Thailand nominee crackdown exposes property law loopholes MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026 Section 94 questioned over its “deterrent effect” One issue under question is a legal loophole in Section 94 of the Land Code, which provides that if a foreigner unlawfully acquires land, the Director-General of the Department of Lands may order the disposal of that land within a period of not less than 180 days but not more than one year. If the order is not complied with, the state can put the property up for auction. In practice, the measure may appear to be a clear penalty, but from a law-and-economics perspective, Thai law still does not impose financial penalties severe enough. The key reason is that even if a holder is found to have bought land illegally, after the property is sold, the offender can still recover the principal as well as any profit from the land price increase in line with market conditions. In other words, if land prices rose throughout the holding period, the investor may still receive returns even though they are ultimately forced to sell the property out of the system. https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40067708
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