Selling a condo in Cambodia as a foreigner: steps, taxes, money out

What a foreign owner of a Cambodian condo actually sells (strata title), who signs where, who pays the 4% transfer tax and the 3-5% agent, why the 20% capital gains tax from 2027 matters now, and what we could not confirm about moving the money out.

In brief

As of 7 November 2026, a foreign owner selling a Cambodian condo sells strata title, the only freehold form open to foreigners (units above the ground floor), and the buyer and seller, or their legal representatives, sign the definitive contract at the cadastral office. The 4% transfer tax is legally the buyer's, but the contract decides who pays, and sellers usually pay the agent 3-5%. A 20% capital gains tax on immovable property is deferred to 1 January 2027, so the date of your sale matters. Cambodian law places no general limit on transfers abroad, but we could not confirm what your bank will ask for; check with a Cambodian lawyer and your bank before you list. This is not legal or tax advice.

What you are selling and who can buy it

A foreigner in Cambodia holds strata title, a separate title for a unit above the ground floor in a registered co-owned building. Guides agree that strata title is the only freehold form open to non-Cambodians, and that a building without registered strata status is a red flag for any buyer. The 2010 framework caps foreign holdings at 70% of a building, and guides disagree on whether that is counted in units or in floor area. For you as a seller this has one consequence: a foreign buyer needs room in the cap, while a Cambodian buyer does not. How much this narrows the market we did not find quantified, so treat it as our reading, not a figure.

The market itself is soft. Our earlier Cambodia article quotes the National Bank residential index for Phnom Penh at minus 4.52% year on year (January 2026), condos 15-20% below the 2019 peak (industry commentary) and vacancy of about 15% per project (IPS Cambodia, 2025). Nobody can promise you how long a sale takes. If your unit is still off-plan, strata title is issued only when the project is complete, so what you could sell is a contract right, which we did not research. See what you can buy in Cambodia and the best areas for the buyer's side.

How the sale runs, step by step

Gather your passport, a copy of your strata title and the project documents; the buyer brings an ID.
Agree the price in writing, and agree who pays the transfer tax and the agent. Put the real market value in the contract: the tax relief for buyers requires it.
Sign the definitive sale contract at the cadastral office. One guide says both parties, or their legal representatives, must be physically present there and file the transfer application together.
The Ministry of Land Management then issues a new strata title in the buyer's name.
Pay the transfer tax within three months of the legal transfer (one source).
Expect about 12 weeks for the transfer (one guide). We did not find a separate notary step in the cadastral procedure, while another source says sales should be certified by a Cambodian lawyer or notary; ask your lawyer which applies.

Before all this, read our general guide to selling property abroad step by step and how to sell property abroad.

Taxes and fees on the seller's side

Transfer tax, 4% of the property value. The base is "set by a cadastral official" in one guide and "assessed by the tax department" in another. The buyer is the legal payer in several sources, but in practice the seller often pays it, and one forum reply says the seller pays unless agreed otherwise. Do not leave it to chance: write it into the contract. A government relief for first-home buyers was extended to 31 December 2026 (per the law firm Andersen); whether it applies to a resale from a private owner we did not find.
Capital gains tax. Immovable property is deferred to 1 January 2027 (General Department of Taxation, Notification No. 041, 2 January 2026). The rate is 20% of the net gain, with exemptions described for a main home occupied for five years (one residence only), inherited property and farmland with approval. Two sources describe other calculation methods (effectively 4% of the price, or a flat 80% deduction) and one portal says no capital gains tax is levied at present. We have not read the regulation, so the date and the method of your sale must be checked with a Cambodian tax adviser.
Agent commission, usually 3-5% of the price, paid by the seller or the developer; IPS says it typically charges 3%. An agent must be registered with a licensed agency. Sign the commission terms before the first viewing.
Legal fees and due diligence cost extra; we found no sourced figure.

A worked example (illustrative)

Assumptions: you bought for USD 150,000, you sell for USD 175,000, the agent takes 3%, and the transfer tax is 4% of USD 175,000. This is arithmetic on stated assumptions, not a quote.

