Selling property in Phuket is usually a smooth, well-trodden process, but your final net proceeds depend on a handful of costs settled on transfer day at the Land Office, plus the commission that gets you to a buyer. As of 2026 the main items are a 2% transfer fee (in practice often split with the buyer), either specific business tax of around 3.3% or stamp duty of around 0.5%, a withholding tax on the sale, and an agent commission of typically 3–5%. None of it is punishing, but all of it rewards planning. This guide walks through the process step by step, itemises every cost, and explains how to send your money home cleanly and sell faster.
The selling process, step by step
Selling as a foreign owner follows the same path whether you hold a condo in freehold or a villa on leasehold or through a company. The typical sequence looks like this:
- Price the property realistically against genuine comparable sales, not asking prices.
- Appoint an agent and prepare the property for viewings and marketing.
- Agree an offer and take a reservation deposit, then sign the Sale and Purchase Agreement that sets out the price, timeline and — crucially — who pays which taxes.
- Support the buyer's due diligence and gather your documents: the title deed (chanote), the condominium unit certificate where relevant, your original FET form from the purchase, passport, the house book (tabien baan) and any tax records.
- Complete at the Land Office, where the taxes and fees are paid, ownership is registered to the buyer, and you receive the balance of the price.
Most sales complete within a single Land Office appointment once the paperwork is in order. If you are overseas, you can sell remotely by granting a Power of Attorney to a trusted representative, which is common practice in Phuket.
What it costs to sell
Four costs sit between your headline sale price and the money that reaches your account. Because who pays what is negotiable, the Sale and Purchase Agreement should spell out the split clearly before completion.
The 2% transfer fee
The transfer fee is around 2% of the registered value and is the single largest government charge at transfer. In practice it is often split 50/50 between buyer and seller, but the allocation is a point of negotiation, so confirm it in writing before you get to the Land Office counter.
Specific business tax or stamp duty
A sale attracts either specific business tax or stamp duty, never both:
- Specific business tax (SBT) — around 3.3%, which typically applies when you have owned the property for less than five years.
- Stamp duty — around 0.5%, which generally applies instead of SBT once you have held the property for five years or more.
This five-year threshold is worth remembering, because it can make a meaningful difference to your net proceeds. Our guide to property taxes in Thailand for foreigners explains how these charges interact in more detail.
Withholding tax on the sale
The Land Office also collects a withholding tax on the seller at transfer. For individuals this is calculated on a progressive, government-assessed basis — it uses the authorities' appraised value and your holding period rather than a single flat percentage. For companies, it is generally around 1% of the sale price or appraised value. Because the individual figure depends on your specific circumstances, it is best calculated for your actual case rather than estimated from a generic rate — something we do for every seller before completion.
Agent commission
A selling agent typically charges a commission of around 3–5% of the sale price, payable on successful completion. It is the one cost genuinely working for you: a good agent prices the property correctly, markets it to real buyers in Thailand and abroad, manages viewings and negotiation, and keeps the transaction on track to the Land Office. Weigh commission against results, not in isolation.
Capital gains: how Thailand taxes your profit
Thailand has no separate capital-gains tax for individuals. Instead, any gain on a property sale is treated as income, and the withholding tax collected at the Land Office is effectively how that liability is settled at the point of sale. For most private sellers, the tax accounted for at transfer is the end of the matter, but the position depends on how you hold the property and your wider tax situation.
Non-residents are taxed only on Thai-source income, and a property sale in Phuket is Thai-source by definition. If you own through a Thai company, the profit falls within the company's accounts and is handled differently again. Because this is exactly the kind of area where personal circumstances change the answer, it is worth a short conversation with a tax adviser before you sign.
Getting your money home: the FET form
If you brought your purchase funds into Thailand in foreign currency and obtained the bank's Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form, repatriating your sale proceeds is straightforward. The FET is the document evidencing that the money came in from abroad, and it is what allows your capital to leave again cleanly when you sell.
Keep the FET from your purchase safe from day one — without it, sending your sale proceeds home can become far more complicated than it needs to be.
If you cannot locate your original FET, speak to your bank and lawyer early, because sorting it out before completion is much easier than afterwards. Clean records from purchase through to sale keep both the tax and the transfer smooth.
Timing your sale for a better net result
Two timing questions affect what you actually keep.
First, the five-year holding point. Selling once you have owned for five years or more generally moves you from SBT at around 3.3% to stamp duty at around 0.5% — a difference worth weighing if you are close to that threshold and not in a hurry.
Second, the state of the market. Phuket's demand ebbs and flows with the wider cycle, and selling into a confident market with limited comparable supply tends to produce both a better price and a faster sale. Our Phuket property market outlook for 2026 sets out where conditions stand. It is also worth remembering that freehold condos appeal to the broadest pool of buyers, since foreigners can hold them directly within the building's quota. If you are selling a leasehold or company-held villa, our explainer on freehold versus leasehold in Phuket helps you present the ownership structure clearly.
How to sell your Phuket property faster
Speed comes from removing friction for the buyer. The sellers who complete quickly tend to do the same things:
- Price to the evidence. An asking price anchored to real recent sales attracts offers; an aspirational price invites silence.
- Present the property well. Clean, decluttered, well-lit and, ideally, professionally photographed. First impressions online decide whether a viewing ever happens.
- Have the paperwork ready. Title deed, unit certificate, FET form and tax records assembled in advance signal a serious seller and prevent last-minute delays.
- Be clear on the cost split. Settling your position on the transfer fee and other charges before negotiations keeps momentum once an offer arrives.
- Understand the buyer's budget. Buyers are weighing purchase costs of their own; our cost of buying property in Phuket guide shows what they are budgeting, which helps you negotiate realistically.
- Choose an agent with genuine reach. International marketing widens your buyer pool well beyond walk-ins.
Together these turn a property that lingers into one that moves.
Conclusion
Selling property in Phuket comes down to understanding four costs — the 2% transfer fee, SBT or stamp duty, the withholding tax and your agent's commission — and keeping your paperwork, especially the FET form, in good order from the day you bought. Get those right, time the sale sensibly around the five-year point and the market, and present the property well, and you can expect a clean transfer and a predictable net result.
If you are thinking of selling, we can value your property, model your exact costs and net proceeds, and market it to qualified buyers. Get in touch for a free, no-obligation consultation, or browse our current listings to see what comparable properties are asking today.
