Everything you need to know before you buy in Phuket.

Yes. Foreigners can own condominium units freehold in their own name, with the title deed issued by the Thailand Land Office directly to the buyer. The one limit is the building-level foreign-ownership quota: up to 49% of a condominium's total floor area can be foreign-held freehold.

For villas and landed property, foreigners cannot hold the land itself freehold. The established route is a registered leasehold of the land the villa sits on (typically 30 years, renewable). The villa building can be owned outright, and we structure every purchase with a Thai property lawyer so the protection is real, not assumed.

Thailand applies a very low progressive personal income tax, and there is no separate capital gains tax, any gain sits inside personal income tax. The annual property tax is small, around 0.3% of the government-assessed value, which in practice is tiny.

For international investors, the headline rates are low and the structure is simple. We model the exact figures with you against your specific purchase before you commit.

Thailand has no residency-by-purchase, but there are long-term visa routes that pair well with an investment here:

• Thailand Privilege Visa (formerly the "Elite" visa): a membership visa with no income or asset test. The one-time fee runs from THB 900,000 for 5 years up to THB 5,000,000 for 20 years, with the Platinum tier (THB 1,500,000 for 10 years) the usual choice. It gives multi-entry long-stay, airport fast-track, and help with 90-day reporting and bank-account setup.
• LTR (Long-Term Resident) Visa: a 10-year visa for wealthy global citizens, requiring at least USD 1,000,000 in assets including USD 500,000 held in Thailand, which a property purchase can satisfy. The government fee is about THB 50,000; benefits include relief on foreign-income tax, fast-track immigration, and yearly rather than 90-day reporting.
• Investment Visa: a one-year, indefinitely renewable visa tied to your investment. A condominium purchase of at least THB 3,000,000 qualifies, renewed each year while the investment is held.
• DTV (Destination Thailand Visa): a 5-year, multiple-entry visa with a one-time fee of about THB 10,000, allowing stays of up to 180 days per entry. A flexible fit for remote workers and owners who split their time across the year.
• Education (ED) Visa: a study-based visa, renewable up to a year at a time, useful for family members enrolling in school or studying Thai while you settle in.

For most international owners the Thailand Privilege or DTV route is the cleanest way to live here long-term, while high-net-worth buyers lean to the LTR. We work alongside a specialist visa partner to match the route to your situation and handle it in parallel with the purchase.

Four reasons international capital has poured into Phuket since 2021:

1. Net yields European cities cannot match. Up to net 8% on the right project here. London, Paris, Berlin, Milan deliver 2–3% net after tax.
2. Government-backed market infrastructure. Every transaction, every developer, every broker registered and trackable through the Land Office and Land Department.
3. Low, simple taxation. A low progressive income tax, no separate capital gains tax, and a small annual property tax, light by international standards and a strong appeal for HNW families relocating from tax-heavy jurisdictions.
4. Demographic tailwind. Population growth, business inflows from Russia, Europe, India, China, and a government openly targeting 20 million annual visitors.

Your SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement) is your legally binding contract, it sets out the unit, the price, the payment schedule, and the developer's obligations through to completion and title transfer. It is the document your ownership rests on.

We always recommend independent due diligence alongside the SPA so a qualified lawyer reviews the project and the contract on your behalf before you commit.

Plans are flexible and vary by developer, but the typical structure is:

• Booking deposit: a flat THB 100,000–200,000 on apartments (regardless of unit size), or around 2% on villas.
• First payment: typically due around 30 days after the booking deposit, once the sale and purchase agreement has been reviewed and signed by both parties.
• During construction: milestone installments, usually quarterly.
• On handover: the final payment, typically the smallest of the schedule.
• Developer finance: some tier-1 developers may offer a 3–5 year loan at around 4% / variable, depending on the project.

Key advantage: capital efficiency. You preserve liquidity, you spread payments across construction, and you ride the appreciation curve from launch to handover.

Yes. Once the first payment is made, you can reassign the agreement to the new buyer before handover.

The most established and consistently reliable developers in Phuket:

• Sansiri, Thailand's largest SET-listed developer; the gold standard for completion record and resale liquidity.
• Laguna Phuket (Banyan Group), pioneer of Phuket's integrated-resort model at Bang Tao; SGX-listed parent, decades of delivery.
• AssetWise, a SET-listed (ASW) developer and one of Thailand's largest residential names.

For first-time buyers I strongly recommend starting with Tier 1 developers. The additional comfort of their track record is worth more than a slightly lower entry price from a less-established name.

Not from a standard Thai bank. Mainstream Thai banks do not lend to non-resident foreigners, so a purchase here is effectively cash for most buyers. If you are buying from abroad, plan for a cash purchase.

The practical route is developer payment plans. All developers offer a payment plan through the construction period, so you pay in stages until completion and handover rather than all at once.

Some tier-one developers also offer post-completion payment plans of 3 to 5 years at around 4% (variable) after handover. It is not a bank mortgage, but it is the realistic financing route for most foreign buyers.

Construction payment plan: offered by all developers. You pay in staged installments through the construction period, interest-free, and the unit is yours at handover. For most buyers this is the natural default: it preserves liquidity without adding a financing cost.

Post-completion finance: developer finance that continues after handover, offered by some tier-one developers. It is subject to interest, around 4% variable, so it costs more, but it lets you keep capital working elsewhere for longer.

Gross yields here run 8–12%. But net is what matters:

• Gross yield: 8–12% in well-located mid-market apartments.
• Property management fee: 20–30% of annual rent (usually 30%, some developers 20%).
• Common area fee: charged for shared amenities and upkeep.
• Net yield (realistic): Net 6–8% is realistic; the best-positioned projects reach 8–9%.

A sinking fund applies, but it is a one-time fee paid at the very start, not a recurring rental cost, so it should not be folded into your yield maths.

Yes. Rental income is subject to Thailand's personal income tax, which is a low progressive tax. On top of that, if you are a tax resident elsewhere your home country may add further obligations, so you should consult a local tax advisor. Plan your net return on an after-tax basis rather than assuming the income is untaxed.

Most Phuket developments come with the developer's own in-house rental management company. That keeps the unit, the building, and the rental programme all under one roof, with furnishing, guest bookings, maintenance, and owner payouts handled for you, which makes it a genuinely hands-off investment.

If you would rather not use the developer's programme, Phuket also has a mature, professional third-party management industry that can run the unit instead. A reputable independent manager handles tenant sourcing, the tenancy agreement, rent collection, maintenance, and renewals. Fees run around 30% for full management. Either way, we recommend trusted operators directly and help you compare the terms.

1. Property selection, identify with your advisor.
2. Negotiation, agree price and terms.
3. Deposit agreement, a deposit, typically non-refundable and around 200,000 THB, secures the unit.
4. SPA, the sale and purchase agreement is usually drawn up within a few days; allow around 30 days to the signed SPA, which is your legally binding contract.
5. Transfer & title registration, the transfer and chanot (title deed) can only be registered on completion, which may be months later.

Before the SPA, you sign a deposit agreement and pay a booking deposit, around 100,000 to 200,000 THB on apartments, or about 2% on a villa. The deposit is typically non-refundable if the buyer withdraws. It holds the unit while the SPA, your legally binding contract, is drawn up.