Investing in Thailand
As with any investments, risk comes with the territory. Investing in Thailand is no different. It is particularly difficult, or at least not as easy as Thai, to invest in Thailand since foreigners have a lot restrictions of what we can and cannot do.
Foreigners cannot own land
Foreigners in Thailand cannot own land. Let's say you want to build a house, you as a foreigner in Thailand cannot own the land that your house is sitting on. The options you have is to lease the land for 30 years (with many times the option to extend the lease), put it all in your thai wife's name or have a company own the land, which you can only own 49% of.
Foreigners can only own 49% of a company
Foreigners can only own 49% of a thai company, except Americans that can own 100% through certain treaty and agreements. But for most of us, we can 49% of a thai company and the rest needs to be owned by a thai person or persons. However, we at SiamInvest.com can help you staying within the law and maximize your ownership of a thai company. You can contact us here for more information.
Own 49% of a condominium building
Should you, as an individual, want to invest in a condominium any where in Thailand, there can only be 49% of the total amount that is owned by foreigners. This means that if it is 100 condos and 49 people made it before you, you are not allowed to make a purchase and need to wait for any foreigner to sell.
Stay legal
Anywhere in Thailand, you want and need to stay legal. This comes when your are declaring your taxes, VAT or paying taxes after having sold a property. In our ever so transparent world, get professional help with their expertise, stay legal and do everything by the book.
Buying a property
When you are buying a property as a foreigner, the money used to make a purchase needs to coming from abroad unless you are actually living in Thailand with all that entails.