What is the Education Visa?
The education visa is the visa granted to foreign citizens who want to pursue studies in Thailand.
This type of visa covers the cases of enrollment in a government educational institution or in a private educational institution (High School or University) and is also available to foreign citizen that whishes to conduct training or research into a university or research institute.
Work Permits Requirements - Update
In France we have this joke of a Prime Minister giving a speech to restore confidence and saying:
" Last year we were on the brink of a cliff but I'm proud to tell you all that we have made a big step forward ".
What is the Visa Exemption?
Pursuant to Thai Immigration Law; any foreign citizen who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Thailand is in principle required to obtain a Visa from a Royal Thai Embassy or a Royal Thai Consulate-General prior to entering Thailand.
The infamous blacklist
There are a lot of lists most of us dreamt to be on (fortune list, most influent people, most eligible bachelor and so on….) but there is one you definitively don’t want to be on, Thailand immigration blacklist.
Note: I would be unfair to Thailand if I did not state that Thailand is not the only country with an immigration blacklist. All countries have one.
Extending a Non Immigrant Visa B for one year
A foreign investor conducting a business in Thailand or working for a Thai company may if all conditions and documentary requirements are fulfilled file an application and obtain a one year visa.
February 1 2010
Categories: Land Ownership, Thailand Property
May the Thai spouse of a foreigner own land or not?
During his latest nationwide inspection tour of 30 provinces, Anuwat Meteewiboonwut, the director-general of the Thai Land Department let an old monster lose again. In substance is said that foreigners that the titled deed of Thais spouses that are purchasing land on behalf of their foreign spouses could be revoked if the land department was to find out.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-27 11:06:29.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
You cannot have followed Thai news for the past 3 weeks and not have read about the problem faced by General Surayud (former Thai Prime Minister and Member of the Royal Privy Council) in relation to his Khao Yai land.
Read more…
Originally posted 2010-01-21 09:35:01.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
In our previous post we explained that in Thailand (i) there are no specific documents providing evidence of building ownership, and (2) that it was possible to dissociate land ownership from building ownership. Therefore the question is how then do we establish who the owner of a building is?
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-09-22 04:23:34.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Property General Issues, Thailand Property
It is always difficult for a new buyer freshly arrived on a market to make an informed decision on what and where to buy? I have been around for 12 years, believe that I have a good understanding of the market but still I learn new things every day. Should you trust your agent to recommend you the best product available. You may, of course but you could also try to find out for yourself what the situation is.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-26 03:47:05.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
While I already dealt with this issue two days ago, I just read this morning a comparative study from the Global Property Guide. The Global Property Guide surveyed and compared the prices of 120 SQM good condition second hand high end apartments in 112 cities over the world. Among the cities surveyed was Bangkok which ranked fairly well in the study.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-28 10:40:06.
February 1 2010
Categories: Leasehold Ownership, Thailand Property
Thailand and Retirees a match made in heaven?
One of the first paradoxes of the offshore real estate market is this: Most buyers are retirees or people preparing for retirement, and Thailand has become over the years one of their preferred destinations because of course of its exotic beauty, unique culture, friendly people but also because of its modern infrastructures, the high quality of health services and of course the reasonable costs of living.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-27 09:45:37.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
Is Real Estate truly the most secure investment?
When the time come to invest most people tend to consider real estate as the most secure long term investment.
This is true for many reasons, one of which being that while companies may go out of business real estate properties will exist forever. In addition, but for period of bump like the current crisis, the average price of properties will appreciate over the long term steadily.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-27 05:57:28.
February 1 2010
Categories: Leasehold Ownership, Thailand Property
In several of my previous posts I have commented on the too short lease period duration in Thailand by comparison to other Asian countries but I had to date to provide to my readers any basis for comparison which I have done now with a table comparing the lease duration period in 13 Asian countries including Thailand.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-10-02 03:14:08.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
As previously explained, the Thai Civil and Commercial Code recognizes possessory rights and/or ownership rights and there are several kinds of documents to evidence various levels of rights to land, ranging from documents evidencing mere squatters or occupation rights to full ownership rights.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-09-16 04:12:16.
February 1 2010
Categories: Land Ownership, Thailand Property
One of the reasons I’m calling the nominee scrutiny a “Witch Hunt” is because one of the declared target of said inquiry will be the “Thai wife”. Yes, the Thai wife, not the Thai Spouse. There is gender discrimination in this whole Thai wife business that i do not like at all.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-10-29 02:14:36.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
The Land tenure and access to land ownership issues
While surfing the internet I found a post on a Thai forum. I found the questions asked by this person under the username of “Samuisoul” interesting because they address two of the first issues that a careful investor should consider prior to purchase real estate into a foreign country.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-26 00:44:12.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
This post is part of a series of posts that include my post dated of 26 August 2009 called “Bangkok What and Where to Buy?” and my post dated of 28 August 2009 “Bangkok more reasons to buy”. Two new surveys published recently by CB Richard Ellis (Thailand) and Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand) have draw my attention.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-09-17 03:57:10.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
Issues that may occur when using an agent
Most buyers purchasing real estate in Thailand will do so buy purchasing through the services of an agent.
