Buy a land for my Thai child?

[Annonymous]

Hey there,

I know that as a foreigner I can't own a land in Thailand. I can however buy one for my wife, correct?

But how about buying a land for my child who has the Thai nationality?

He's still a baby, so the second question is: Can a person under 18 own a land in Thailand?

Thanks!

[XINLOI]

Hello,

Sorry to say but they (Thai) under 18 cannot legally own the land, they are not considered an adult yet. The local laws may not allow them to own it, but the parents can give the land to them but they still can't do anything until 18 or 25 y/o which confuses everything. I have bought for my child a fair amount of land but it is in the Thai parents (wifes) name. Hope this helps you some.

[Annonymous]

Hello,

Sorry to say but they (Thai) under 18 cannot legally own the land, they are not considered an adult yet. The local laws may not allow them to own it, but the parents can give the land to them but they still can't do anything until 18 or 25 y/o which confuses everything. I have bought for my child a fair amount of land but it is in the Thai parents (wifes) name. Hope this helps you some.

Thank you for the reply!

[itchybum]

I am under the belief that they can, also be on the title etc.

However it is locked up until they are 20yo and if you need to do anything with that land in the mean time, it must be applied for through the courts and is then up to them if they grant permission...think it has to be for the benefit of the child and such to be granted...eg to pay school fees or such maybe.

[innerspace]

Can be on the title but as stated makes it difficult to sell if you ever want to sell or move before they are an adult.

Can be done but needs court permission which is hard to obtain.

Key point though....

The land cannot have any debt. No mortgage. Paid up in full if a minor is on the chanote at all.

[machans88]

the law says you can ,but most local tessabahns won't let you put the land in a childs name under 20

,i tried in prachuap khiri khan hua hin,the land office wouldnt allow it,even after the lawyer told them the law!

The best i could do was put land in ex wifes name with a 30 year lease and a will that if she dies the land goes to our son.

We have a good relationship and share equal responsibilities with our son so no problem......yet..lol

[itchybum]

the law says you can ,but most local tessabahns won't let you put the land in a childs name under 20

,i tried in prachuap khiri khan hua hin,the land office wouldnt allow it,even after the lawyer told them the law!

The best i could do was put land in ex wifes name with a 30 year lease and a will that if she dies the land goes to our son.

We have a good relationship and share equal responsibilities with our son so no problem......yet..lol

Jesus christ....fine example of this country.

Its the law, but these numpties are above the law and make up their own rules as they go along.

I know of land offices that have put kids on titles, so it is just ludicrous that these retards think they can make it up to suit themselves.

[ThailandInvestmentGuide]

There have been many prior threads on this issue ... it's worth doing a forum search using words like "minor child owning land" or similar, as some of these threads are quite detailed and informative. Yes it is legally possible but there are issues related to taking this step which make in unsuitable for some people or some situations. One of these, the inability to sell the land in the absence of court approval (and before the child comes of age), has already been stated.

With different land offices (or individual staff therein) it is not just a case of will do or won't do. Some have adopted arbitrary ages (for minors) above which they will agree to a land transfer. For example some may state that the child must at least be old enough to sign their name.

[Arkady]

There is nothing in the Land Code to prevent this but Land Dept officials may choose to take the law into their own hands and refuse to do the registration. A child may not apply for planning permission or sell the land without a court's permission. So, if you plan to do this, make sure you have already build what you want on the land and don't plan to sell it before the child is 20, after which time he or she may sell it without consulting you.