What a Dubai-Based Expat Should Know Before Buying in Phuket
Nothing in Thai law turns on where you work. A Dubai-based buyer takes a Phuket condominium on the foreigner’s terms, funds it from wherever the money lawfully sits, and answers for the tax in whichever country actually taxes them, which for many Gulf residents is Thailand alone. The FAQ below carries the substance; the fuller treatment is on the Middle East buyers page.
Ownership Rules for Foreign Buyers
- Non-Thai buyers can own, between them, no more than 49% of the sellable floor area in any one building, and that room is consumed as each transfer registers
- Land cannot be owned by foreigners
- A villa comes as a lease: 30 years on the register, with any renewal a contractual promise rather than a registered right
- Registration of a foreign freehold rests on the Thai bank’s FET record; a single transfer of $50,000 or more produces the full form
Rental Yields for a Dubai-Based Buyer
A zone yield table used to sit here. It had no source and is withdrawn; underwrite from a specific building’s statements using the rental yield guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flight time and seasonality. Phuket is reachable directly or with one connection from the Gulf hubs, and Gulf demand peaks in the northern summer, which is Phuket's low season, so an owner visiting then is not competing with their own peak rental weeks.
No. Thai property law does not vary by residence or passport: condominium freehold within a building's 49% floor-area quota, no freehold land at any price, and an FET record required for freehold registration by a non-resident.
Wherever they are held, provided they arrive in Thailand from abroad in foreign currency with the FET record carrying your name, the correct amount and a reference to the property. Send foreign currency; converting to baht before sending defeats the requirement.
Rental income earned in Thailand is taxable in Thailand regardless of where you live. Whether it is also taxable elsewhere depends on your own residence and citizenship, so take advice in the jurisdiction that actually taxes you rather than assuming a Gulf residence resolves it.
A unit that manages itself. Remote ownership from a different time zone puts weight on the manager's competence and reporting, so ask how they report, how often, and what they escalate before choosing between two similar properties.
Maksim Shchegolev
Founder, MORE Group
Founder of MORE Group. Four years in investment banking before moving to Phuket, where he has worked in the local property market since 2018. Oversees developer relationships and every engagement above $300K.
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