Cambodia lawyers for foreigners — hard titles, trusts & off-plan protection
Cambodia’s 2019 Trust Law finally gave foreigners a registered, lawful way to hold property — but the market still sells soft-titled land that cannot survive a dispute. The rule that saves you: never pay against a possession claim, verify the Hard Title, and put off-plan deposits in escrow. Our Bar Association-registered counsel in Phnom Penh run exactly that protocol.
The legal reality for foreigners in Cambodia
- Hard Title (ownership certificate) or nothing: soft titles are possession claims, exchangeable in theory but litigated in practice — banks won’t lend against them.
- Condo foreigners’ quota is 70% of co-owned (strata) buildings above the ground floor — verify before deposit.
- The 2019 Trust Law allows foreigners to hold property through registered trusts — a lawful alternative to nominee-era structures.
- 100% foreign companies are straightforward to register; land control is the hard part, paperwork is not.
- Off-plan deposits need escrow protection — never wire construction milestones to a developer account unconditioned.
The numbers that matter
Condo foreign quota
70% of co-owned buildings above ground floor
Title grade that matters
Hard Title only
Trust holding
Registered under 2019 Trust Law
Off-plan reviews
48 hours, fixed fee
How engagement works
- Submit your free case brief — 2 minutes, confidential, no obligation.
- Within 24–48h we send two vetted proposals from bar-registered firms in this jurisdiction, each with a fixed-fee scope in English.
- You engage the firm directly. We never sit between client and counsel — and never take a cut of legal fees.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners own property in Cambodia?
Not land directly in their own name — but since the 2019 Trust Law foreigners can hold property through registered trusts, and condos in co-owned buildings are buyable up to the 70% foreign quota above the ground floor. Both routes require Hard Title verification first.
What is the difference between Hard and Soft Title?
A Hard Title is a nationally registered ownership certificate; a Soft Title is a local-level possession claim. Soft titles trade cheaply but banks won’t finance them and disputes favor whoever processes faster. For any serious purchase, our due diligence confirms title grade at the national registry before money moves.
Is buying off-plan in Cambodia safe?
It can be, with protections: escrow of deposits, milestone-based releases, penalty clauses and verification that the developer holds the Hard Title and construction permits. Our 48-hour contract review marks exactly what your SPA is missing.
Do I need a Cambodian company to invest?
For many investments, yes or a trust. 100% foreign-owned companies register routinely (MOC, tax card, VAT); the complexity is never the company — it is the land paperwork behind it, which is what our counsel handles first.