Property and land in Buriram

Whether it's a rice field, a village house or a city townhouse, property dealings in Buriram follow the Land Code's rules — including the ones about foreigners.

The national rules, briefly

• Foreigners cannot own land; they can own condo units (within the 49% building quota), register leases up to 30 years, and hold usufruct or superficies rights. Nominee arrangements are illegal.
• Titles matter: chanote is full surveyed title; Nor Sor 3 Gor is solid; anything below deserves real caution. Rural land in Isaan is often on lower-grade documents — check before money moves.
• Transfers only count when registered at the Land Office; fees and taxes change over time, so get a current quote at the counter.

The situations we see most

• Thai spouse buys land, foreign spouse funds it: the Land Office will have the foreign spouse sign that the money is the Thai spouse's separate property. Protect the foreign partner with a registered usufruct, superficies (own the house), or a registered 30-year lease.
• Family land with many heirs: land held informally for a generation, then divided on death — see inheritance for how administration works.
• Boundary and access disputes: surveys, servitudes and neighbours; often resolved at the Land Office or through court mediation before full trial.
• Village house purchases: check the land document grade, encumbrances, and that the seller actually holds what they're selling.

Due diligence checklist

1. Pull the title at the Buriram Land Office (or district branch): owner, mortgages, servitudes.
2. Walk the land against the deed plan; check access.
3. Check zoning/building rules for anything you plan to build.
4. Use the Land Office's registered forms for leases and rights — unregistered side agreements are weak.

For deeper guides across every area of Thai law, see our companion site Anglo Siam Law.