Tax · 2026-05-01 · 5 min read

FET certificate · the foreign-buyer's repatriation insurance

What FET is, how to set it up correctly, and why it determines whether you can get your money out cleanly years from now.

What FET is

Foreign Exchange Transaction Form. Issued by your Thai receiving bank when foreign currency is converted into THB for property purchase. Threshold: $50,000 USD-equivalent per transaction triggers automatic FET issuance. Smaller transactions can also be documented via FET on request.

Why it matters

The FET certificate is the legal record proving that foreign currency entered Thailand for property acquisition. On exit (resale + repatriation), the Thai bank lets you convert THB back to your home currency only up to the FET-documented amount of inbound capital, plus any income legally earned in Thailand. No FET = no repatriation. Or rather: a much harder, more documented exit process.

How to set it up

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· Choose a Thai bank with foreign-buyer experience (Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn, SCB are the standards).
· Wire from a foreign-currency account in your name. Co-mingled funds get rejected.
· Specify property purchase as the purpose. Generic 'investment' is risky.
· Receive the FET certificate as a physical or digital PDF. Keep both.

Common mistakes

· Wiring from a different name than the property buyer · FET issued under wrong name.
· Splitting the inflow across multiple banks (causes paperwork hell at resale).
· Not getting the certificate in writing.

We handle the FET workflow end-to-end with you. Standard practice is one FET certificate per transfer, archived in our system + your records.