Koh Phangan
Sap-Ing-Sith on Koh Phangan: getting the structure right before you build
An earlier-stage market with thinner resale liquidity.
Which is exactly why the structure you set up on day one matters more here than on Samui.
Land, half-built or finished · we will tell you if it fits
In one sentence
How do you buy on Koh Phangan with a registered right?
On Koh Phangan, where resale liquidity is thinner than on Samui, the structure you set up on day one matters most, so United Grace registers a Sap-Ing-Sith right in your own name for land, a half-built villa or a finished one.
Key facts
- Land, half-built or finished: we tell you whether it fits before you commit.
- Registered on the Chanote in your name for up to 30 years, in about 30 days.
- Transferable, inheritable and mortgageable; survives a sale of the land.
- The same three payment plans as on Koh Samui.
Most people who buy on Koh Phangan arrive from Samui, see what a given budget buys here, and start asking about land.
A large share of what changes hands on this island is land or an unfinished build rather than a finished villa.
Resale liquidity is thinner than on Samui: fewer completed projects, fewer buyers, longer time on the market.
The structure you set up at the beginning therefore matters more here, because you cannot rely on an easy exit to correct a bad one.
United Grace is a 100% Thai-owned company with offices in Bangkok, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
We register Sap-Ing-Sith rights on the Chanote in the buyer's own name.
Samui is a genuinely different market and has its own page.
What is actually available
Your options here are narrower than on Samui
| Route | Open to a foreigner | Practical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Land freehold | No | Closed by the Land Code |
| Condominium freehold | Within the 49% quota | Not a condo market |
| Building without the land | Yes | Splits the asset; unfinanceable |
| 30-year lease | Yes | Landlord's consent to sell |
| 51/49 Thai company | Yes | Nominee exposure |
| Sap-Ing-Sith | Yes, in your own name | Up to 30 years, no renewal |
A lease is a personal contract under sections 537–571 of the Civil and Commercial Code.
Assignment needs consent, inheritance is contested, and no bank lends against it.
"30+30+30" renewals are promises, not rights.
Compare lease and company in detail.
Where Thai shareholders hold shares on a foreigner's behalf, that is a nominee arrangement, prohibited under the Land Code and the Foreign Business Act, with penalties that reach the land itself.
The Nation reports 3,213 such companies on Koh Pha-ngan within 11,649 across Surat Thani, and a May 2026 inspection by five agencies covering a Koh Pha-ngan pool villa and a hotel.
See nominee structures.
The right
A real right on the deed, not a contract in a drawer
Sap-Ing-Sith exists under the Property-Based Right Act B.E. 2562 (2019).
It is inscribed on the Chanote at the Land Office, next to the freehold owner, and attaches to the land rather than to the person who granted it.
- Open to any natural or legal person, Thai or foreign.
- Statutory term of up to 30 years.
- Freely transferable without the landowner's consent.
- Inheritable by statute for the remainder of the term.
- Mortgageable as a matter of law.
Whether a specific bank lends to a specific foreign borrower is a credit decision.
See financing. - Survives a change of landowner.
United Grace Co., Ltd. is the legal and beneficial owner of the land it holds.
Not in trust, not as a nominee.
The customer holds a separate statutory right in their own name, not ownership of the land.
The full mechanics are on our legal page.
Two ways in
Existing owner, or new buyer
You already own here
A clean asset purchase.
We buy the property from your existing structure, take title, and register your right on the same deed.
The old company is left behind.
You are buying land or a new build
The more common case here.
The land is bought in United Grace's name and your right is registered before construction money goes in.
On Tracks A and B you fund the purchase; on Track C we do.
Only properties that fit the portfolio.
If you are buying land to build on, settle the building question at registration.
Buildings revert to the landowner at expiry unless separately registered.
That is a conversation for day one, not year twenty-eight.
Stage 1: commitment
Terms, pricing track, documents.
Stage 2: acquisition
Due diligence and transfer of title to United Grace.
Stage 3: registration
Your right inscribed on the Chanote.
About 30 days from signing in the normal case.
Completed files are listed on registrations.
Pricing
Three tracks, identical right
- At signing
- The purchase price
- Annual payment
- 3% of the purchase price
- At signing
- The purchase price + a service fee of 20%
Minimum service fee: ฿700,000 - Annual payment
- Nothing
- At signing
- Nothing: we fund the purchase
- Annual payment
- 6% of the purchase price
Track A carries no separate one-time service fee.
On Track C United Grace funds the acquisition and the taxes and government fees for both initial transaction stages; the client pays the annual service fee.
The registered right is the same on all three, and the track can change later.
On Tracks A and B, the client pays the taxes and government fees for both stages: the property sale to United Grace and the grant or transfer of the right.
