What Is Thai Baht Transfer Certificate (2026)

What Is a Thai Baht Transfer Certificate (FET)? Phuket Property Guide

This guide answers one of the most common questions from foreign buyers in Phuket’s property market: What Is a Thai Baht Transfer Certificate (FET)? Phuket Property Guide.

Direct Answer

The document that matters is the record of foreign currency arriving in Thailand from abroad, commonly called the FET, issued by the receiving Thai bank. It is what proves the purchase money was imported, and without it a non-resident foreigner cannot register freehold title to a Thai condominium.

What it is and why it exists

Thai law permits a foreigner to hold a condominium unit freehold, but requires that the purchase funds be brought into the country from abroad in foreign currency. The bank that receives and converts the transfer issues documentation recording the inbound remittance, and the Land Department requires that documentation at registration.

The mechanism is straightforward: send foreign currency, let the Thai bank convert it, collect the paperwork. The mistakes are equally straightforward and they are all avoidable.

The four things that must be right

Detail	Requirement	What goes wrong
Name	The buyer’s name, exactly as it will appear on the title	Funds sent by a spouse, a company, or a differently spelled name
Amount	Sufficient to cover the purchase price	Sending net of bank charges, leaving a shortfall
Currency	Foreign currency, converted in Thailand	Converting to baht before sending, which defeats the purpose
Purpose	Referencing the property purchase	A blank or generic reference, which the bank cannot correct later

The currency point catches people out most often. If you convert to baht at home and send baht, there is no inbound foreign currency for the Thai bank to record, and the document you need cannot be issued. Send the foreign currency and let the Thai bank convert.

Practical sequence

Tell your Thai bank in advance what the transfer is for, so the reference is captured correctly on receipt. Send from an account in your own name. Include the purpose and the property reference in the wire instructions.

Allow time. A bank-to-bank transfer typically takes three to five business days, enhanced compliance checks can add several more, and issuance of the documentation can take from the same day to a week. Starting two weeks before you need it is prudent; starting the day before a milestone payment is how deadlines get missed and penalty clauses get triggered.

If the purchase is paid in tranches, document each one as it goes. Reconstructing a paper trail across several transfers months later is far harder than filing it at the time.

What it does not cover

The requirement attaches to freehold registration by a non-resident. A registered leasehold does not require it in the same way, though the Land Department may still ask for source-of-funds evidence at lease registration, and your lawyer will usually advise documenting the transfers regardless.

Alternative routes, cryptocurrency conversion, third-party money transfer services, may offer better rates and create documentation problems that only surface at registration, when they are hardest to fix. Use ordinary banking channels for the purchase money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What document is actually required? +

The record of foreign currency arriving in Thailand from abroad, issued by the receiving Thai bank and commonly called the FET. It proves the purchase money was imported, and without it a non-resident foreigner cannot register freehold title to a condominium.

What has to be correct on it? +

Four things: the buyer's name exactly as it will appear on the title, an amount covering the purchase price rather than arriving net of charges, foreign currency converted in Thailand, and a reference to the property purchase.

What is the most common mistake? +

Converting to baht at home and sending baht. There is then no inbound foreign currency for the Thai bank to record, and the document cannot be issued. Send the foreign currency and let the Thai bank convert it.

How long should I allow? +

At least ten working days per transfer. A bank-to-bank wire typically takes three to five business days, enhanced compliance checks add several more, and issuance can take from the same day to a week.

Does it matter after the purchase? +

Yes, and this is why it is worth getting right. The same record is what makes repatriating sale proceeds straightforward years later. Keep it with the title documents rather than in an email folder.