Property transfer fees & taxes in Thailand: what it really costs to transfer a condo
When a Thai condominium changes hands, the Land Office collects up to four separate charges on transfer day — a 2% transfer fee, 3.3% Specific Business Tax, 0.5% stamp duty, and withholding tax. Which ones apply, what they’re calculated on, and who pays are all driven by one thing most buyers don’t budget for: how long the seller has owned the unit. Here’s the full breakdown, a worked example, and the negotiation that decides who foots the bill. Buyer, seller and investor focused, never paid placement.
Transferring a condo in Thailand triggers up to four Land Office charges: the 2% transfer fee, 3.3% Specific Business Tax (only if the seller owned it under 5 years), 0.5% stamp duty (only when SBT doesn’t apply), and withholding tax on the seller. Convention is to split the 2% and let the seller carry the rest — but it’s all negotiable, so nail it down in the contract before transfer day.
Living Summary
Property Transfer Fees — living summary
Editorial analysis compiled and periodically refreshed by BAANLYY’s research team — not a live data feed.
Is the temporary 0.01% transfer & mortgage fee cut still in effect?
Yes, and it just got extended. Thailand's Cabinet approved a further one-year extension on 30 June 2026, published in the Government Gazette on 1 July 2026, keeping the reduced 0.01% transfer fee and 0.01% mortgage registration fee (down from the standard 2% and 1%) in force through 30 June 2027. The important catch for most BAANLYY readers: this discount applies only when the buyer is an individual with Thai nationality, and only on properties where the price, appraised value and mortgage amount are all THB 7 million or less. Foreign condo buyers and higher-value units still pay the standard rates covered in this guide.
Did the government-appraised value used to calculate these fees just change?
Yes. Thailand's Treasury Department revalues land nationwide on a four-year cycle, and the current round (1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026) raised assessed values by roughly 8.9% on average nationwide, with much larger jumps in some provinces. Because the 2% transfer fee and an individual seller's withholding tax are both calculated on the appraised value, this reassessment directly increased the fee and tax base for many units even where the actual sale price hasn't moved. The next four-year round takes effect 1 January 2027, running through 2030.
Who does the current fee landscape affect most right now?
Thai-national buyers purchasing a qualifying home under THB 7 million get a substantial, government-extended discount through mid-2027. Foreign condo buyers, and anyone above the THB 7 million band, still pay the standard 2% transfer fee, 3.3% SBT or 0.5% stamp duty, and withholding tax described in this guide. Sellers of any nationality should also confirm their unit's freshly reassessed 2023-2026 appraised value before estimating their bill, since it may be higher than the last time they checked.
What's the net pros/cons picture today?
Pros: the Thai government has repeatedly extended a steep fee discount (2024, 2025, and again in mid-2026) to support the property market, showing continued commitment to keeping transaction costs down for qualifying buyers. Cons: the discount is capped by nationality and price, so most foreign-buyer transactions on BAANLYY don't qualify, it remains a temporary measure due for review again in mid-2027, and the newer, higher 2023-2026 appraised values can offset some of the fee savings for anyone who does qualify.
Analysis last reviewed 2026-07-05.
Growth Trajectory
How Thailand's Transfer Fees Have Changed
1992
Specific Business Tax introduced
A Revenue Code reform enacts Specific Business Tax (SBT) alongside Thailand's new VAT system, replacing the old Business Tax. Property sales treated as a trade - i.e. held less than 5 years - become subject to the 3% SBT (an effective 3.3% after the 10% local surcharge) that still applies today.
2023-2026
New nationwide appraised-value round
The Treasury Department's four-year land-appraisal cycle resets on 1 January 2023 (delayed from 2020 by the pandemic), lifting government-assessed values by roughly 8.9% on average nationwide - directly raising the base used for the 2% transfer fee and individual withholding tax.
Apr 2024
Cabinet cuts transfer fee to 1%
On 9 April 2024 the Cabinet approves cutting the transfer fee from 2% to 1% and the mortgage fee to 0.01%, for properties up to THB 7 million bought by Thai-national individuals - the first in the current run of stimulus-era fee cuts.
Apr 2025
Fee cut deepened to 0.01%
A further Cabinet resolution on 8 April 2025, published in the Government Gazette on 22 April 2025, cuts the transfer fee to just 0.01% (from 2%) and keeps the mortgage fee at 0.01% (from 1%), for the same THB 7 million band and Thai-buyer condition - effective through 30 June 2026.
Jul 2026
0.01% rate extended to mid-2027
The Cabinet approves a further one-year extension on 30 June 2026; two Ministry of Interior notifications published in the Government Gazette on 1 July 2026 keep the 0.01% transfer and mortgage fee in force through 30 June 2027 - the current rate as of this guide's last review.
