Thai women married to foreigners can not own land?

[NorthernRyland]

So some random guy on a YouTube channels comments says it's against the law for Thai women married to non-Thai nationals to buy land, even if it's in her own name. Cites the "Thai land code". If this was true obviously we would all know about it long ago and presumably at least one land office in the country would refuse to issue deeds but of course this never seems to happen.

 

I'm just curious now though, does anyone know where this is coming from? I suspect it's some old law which has gone unenforced in 50 years and hasn't been updated.

[lopburi3]

1.  In days long ago land office would not register land to Thai with foreign spouse due to marriage laws of joint property and the law that foreigners can not own land.

 

2.  Many moons ago a provision was made to allow the Thai to buy land with their own money (foreign spouse signing paperwork to that effect) and a provision made to allow a foreign spouse obtaining land due to death/joint property provision to hold such land for up to one year (must be sold to Thai within that time).

 

3.  So now Thai can buy/register land as long as foreign spouse signs such paperwork.  But not sure all land offices are up to date on providing such service.

[reefsurfah]

Random guy YouTube says it all wtf

[NorthernRyland]

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

3.  So now Thai can buy/register land as long as foreign spouse signs such paperwork.  But not sure all land offices are up to date on providing such service.

so that's what that paper was I signed. 🙂 I didn't realize this history existed. Thanks for your answer.

[NorthernRyland]

2 minutes ago, reefsurfah said:

Random guy YouTube says it all wtf

I know it was BS but I was curious WHY it was BS.

[SAFETY FIRST]

25 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

curious now though, does anyone know where this is coming from?

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube. 

 

[NorthernRyland]

4 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube. 

 

Oh trust me, I told the guy he's speaking nonsense. Just wanted to know the origin of his nonsensical claim. First commenter gave a great answer and I learned something useful.

[rgrdns]

I signed such document in 2011 for a "condo" on my wife's name (partial bank loan), if not signing that particular doc. she couldn't buy it.

[indyo]

another monetized video, YouTube it's not Wikipedia.  Probably they are millions of Thai women married with a foreign that own or buy land. That is a fact.

[oxo1947]

32 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Many moons ago a provision was made to allow the Thai to buy land with their own money (foreign spouse signing paperwork to that effect) and a provision made to allow a foreign spouse obtaining land due to death/joint property provision to hold such land for up to one year (must be sold to Thai within that time).

1999 -- not so many moons ago lopburi3 for the Thai wife..... and the (condominium act no. 3 1999---no buying condos for Farrangs before that.

[lopburi3]

33 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

1999 -- not so many moons ago lopburi3 for the Thai wife..... and the (condominium act no. 3 1999---no buying condos for Farrangs before that.

Only about 300 full moon parties?

Before 1999 not many wanted to own a condo - most Thai considered them only fit for bird habitation in the early days.

[KhaoNiaw]

We bought our first family house here in 1993 just after my daughter was born. We deliberately didn't go through with a legal marriage because of that law, which was in place at the time. It still proved to be quite a difficult task as when prior to this my partner had applied for a passport, the passport office insisted that because she already had a child she would have to change her title from Miss (nangsao) to Mrs (nang). This entailed a visit back to the home province and was done successfully. Then when it came to getting the mortgage, because she was a nang,the bank wanted her husband's details and wouldn't accept that she had never married. It was finally resolved by taking a bank manager friend of her sister's out for dinner and sinking a couple of bottles of whisky with him. Much easier by the time we bought our next house and this law had gone.

[prakhonchai nick]

Back in 1987, my wife was not permitted to buy land as she was married to me.  We had her father "buy" the land, and it was mortgaged to me for security, to prevent the family selling without my knowledge.  Similarly  at that time, our 2 year old daughter who was born in the UK, was not allowed to have Thai citizenship, as she was born outside Thailand. She had Permanent Residency, like me, and it was not until she was 17, that she was given Thai citizenship.

