Buying a condo in Pattaya: steps and costs

Who can buy, and the foreign quota

Foreigners can own a condo unit freehold in their own name under the Condominium Act, provided two things are true. The building must still have foreign quota: all foreign owners together may hold no more than 49% of the total floor area of all units. And the buyer must qualify under Section 19, which for most people means bringing in foreign currency, or paying from a non-resident baht or foreign-currency account, for at least the full purchase price.

Once a building's foreign quota is used up, its remaining units can only be registered to Thai buyers, whatever the sale listing says. Ask early, and get the quota position confirmed in writing before you pay anything. The wider rules for foreigners, including land and leases, are in our guide on whether foreigners can buy property in Thailand.

The buying process, step by step

1. Set your brief. Budget, area, size, and whether you will live in the unit or rent it out. Renting out changes which buildings suit you (see below).
2. Shortlist and view. Ask about the foreign quota, the common fee and the building's rules on letting for every unit you like.
3. Check the unit. Confirm the unit title is in the seller's name and whether any common-expense arrears are owed. Arrears follow the unit, and the Land Office will not register a transfer without the juristic person's certificate that common expenses are paid.
4. Agree the terms in writing. Price, payment dates, what furniture is included, the transfer date, and who pays which transfer cost. Have an independent lawyer read the agreement before you sign.
5. Send the money from abroad. Remit foreign currency in the buyer's name, with the purpose stated as the purchase of a condominium unit, so the bank can issue the FET form or a confirmation letter.
6. Register the transfer. Buyer and seller, or their attorneys, attend the Land Office, pay the fees and taxes, and the transfer is registered in your name.

Documents for transfer day

For a foreign buyer, the Land Office expects:

• The juristic person's certificate that no common expenses are outstanding (Condominium Act Sections 18 and 29).
• The juristic person's letter confirming foreign quota for the sale.
• Your own evidence of the foreign remittance: the FET form, or for smaller transfers the bank's confirmation letter and credit advices.
• Your passport, and the seller's ID and title documents.
• A power of attorney if either side cannot attend. If it is signed abroad, it must be notarised and legalised.

Buying a resale unit, remember that the seller's old FET does not transfer to you. Buying off-plan and paying the developer directly, the developer's bank issues your FET.

What it costs to buy

The Land Office collects the charges on transfer day. By law some fall on the seller, but the sale agreement can share them out differently, so read that clause carefully.

Thai individual buyers get a cut in the transfer fee to 0.01% until 30 June 2027 when the price and appraised value are each THB 7 million or less. Foreign buyers and companies pay the normal 2%. The full rules, a worked example and the annual land and building tax are in our guide to property taxes and transfer fees.

After the purchase you pay the building's common expenses, your share being set under the Condominium Act, and land and building tax if your unit is not exempt. Ask for the current common fee before you agree a price.

Off-plan or resale?

Off-plan units are paid to the developer, whose bank issues your FET. A developer's sale carries Specific Business Tax on the developer's side. A resale unit lets you see exactly what you are buying, check the building's upkeep and talk to the juristic person, but you must clear any common-fee arrears on the unit before transfer.

Whichever you choose, price the unit on what exists today. The high-speed rail line to U-Tapao, with a planned Pattaya station, had not started construction as of late October 2026 and has no confirmed opening date, so a premium for being near a future station is a bet rather than a fact.

If you plan to rent it out

Paid stays of under 30 days are treated by commentators as hotel operation under the Hotel Act, which needs a hotel licence. Many condominium rules also ban short-term letting, and the Interior Ministry ordered inspections of condos rented to tourists in February 2025. Leases of 30 days or more are the usual way to stay outside the hotel rules.

As a landlord you must also report a foreign tenant to immigration within 24 hours on form TM30. If you come to own three or more rental homes, the 2025 residential lease rules on deposits, refunds and bills apply to you. Our renting guide covers both. If you want us to find tenants, see listing your property with 09Wi: owners pay us by commission, and tenants pay nothing.

Where to look in Pattaya

Condo towers cluster near the beaches, west of Sukhumvit Road; inland East Pattaya is mostly houses and pool villas. Central Pattaya is the densest, with towers close to the malls and the beach. Jomtien is mostly condominiums along a long beach and has many long-stay residents. Pratumnak, on the hill between Pattaya Beach and Jomtien, mixes high-rise and lower-density blocks. Wongamat in the north has luxury beachfront towers built mostly in the 2010s.

Further south, Na Jomtien is marketed as part of Greater Pattaya but sits in Sattahip District, outside Pattaya City. You can compare projects on our condo buildings pages.