Agent, 3%: USD 5,250.
If the buyer pays the transfer tax: you receive USD 169,750 before any capital gains tax.
If the contract makes you pay it, USD 7,000: you receive USD 162,750.
If the 2027 capital gains tax applies and documented costs are accepted: gain = 175,000 minus 150,000 minus 5,250 = USD 19,750, tax at 20% = USD 3,950.
If the simplified 4% method that one source mentions applied instead: 4% of 175,000 = USD 7,000.

The contract clause on the transfer tax moves your result by USD 7,000, more than the gap between a 3% and a 4% agent.

If you are abroad: the power of attorney

We found no Cambodia-specific rule for a power of attorney signed outside the country. One source says sales of real property should be certified by a Cambodian lawyer or notary, and embassies differ: some will not notarise when local notaries can. Ask the lawyer in advance whether your document must be legalised or re-notarised in Cambodia. Keep it narrow: one unit, a minimum price, an expiry date. If the unit has been run by a manager, see property management for remote owners.

Getting the money out

The 1997 Law on Foreign Exchange, as summarised by law-firm and property-guide pages, places no restriction on transfers and capital flows; the National Bank may impose controls only in a foreign-exchange crisis, for a maximum of three months. Whether a private property sale counts as "liquidation of an investment" is unclear, and remittances are said to be subject to applicable withholding taxes; we did not find the rate.

The harder part is your bank. We did not manage to research which documents Cambodian or foreign banks ask for on the proceeds. Expect to be asked for the sale contract, the new title registration, proof that the tax was paid and proof of the original purchase funds, and keep them. Banks and compliance teams screen holders of Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh and Ukrainian passports to different degrees; nothing here advises avoiding any check, and the safe move is to ask your bank before you list the unit. More: repatriating money after selling property abroad, bank checks and source of funds and, if you paid with crypto, how a crypto purchase in Cambodia works.

Common mistakes

Listing a unit whose strata title is not registered, or whose building has no registered strata status.
Leaving the transfer tax or the agent's fee to a verbal agreement.
Writing a lower price in the contract: the buyer relief requires the real market value.
Planning a sale in 2027 with 2026 tax assumptions, or the other way round.
Signing a broad power of attorney with no expiry.
Assuming the money will leave on its own: nobody told us which documents the bank asks for, so ask first.

One-page checklist with approximate timing

The timing is our planning allowance except where a source is named.

Before listing (weeks 0 to 2): check the strata title and the building status, settle the commission in writing, ask a tax adviser about 2026 against 2027, ask your bank what it needs for the proceeds.
Marketing (time unknown, the market is soft): set a price, vet the buyer's ID.
Contract (about weeks 2 to 6 after a buyer is found): put the real price and the tax clause in writing, sign at the cadastral office or by your representative.
Transfer (about 12 weeks, one guide): follow the filing, pay the transfer tax within three months of the transfer.
After the sale: receive the funds, keep the contract, the tax receipt and the purchase papers, file for tax when the regime in force requires it.

FAQ

Can a foreigner sell a Cambodian condo without being there? Only with a representative: the cadastral office needs both parties or their legal representatives. We found no Cambodia-specific rule for a power of attorney signed abroad, so ask a Cambodian lawyer whether it must be legalised or re-notarised locally.

Who pays the 4% transfer tax when I sell? Several sources name the buyer as the legal payer, but the contract decides and sellers often end up paying. Write the answer into the sale contract, because it can change your result by thousands of dollars.

Do I pay capital gains tax if I sell in 2026? Immovable property is deferred to 1 January 2027 according to Notification No. 041, so a sale before that date should not fall under it, but one portal guide says no capital gains tax applies at all. Confirm with a Cambodian tax adviser for your own date.

Can I take the proceeds out of Cambodia? The 1997 Law on Foreign Exchange, as summarised by law firms, sets no restriction on transfers. What we could not confirm is the withholding rate and the documents your bank will ask for, so check with the bank before you list.

How long does a sale take? One guide reports about 12 weeks for the transfer itself. The time needed to find a buyer is not sourced, and the market is soft, so plan for it separately.

How to sell property in Cambodia as a foreign owner: process, taxes and getting the money out