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How does buying an apartment in Phuket work?
Answered by Sea Inside · checked 20.09.2026
A straightforward purchase of a completed apartment takes two to six weeks: choosing the property, checking the documents and the foreign quota, a deposit with a signed contract, the transfer of funds from abroad in foreign currency, then registration at the Land Department, which issues the ownership document. In a new development the payments follow the construction schedule and registration happens once the building is finished.
The steps
- Selection and viewing — in person or over video if you are not on the island.
- Checks: who owns it, whether anything is charged against it, whether the foreign quota is free, and what permits the developer holds.
- Deposit and sale contract. The contract fixes the dates, the liabilities and what the price includes — furniture, appliances, parking.
- Transfer of the money from abroad, with the right payment reference, and the bank certificate that comes with it.
- Registration at the Land Department, where the fees are paid and the ownership document is issued.
Costs on top of the price
- The transfer registration fee — around 2% of the assessed value, by custom split between seller and buyer, though that is a matter of agreement.
- Selling again within a certain holding period triggers additional taxes for the seller, calculated case by case.
- Thailand revises these rates and reliefs from time to time, so we confirm the exact figures at the time of the deal rather than quoting last year’s article.
Worth doing before the deposit
- Confirm the foreign quota is free for that particular unit.
- Look at what is being built next door: views in Phuket change fast.
- Calculate the return if you are buying to let — before the deal, not after.
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