Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), as amended
Caps aggregate foreign-owned area in a condominium building and requires evidence of funds remitted from abroad.
Eastern Thailand — Chonburi
Condominium & Foreign Property Ownership in Chonburi
Checking title, documents and transfer before a major payment is made.
Why Chonburi matters are different
Chonburi holds three economies in one province: industry around Laem Chabang and Sriracha, tourism and foreign residence in Pattaya, and commerce in the provincial city. Legal work here ranges from factory labour disputes and subcontracting agreements to promoted-investment structures, real-estate work and family matters for foreign residents.
Foreign nationals may own condominium units in Thailand under the Condominium Act, provided foreign ownership in the building does not exceed 49% of the total unit floor area and the funds are evidenced as foreign currency remitted into Thailand as the law requires. We verify the foreign quota, the title status, encumbrances and the sale and purchase agreement, and handle the transfer at the Land Office.
- The industrial base drives a high share of labour and subcontracting disputes, making time records and work orders critical evidence from day one.
- Pattaya sees heavy foreign condominium activity; recurring issues are the building’s foreign quota and unpaid common-area fees attaching to the unit.
- Many projects sit within investment-promotion zones, so employment and shareholding arrangements must match the conditions on the promotion certificate.
- Two provincial courts sit in this province, so the correct venue must be confirmed from domicile and the place of the events before filing.
Courts and authorities in Chonburi
Jurisdiction and filing requirements should be confirmed for each matter, because practice and required attachments differ between offices.
| Court / authority | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Chonburi Provincial Court, Pattaya Provincial Court and Chonburi Municipal Court | Civil and criminal cases by territorial jurisdiction in the province |
| Chonburi Juvenile and Family Court | Family and juvenile matters |
| Labour Court Region 2 | Labour cases across the eastern region, driven by the industrial base |
| Chonburi Provincial Labour Protection and Welfare Office | Receives complaints and mediates labour disputes before litigation |
| Chonburi Provincial Land Office and branch offices | Land, condominium and lease registration |
| Chonburi Immigration Office | Extensions of stay and foreign-national matters for Pattaya and Sriracha |
| Chonburi Legal Execution Office | Enforcement of judgments in the province |
| Chonburi Provincial Commercial Office | Local company registration services |
What we handle in Chonburi
- Verifying the building’s foreign ownership quota with the juristic person
- Title deed, unit title and encumbrance searches
- Reviewing and negotiating the sale and purchase agreement with the developer
- Checking foreign exchange evidence required at the Land Office
- Handling the transfer and collecting title documents on the client’s behalf
- Long leases, usufruct and superficies for houses and land
- Wills and succession planning for Thai property
The local process, step by step
- 1Initial case assessment of the project documents and the buyer’s status
- 2Title and foreign-quota due diligence before any signing
- 3Reporting contract risks and proposing amendments
- 4Preparing transfer documents and booking the Land Office appointment
- 5Attending the transfer and checking every document on the day
Documents to prepare
- Buyer’s passport and a power of attorney if not attending in person
- Copies of the unit title and the project land title
- Sale and purchase agreement and all payment records
- Bank evidence of foreign currency remitted into Thailand
- Foreign ownership ratio certificate from the condominium juristic person
- Debt-free certificate for common area fees
Points to watch
- Foreigners generally cannot own land; company structures used to hold land carry legal risk.
- If the building’s foreign quota is full, the unit cannot be transferred into a foreign name.
- Remittance documents must state the correct purpose from the outset; correcting them later is difficult.
- Off-plan purchases carry delivery risk; the contract’s remedies for late delivery should be examined closely.
Typical timeframe
Title and quota due diligence usually takes a few working days once documents are received, while the transfer date depends on the Land Office schedule and every party’s documents being ready.
Timeframes are indicative and depend on the court calendar and the authority handling the matter in Chonburi.
