Good news: expats CAN get a mortgage in Thailand. Bad news: it's harder than it used to be.
Which Banks Lend to Foreigners?
| Bank | Max LTV | Min Income | Notes | |------|---------|------------|-------| | Bangkok Bank | 60–70% | 100,000 THB/month | Accepts offshore income | | Kasikorn | 60–70% | 80,000 THB/month | Requires work permit | | UOB Thailand | 50–60% | 120,000 THB/month | Prefers work permit | | CIMB Thai | 60% | 150,000 THB/month | Accepts foreign income |
What You'll Need
- Valid passport and Thai visa
- 6–12 months of bank statements and payslips
- Tax returns (home country or Thailand)
- Employment verification
The Approval Process
- Pre-qualification (1–2 days)
- Full application (2–4 weeks)
- Bank appraisal (1 week)
- Loan offer
- Transfer at Land Office
Alternatives If You Can't Get a Mortgage
- Developer financing — Instalment plans (0% interest for 12–24 months)
- Home loan from your home country — Refinance against existing property
- Bring the full amount — Wire transfer from overseas
Can a Foreigner Actually Get a Thai Bank Mortgage?
The bank table above overstates what is available. Legally, almost nothing stops a foreigner borrowing in Thailand; the obstacle is credit policy. Thai banks underwrite against the National Credit Bureau file and Thai-sourced income, typically two or more years of Thai tax returns on forms PND 90 or 91. A newly arrived buyer with foreign payslips and an empty credit file will normally be declined whichever branch they approach. Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn and SCB state in policy that applicants must be Thai nationals or work-permit holders with a substantial employment history. Over 95% of foreign purchases close in cash or on developer instalments.
What Financing Routes Do Foreign Buyers Actually Use?
Four, in rough order of prevalence. Cash, or a developer instalment plan during construction — effectively interest-free credit, with the developer's counterparty risk instead of a bank's. An offshore loan from a bank in the buyer's own country, or against existing assets. UOB Thailand's International Property Loan, the most active non-resident programme, lending against freehold condominium units at roughly 60% loan-to-value without a work permit and 70% with one, in SGD or USD, on units from ฿3 million to ฿50 million over up to 30 years. And as a fallback a non-bank lender such as MBK, at up to 50% loan-to-value with fixed rates from around 12% a year.
What Costs and Limits Apply to a Thai Mortgage?
Mortgage registration costs 1% of the registered amount, capped at ฿200,000 — a cap worth remembering on a large loan. The reduced 0.01% registration rate in force since 1 July 2026 is for a Thai individual buyer only and does not apply to a foreign borrower. A leasehold unit cannot be mortgaged by an ordinary bank; only a freehold condominium unit inside the 49% foreign quota is accepted as collateral. The Bank of Thailand relaxed its loan-to-value ceiling to 100% in May 2025, extended to 30 June 2027, but in practice non-resident lending still sits at roughly 50% to 70%.
Separately, and regardless of how the purchase is financed, the Foreign Exchange Transaction form must show the funds arrived from abroad in foreign currency. A mortgage drawn in Thailand does not remove that requirement for a freehold condominium purchase.
Source note added: Condominium Act B.E. 2522 (1979), Sections 19 and 19 ter on the Foreign Exchange Transaction form; Bank of Thailand loan-to-value relaxation of May 2025, extended to 30 June 2027; Department of Lands fee schedule. See the Bank of Thailand and the Department of Lands.
