How to Sell a Condo in Pattaya as a Foreign Owner: Pricing, Documents, Taxes and Getting Your Money Home
A practical guide for foreign owners selling a Pattaya condo: set the right price, prepare documents, estimate Thai closing costs and remit the proceeds abroad.
In short: Selling your Pattaya condo comes down to four things: the right asking price, a tidy document pack, a clear agreement on costs, and a plan for getting your money home. Work out what you will actually receive before you accept an offer.
You do not need to turn into a tax expert to sell well. You do need to compare the right properties and ask the right questions. Let’s walk through it.
1. Price the condo for the market you are selling into
Start with other condos in your building. Look at size, floor, view, condition and—crucially—ownership quota. Compare Foreign Quota with Foreign Quota and Thai Quota with Thai Quota. A Thai Quota unit is normally priced lower, so mixing the two can make your asking price look realistic when it is not. Then check similar buildings nearby. Pearl’s Pattaya property valuation guide explains the wider process.
Online asking prices show your competition, not the price someone actually paid. Ask which comparables are completed sales and which are still just listings.
- Compare like with like. A sea-facing corner unit and an inland-facing unit on a low floor should not share a price per square metre simply because they have the same postal address.
- Keep the quotas separate. Foreign Quota and Thai Quota attract different buyer groups and usually different prices. Confirm your unit’s status with the building office before advertising it.
- Account for condition honestly. Air-conditioning, water damage, appliances and furnishings change both the price and the speed of a sale. A clear inventory prevents disputes at handover.
- Review the response to the listing. Viewings without offers, or no viewings at all, are different signals. Agree with your agent when you will review the asking price and what evidence would justify a change.
One last check: a great headline offer is only great if the amount left in your pocket works for you. Use the simple net-proceeds table below before you say yes.
2. Collect the documents before you market
Good paperwork makes the sale feel easy for the buyer. Start with the list below. The Thai Department of Lands transfer guide calls for a debt-free certificate from the building office and, when needed for a foreign buyer, a foreign-ownership certificate. Your lawyer or agent can confirm the exact documents for your unit.
- Ownership: original condominium unit title deed, your current passport and evidence explaining any name change or mismatch with the title.
- Building: current statement of common-fee payments and the juristic person’s debt-free certificate; request the foreign-ownership certificate when the buyer’s registration requires it.
- Sale: signed sale and purchase agreement, agreed furniture and appliance inventory, keys and access cards, and a clear record of deposit payments.
- Banking: your Thai receiving-account details, the original Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form from your purchase, and the bank’s current checklist for sending the sale proceeds overseas.
- If you cannot attend: a power of attorney accepted by the relevant Land Office, plus the representative’s identification. The Department of Lands publishes a condominium power-of-attorney form. Check the required signatures and any translation or authentication before signing abroad.
If a tenant occupies the unit, decide before marketing whether the sale is subject to the tenancy or requires vacant possession. Put the date, deposit treatment and responsibility for notice in the contract.
3. Agree the offer and payment sequence in writing
The sale agreement should spell out the price, deposit, deadlines, what stays in the condo and what happens if either side cannot complete. It should also say exactly who pays each cost.
In many Pattaya resale deals, buyer and seller agree to split the combined Land Office taxes, stamp duty where applicable, and transfer fees 50/50. The seller normally pays the agent’s commission. Buyer and seller each pay their own legal fees. Any unpaid building charges are the seller’s responsibility and should be cleared before transfer. These are common commercial arrangements, not automatic legal rules: write them into the agreement.
Have an independent Thai property lawyer check the title and contract. Agree how the final payment will be verified before signing the transfer documents or handing over the keys.
4. Budget the taxes and fees before you sign
The Land Office calculates several charges, and each follows its own rule. The standard transfer registration fee is 2% of the official appraised value, although an eligible transaction may qualify for a concession. A private seller’s withholding tax is calculated from the official value, holding period and how the property was acquired. It is not simply a flat percentage of profit. Ask your lawyer or agent for the Land Office estimate before signing.
Specific Business Tax (SBT) is generally 3.3%, including the local component, when the sale falls within the SBT rules. A sale within five years of acquisition is one common trigger, but there are statutory exceptions, including qualifying principal-residence circumstances. If SBT does not apply, stamp duty is generally 0.5% of the relevant value instead. You do not simply add both charges together. The Revenue Department’s decree sets out the five-year rule and exceptions; the Department of Lands fee guide explains the standard rates and bases.
At the end of this article, the calculation table shows how the costs affect your estimated net proceeds.
For a fuller explanation from the buyer’s side, see Pearl’s Thailand property tax guide. If you are tax resident outside Thailand, ask a qualified adviser there how the sale is reported in your home jurisdiction; residence and treaty treatment differ.
5. Work through transfer day and handover
- Confirm the buyer’s funds and the final amount due.
- Bring the original title, identity documents, current juristic-person certificates and any accepted power of attorney to the Land Office.
