Thai title deeds explained: chanote, Nor Sor 3 Gor, Nor Sor 3, Sor Kor 1

The full title deed. The boundaries are surveyed and fixed with GPS coordinates and marker posts. It can be sold, leased and mortgaged, and it's the type banks and buyers prefer.

On the deed you'll see the owner, the plot's size, its location and, on the back, registered transactions such as leases and mortgages.

A confirmed certificate of use. It can be sold, leased and mortgaged, and is common on the islands. Boundaries are mapped from aerial photographs rather than fully surveyed, so they're less precise than a chanote.

A Nor Sor 3 Gor can often be upgraded to a chanote through the Land Office.

A weaker certificate of use without accurate mapping. It can be transferred, but a sale has to be publicly announced for 30 days first so neighbours can object. Boundary disputes are more likely.

A Sor Kor 1 (ส.ค. 1) only records a claim of possession. It can't normally be sold or registered in a transfer — only passed on by inheritance — and turning it into a title deed is slow and uncertain.

Agricultural land reform land (Sor Por Kor 4-01, ส.ป.ก. 4-01) is for farming by the holder and their family and cannot be sold to outsiders. Be very wary of anyone offering it for development or to foreigners.

Land inside national parks, forest reserves or public land can't be privately owned at all, whatever paperwork is offered.

Ask for a copy of both sides of the deed and have your lawyer request a search at the Land Office that covers the plot. This confirms the owner, the document type, the area and anything registered against it.

Have the plot surveyed against the deed if boundaries matter (they usually do on hillside and beachfront land).

On KOHlist, the deed type on a listing is as declared by the advertiser — it's a starting point, not a check.