On Track C, United Grace funds the purchase and pays these taxes and fees for both stages.
Independent counsel is separate.
Run your own numbers on the calculator.
After registration
Letting the villa, and the exit
Savills Thailand cites annual returns of 8–10 per cent.
Horizon Homes Samui is more conservative at 5–7 per cent net for landed properties after operating costs, and notes that 60–70% of visitors arrive between November and March.
Third-party estimates for the broader island market, not a projection for any particular property.
United Grace Hospitality can rent the villa from you and pay rent agreed in advance, monthly, half-yearly or annually, while it handles licensing in its own name, subject to approval, together with marketing, bookings and guest care.
We assess the location, condition and rental potential first, then present an offer.
See Hospitality.
Why the network matters more here
On Samui there is enough transaction volume that a villa will eventually find a buyer.
Koh Phangan is thinner, so an internal network of owners and buyers is often the difference between selling and waiting.
| Item | Network | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 1.5% indicative | 6–10% |
| To registration | Estimated 7–10 days to registration after a buyer is found and terms agreed | After a buyer is found and terms agreed; registration timing depends on the transaction |
| Due diligence | Documents available for independent adviser review | 3–6 weeks |
Buyer search takes additional time.
A sale and a timeframe for finding a buyer are not guaranteed.
The right transfers without the landowner's signature.
Government fees on a later resale are allocated in that sale agreement.
Honest limits
Read this before you decide
- No renewal mechanism exists in the Act.
Continuation beyond the term requires a fresh grant and a fresh registration.
Never accept a claim of 60 or 90 years. - Buildings revert to the landowner at expiry unless separately registered.
The single most important clause for anyone buying land here to build on. - The right's value declines as the remaining term shortens.
- Land Offices have registered relatively few of these since 2019 and some are still unfamiliar with the entry.
- This is not freehold land.
It is a registered real right on a deed you do not own. - Koh Phangan resale is slower than Samui regardless of structure.
A clean, transferable right improves your odds.
It does not create a market that is not there.
Send us the plot or the villa
Tell us what you are looking at and what stage it is at.
We will tell you whether it fits and what registering it in your name would involve.
United Grace Co., Ltd. · Bangkok · Koh Samui · Koh Phangan · +66 95 257 9212 · office@united-grace.com.
General information about Thai law, not legal advice.
Confirm your own position with independent Thai counsel before committing.
Questions owners ask.
Can a foreigner buy property on Koh Phangan?
What a foreigner can hold in their own name is a Sap-Ing-Sith right.
A registrable real right inscribed on the Chanote for a term of up to 30 years.
I want to buy land and build.
Does Sap-Ing-Sith work for that?
United Grace acquires the land, takes title, and registers your right on the deed before construction money is spent.
Note that buildings revert to the landowner at expiry unless separately registered, so the building position is agreed at the start, not later.
How is Koh Phangan different from Koh Samui for buyers?
Koh Phangan is earlier-stage: fewer completed projects, more land and new-build purchases, and thinner resale liquidity.
That thinner resale market is exactly why the ownership structure needs to be clean from day one.
Is the 2026 crackdown affecting Koh Phangan?
The Nation reports 3,213 companies with foreign shareholders on Koh Pha-ngan within a Surat Thani total of 11,649, and a May 2026 inspection that covered a Koh Pha-ngan pool villa and a hotel.
Five agencies are involved: DBD, DSI, the Department of Lands, AMLO and the Revenue Department.
Can I sell if I need to leave?
Inside our network the indicative transfer fee is 1.5% versus a traditional 6-10% agent commission, with an estimated 7–10 days to registration after a buyer is found and terms are agreed.
Buyer search takes additional time; a sale is not guaranteed.
What is the honest downside?
Continuation past the term needs a fresh grant and fresh registration, and nobody should be telling you 60 or 90 years.
The value of the right also declines as the remaining term shortens.
What does it cost?
Track A, the preferred track: the purchase price at signing, then 3% of the purchase price per year, with no separate one-time service fee.
Track B: the purchase price plus 20% once, minimum 700,000 baht, and nothing annual.
Track C: nothing at signing and 6% of the purchase price per year, with United Grace funding the acquisition.
On Tracks A and B, the client pays the taxes and government fees for both stages: the property sale to United Grace and the grant or transfer of the right.
On Track C, United Grace funds the purchase and pays these taxes and fees for both stages.
Can the villa be rented out afterwards?
United Grace Hospitality rents the villa from you and pays rent agreed in advance, monthly, half-yearly or annually, under a contract that sets out the amount, the payment dates and each party's responsibilities.
United Grace handles licensing in its own name, subject to approval, and manages marketing, bookings and guests.
Property eligibility is checked before operation.