How to Transfer Money to Thailand in 2026: Channels, FET, Fees and Traps When Buying Property

Most payment problems on Phuket property deals do not come from the choice of project or the contract; they come from the money transfer itself. A buyer finds a unit, signs the reservation, sends the money “whichever way is easiest” — and then discovers that the bank is holding the payment, the exchange rate ate several percent, and there is no proof of foreign-currency inflow for registration. Fixing it takes days or weeks, and a good unit can go to someone else in the meantime. This article explains how to transfer money to Thailand in 2026 so that the payment arrives, does not leak value on the exchange rate and still allows you to register ownership: which channels exist, how they differ, what to write in the payment reference, how to pay instalments and how to get your money out after a sale.

Contents

1. Three jobs for one transfer
2. Channels: bank, fintech, cash, crypto
3. A classic foreign-currency SWIFT transfer step by step
4. Payment reference and documents for the bank
5. Rate and fees: where money leaks
6. Instalments: paying in tranches
7. Traps
8. Mini case: three tranches, three channels
9. The way back: taking money out after a sale
10. Checklist and next step

1. Three jobs for one transfer

When a buyer thinks “transfer money”, they usually mean one job: get the amount there. A transfer for a property purchase actually does three jobs at once, and the channel has to be chosen for all three:

1. Delivery. The amount must reach the recipient — the developer or an escrow account — by the date in the contract. A late payment against the schedule can have consequences under the contract terms.
2. Cost. The final price is the exchange rate, the sending bank’s fee, intermediary bank fees and the receiving bank’s fee. On a large sum the gap between channels is tens of thousands of dollars, not “a couple of percent for show”.
3. Paper trail. To register an apartment in a foreigner’s name as freehold, the money must enter Thailand in foreign currency and the bank must confirm it. We cover that document in the FET article. Without the trail you can “deliver” the money and still fail to register.

The most common mistake is optimising only the second job: picking the cheapest channel by rate and finding that the third was never met. The correct order is the reverse: first make sure the channel gives you a foreign-currency inflow and the document, then pick the cheapest of the suitable ones.

One more general point: the form of ownership changes the requirements. For freehold in a foreigner’s name within the condominium quota, foreign-currency inflow and confirmation are mandatory. For leasehold no FET is required and a wider set of payment methods works. If you are still choosing, start there: freehold vs leasehold determines how strict you need to be about the transfer channel.

2. Channels: bank, fintech, cash, crypto

Nearly every way of moving money to Thailand falls into four groups. Here they are compared on the criteria that matter for a property deal.

What to take from the table.

Bank SWIFT is the main channel for property payments. It is neither the fastest nor always the cheapest, but it leaves a clear paper trail: sender, recipient, amount, currency, purpose. These are exactly the details that later go into the confirmation for the Land Department.

Fintech is an excellent tool for regular living-cost transfers, but for a freehold payment you need to check how the service actually delivers the money. If it converts to baht on its side and credits the Thai account in baht, the payment technically arrived but there is no foreign-currency inflow. That is exactly the scenario in which payments later have to be redone. For everyday needs — see bank cards and internet banking in Phuket — fintech is usually the more convenient option.

Cash. Bringing in large amounts of cash falls under border declaration rules, and cash by itself does not create proof that the money paid for an apartment. It is the wrong route for property payments; check the exact declaration thresholds with customs before you travel.

Cryptocurrency. A topic of its own, covered in buying property with crypto. In short: until the chain “crypto → fiat → Thai account” is documented, the bank and the Land Department will have questions.

3. A classic foreign-currency SWIFT transfer step by step

A typical sequence when the payment goes directly to the recipient’s account or to your own Thai account.