[ExpatOilWorker]

IMF forced Thailand to change that law to obtain an IMF loan after the Asian financial crisis. 

[Elkski]

Educational thread.   Wow Nick 87'  thats quite a long time ago.  I bet there are some things from then you miss?;

[dingdongrb]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube. 

 

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet.

 

There, I fixed that for you.......

[KhunBENQ]

4 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

I know it was BS but I was curious WHY it was BS.

History channel?

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

IMF forced Thailand to change that law to obtain an IMF loan after the Asian financial crisis. 

 

fascinating!

[NorthernRyland]

4 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Before 1999 not many wanted to own a condo - most Thai considered them only fit for bird habitation in the early days.

Just thinking about people stuffed into concrete sky boxes makes feel sad. I arrived in 2005. Quality of life is going down except for internet speeds and food delivery. Not worth it!

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet.

 

Just to clarify the level of this information was only one step above the drunk ramblings of a hobo, it was from a COMMENT on a YouTube channel. Not even the author of the video speaking, just some random guy in the comments warning us how we're all breaking the law and our time will come eventually.

 

However, thanks to his nonsense I learned some interesting history from forum members so I can thank him for that. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 3/30/2024 at 6:26 PM, ExpatOilWorker said:

IMF forced Thailand to change that law to obtain an IMF loan after the Asian financial crisis. 

Permitting Thai women who are married to foreigners to own land or property was not a condition of the IMF's loans to Thailand.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 3/30/2024 at 6:55 PM, dingdongrb said:

On 3/30/2024 at 3:36 PM, SAFETY FIRST said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube. 

 

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet.

 

There, I fixed that for you.......

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet or on Asean Now.   There, I fixed that for you.

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

On 3/30/2024 at 6:26 PM, ExpatOilWorker said:

IMF forced Thailand to change that law to obtain an IMF loan after the Asian financial crisis. 

 

fascinating!

...if it was true!

[NorthernRyland]

15 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

...if it was true!

ok sounds like there is a dispute on this detail. Doesn't really matter now but I'd be curious to know the truth. Why the IMF would have an interest is curious too but maybe they have some liberal humanitarian agenda and they use their funds to influence policy, which seems plausible to me.

[CartagenaWarlock]

Random western guys on YouTube are advocating for Western losers to come to Thailand and start hawking on the street because, unlike in western countries, they don't need a license in Thailand. If you watch YouTube, you will find random western guys who have gone berserk after discovering Thailand because, apparently, you could rent a room for 5000 baht and get a meal for 50 baht. And they are very nearby. You can step out of your 5,000-baht room and start eating a 50-baht meal without any means of transportation. They had discovered a gold deposit. In my wildest dream, I never saw so many desperate western losers. From the comments in those videos, you would think that the West is in decline and the youths are running away to low-cost countries in Asia

[Everyman]

Probably one of the same Youtube <deleted> scaring everyone half to death about the “new tax law.” 

[ExpatOilWorker]

5 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

ok sounds like there is a dispute on this detail. Doesn't really matter now but I'd be curious to know the truth. Why the IMF would have an interest is curious too but maybe they have some liberal humanitarian agenda and they use their funds to influence policy, which seems plausible to me.

It is very much possible that IMF had nothing to do with it and the law was simply just updated at that same time, as a broader modernization. Thailand does evolve after all. 

[AverageAussie]

7 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet or on Asean Now.   There, I fixed that for you.

 

Today's Venn Diagram. No need to thank me.

[JayClay]

On 3/30/2024 at 3:36 PM, SAFETY FIRST said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube. 

 

 

On 3/30/2024 at 6:55 PM, dingdongrb said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet.

 

There, I fixed that for you.......

 

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube the Internet or on Asean Now.   There, I fixed that for you.

 

...Asean Now and YouTube are a subset of the internet. @dingdongrb's comment was fine.

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, JayClay said:

.Asean Now and YouTube are a subset of the internet. @dingdongrb's comment was fine