will + Living Will together | Bilingual Thai and English will, drafted by a lawyer to comply with Thai inheritance law. 5,000 THB if taken together with a Living Will. | 3 to 5 business days |
| International Estate Will (assets in more than one country) | 15,000 THB | ||
| Will safekeeping at our office | 1,000 THB | Your signed original held at the firm, retrievable by your administrator. | Immediate |
| Living Will (advance medical directive) |
590 THB
|
590 if you build it yourself online and download it instantly. 1,900 if we draft the bilingual directive for you under s.12 National Health Act B.E. 2550. | Instant download, or 3 to 5 business days if we draft it |
| Prenuptial agreement | 8,900 THB | Bilingual agreement, lawyer-prepared, witnessed and registered at the Amphur. | 5 working days |
| Divorce by mutual consent | 9,900 THB | Bilingual divorce agreement covering assets, debts, custody and support, plus registration at the district office. | Agreement in 3 to 5 days, registered in one visit |
| Child custody and parental rights | Quoted after consultation | Consultation first at 2,000 per hour. A fixed fee for the court or district-office work is quoted after that. | Depends on route: district office or Juvenile and Family Court |
| Marriage registration | Quoted after consultation | Fast track and full packages including translation, MFA legalization and amphur coordination. | Fast track about 10 to 12 days, standard Bangkok appointment about 2 months |
| Usufruct agreement | 3,900 THB | Bilingual usufruct agreement plus Land Office registration guidance. | 5 to 7 business days |
| Property lease agreement | 4,900 THB | Bilingual lease specific to your property, advice on lease vs usufruct vs superficies, Dika 4655/2566 compliance, Land Office registration guidance. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Title Deed Check, certified Land Office copy, translation and lawyer's report | 4,900 THB | Certified copy of the title deed from the Land Office, both sides, with the official stamp and date. English translation of the front and of the registration index. Two-page report by our Thai lawyer with a verdict and the next step. Credited against the Condominium Package if ordered within 30 days. | 3 business days |
| Condominium purchase, full legal package |
19,900 THB
|
Title and foreign-quota check, due diligence, sale and purchase contract review, FET guidance. 34,900 if we attend the Land Office transfer with you and translate. | 7 to 14 business days, transfer typically 1 day |
| Mortgage agreement | 9,900 THB | Property mortgage contract including registration. | 7 to 10 business days |
| Property due diligence (land or house) | from 19,900 THB | Title history, encumbrances, access, zoning and building-permit checks for a single Chanote plot with a simple contract. Several parcels, a Nor Sor 3 or a company seller are quoted before we start. | Quoted before we start, report in 7 to 14 business days |
| Loan agreement | 4,900 THB | Bilingual loan agreement covering amount, interest, repayment, collateral, default remedies and dispute resolution. | 2 to 4 business days |
| Power of Attorney | 3,900 THB | Bilingual authorization document for the specific acts you name. | 1 to 2 business days |
| Notarial services | 950 THB per document | Notarization by a licensed Notarial Services Attorney. Remote by video conference, originals returned by courier or EMS. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Contract drafting (custom) | 20,000 THB | A contract written for your specific business or personal situation, not a template. | 5 to 10 business days |
| Contract review | 9,000 THB | Review of an existing contract with written advice on the risks. | 3 to 5 business days |
| Thai company registration | 45,000 THB | Complete formation service, all inclusive: the government DBD registration fees are covered by the 45,000 THB fee. | 14 to 21 business days |
| Work permit | 15,000 THB | Document preparation, DOE filing, guidance on the Non-B visa required beforehand. Also cancellation and employer transfers. Government fee 3,000 (1 yr) or 6,000 (2 yrs) at cost. | 10 to 15 business days new, 5 to 7 renewal |
| Visa application and extension assistance | 14,900 THB | Extensions, conversions and new applications. | 7 to 14 business days |
| Permanent Residency application | 75,000 THB | Eligibility assessment, document preparation, filing, interview coaching, Thai language test preparation and Blue Book registration. Applications open once a year, typically October to December. | 12 to 18 months |
| Police Clearance Certificate |
4,400 THB
|
Full application handled with the Royal Thai Police under power of attorney, all forms, government fee, follow-up, scan of the certificate by email and delivery of the original within Thailand. Per person, government fee included. Not included: international courier (usually around 2,000 THB at cost, exact amount confirmed before dispatch), Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalization (2,500 THB for about 30 days or 3,500 THB for about two weeks), embassy legalization and translation (price can vary and must be verified each time). Bank transfer only. | Normal: about 25 to 30 days after we confirm your complete original documents. Fast track: we confirm the expected issue date before you pay. No guaranteed delivery within seven days. |
| Civil litigation | from 70,000 THB | Full representation in Thai courts. Court filing fees are government disbursements charged at cost. | Varies by case |
| Criminal defence | Quoted after consultation | Defence of charges, criminal complaints, bail and related proceedings. Each matter is fact-specific and quoted after an initial consultation. | Varies by case and court schedule |
Government disbursements are charged at cost unless the service says they are included.
Book a consultation Answer within 24 to 48 hours EN · FR · TH
Anything not on that list, including litigation and contested family matters, is quoted individually after a consultation, and the quote comes in writing before work starts.
Questions people in Koh Samui ask
What is the biggest risk when buying a villa on Koh Samui?
Buying a structure that does not give you what you think it does. Samui sells land, not condominium units, so the question is always which registered right you actually end up holding: a lease, a usufruct, a superficies, or shares in a company that owns the land. Each has a different lifespan and a different failure mode, and the brochure rarely distinguishes them.
Do you work in French?
Yes. French is a working language of the firm rather than a translation service. See our French-language page, avocat francophone en Thaïlande.
How much does a Samui property lawyer cost?
Contract review is 9,000 THB, a full condominium package 19,900 THB, property due diligence starts at from 19,900 THB, a lease agreement 4,900 THB, and a consultation 2,000 THB per hour.
Do you have an office on Koh Samui?
No. We work by appointment and handle most matters remotely, preparing the Samui land office filing for you to sign locally, or acting under a power of attorney, when a registration requires it.
Where do I sign documents if I live in Koh Samui?
At the Koh Samui District Office and the Koh Samui branch of the Surat Thani Land Office, by appointment. We prepare the documents and the checklist beforehand, so the visit is a signature rather than a negotiation. For a document signed abroad, you sign before a Thai embassy or consulate, or a notary public whose signature is then legalised.
Speak to a Lawyer
A consultation is 2,000 THB per hour, normally within one to two business days, and you leave it with a written fee estimate rather than an open meter.
Contact us or start your case.
Email: info@thailawonline.com | Phone: +66 87 225 1340 (English and French), +66 87 414 9288 (Thai and English).
This page is general information, not advice on your matter, and states the position as at November 2026. ThaiLawOnline Co., Ltd. is registered in Bangkok and works throughout Thailand by appointment; we do not maintain a branch office in Koh Samui.
Thai Law Updates, free by email
Plain-English updates on Thai law changes that affect foreigners: property, visas, marriage, business and wills. One short email a month from a firm practicing since 2006. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.