1. Agree the recipient’s details in writing. Recipient name, account number, bank SWIFT code, account currency. Always check them against the contract or an invoice received through an official channel, not a messenger message.
2. Open or prepare the source account. The payment should leave an account in the buyer’s name. A payment from a third party complicates the confirmation.
3. Choose the transfer currency. Usually USD or EUR. If your account is in another currency, remember that conversion on your side is one more FX margin.
4. Select the charges option. SWIFT offers options for who pays the fees: all on the sender, shared, or on the recipient. If the contract requires an exact amount, choose the option under which the recipient receives the full sum, otherwise you will have to top up the difference.
5. Fill in the payment reference (see the next section).
6. Keep proof of sending — a SWIFT copy or a receipt with the reference.
7. After crediting, request proof of the foreign-currency inflow from the receiving bank: an FET or a confirmation letter (credit advice) — the bank will tell you what applies at your amount.
8. Send copies to your lawyer and the developer and keep the originals in your own archive.

If you pay into your own Thai account and pay the deal from there, the logic is the same: the currency enters your account, the bank records the inflow, and then you spend it on the purchase. That is handy if you want a reserve for related costs, but it requires care with the paperwork. For related costs see the cost of buying in Phuket and payment methods.

4. Payment reference and documents for the bank

The “details of payment” field (field 70 in SWIFT) looks minor, but both the bank at crediting and the lawyer preparing the registration package look at it.

A good reference includes:

• the nature of the payment — purchase of a condominium unit / payment under the sale and purchase agreement;
• the project and unit number or the contract number;
• the buyer’s name exactly as in the passport, in Latin letters.

Bad references: an empty field, “personal transfer”, “family support”, “services”, “consulting”. These payments are hard to tie to a deal later.

On large transfers the bank may ask for the source of funds and the basis for the payment. That is routine compliance practice, not a sign that something is wrong with you. Prepare in advance:

A practical tip: if the bank asks for documents, answer quickly and in full. A few days’ delay on a compliance request is the most common reason a payment “hangs” although everything was technically sent correctly.

5. Rate and fees: where money leaks

Losses on a transfer come in several layers. You can see and count them if you know where to look.

The main rule: compare the end result, not one line of the tariff. A bank with a minimal fee and a poor rate often costs more than a bank with a visible fee and an honest rate. To compare, work out how many baht end up in the recipient’s account for your dollars after all the layers, and set that against the market rate at the moment of payment.

For large sums there is a separate question: when to convert. Developer price lists quote prices in baht and convert them to dollars. For example, a Layan Verde studio now costs 7,833,125 THB ($235,995), and a phase 2 studio at Layan Green Park costs 7,424,784 THB ($224,043). If the payment schedule is denominated in baht, each payment in dollars depends on the rate on the payment day. How the rate affects the decision to buy overall is covered in the baht rate and buying property; the practical consequence here is that spreading payments over time and keeping part of your funds in foreign currency is usually more sensible than betting everything on one day.

For rental income the direction is reversed: pool income arrives in baht, and the net result for an investor in dollars or euros depends on the rate at the moment of withdrawal. The yield guide — about 8–10% net per year through the rental pool (60% of net pool profit to the owner) — is a programme target in local currency, not a guarantee, and the exchange rate can add to or subtract from the final figure.

6. Instalments: paying in tranches

Instalments are the most common case in which one buyer makes not one transfer but six or seven. For Layan Verde the catalogue lists these schemes: a 200,000 THB reservation, then either 35% plus five payments of 13% every 6 months, or 50% plus five payments of 10% every 6 months; payment in full within 14 days. Completion is December 2028. For ready resale units in Layan Green Park phase 1 there are no instalments — payment is in full. Check phase 2 terms in the current price list.

The overall picture under the 35% scheme:

What matters for tranches specifically:

• Every tranche needs its own confirmation. The package of confirmations must add up to the unit price at registration. One “forgotten” payment through an unsuitable channel breaks the whole picture.
• A transfer calendar. 2–3 weeks before a tranche date, check the recipient details, card or account limits and your foreign-currency balance. In summer and over holidays bank operations can take longer.
• One channel. If the first tranche went by bank SWIFT with confirmation, make the rest the same way. Consistency saves time when the package is checked.
• Contract currency. Check which currency each payment is fixed in and what happens if the amount is off by a small sum because of fees.

