How should foreigners transfer money to buy a condo in Thailand?

Last checked 8 October 2026 · 9 min read · English

For many foreign buyers, choosing the condo is easier than getting the money trail right. The Land Office is not only interested in whether the seller was paid. It needs evidence that fits the legal route under which you are acquiring ownership. Short answer: most overseas buyers must show qualifying funds of at least the purchase price, and sending foreign currency from abroad is the simplest way to do it.

Section 19(5): the starting point

Many ordinary overseas buyers rely on Section 19(5) of the Condominium Act, and Section 19 ter sets out the evidence they must present. Department of Lands guidance asks for qualifying evidence in an amount not less than the purchase price. The recognised routes are foreign currency brought into Thailand, baht withdrawn from a qualifying non-resident baht account, and funds withdrawn from a qualifying foreign-currency deposit account.

For a buyer living overseas, remitting foreign currency is usually the cleanest route. But it is too broad to say the law recognises only one way. This article covers the money and banking evidence; for the ownership rules themselves, see our foreign condo ownership guide.

Kathy's practical note: I want the payment route confirmed before the first large payment, not one week before transfer. The receiving bank, the sale and purchase agreement and the lawyer's checklist should all tell the same story.

What does “FET” actually mean?

Agents often say, “You need an FET.” That is useful shorthand, but it makes buyers think there is one paper form. Thailand used to have a standard Foreign Exchange Transaction form (Tor Tor 3). After the Bank of Thailand's foreign-exchange reforms, that standard form is no longer mandatory. What matters now is that the bank's evidence genuinely proves the qualifying transaction. Depending on the bank, it may be called a foreign-exchange certificate, inward-remittance advice, credit advice or bank confirmation.

Some banks issue a certificate only above a threshold, such as about USD 50,000, and give credit advices for smaller transfers. That is bank practice, not the legal test.

The cleanest practical route

1. Check the foreign quota first. Do not pay a large non-refundable deposit before confirming the unit can be transferred to you as foreign freehold.
2. Keep the buyer's name consistent across passport, contract and bank records.
3. Use a traceable banking route. For the usual overseas buyer, send the agreed foreign currency through the banking system and keep every record.
4. State the purpose clearly, for example “Purchase of condominium unit [number], [project], Bangkok”.
5. Keep evidence for every instalment. Off-plan purchases can involve many payments over several years.
6. Confirm the bank evidence before transfer day.

Does the whole price always have to be wired from abroad?

For the typical overseas buyer using the foreign-currency route, that is the normal practice. But the guidance also recognises withdrawals from a non-resident baht account and a foreign-currency deposit account. The accurate rule is:

You need qualifying evidence under the ownership route you are using, for at least the purchase price required for the transfer.

Developer instalments

Developers usually take a reservation payment, a contract payment, construction instalments and a final balance. What matters is not how many transfers you make, but whether the complete payment trail can be documented when ownership is registered. Before the first material payment, ask the developer which account to use, what purpose to write, how each instalment will be credited to your name and unit, and which bank will issue the evidence. Get the process in writing.

Resale: paying the owner directly

A resale contract can set any agreed payment schedule, but the contract and the Land Office evidence are separate questions. If the seller asks you to pay part of the price overseas, pay several people, pay large amounts in cash, split payments between countries or use a sender whose name is not yours, stop and check the structure before any money moves.

Offshore loans

Borrowing abroad does not by itself prevent a purchase, but the loan agreement does not replace the Section 19 evidence.

Example: Daniel borrows USD 500,000 from an overseas lender, and the money is remitted into Thailand through a properly documented route for his purchase. Economically the money is borrowed; legally, the transfer file still needs acceptable evidence for his acquisition. Before drawing the loan, confirm who sends the money, who receives it, whose name appears on the Thai bank evidence and what purpose is stated.

Thai mortgages and private financing

Some lenders finance foreign buyers, depending on nationality, residency, income and collateral. But lending and ownership eligibility are separate checks: will the lender finance it? and will the Land Office accept the ownership evidence this structure creates? For a Section 19(5) buyer, a baht mortgage on its own should not be assumed to replace the statutory funding evidence.

Private loans need even more care. A foreign lender remitting documented funds is not the same as someone in Thailand lending you baht. Have the receiving bank and an independent lawyer confirm the route before you sign.

Credit cards and “fake FET”

Do not assume a large foreign credit-card payment works as Section 19(5) evidence. Unusual payment methods should be cleared with the bank and Land Office before you use them.

There is no product called a “fake FET”. The real problem is fabricated, altered or misleading bank evidence. If anyone offers to “arrange the FET” without a real transaction behind it, walk away. False bank documents can stop the transfer and create wider legal problems.

Example: a ฿20 million off-plan purchase

Anna buys a Bangkok condo for ฿20 million: ฿1 million at reservation and contract, ฿4 million during construction and ฿15 million at completion. The weak approach is to pay each instalment differently and rebuild the evidence three years later. The strong approach is to decide from the start where each payment goes, how it is labelled, which bank documents it and how the file will cover the amount required at transfer.

Before you send the money

• Is the unit available within the foreign quota?
• Which Section 19 category are you using, and what amount must the evidence cover?
• Where should the money go, through which account and currency?
• What should the transfer purpose say, and what evidence will the bank issue?
• If payments are split, how will the evidence be consolidated?
• If you are borrowing, does the structure still produce acceptable ownership evidence?
• Have you budgeted the fees? See what it costs to buy a condo in Bangkok.

Back to our complete guide to foreign property ownership in Thailand.

Official sources

• Department of Lands, People's Guide: foreign condominium transfer evidence
• Department of Lands: registration guidance for foreign condominium ownership
• Bank of Thailand: foreign-exchange reform and the standard FX form
• Thai Law Online: Section 19(5) and 19 ter evidence routes (Sept 2026)

Frequently asked questions

General educational information, not legal, banking or tax advice. Bank practice and Land Office documentation depend on the facts. Confirm the payment route with the receiving bank, the competent Land Office and an independent Thai property lawyer before transferring funds. Sources checked on the date above.