Areas of Chonburi we regularly serve
เมืองชลบุรีพัทยาศรีราชาแหลมฉบังบางละมุงสัตหีบจอมเทียนนาเกลือพนัสนิคมบ่อวิน
Laws that govern this matter — Chonburi
Summarised for general understanding only. The application of each provision depends on the facts of your case.
Department of Lands regulations
Specify transfer-day documents, including the foreign-quota certificate from the condominium juristic person.
Example situations and how they are handled — Chonburi
These are constructed examples used to explain procedure. They are not client matters, and no outcome is implied or guaranteed.
Illustrative scenario: foreign quota full on transfer day
Situation: A foreign buyer has paid a deposit, then learns the building’s foreign quota is full.
Usual approach: Obtain the quota certificate before paying a deposit, and state in the sale agreement that the buyer may terminate and reclaim the deposit if the foreign quota is unavailable. (Hypothetical.)
Advice for your specific situation — Chonburi
Foreign condominium buyers
- Remit funds from abroad in foreign currency with the correct stated purpose so the bank evidence is accepted.
- Check outstanding common-area fees — they affect the debt-free certificate.
Every matter — what to do in the first 7 days
- Gather every original document in one place, keep scanned copies, and note the date you received each one.
- Write a dated timeline — the date you received a notice or learned of the event usually starts the limitation or appeal clock.
- Do not sign a settlement, debt acknowledgement or withdrawal before a lawyer reviews it — it may extinguish existing rights.
- Preserve digital evidence unaltered (full screenshots, original files, emails with headers) — edited files are easy to challenge.
Questions people in Chonburi ask
Dismissed from a factory in Chonburi — where do I start?
Start by keeping the termination letter, recent payslips and time records. You may then either file with the labour inspector or sue directly in Labour Court Region 2. The first route has no filing fee and is often faster; the second reaches a wider range of damages, so the choice follows the nature of the claim.
Buying a resale condominium in Pattaya — what must be checked?
Check the building’s remaining foreign quota, the debt-free certificate for common-area fees, registered encumbrances on the unit title, and the status of the condominium juristic person — outstanding fees block transfer registration even though the buyer did not incur them.
Subcontracting inside an industrial estate — which clauses matter most?
Focus on defect liability, staged delivery, retention-money terms and joint liability under labour protection law — a principal can in some circumstances be jointly liable for the wages of a subcontractor’s employees.
Can a foreigner buy a house with land?
As a rule foreigners cannot own land. Common alternatives are owning the building while taking a long lease of the land, or using a usufruct or superficies right — each with different limitations.
Must I be in Thailand on the transfer date?
Not necessarily; a power of attorney can be used. A power of attorney executed abroad normally needs signature certification and embassy or competent-authority authentication before it can be used in Thailand.
Who pays the transfer fees?
It is a matter of contract. Parties commonly split the costs or allocate them to one side, so the allocation should be stated clearly before signing.
Same service in other provinces
Condominium & Foreign Property Ownership — BangkokCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — Chiang MaiCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — PhuketCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — Udon ThaniCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — SongkhlaCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — Surat ThaniCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — Chiang RaiCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — RayongCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — NonthaburiCondominium & Foreign Property Ownership — nationwide
Other legal services in Chonburi
Litigation & Court Representation — ChonburiCivil, criminal, labour, family, succession and land disputesCorporate & Commercial — ChonburiIncorporation, contracts, foreign business, BOI and complianceImmigration & Foreign Nationals — ChonburiVisas, work permits, residency and lawful statusIntellectual Property — ChonburiTrademarks, copyright, patents and enforcementLand & Real Estate — ChonburiTitle due diligence, sale, lease and transfer at the Land OfficeFamily & Succession — ChonburiMarriage, divorce, custody, wills and estate administrationMediation, Arbitration & Enforcement — ChonburiResolving disputes outside court and making awards effectiveNotarial Services & International Documents — ChonburiSignature and document certification, translation, consular and embassy legalisation
Discuss your Chonburi matter with an attorney
Tell us the facts and we will explain which authority applies, what documents are needed and the realistic timeframe.