Chiang Mai property for foreign buyers

The Interior Ministry announcements were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August. From 15 September, passport holders from 60 countries and territories — including India, the United Kingdom and the United States — receive 30 days visa-free instead of 60; three get 15 days and four move to visa on arrival. The cabinet approved the tiers on 19 May.

REIC's full-year 2025 report counts 14,899 condominium units transferred to foreigners nationwide (+2.2%) worth ฿60,921m (−10.7%), 14.7% of all unit transfers and 25% of value. China stayed first with 4,940 units (−12.9%) and ฿18,585m (−30%); Myanmar rose to second with 1,968 units (+41.8%); Russia third with 1,172 (+8.6%); Taiwan 1,036 (+23.9%). By province Bangkok led with 7,029 units (฿35,386m), then Chonburi 4,164 (฿11,590m); Chiang Mai ranked fourth with 848 units worth ฿2,409m.

REIC's Q1/2569 foreign condominium transfer report: 3,241 units (−17.3%) worth ฿13,464m (−17.9%), 141,644 sq m (−13.8%); foreigners took 13.6% of condo units transferred and 23.9% of value. China first with 906 units (−38.8%) and ฿3,493m (−42.9%); Russia second, 383 units (+33.0%), ฿1,665m (+68.7%); Myanmar third, 279 units (−36.4%), ฿968m (−39.0%). Bangkok led value at ฿6,138m (45.6%), Chonburi led units at 1,167 (36.0%), Phuket's value grew fastest at +34.9%.

In its ฿300bn six-airport plan, AOT says Chiang Mai's new passenger terminal has completed design but the company is restudying its use — handling domestic and international flights in one building to cut operating costs — and will defer improvements to the existing terminal until the new building opens. No completion date is given; the 2022 plan had targeted opening in 2026 with capacity rising from 8m to 16.5m passengers.

The Prime Minister, as Interior Minister, directed the Department of Lands to enforce strict procedures on land transactions involving foreign nationals. Officials must examine source of funds on transactions above ฿2m in cash or ฿5m in assessed value, inspect juristic persons with foreign shareholders monthly, report suspicious activity quarterly, investigate shareholder changes and capital increases, and prosecute nominee arrangements, with authority to force the sale of illegally held land.

On 30 June the cabinet approved cutting the property transfer registration fee from 2% to 0.01% and the mortgage registration fee from 1% to 0.01% for houses, townhouses and condominiums priced and appraised at no more than ฿7m, from Royal Gazette publication until 30 June 2027. Eligibility is Thai-national individuals buying a home of their own; foreign buyers are outside the measure and keep paying the 2% transfer fee.

Kasikorn Research Center forecasts a 20% fall in foreign condominium transfers in 2026, the first decline in five years, and reads the contraction as a Bangkok story: Bangkok-area foreign transfers fell 35% in Q1 2026 while provincial transfers were nearly flat and provincial average prices rose 10.5%.

The Department of Lands' press release sets the screening rule for land offices: individual purchases of land valued at ฿5m or more, or paid with ฿2m or more in cash, require a detailed examination of the buyer's source of money, income, occupation and financial standing. A Thai national with a foreign spouse must state that the purchase money is separate property, not marital property. Each province forms a committee with local officials to monitor suspicious patterns; suspicious cases are referred to the Minister.

The Interior Ministry notification enforcing the Chiang Mai comprehensive city plan B.E. 2569 was published in the Royal Gazette on 25 May 2026 and relayed by the municipality on 27 May. The plan covers seven districts and 65 tambons, about 1,429 sq km; it replaces height-and-setback controls with floor-area ratio, building-coverage ratio and permeable-surface requirements, raises land-use categories from 11 to 15, gives Hang Dong, Saraphi and San Sai explicit zoning for the first time, reclassifies the Ring Road 2 corridor as commercial with no height cap, and keeps airport height limits over the old city. On 7 June the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning answered objections about green space along the Ping River and Mae Kha canal, citing 15 sub-group hearings and 18 planned roads.

On 30 March Chiang Mai recorded an AQI of 233 at 10:00, ranked first worldwide, with cell-broadcast warnings that PM2.5 would stay harmful for two to three days and a wildfire threatening accommodation in Mae Taeng. On 31 March the province prepared a disaster declaration for Mueang Na in Chiang Dao after four days above 125 µg/m³, with mobile clinics from 1 April. On 4 April the Interior Ministry declared emergency disaster-assistance zones for wildfire, haze and PM2.5 across 17 districts of Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Phayao; in Chiang Mai the declaration covers seven districts — Hot, Samoeng, Doi Saket, Chiang Dao, Mae Wang, Mae Taeng and Mae Rim — with 40 tambons, 338 villages and 27 communities, and lets the governor draw on advance government funds.

REIC's first-half 2026 figures, as reported by The Nation: 6,533 units transferred to foreigners (−8.8%) worth ฿28,267m (−1.5%). China remained the largest group at ฿6,874m (−27.7%), buying mainly in Bangkok and Chonburi; Russia rose to ฿3,603m (+75.9%), concentrated in Phuket and Chonburi; Myanmar fell to ฿2,457m (−16.2%), focused on Bangkok.

Phase 5 of the Royal Thai Police operation against foreign nominee networks searched Chiang Mai's Saraphi district on 20 July: 31 target companies, 16 using Thai nominees to hold shares and 15 with foreign shareholders above 50% holding land; 29 plots totalling 20 rai 1 ngan 65.5 sq wa valued at about ฿633m. The searches led to 31 complaints against 74 accused; the Chiang Mai provincial court issued 22 arrest warrants and 18 search warrants covering 2 Thai, 7 Myanmar, 3 Indian, 1 British and 9 Chinese nationals, and 8 of those named were arrested on the day. Screening of the province's 33,144 registered companies found 4,741 with foreign shareholders, 1,591 flagged as potential nominee arrangements and 31 high-risk targets.

The Department of Business Development cross-checked land-holding data on 144,706 entities received from the Department of Lands against 125,662 companies under its oversight: 123,542 hold real estate, of which 87,265 are wholly Thai-owned and 36,277 have foreign shareholders — 31,516 at or below 49% and 4,761 above. Holdings concentrate in Bangkok and five surrounding provinces plus ten tourism provinces including Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, 35,154 entities in 16 provinces. Violations of the Foreign Business Act carry up to three years' imprisonment or fines of ฿100,000 to ฿1m, or both.