Can foreigners own condominiums in Cambodia?

1. Can foreigners legally own condominiums in Cambodia?

Yes, foreigners can legally own condominiums in Cambodia in their own name, but only under a very specific framework.

Cambodian law says only Cambodian nationals can own land. Foreigners are completely blocked from owning freehold land or landed property directly.

To make condo ownership possible, Cambodia created a special system for co-owned buildings (condominiums) and strata titles. Under this system, a foreigner can own:

• A private unit (your actual apartment) in a registered co-owned building, and
  
• A right to use and enjoy the common areas (lobby, corridors, pool, etc.),

Key ownership limitations for condominiums and co-owned buildings are:

• Foreigners can only own from the first floor and above. They cannot own the ground floor or basement levels.
  
• Foreign ownership is capped at 70% of the total private unit area in the building.
  
• The building must be registered as a co-owned (condo) building with proper strata titles, usually for projects completed from 2010 onwards.

If you pick the right building and a qualifying unit, you can hold that condo in your own foreign name.

2. What laws allow foreigners to own condos in Cambodia?

The basic rule is “No foreign land ownership”

Two core pieces of law set this general foundation:

• The Constitution and the Land Law 2001 restrict land ownership to Cambodian nationals and Cambodian legal entities. Foreigners cannot own freehold land.

That’s why foreigners can’t buy and own a villa, shophouse or bare land in their personal name. Any foreign ownership solution has to avoid giving direct ownership of the land.

The 2010 condo law that opened the door

To attract foreign investment without allowing foreign land ownership, Cambodia passed the “Law on Providing Foreigners with Ownership Rights in Private Units of Co-Owned Buildings” law, which was promulgated 24 May 2010.

In simple terms, this law says:

• “Legally qualified foreigners” (foreigners who are in Cambodia legally and have legal capacity) can own private units in co-owned buildings.
  
• They also have the right to use and enjoy the common areas (for example, lobby, stairs, gardens and shared facilities) under a special co-ownership regime.
  
• The building must fit the legal definition of a co-owned building (a building divided into private units plus shared common areas).

This is why, in practice, foreigners buy strata-titled condos rather than “normal” titles. While there are other mechanisms available for owning landed property (trusts, landholding companies, nominee structures, etc), nothing is quite as secure for foreigners as this Strata title system.

The “first floor up” rule

The same 2010 law also puts a strict limit on where foreigners can own units. It says foreigners:

• Can own private units only from the first floor up,
  
• Cannot own ground floor or underground units.

Legally, the ground and underground floors are reserved to Cambodian ownership, which helps keep control over the land itself on the Cambodian side.

The 70% foreign-ownership cap

The details of “how much” a foreigner can own were set in “Sub-Decree No. 82 on Determination of Proportion and Calculation of Percentage of Private Units that Can Be Owned by Foreigners in a Co-Owned Building” (29 July 2010).

Under this sub-decree, legally qualified foreigners can own up to 70% of the total surface area of all private units in a co-owned building.

Many people will summarize this as “foreigners can own up to 70% of the units in a condo building,” but technically it’s based on floor area, not number of units.

Other important limits and background rules

A few other points sit behind the scenes:

• The co-ownership system itself is framed by Sub-Decree No. 126 on Management and Use of Co-Owned Buildings (2009), which sets out how co-owned (condo) buildings are registered and how strata titles are issued.
  
• Foreign-owned strata units generally cannot be within 30 km of a land border, unless in certain designated areas like special economic zones or important urban areas.

The law creates a narrow but very clear channel through which foreign individuals can own Cambodian condos without ever owning the land underneath. It’s a fair protection that the government has to take to protect the interests and rights of the Cambodian people.

3. Can my children inherit my condos in Cambodia?

This is where law and practice start to overlap, so you need to be careful.

The 2010 condo law recognizes that ownership can pass by inheritance. It specifically states that successors of special co-owners (foreign condo owners) receive the rights and obligations of the deceased, in line with Cambodian inheritance rules.

At the same time, Cambodia’s Civil Code and legal practice place restrictions on foreigners inheriting immovable property. Article 1155 of the Civil Code has been interpreted to mean that foreigners cannot acquire ownership of immovable property purely through a testament (will), and some practitioners say that if a foreigner inherits property they are not allowed to own, they may have to sell it or restructure the holding.

In practice, and in our experience, if your condo is a properly registered strata unit in a co-owned building that foreigners are allowed to own, the law clearly expects that your heirs can step into your position as “special co-owners”, at least on paper.

Because of this mix, most investors who care about succession should:

• Make a Cambodian will clearly dealing with their condo units, and
  
• Get specific advice from a local lawyer on how to structure ownership so that children (especially foreign children) can actually benefit in the way you intend. We can connect you with our trusted partner (through a local, Phnom Penh-based firm) if you’d like to explore this option.

The law allows succession of foreign-owned condo units, but the details can be complex if your heirs are also foreigners, so don’t rely on assumptions here.

4. How does the condo title transfer process work?

The process looks slightly different depending on whether you’re buying from a developer (new project) or from a private owner (resale), but the core idea is the same: you sign a contract, pay the price, pay tax, and register the transfer at the land office so the strata title comes out in your name.

