In any property deal in Thailand — whether it's a condo, a villa or a plot of land — there is one document that matters more than all the others: the land title. Its type determines what you can do with the property, how clean the seller's rights are, and whether it's even worth negotiating.
Below is a look at the types of land titles, how they differ, and how to read the most important one, the chanote.
Chanote — the Only Full Title
A chanote (officially Nor Sor 4 Jor) is a certificate of land ownership with precise boundaries established by a geodetic survey and marked on the ground. Only a chanote confirms full ownership; only land with a chanote can be sold, mortgaged, or leased long-term with unrestricted registration.
The document is issued by the Land Department. The front side shows the plot number, area in rai, ngan and square wah, a boundary diagram, and the owner's name. The back side records the history of all transactions: sales, mortgages, leases, easements. Each entry is signed by the registrar. It's the back side that deserves the closest attention.
A condominium unit has its own document — a unit ownership certificate. But the building as a whole also has a chanote for the land, and it's worth requesting: the land must belong to the condominium juristic person or the developer, free of encumbrances that could interfere with its use.
Nor Sor 3 and Nor Sor 3 Gor
Nor Sor 3 Gor is a confirmed right to use land with boundaries established from aerial photography, but without precise geodetic survey. It can be sold and leased, and can be converted into a chanote after official land surveying. This is a common title in rural areas and on islands where the government survey has not yet been completed.
Nor Sor 3 (without "Gor") is the same class, but with boundaries described relative to neighboring plots, without reference to a map. Transactions with this title require a 30-day public notice before registration. Buying land with this title is possible, but with the understanding that the boundaries may turn out to be disputed.
For a buyer of a leasehold villa, this matters: a lease is registered with the Land Department only on land with a chanote or Nor Sor 3 Gor. Long-term leases cannot be registered on lower titles — meaning your rights would not be protected.
Titles You Should Not Deal With
Sor Kor 1, Por Bor Tor 5, Sor Por Kor — these are not ownership rights but use certificates or tax receipts. Such land cannot be sold, a lease cannot be registered on it, and building anything legally is, as a rule, also not possible. If you're offered a "great deal" on a plot and the document is called one of these names, it's not a plot — it's a problem.
On the islands, such "titles" are more common than one might expect. Villas are often already built on them and sold as "leasehold" under private contracts without registration. Such leases are protected by nothing.
What to Check in a Chanote Before a Deal
The owner's name must match the seller or the person who issued a notarized power of attorney. Encumbrances on the back side: a bank mortgage (which must be lifted before the deal), easements (neighbors' right of way), a registered lease (which will transfer to you along with the land). The area stated in the chanote must match the one in the contract.
We request a fresh extract from the Land Department right before registration: between the reservation and the deal, a new entry may have appeared on the back side.
Special Case: Land on Islands and in Coastal Areas
On Samui, Phangan, Koh Chang and in some areas of Phuket, a significant portion of land still has no chanote — only Nor Sor 3 Gor or lower. This is a historical legacy: government surveying reached the islands later than the mainland. As a result, villas built on land with "incomplete" titles are more common there, along with offers to buy a plot "pending future chanote."
Converting Nor Sor 3 Gor into a chanote is possible and is done upon the owner's application with a land survey. But this takes anywhere from several months to several years, and the outcome is not guaranteed: if the survey reveals that part of the plot falls within a forest or coastal zone, the chanote will be issued for a smaller area, or not issued at all.
For a buyer, the rule is simple: land with Nor Sor 3 Gor should be priced noticeably lower than land with a chanote, and land with a lower title should not be bought at all, no matter how the seller describes it.
FAQ
How do I convert rai into square meters?
1 rai = 1,600 m². 1 ngan = 400 m². 1 square wah = 4 m². The area in a chanote is recorded in these three units: for example, 0-2-50 means 2 ngan and 50 wah, i.e. 1,000 m².
Can I obtain a copy of the chanote myself?
An extract from the registry can be requested from the Land Department using the plot number. This is usually done by a lawyer under a power of attorney, in Thai.
Does a condo unit have a chanote?
A condo unit has a unit ownership certificate (Or Chor 2). The chanote belongs to the land under the building, and it is registered to the condominium juristic person. It's also worth checking.