For more on how payment schedules work and how to choose between them, see post-handover payment plans and buying property remotely. If you are choosing a project, look at the pages for Layan Verde and Layan Green Park: current prices and payment schemes are listed there.

7. Traps

• Sending “in baht” to save money. Conversion on the sender’s side removes the foreign-currency inflow. For freehold, that is the most expensive “saving”.
• Details from a messenger. Swapped account details are a well-known scam. Check details against the contract and confirm by calling an official number. The wider risk picture is in property scams in Thailand.
• A third-party payment. Money sent from a relative’s or company’s card or account — you cannot get a confirmation in the buyer’s name without extra documents.
• Name transliteration. The name on the transfer, the contract and the passport must match. Variants like “Alexander / Aleksandr” bring certificates with them.
• A vague reference. “Personal transfer” does not link the payment to the purchase.
• Short-paying because of fees. The recipient got less than the contract says — you will have to top up and document the top-up as a separate payment.
• Ignoring a compliance request. The bank asked for documents and you replied a week later — the payment will hang.
• All the money on one day. One rate, one point of failure. For large sums, spread it out.
• Losing documents after the deal. The FET and confirmations are needed for a future sale and repatriation of funds.

8. Mini case: three tranches, three channels

A buyer takes a studio in an off-plan project with a multi-payment scheme. They send the reservation from a fintech card — fast, “so as not to lose the unit”. The first payment goes by bank SWIFT in dollars with a correct reference, and the bank issues the confirmation. The third tranche is sent from a service that converts the sum to baht before crediting.

A year later, when the lawyer assembles the package for registration, there turns out to be no proof of foreign-currency inflow for the reservation and the third tranche. The confirmed total does not cover the unit price in the contract. The buyer has to request statements from the banks and services, bring in the missing amount by a foreign-currency transfer and wait for new confirmations. Registration slips, and exchange-rate risk keeps running while they wait.

What could have been done differently: choose one main channel (bank SWIFT in foreign currency) for every payment under the contract, the reservation included, and leave fintech for everyday costs. Then the package assembles itself. This is an illustrative scenario rather than data about a specific client, but similar situations are typical for buyers who go it alone.

9. The way back: taking money out after a sale

Transferring money into Thailand is only half the story. When you sell the unit, the question is how to get the money back abroad. The bank typically asks for proof that the funds were originally brought in legally in foreign currency, plus the sale contract and documents showing taxes were paid. So everything you collected on purchase (the FET, SWIFT copies, the contract) works again.

What to prepare in advance:

• copies of the foreign-currency inflow confirmations and the purchase contract;
• the sale contract and the buyer’s payment documents;
• documents showing tax and fees paid on the sale — see capital gains tax;
• statements for the account the money arrived in.

Banks may apply their own procedures, so check the repatriation process before you list the unit for sale. We described exit planning in exit strategies and reselling. The tidier the archive at entry, the faster the exit goes.

10. Checklist and next step

Before any transfer for property, run a short check:

1. The form of ownership is decided (freehold or leasehold) and it is clear whether an FET is needed.
2. The recipient’s details are checked against the contract and confirmed through a second channel.
3. The payment leaves an account in the buyer’s name, in foreign currency.
4. The charges option is set so that the recipient gets the full sum.
5. The payment reference follows the template in section 4.
6. Compliance documents are collected and at hand.
7. After crediting, the confirmation (FET or bank letter) is requested, with copies for the lawyer and your own archive.
8. For instalments, a tranche calendar is set up and one channel is chosen.

If you are still choosing an area or project, start with the guides to Layan and Bang Tao, compare expected returns on the ROI calculator, and see how we work on the agency page. You pay the project’s price-list price; support terms are a market commission, terms discussed at a meeting.

I can help build a payment scheme for your form of ownership: channel, currency, payment reference and tranche schedule — before the money moves.

Informational only, not legal or tax advice: currency rules and bank requirements change, so confirm the transfer scheme with the bank and a lawyer.