New Horizons

1) Can foreign nationals own land in Thailand ?

The simple answer is, Yes.

A) Though, as it is all over the world, there are various means in which to take Title for your Property. For straight purchase of raw, undeveloped, or agriculturally zoned parcels of land, an individual foreigner can own Leasehold Title, registered for up to 90 years, as is common in other parts of the world, mostly for very valuable locations.
B) On the other hand, the land can be fully Owned on Freehold, Fee Simple, Title by setting up a Thai registered corporation. Whomsoever owns the company owns the land as an asset of the Company. As with all the big, luxury hotel chains, such as, for example Holton. The Hotel Corporation owns the building it has built, outright. It owns the land, undoubtedly, that is purchased by the Thai registered hotel corporation.

For an individual foreign national it is much the same thing. A person sets up a Thai company, has the voting and director control of that corporation. The c
Individual purchases the property on behalf of the company, also under the director’s full control, and it is registered at the government Land Office in the form of Freehold, Fee Simple, Title with the individual director signature acknowledging the registration. The Property is owned in perpetuity, forever. An individual can either buy existing structures, houses, or villa, with the land purchase, or have the option to acquire raw land and build to suit.

The purchase of land (and most often with a house or villa already on the land plot) is the most common category of purchase, and marks the most total real estate sales volume per annum. Many purchases are in the form of Leasehold Title for a total of 90 years. The term is, according to statutes, divided into 30 year increments, renewed in advance. Ninety years is a mighty long time when we look how.much our world changes with each passing decade. Also, in many countries, Leasehold title does provide a more beneficial asset in regards to taxation in the home country.
At the same rate, for foreigners, a strong proportion of real estate sales are facilitated through ownership of Thai companies. This is primarily due to, although with a Thai company long term visas and Work Permits are available via the ownership of a Thai company, the benefit and piece of having full ownership of the land Freehold.

2) What is the best category of property to own in Phuket, Thailand ?

Aside from the obvious choice of owning a piece of land on the ocean in a beautiful, tropical paradise, where the warmth of the Duncan the gentle sea breezes, literally, will add good years to your life, just be being there, then designing and building your own dream, there is actually a more overall practical, structured option.
In Thailand, based on the condominium laws of other parts of the globe, with specific language derived from the California Property Regime statutes of 1970, for a foreign national, the purchase of a Condominium ia a streamlined process, where the end result is the highest degree of property ownership Title available in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Technically speaking, exactly 49% of the livable space of a Condominium Project can be sold to individual foreigners. For example, if a Project had 100 units, all the exact same size, then 49 of those units can be taken in Freehold, Fee Simple Title foreign ownership, as described above. Note: the other 51% can be purchased by foreigners in the same structure as the Buying of Land !!! Either Freehold in Thai company, or Leasehold Title 90 years.

The allocation of a Project for a foreigner to own a unit(s), outright, in perpetuity, it is only needed to present the valid passport at the Land Office at « Hand Over », with contract and purchase agreement pay the government transfer fees, and then the Title of the condominium property is registered directly into the Buyer’s name and appears in the Original Title.
Another nice advantage of condominium ownership in Phuket from foreign expat (digital nomad) or holiday maker’s perspective is a condominium project is designed with major hotel amenities, and even operated as a hotel. Plus they are fully furnished, often with kitchens, with added value services and housekeeping, making residency in a foreign land that much more convenient and valuable. Of course, in the business side a rigorous property management endeavour can make lucrative rental income opportunities easier.