Can foreigners own land in Thailand?

The Land Code's prohibition on foreign land ownership applies regardless of marriage to a Thai national — a Thai spouse may own land freehold, but the foreign spouse must declare the funds as a gift with no claim.

Thai-company structures (a Thai-majority limited company holding the land, with the foreigner as minority shareholder and director) are widely marketed but legally fragile. Nominee shareholders are illegal under the Foreign Business Act and the structure invites regulatory scrutiny.

The most defensible foreign-control structure on landed property is a registered 30-year leasehold with contractual renewal clauses and, where permissible, a superficies right granting ownership of the building separate from the land.