The first difficulty buyers will encounter is that Thailand does not have for the time being (if there are, they aren’t enforced) a regulation that would obligate professional real estate agents to formally notify the buyer that they’re acting as the seller’s agent.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-26 03:27:37.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
Should you purchase off plan?
From experience, we know that most problems occur when buyers purchase property “off plan”. Whether or not the transaction has a favorable outcome will depend solely upon one single factor: Did the buyer purchase from a reliable developer or not? Truth be told, purchasing off plan is no more dangerous when purchasing offshore than in your home country, as long as you are purchasing from a reliable developer who operates in the country where you are purchasing.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-10 06:01:41.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
In yesterday post we discussed Bangkok condominium market. Now what is Bangkok new homes market situation?
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-27 10:40:41.
February 1 2010
Categories: Leasehold Ownership, Thailand FAQ, Thailand Property
Is it worth purchasing a property in leasehold second hand?
Someone today’s asked whether it is worth purchasing second hand a property in leasehold?
Here again all depend what kind of property your purchase.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-13 17:03:44.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
[There was a formating problem in our Sunday post. I reposted it again]. People purchasing real estate in Thailand are often fulfilling the goal of a lifetime. In the pursuit of their life dream they will often toss caution to the wind, lose all common sense and ignore some simple precautions.Truth is that the actual formalities to transfer a real estate property are fairly straight, simple and may be completed in a few hours which leads many buyers to believe that purchasing a property in Thailand will be a simple transaction when it is not always the case. [ this post was published earlier as a page. We updated it and republished it as a post].
Originally posted 2009-10-19 03:05:09.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
Thailand foreign land ownership policy is often criticized by foreign buyers and to make their point the critics often refer to other countries in Asia that allows foreign land ownership. The message being Thailand should change its policy and allows foreigners to own land because otherwise Thailand will be at risk to see buyers going to purchase in Asian countries that have more opens policies in this regard. I think that those critics are unfair to Thailand and I will explain why in this post
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-10-03 04:33:32.
February 1 2010
Categories: Land Ownership, Thailand Property
Assuming that Thai authorities take as announced a hard stance in relation to the matter of “companies that own land with Thai Shareholders that may be deemed nominees” and assuming that the company do not fight back the accusations. What would happen then?
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-11-02 09:59:13.
February 1 2010
Categories: Thailand Property
Dear Readers, if you have been wondering why I barely posted during the past two weeks the reason is that I was finalizing the second edition of my book “How to Safely Buy Real Estate in Thailand” to be published beginning of February 2009.
Read more…
Originally posted 2010-01-14 10:24:58.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
If you are an individual and are selling a real estate property in Thailand you will be liable to pay personal income tax on the gain you will realized on the transaction at the time of the transfer at the Land Department. Now how does the Land Department Officer actually calculate the withholding tax payable by individual Sellers? Read more…
Originally posted 2009-12-09 09:26:58.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
In Thailand claims on land may be divided in two categories: The major and the minor claims. In this post we will introduce the highest claims on land that are the Nor Sor Sam or Certificate of Use (NS-3), the Nor Sor Sam Gor or Confirmed Certificate of Use (NS-3K) and the Chanote (NS-4) claims.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-09-14 02:59:08.
February 1 2010
Categories: Thailand Property
I have generated for Readers convenience a TABLE OF CONTENT of all the post I published to date on how to buy a property in Thailand.I hope this table will help you to navigate more easily in my blog.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-11-14 06:50:40.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
To buy or not to buy in Thailand?
This is one of the questions that many careful investors are asking now.
Of course due to what happen in Thailand in 1997 where many banks and developers went bankrupt and where hundreds of buildings where left unfinished a lot of buyers are wondering whether it is the right time to buy a property in Thailand?
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-25 23:54:08.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
Are international real estate agencies to be trusted more than small local agents?
You would think that using the service of a reputed international brand of real estate agencies is the guarantee of a safe purchase. Wouldn’t you?
Let me tell you a story that will show you how wrong you would be to think so.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-07-26 04:18:42.
February 1 2010
Categories: Property General Issues, Thailand Property
In the following section, we’ll review the differences between the three higher claims from the lowest to the highest.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-09-15 02:23:39.
February 1 2010
Categories: Land Ownership, Thailand Property
If you are a regular reader of my posts you already know that I believe that the “foreign investors that have purchased land through a company with Thai Shareholders that may be deemed nominees” is a big messy situation that at one point will need to be resolved.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-11-01 07:03:18.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
In this post I will describe step by step the formalities that must be accomplished by the seller and the buyer in order to complete the sale and purchase of a condominium. In this example I make the following assumption. The buyer is a foreign investor. The condominium unit is completed and ready for transfer.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-11-28 05:32:53.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
Should you buy your condominium unit in person or should you register an offshore company to purchase it on your behalf? Both options are available with their advantages and drawbacks.
Read more…
Originally posted 2009-08-24 11:43:20.
February 1 2010
Categories: Condominium Ownership, Thailand Property
If you are married, you have two options when buying a condominium freehold in Thailand. You may either wish to buy the condominium in co-ownership with your foreign or Thai spouse or you may purchase it solely under your name by fulfilling some simple requirements. What you cannot do is to lie about your marital status in order to purchase a condominium in sole ownership while married
Originally posted 2009-08-20 05:25:22.