Buying a new condo from a developer

For a new or off-plan condo, the usual flow is:

You first reserve the unit and sign a Sale & Purchase Agreement (SPA) setting out price, payment schedule, handover date and what exactly you’re buying. For off-plan units, payments are usually staggered over construction until completion.

Once the building reaches the required completion stage and is registered as a co-owned building, the authorities issue strata titles for individual units. We then work with the developer then arrange the transfer of the strata title into the buyer’s name once payment conditions are met and the 4% registration tax has been paid (typically paid by the buyer).

As a foreign buyer, you need to show that you are a legally qualified foreigner (valid passport and lawful entry) and that the unit you’re buying fits the rules: first floor or higher, within the 70% foreign quota, and in a qualifying area. And don’t worry, we help all of our buyers through this process.

Additional note: If you buy an off-plan unit from another buyer (that bought directly from the developer), with the goal of continuing their payment schedule, there may be a small fee (~$300) charged by the developer for internal administrative work.

Buying a resale condo with an existing strata title

For a resale unit where the strata title already exists, the process is more focused on due diligence and title registration.

Typically you (or your lawyer/agent) will:

• Verify the strata title with the cadastral office or Ministry of Land Management;
  
• Check if there are existing mortgages, disputes or unpaid taxes on the property:
  
• Confirm the building is properly registered as a co-owned building and still within the foreign-ownership limits.

You then sign an SPA or transfer contract (usually bilingual, Khmer and English), agree how taxes and fees will be shared, and submit the transfer documents to the tax department and land office. After the registration tax is paid and the paperwork is accepted, a new strata title is issued in your name.

In most cases, the buyer’s physical presence or a properly notarized power of attorney is needed to complete the final thumbprint and registration steps.

5. How much does it cost to transfer a condominium title deed in Cambodia?

When people talk about “transfer costs”, they usually mean a mix of government taxes/fees and professional fees linked to the transaction.

The big mandatory cost is the registration (transfer) tax. Current rules set this at 4% of the property value for transfers of immovable property, calculated on the government-assessed value and not just the contract price.

As of Nov 2025, there is an exemption available for this Stamp Duty tax, removing the need to pay the 4% tax. This exemption is only applicable to your first and second home purchase in Cambodia:

• First-time property buyers get exempted for properties up to a value of $210,000.
  
• Second-time property buyers get exempted for properties up to a value of $75,000.

On top of this title transfer tax:

• The land office charges administrative / registration fees, usually around $1,200 per title for condominium, depending on location, complexity, and speed requirements.
  
• Many buyers hire a lawyer or legal adviser for due diligence and contract work, often around 0.5–1% of the purchase price or a fixed fee (commonly in the USD 1,000–2,000 range for straightforward condo deals). We can recommend a trusted lawyer that helps most of our buyers through this process.

There may also be temporary tax incentives in certain years (for example, reduced or deferred registration tax, delayed capital gains taxes, etc.), so it’s worth checking the current rules at the time you buy rather than relying on an old example.

On an ongoing basis, owning a condo also means:

• A small annual property tax (usually 0.1% on the taxable value above USD 25,000), and
  
• Monthly management fees are charged per square meter of unit size and usually vary between $0.50/sqm and $1.50/sqm for most condominium projects in Cambodia. If your unit is 50sqm and the management fee is $1/sqm, you’d pay $50/month. This is typically paid 6-months upfront.

Those aren’t part of the transfer itself, but may matter when you’re budgeting for all of the hidden costs.

6. How long does it take to own a condominium in Cambodia?

There are two timelines to think about:

1. How long it takes to close the deal and get the keys, and
   
2. How long it takes for the strata title to be fully transferred into your name.

For a completed condo where the strata title already exists, the negotiation and contract phase can be quite fast. Sometimes, even down to under a week if both sides are ready. On average though, it takes around 1 to 2 weeks from the time of booking to draft the SPA and do our due diligence.

After that, the title transfer process at the cadastral office typically takes around 8–12 weeks (about 2–3 months), depending on the district and how clean the paperwork is. You can pay higher admin fees (~$2,200 in total) to get this expedited to a 1-month waiting period.

For off-plan projects, the story is different. You “own” the right to the unit once you sign the SPA and start paying, but you’ll only receive the actual strata title months or years later when the building is finished, registered as a co-owned building, and the developer has completed the titling process.

In practical terms:

• Buying a ready condo: expect roughly two to three months from signing to having the title in your own name, if all documents are straightforward.
  
• Buying off-plan: Expect your legal title to come after completion, so it can easily be a few years from first deposit to title, depending on the construction schedule.

Final reminder

All of this is general information, not legal advice. Cambodian property law is detailed, and real-world practice can differ a bit from one land office to another. Before you commit to a specific condo purchase or plan inheritance around it, it’s worth sitting with a Cambodian real-estate lawyer or notary and having them walk through your exact building, unit and location under the latest rules.

At HomeAbroad Cambodia, we connect all of our buyers with our independent legal team as part of our sales package. We can also recommend trusted law firms if you’d like to hire them to do extra due diligence, etc. Please let us know if you’d need this as early on as possible.