FET Form (Foreign Exchange Transaction Form): What It Is and Why You Need One
A FET form is a certificate your receiving Thai bank issues on any single inbound transfer of USD 50,000 or more (about ฿1.65 million at ฿33/USD), confirming that foreign currency arrived from abroad and was converted into baht inside Thailand. It used to be called the Thor Tor 3 (ต.ท.3), and you will still hear both names used interchangeably. Foreign buyers need the original to register freehold ownership of a condo at the Land Office, and they need it again years later to send the sale proceeds back out of the country without triggering extra scrutiny or delay.
Quick answer
- Trigger: a single foreign-currency remittance equivalent to USD 50,000+ into a Thai account
- Formerly: Thor Tor 3 (ต.ท.3); now issued as a "FET Certificate" or "FET form" and reported to the Bank of Thailand
- Under USD 50,000: no mandatory FET — a bank credit-advice letter or SWIFT confirmation substitutes, and the Land Office accepts it
- What it proves: the money for your condo purchase came from overseas, satisfying Section 19 of the Condominium Act
- Keep it forever: you need the original again to repatriate sale proceeds tax-free later
- Issuing fee: roughly ฿500–1,500 (~$15–45), on top of separate SWIFT and correspondent-bank charges
Costs around a FET form (2026)
| Line item | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Threshold that triggers a mandatory FET | ≥ USD 50,000 (~฿1.65 million) per transfer |
| Bank fee to issue the FET/certificate | ฿500 (Krungthai) to ฿1,500 (Krungsri), bank-dependent |
| Outbound SWIFT fee, your home bank | ~$25–50 |
| Correspondent bank fee (often unavoidable) | ~$10–30 |
| Inbound receiving charge, Thai bank | ฿200–500 |
Source: PropertyScout and SamuiForSale FET guides, cross-checked against Bank of Thailand exchange control rules · verified July 2026 · ฿33/USD.
Why the Land Office cares
Thailand only lets foreigners own a condo unit freehold if the purchase money physically entered the country as foreign currency and was exchanged into baht here, never money already sitting in a Thai account. The FET form (or, below $50,000, the bank's credit-advice letter) is the paper trail that proves it. Get the purpose wording right before the money arrives: the remittance instruction should state something like "for purchase of condominium unit [number], [project name]," not a vague "personal transfer." Banks will not fix the wording after funds land, and a mismatched purpose is one of the most common reasons a Land Office registration stalls.
The second use nobody warns you about: getting money back out
The FET form is not a one-time formality. When you eventually sell, your bank and the Land Office both ask for the original FET tied to the purchase, plus the sale agreement and tax receipt, before processing an outbound transfer of the proceeds. Without the original, the money can usually still leave, but expect a slower, more document-heavy process and closer anti-money-laundering review on larger sums. Scan it and store the original somewhere permanent. See buying a condo and bringing in the money for the purchase side, and transferring money out of Thailand for the repatriation side.
If you are still deciding how to send the purchase money, compare routes on the cheapest ways to send money to Thailand — a SWIFT wire costs more than a service like Wise but produces the same paper trail your bank needs to issue the FET. Funds parked in an FCD account before conversion can also generate a valid FET at the point you convert to baht.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a FET form for every transfer into Thailand?
No. Only single remittances equivalent to USD 50,000 or more require one. Smaller transfers get a bank credit-advice or SWIFT confirmation letter instead, which the Land Office also accepts as proof of foreign funds for a condo purchase.
Is the FET form the same as the Thor Tor 3?
Yes. Thor Tor 3 (ต.ท.3) is the older Thai name for the same document; banks and lawyers now mostly say "FET form" or "FET Certificate," but they mean the same paper.
What happens if I lose my FET form after buying a condo?
You can usually still sell and repatriate proceeds without the original, but expect a slower process, more supporting documents, and closer scrutiny on large amounts. Keep the original safe and scan a copy the day you receive it.
The bottom line
The FET form is a small piece of paper that decides whether you can own your condo freehold and whether your money leaves Thailand smoothly years later. Get the remittance purpose wording right before you wire a single baht, ask your bank for the form (or the credit-advice letter under $50,000) the moment funds arrive, and file the original somewhere permanent. It costs a few hundred baht to issue and can save weeks of friction on both ends of the transaction.
Sources
- Bank of Thailand Exchange Control Regulations, accessed 2026-07-11
- PropertyScout, 'The FET: All there is to know about foreign transaction forms in Thailand', accessed 2026-07-11
- SamuiForSale, 'Foreign Exchange Transaction Form', accessed 2026-07-11
- Thailand Condominium Act B.E. 2522, Section 19
- Bangkok Bank, 'Buying a condo' remittance guide, accessed 2026-07-11
