Thailand 2026: what changed for foreign buyers

Four things changed in 2026 for agencies that sell Thai property to foreigners: enforcement against nominee structures, shorter visa-free stays, continuing attention to short-term rentals and a debate about the condominium quota. This briefing sets out what the sources we read report and where the uncertainty lies, so that your team does not repeat a rumour as a rule.

Nominee structures under enforcement

The Commerce Ministry's Department of Business Development, working with the Department of Special Investigation and the Central Investigation Bureau, ran a multi-agency check on companies with foreign investment that hold land. The Nation reports that 125,622 companies were screened and that 66 were found using Thai shareholders as proxies for foreigners (Nation Thailand). Pattaya Mail describes checks of shareholders' financial background, of whether a company really operates and of the source of funds, and a March 2026 operation in Pattaya that targeted law and accounting firms, with threats of prosecution and loss of professional licences (Pattaya Mail). A pilot in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan covered more than 11,000 companies, and expansion to Phuket and Pattaya is planned.

For agencies: stop presenting a Thai-shareholder company as an easy way to hold a villa, and see the longer discussion in the client-checks briefing. We found no report of estate agents being targeted, but the logic of the crackdown is to look at everyone who builds the structure.

Shorter visa-free stays

Reports say Thailand is cutting the visa-free stay for many nationalities from 60 days to 30. Sources differ on the start date (15 September 2026 in some, 15 days after publication in the Royal Gazette in another) and on which countries are covered, and one report also mentions a 15-day tier. Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your buyer's passport before you advise. Pattaya Mail also describes the Destination Thailand Visa, which needs a bank balance of THB 500,000 and allows stays of up to 180 days per entry without a local work permit, and the Long-Term Resident visa, with a USD 1 million asset test among its criteria (Pattaya Mail).

None of the sources we read says that buying a condominium gives a residence permit, and one broker article says ownership can only help to show financial stability in an application. Do not market a purchase as a route to a visa.

Short-term rentals

Under the Hotel Act B.E. 2547, renting a property for periods under 30 days generally needs a hotel licence, and condominiums are treated as residential buildings where such lets are normally not allowed unless the building has a hotel licence. A 2026 article reports fines of up to THB 20,000, an extra THB 10,000 for each day of continued breach, and up to a year in prison, while saying that enforcement against individual hosts has been uneven. Many condominium juristic persons also have their own bans. If your buyer plans to let the unit to tourists, check the building's rules and the licence position before the reservation, and say so in writing.

The condominium quota

Foreigners may own up to 49 percent of the floor area of a condominium building. A proposal to raise the figure to 75 percent has been reported, but it was not law as of February 2026 according to the source we read. If the law changes, the Land Office will confirm how and when it applies; until then, work to 49 percent.

Deposits on off-plan units

One legal-information site says that rules of the Office of the Consumer Protection Board on deposits took effect on 31 January 2025 and that a developer cannot keep a deposit if the buyer is not in default (terms.law). We could not confirm the text, so treat it as a point to raise with a Thai lawyer rather than a promise to a buyer. Ask every developer for the payment schedule and for the point at which the unit is registered in the buyer's name.

What we found no change in

None of the sources we read reports a change in 2026 to the foreign-currency proof that a foreign buyer must show at registration, or to the usual costs at transfer. Both are described in the payments briefing. If a buyer has been told otherwise, ask where the statement came from and check it with the Land Office.

Anti-money-laundering expectations

The Anti-Money Laundering Office issued customer due diligence guidelines for five categories of business in April 2024, including real estate brokers, and the Bank of Thailand has consulted on stricter know-your-customer rules at banks. We did not confirm the exact duties of estate agents, so ask a Thai lawyer.

What to do with this

• remove nominee structures from your sales material
• check the visa-free position for each buyer's passport at the time of travel
• ask every buyer who wants to let the unit about the building's rules before the reservation
• keep a written record of what you told each buyer about the quota and visas

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats and cross-border buyers, and support the process. Agencies that handle the deal locally and want to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page.

This briefing is informational only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Facts were checked on 12 October 2026 from the sources named in the text; rules change, so confirm with a local lawyer before relying on any point.