Thai Land Titles Explained

The short answer

Which Thai land title should you buy?

Buy or lease only land with a Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor), the full title deed that proves ownership and is precisely surveyed. A Nor Sor 3 Gor is an acceptable but weaker possession certificate; Nor Sor 3 needs a 30-day public notice; Sor Kor 1, Por Bor Tor 5 and Sor Por Kor land should be avoided.

Chanote

Chanote (Nor Sor 4 Jor): the full title deed

A Chanote is the only document that proves full ownership of Thai land. It is issued by the provincial or branch Land Office, tied to the national survey grid and marked on the ground with numbered concrete boundary posts. Sales, leases, mortgages, usufructs and superficies are all registered on it.

The front of the deed shows the parcel number, the survey sheet, the area in rai-ngan-square wah and the original owner, with a plan of the plot. The back is the history: every transfer, mortgage, lease and servitude is recorded there in date order. That back page is what your lawyer reads first.

Since 2021 the Department of Lands has surveyed with a GNSS (satellite) reference network, so a modern Chanote plot can be located precisely. You can see the parcel and its official appraised value on the department’s LandsMaps service by searching the deed number — useful for a first check, not a substitute for a Land Office search.

A Chanote does not make land immune to challenge. If it was issued on forest, park or public land, the Department of Lands can revoke it, and Phuket has seen several such cases (see below). The best protection is a clean history, a plot that matches the markers on the ground, and land outside protected zones.

Nor Sor 3

Nor Sor 3 Gor, Nor Sor 3 and Nor Sor 3 Khor

Nor Sor 3 documents certify the right to possess and use land, not ownership. A Nor Sor 3 Gor is mapped on aerial survey sheets and can be sold, leased or mortgaged without public notice. A plain Nor Sor 3 or Nor Sor 3 Khor needs a 30-day public notice before a sale, and any objection freezes the deal.

When a seller offers Nor Sor 3 Gor land "with Chanote coming", treat the upgrade as uncertain until the new deed is issued. Make the upgrade a condition of the sale or lease, ask a licensed surveyor to confirm the boundaries, and check that the plot is not in a forest, park or coastal zone where a Chanote cannot be granted.

Red flags

Sor Kor 1, Por Bor Tor 5 and Sor Por Kor: documents to avoid

Sor Kor 1, Por Bor Tor 5, Nor Sor 2 and Sor Por Kor 4-01 are not title deeds. The Land Office will not register a sale or mortgage on a Sor Kor 1 or a tax receipt, and Sor Por Kor agricultural reform land can only pass to heirs or farmers. A foreign buyer or lessee should walk away.

Foreign buyers

Can foreigners own land with a Chanote?

No. Whatever the document, section 86 of the Land Code bars foreigners from owning land, and the 1-rai exception of section 96 bis (after a ฿40 million investment, with ministerial approval) is rarely granted. Foreigners hold land through a registered 30-year lease, usually with a superficies over the house.

The title type still matters to a foreign buyer, because a lease is only as safe as the land it sits on. A 30-year lease registered on a clean Chanote is the strongest position available; a lease over a Nor Sor 3 can be registered too, but inherits its weaknesses. Never lease land on a Sor Kor 1 or a Sor Por Kor.

Our leasehold vs freehold guide explains how the lease, superficies and renewals work, and our foreign ownership guide covers the Thai company and Thai spouse routes — including why nominee shareholders are illegal.

Phuket rules

Phuket building rules: hillsides, slopes and the coast

Phuket land is governed by an environmental protection notification (B.E. 2560, 2017) plus the town plan. Since December 2024, some land 80–140 metres above sea level can be built on under strict conditions; steep slopes and coastal bands remain restricted. Check the exact zone of a plot before you price it as buildable.

Units & prices

How much is land worth in Phuket? Units and prices per rai

Thai land is measured in rai: 1 rai = 4 ngan = 400 square wah = 1,600 m². In Phuket, official 2023–2026 appraisals range from under ฿4,000 per square wah on rural lanes to ฿200,000 on Patong’s beach road, while market prices for prime west-coast beach land were estimated at about ฿80 million per rai in 2024.

Official appraised values are set by the Treasury Department and used to calculate transfer fees and taxes; they are usually below market prices. The current round runs from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026, and a new 2027–2030 round is due to take effect on 1 January 2027 — expect the figures above to rise.

Our own asking prices, October 2026: a 1-rai plot near Mission Hills (Thalang) at ฿7.5 million; 5.5 rai at Baan Para (Thalang) at ฿25 million, about ฿4.5 million per rai; 7 rai in Mai Khao at ฿42 million, about ฿6 million per rai; and 660–700 m² plots in Pasak and Cherng Talay at ฿15 million each — roughly ฿34–36 million per rai. Asking prices are not sale prices, and road frontage, views and title drive large differences.

Due diligence

How to check a land title in Phuket: 7 steps

Check a land title by obtaining a certified copy from the Land Office, reading the back page for mortgages, leases and servitudes, confirming the boundaries on the ground, verifying legal road access, and checking the plot against forest, park, ALRO and zoning maps. Do it through an independent lawyer before any deposit.

On transfer, a 2% fee is charged on the official appraised value, plus the seller’s Specific Business Tax or stamp duty and withholding tax; who pays what is negotiated. Our buying costs and taxes guide gives worked examples.

With Empire Estates

How we help with land and villa purchases

Every plot and villa we list states its title type. We request the deed before viewings, flag Nor Sor 3 and hillside constraints early, and introduce independent lawyers and surveyors who check the land for you. If a document is a Sor Kor 1 or a tax receipt, we will tell you plainly.