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Samui Property Probe Now Looks at 30-Year Leases
· Luxy Samui
Officials on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are reported to be examining 30-year leases held by foreigners, alongside company nominee cases.
The official campaign against irregular foreign property holdings on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan has widened to include long leases. Thai Examiner reported on 16 August 2026 that investigators are now looking at 30-year lease agreements held by foreigners, to see whether some of them are being used to get around the limits on foreign land ownership. The report does not say that leases in general are illegal.
Why leases are being examined
According to Thai Examiner, officials found that some foreigners use long leases instead of buying land through a company. A lease can give day-to-day control of a property without registered ownership. Investigators want to know whether particular arrangements go further than a normal lease and work in practice like ownership. The report presents this as a question under examination, not as a decision.
The numbers reported
Thai Examiner gives these figures for the wider campaign. They are this source's account.
- About 8,000 companies under scrutiny on Koh Samui, out of roughly 12,000 registered entities.
- 3,892 companies that own land in Koh Samui district.
- 2,579 suspected nominee operations.
- 138 companies identified for urgent action over their land.
- 101 arrest warrants sought, of which 27 had been carried out.
The provincial governor was reported to have set a 90-day target for progress on about 2,500 remaining cases. The report adds that land held unlawfully can be put through a disposal process that may end in a public auction, and that lawyers and accountants who helped set up illegal structures may also be investigated.
What officials inspected
The same report describes visits to a resort of more than 25 rai, a villa rental business where guests were said to pay online before arrival, and a closed luxury hillside villa. Investigators were said to be tracing rental income, including online payments, cash paid on arrival and transfers to accounts abroad.
The law most often cited is the Foreign Business Act. Thai Examiner notes that sections 36 and 37 carry penalties of up to three years in prison or fines of 100,000 to 1 million baht. Officials also said that foreign businesses operating legally are not the target.
Background: tighter tools since 2025
A legal summary published by Udon Thani Lawyer in June 2026 lists a Land Department circular on nominee structures dated 7 March 2025, a May 2025 agreement on data exchange between the Department of Business Development and the Land Department, and a May 2026 instruction on forced disposal of improperly held land.
What it means for villa owners
Leasehold remains a common and lawful way for foreigners to hold a villa, and nothing in these reports changes that. What has changed is the level of checking. Owners should keep their registered lease, payment records and tax filings in order, and make sure rental income is received and declared in a clear way. This is news, not legal advice; ask a Thai lawyer to review your lease and any side agreements. If you are comparing homes, our listings of property for sale in Koh Samui state how each one is held.