01
The four charges on transfer day
Forget the single “closing cost” number you might be used to back home. In Thailand, the costs of transferring a condominium are a stack of up to four distinct government charges, each with its own rate, its own calculation base, and its own trigger:
Transfer fee — 2% of the official appraised value. Almost always applies.
Specific Business Tax (SBT) — 3.3% of the higher of appraised or sale price. Applies when the seller owned the unit less than 5 years.
Stamp duty — 0.5% of the higher of appraised or sale price. Charged only when SBT does not — you pay one or the other, never both.
Withholding tax — a prepayment of income tax on the seller, scaled by ownership length (individuals) or a flat 1% (companies).
The grand total typically falls between roughly 2% and 6%+ of value — a wide range, because the seller’s holding period flips SBT on or off and reshapes the withholding tax. Before you can budget, you need to know two things: the unit’s appraised value and how long the current owner has held it. For the full transaction sequence around these costs, see the condo buying process guide.
02
The transfer fee — 2%
The transfer fee (registration fee) is the most predictable cost: 2% of the official appraised value of the unit, collected by the Land Department when ownership is registered into the buyer’s name. Note the base — it’s the government-assessed appraised value, not your contract price, and the appraised figure is often lower than what the unit actually sold for.
One thing to watch: the Thai government has, in various years, temporarily reduced the transfer fee (and sometimes the mortgage registration fee) for certain price brackets as a housing-market stimulus. These reductions come and go and carry conditions, so don’t assume a rate — confirm the current transfer fee, and whether any reduction is active for your price band, with the Land Office or your lawyer before you close. By convention the 2% is split 50/50 between buyer and seller on a resale, though that split is negotiable.
03
Specific Business Tax & the 5-year rule
Specific Business Tax (SBT) is the charge that punishes quick flips. It runs at an effective 3.3% — a 3% base rate plus a 10% municipal surcharge levied on that tax — calculated on the higher of the appraised value or the actual sale price.
SBT applies when…
the seller has owned the unit for less than 5 years, and
none of the standard exemptions apply.
SBT does NOT apply when…
the seller has held the unit 5 years or more;
the seller’s name has been in the house registration (tabien baan) for at least one year;
the property was acquired by inheritance, among other specific cases.
When SBT doesn’t apply, the much smaller 0.5% stamp duty takes its place. That single 5-year threshold is the biggest swing factor in a seller’s transfer bill — it’s why holding a unit just past the five-year mark can meaningfully cut the cost of selling. Investors weighing a resale should read our renting vs. buying analysis and the foreign-ownership breakdown.
04
Stamp duty — 0.5% (the SBT alternative)
Stamp duty is charged at 0.5% of the higher of the appraised value or the sale price — but only when SBT is not payable. The two are mutually exclusive: a seller pays SBT (3.3%) or stamp duty (0.5%), never both. In practice this means a long-term owner selling after five years pays the small 0.5% stamp duty, while a short-term flipper pays the far heavier 3.3% SBT instead.
Because stamp duty only appears when SBT is off, you can read it as the “reward” rate for having held the property long enough — one more reason the holding period drives the whole calculation.
05
Withholding tax — the seller's income tax
Withholding tax is a prepayment of income tax on the sale, collected at the Land Office and charged to the seller. How it’s calculated depends on who the seller is:
Individual seller: calculated on the appraised value using a progressive personal-income-tax scale, after a standard deduction that grows with the number of years owned. Longer ownership generally means a bigger deduction and a smaller tax. The full computation is genuinely intricate.
Company seller: a flat 1% of the higher of the appraised value or the sale price — simpler, and often lower for higher-value units.
Because the individual calculation runs through tax brackets and year-based deductions, don’t try to eyeball it — have the Land Office or your lawyer produce the exact figure before transfer day so there are no surprises at the counter. If you’re a resident weighing your wider tax position, see our tax for expats guide.
06
Who pays what — the negotiation
Here’s the part that catches buyers off guard: who pays these charges is negotiable, and it all comes down to what’s written in the sale and purchase agreement. There is a customary split, but no law forces it:
Transfer fee (2%): conventionally split 50/50 between buyer and seller.
SBT / stamp duty & withholding tax: conventionally the seller’s cost, since they tax the seller’s gain and holding period.
Hot vs. soft market: a confident seller may push costs onto the buyer; a motivated seller may agree to pay everything to close.
New developer units: the developer sets the terms — sometimes “buyer pays all transfer costs,” sometimes a shared formula. Read the contract.
The lesson: treat transfer costs as a negotiable line item, not a fixed tax bill. Agree the split in writing before you sign, and make sure the contract spells out exactly who pays each of the four charges.