- Review the officer’s fee and tax calculation against the agreement before payment.
- Exchange cleared payment and signed transfer documents through the agreed closing process; obtain receipts and confirm that the new owner is registered.
- Record the water and electricity meter readings, hand over the agreed inventory, keys and access cards, and notify the building office of the new owner. The registered name on both the water and electricity meter accounts also needs to be changed to the buyer’s name. Pearl Property can help coordinate this process.
If you are selling from abroad, nominate one local contact to coordinate the agent, lawyer, juristic office and bank. Remote sale is possible, but document formalities and original-paper delivery deserve time. Pearl’s remote-owner guide covers the day-to-day side of managing a Pattaya condo overseas.
6. Get the proceeds home
A foreign owner can generally remit sale proceeds overseas through an authorised Thai bank. Start the conversation with your bank before closing. The Bank of Thailand’s exchange-control guidance permits repatriation of non-resident investment and explains that banks request supporting documents for certain transactions. A Bank of Thailand document schedule for property-sale remittances identifies the sale agreement and evidence of ownership transfer. Ask your bank for its current checklist before closing.
Keep the original Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form from your purchase. Do not lose it. Take the original to your bank when you arrange to send the sale proceeds to your home country: it records the money you brought into Thailand to buy the condo. Bring the sale agreement and proof of completed ownership transfer too, along with any other documents your bank requests. Compare the exchange rate, transfer charge and receiving-bank fees before sending the money.
Your net-proceeds worksheet
Think of this as a mini spreadsheet: start with the sale price, subtract the seller’s share of each cost, and the last line is what remains. Both columns assume a THB 5,000,000 sale and the same official appraised value. The illustrative withholding-tax quote is THB 80,000. Only the SBT-versus-stamp-duty line changes.
| Line | Calculation | If SBT applies | If stamp duty applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | Enter agreed price | THB 5,000,000 | THB 5,000,000 |
| Transfer fee | 2% × appraised value | THB 100,000 | THB 100,000 |
| Withholding tax | Enter Land Office quote | THB 80,000 | THB 80,000 |
| SBT or stamp duty | 3.3% SBT or 0.5% stamp duty × relevant value | THB 165,000 | THB 25,000 |
| Total Land Office bill | Add the three lines above | THB 345,000 | THB 205,000 |
| Seller’s Land Office share | 50% of total, if agreed | THB 172,500 | THB 102,500 |
| Agent commission | Pearl Property standard commission: 5% | THB 250,000 | THB 250,000 |
| Seller’s own legal fee | Illustrative quote | THB 20,000 | THB 20,000 |
| Unpaid building charges | Seller clears any arrears | THB 10,000 | THB 10,000 |
| Bank and currency costs | Illustrative estimate | THB 7,500 | THB 7,500 |
| Estimated net proceeds | Sale price minus seller’s costs | THB 4,540,000 | THB 4,610,000 |
For your own sale, replace every sample figure with a quote. In particular, the withholding tax is not a flat THB 80,000 charge, and Pearl Property’s standard commission in this example is 5%. Some taxes are legally assessed to the seller even when the contract makes the buyer reimburse half; your lawyer should record how the 50/50 split will be settled at closing. If there are no unpaid building charges, enter zero. Then run the final number again before accepting the offer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell a Pattaya condo while living overseas?
Yes. A representative can act under a power of attorney that the relevant Land Office accepts. Confirm the form and any overseas signing requirements early; do not leave them until a buyer has booked a transfer date.
Do I need my original FET form to send the sale proceeds abroad?
Yes—keep the original FET form and do not lose it. Present it to your bank when arranging the transfer of your condo sale proceeds back to your home country. The bank will also need the sale agreement and proof that ownership was transferred, so check its full document list before closing.
Do all sellers pay 3.3% Specific Business Tax?
No. It depends on the facts and statutory rules, including holding period and possible exceptions. Where SBT is not due, stamp duty may apply instead. Obtain a transaction-specific Land Office or legal calculation.
Who pays the 2% transfer fee?
In many Pattaya resales, buyer and seller split the overall Land Office bill 50/50, including the transfer fee and applicable taxes or stamp duty. The agreement must say so clearly; a different split is possible.
Ready to price your condo?
Send Pearl Property Pattaya your project name, unit size, ownership details, photos and asking-price expectation. We can review competing listings, discuss a realistic marketing price and map the documents needed for your sale. You can submit your Pattaya property here; listing is free for owners Pearl represents, with commission agreed for a successful sale. For transaction-specific tax and legal advice, work with an independent qualified adviser.
Updated September 2026. This guide is general information for a private condominium resale, not legal or tax advice. Rates, concessions, banking checks and document requirements should be confirmed for the particular transaction before signing.
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Published by Pearl Property Pattaya — Thai-German real estate agency in Pattaya since 2015. Advice spoken and written in English, German, Thai, French and Chinese.
Contact: info@pearlpropertypattaya.com • WhatsApp
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