THAILAND HOUSE REGISTRATION BOOK

By: Magna Carta Law Office

House Registration Book or Tabien Bahn is an official document issued by the Local Municipality or District Office to Thai nationals, as well as foreigners, owning a residential property in Thailand, as a proof of a person’s permanent legal address and voting district. The House Registration Book for a condominium unit is the same as that for house and so is the application procedure. The only difference is that the type of housing is specified in the former as “Condominium”.

Although a person can own more than one house or condo unit in Thailand, each with a different Tabien Bahn, he or she can have only one principal residence, the Tabien Bahn for which is the only one in which he or she is allowed to have his or her name registered. A minor can be registered in the Tabien Baan as long as a Thai parent or a Thai guardian is registered along with him or her.

There are two types of Tabien Bahn:

• Blue (Thor.Ror.14) issued to Thai nationals

• Yellow (Thor.Ror.13) issued to foreigners who meet specific criteria

The Tabien Bahn may or may not bear the name of the real owner of the house. This document only shows the house number and details of all the people living in a specific property and is not valid as a proof of Real Estate ownership, that is why it cannot be used as mortgage collateral. It only proves that the property has a registered address in Thailand and it can simply be used as a proof of address of the person in official registration procedures. Ownership of property is verified by its Title Deed.

A Tabien Bahn can be issued without the house owner’s name on it. You have the right to change, register another person’s name into it or leave it blank. However, in the event that you need to sell the property and there is no name registered in the Tabien Bahn, you have to pay 3.3% Business Tax on the higher of the selling price and the assessed value unless the property is owned by a private person (not a company) for over 5 years, in which case you only need to pay 0.5% Stamp Duty and withholding tax, if any. Business Tax will not have to be paid as well in cases where the owner’s name appears in the Tabien Bahn for over 1 year.

For lost Tabien Bahn, you can apply for the renewal at the District Office and they will issue a new Tabien Bahn for a minimal fee. You can either go to Police Station to secure a Police Report for lost Tabien Bahn to be submitted to the District Office or go directly to the District Office.