07
A worked example
Take a Bangkok condo with an appraised value of THB 5,000,000 and an identical sale price of THB 5,000,000, sold by an individual who has owned it for 3 years (so SBT applies). The Land Office charges would be roughly:
Transfer fee — 2% × 5,000,000 = THB 100,000
Specific Business Tax — 3.3% × 5,000,000 = THB 165,000
Stamp duty — THB 0 (not charged because SBT applies)
Withholding tax — computed on the appraised value via the progressive scale after the 3-year deduction; varies, commonly a low-to-mid single-digit percentage of value for a unit and holding period like this — get the exact figure from the Land Office.
So the fixed, knowable charges alone come to THB 265,000 (transfer fee + SBT), before withholding tax. Now flip one variable: if the same seller had owned the unit for more than 5 years, SBT (THB 165,000) would be replaced by stamp duty of just 0.5% = THB 25,000, and the withholding deduction would be larger too — a swing of well over THB 140,000 on a single five-year threshold. That’s the holding period doing the heavy lifting.
08
Frequently asked
What are the transfer costs when buying or selling a condo in Thailand?Four government charges can apply at the Land Office on the day a condominium is transferred: (1) the transfer fee, normally 2% of the official appraised value; (2) Specific Business Tax (SBT) of 3.3%, which applies when the seller has owned the unit for less than five years; (3) stamp duty of 0.5%, payable only when SBT does NOT apply — you pay one or the other, never both; and (4) withholding tax, a prepayment of income tax on the sale. The total typically lands somewhere between roughly 2% and 6%+ of value depending on how long the seller has owned the unit and who agreed to pay what. None of these are fixed in stone between the parties — who pays is negotiated in the sale contract.
How much is the transfer fee in Thailand?The standard transfer (registration) fee is 2% of the property's official appraised value — the government-assessed value set by the Land Department, which is often lower than the actual sale price. It is collected by the Land Office at the moment ownership is registered. The Thai government has occasionally reduced this fee temporarily as a housing-market stimulus (for certain price brackets and time windows), so always confirm the current rate and any active reduction with the Land Office or your lawyer before you budget. Customarily the 2% transfer fee is split 50/50 between buyer and seller, but this is negotiable and developers of new units often set their own terms.
What is Specific Business Tax and the 5-year rule?Specific Business Tax (SBT) is charged at an effective 3.3% (a 3% base rate plus a 10% local surcharge on that tax) of the higher of the appraised value or the actual sale price. It is aimed at sellers who flip property: it applies when the seller has owned the unit for LESS than five years. If the seller has held the unit for five years or more — or meets certain exemptions such as having their name in the house registration (tabien baan) for at least one year, or acquiring by inheritance — SBT does not apply, and the much smaller 0.5% stamp duty is charged instead. The 5-year clock is the single biggest swing factor in a seller's transfer bill.
What is the withholding tax on a property sale?Withholding tax is a prepayment of income tax collected at the Land Office when the unit transfers, and it is the seller's liability. For an individual seller it is calculated on the appraised value using a progressive personal-income-tax scale, after a standard deduction that depends on the number of years the seller owned the property — so the longer you have owned it, the larger the deduction and (often) the smaller the tax. For a company seller it is a flat 1% of the higher of the appraised value or the sale price. Because the individual calculation is genuinely complex, ask the Land Office or your lawyer to compute the exact figure before closing.
Who pays the transfer costs — the buyer or the seller?Legally, different charges fall on different parties, but in practice everything is negotiated and written into the sale and purchase agreement. The most common convention on resale is: the 2% transfer fee is split 50/50, while the seller covers SBT (or stamp duty) and the withholding tax, since those are taxes on the seller's gain and holding period. That said, in a hot market a seller may push costs onto the buyer, and in a soft market a buyer may negotiate the seller to pay everything. With brand-new developer units, the developer dictates the split — sometimes 'buyer pays all transfer costs,' sometimes a shared formula — so read the contract carefully.
Are transfer fees calculated on the sale price or the appraised value?It depends on the charge. The transfer fee (2%) and the individual seller's withholding tax are calculated on the official appraised value set by the Land Department. SBT (3.3%) and stamp duty (0.5%) are calculated on the HIGHER of the appraised value or the declared sale price. Because the appraised value is frequently lower than the real market price, the base used matters — and it's why two units selling for the same price can incur different tax depending on their assessed values. Always budget from the Land Office's appraised figure, not just your contract price, and confirm the numbers before transfer day.
General information only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Transfer fees, Specific Business Tax, stamp duty and withholding-tax rates, appraised-value bases, exemptions and any temporary government fee reductions change over time and depend on the specific property, parties and holding period; confirm current figures with the Land Office and a qualified Thai property lawyer or tax adviser before acting. BAANLYY never takes paid placement.
Primary and official sources are cited above. Government rules, fees and procedures in Thailand change over time and vary by office; always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before relying on them. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.