I have been looking at land to buy in my wifes village near Udon Thani.

After doing my research on the this and other forums I decided I wasnt going to touch Sor Bor Gor land. I was only after Nor Sor Sam or Chanut titled land.

However after getting the relatives to search for months it appears there is very little Nor Sor Sam land going in or around the village. 95% of the land tends to be Sor Bor Gor.

My wife insists that villagers are not really bothered about the land being Sor Bor Gor and they still buy it anyway.

I told my wife that Sor Bor Gor land belongs to the government and apparently that doesnt bother the locals either.

They believe that the Government could never take there land off them. If this is the case I suppose it doesnt really matter if it is Sor Bor Gor.

The only draw back is that you borrow money from the bank with Sor Bor Gor land.

Does anyone have any opinions on this?

In Phatthalung where my wife bought some land recently, much of the agricultural land is not Chanot titled. My wife claims the land she bought is not Sor Bor Gor which she says is land that can not be sold and can only be passed down to heirs but instead is Sor Tor Kor which I haven't seen anyone else talk about. She says Sor Tor Kor land can be bought and sold but you can't use the land to get a bank loan. She says the land can be converted into Chanot land by following some process that she hasn't been able to articulate clearly to me in English.

In response to your question, there are some titled lands other than Chanot and Nor Sor Sam out there that I feel are relatively safe for your Thai wife to purchase. Unfortunately, I don't believe that Sor Bor Gor is one of them. Do a google search for Sor Bor Gor and you will see that this type of land is not allowed to be sold.

Perhaps the land titles aren't Sor Bor Gor after all. I am no expert on this subject and am sure others will respond with better information.

The land title my wife has is Sor Tor Gor and in Thai is written as ศ. ฅ. ก.

In Phatthalung where my wife bought some land recently, much of the agricultural land is not Chanot titled. My wife claims the land she bought is not Sor Bor Gor which she says is land that can not be sold and can only be passed down to heirs but instead is Sor Tor Kor which I haven't seen anyone else talk about. She says Sor Tor Kor land can be bought and sold but you can't use the land to get a bank loan. She says the land can be converted into Chanot land by following some process that she hasn't been able to articulate clearly to me in English.

In response to your question, there are some titled lands other than Chanot and Nor Sor Sam out there that I feel are relatively safe for your Thai wife to purchase. Unfortunately, I don't believe that Sor Bor Gor is one of them. Do a google search for Sor Bor Gor and you will see that this type of land is not allowed to be sold.

Perhaps the land titles aren't Sor Bor Gor after all. I am no expert on this subject and am sure others will respond with better information.

donx.Sor Tor Kor is a relatively new title issued by the Government in 1982. It was initiated in order to stimulate the reworking of degraded forestland. It has usufructory rights but was originally only given a term of 5 years. You need to check if it has been renewed. Unless you build on it, or develop it into a tourist resort it is doubtful anyone from the Land Office would visit you looking for a hand out.

Ground Engineer. Similar reply really! These historic interests have been traded openly for many years before the 1901 Land Registration Act, and it is difficult to convince anyone in local villages that they should not be traded. As long as you don't pay development land values, and don't put more than your little thai house on the land, no one cares. People in authority only care when you have money

Thank you for the explanation Dragonman. My wife purchased the land with the village chief as witness to the transaction. We have a document in Thai that (according to my wife) indicates that she is the owner of the property as described. She has two such properties. One is 10 rai and the other is 17 rai. Both have rubber trees growing on them of various ages. She said the village chief visited her parent's home late last year to offer to "upgrade" the land title on one of the properties. Since my wife wasn't in Thailand at the time, we were not able to get the land title changed. He said he would be by again in four years to ask again then. I suspect that when we return to Thailand, a little monetary incentive may reduce the waiting time. My wife says that most of the land in her village is Chanote. These two properties are in a different village about 10 kilometers away.

Thank you for the explanation Dragonman. My wife purchased the land with the village chief as witness to the transaction. We have a document in Thai that (according to my wife) indicates that she is the owner of the property as described. She has two such properties. One is 10 rai and the other is 17 rai. Both have rubber trees growing on them of various ages. She said the village chief visited her parent's home late last year to offer to "upgrade" the land title on one of the properties. Since my wife wasn't in Thailand at the time, we were not able to get the land title changed. He said he would be by again in four years to ask again then. I suspect that when we return to Thailand, a little monetary incentive may reduce the waiting time. My wife says that most of the land in her village is Chanote. These two properties are in a different village about 10 kilometers away.

Strictly speaking the interest cannot exceed 15 rai. But what does that count. Also the law does not really accept up-grading. But what the heck TiT. Besides this is exactly the subject that led to a past Government's demise

Great information Dragonman, much appreciated.

I have been offered a 23 Rai plot for B350 K in my wifes village. The village Mayor and other villagers will witness the sale of the land just the same as its always been done in my wifes village.

Im not bothered about developing it, Im farming it. I know it will go up in value at the same rate as titled land and I know I can sell it on the future for a profit.

Brilliant, the Thais have got it right......who needs to pay the ampur and the goverment tax for buying and selling land.

Its Sor Bor Gor for me.