90-day reporting, TM30 and re-entry permits: Thailand's paperwork rhythm for Brits
Thailand doesn't just give you a visa and leave you to it: immigration wants your address every 90 days, your landlord has to tell them you've moved in, and leaving the country without a re-entry permit can wipe out your stay in one go.
The short version
- 90-day report: if you stay in Thailand for more than 90 days in a row, you report your address on form TM.47 every 90 days. It's free if on time; late costs 2,000 baht, and 5,000 baht if you're caught [1].
- TM30: whoever houses you (landlord, condo owner, hotel) must notify immigration within 24 hours of you moving in [4][5].
- Re-entry permit: on most visas and extensions, leaving Thailand without one cancels your permission to stay. It costs 1,000 baht for one trip or 3,800 baht for unlimited trips [3][6].
- LTR holders report once a year and are spared the re-entry permit [8].
- None of this applies to a 30-day holiday stay, but overstaying does: 500 baht a day, up to 20,000 baht, plus the risk of a ban [7].
The 90-day report
Who and when
Every foreigner on a temporary stay who has been in Thailand for more than 90 days without leaving has to notify immigration of their address, and again every 90 days after that [1]. The clock starts on the day you arrive or on your last report, and restarts at day one every time you come back from abroad [1][2]. If you're out of the country when a report falls due, nothing is owed [1]. It isn't an extension of stay; it just tells immigration where you are [1].
The window opens 15 days before the due date and closes seven days after it [1][2]. Online reports must go in before the due date, so don't leave them to the last minute [2].
How to report
You can file in four ways [1]:
- In person. Bangkok residents go to Immigration Division 1 at the Government Complex on Chaengwattana Road, with form TM.47, your passport and copies [2]. Sign the form yourself; someone else can't sign it for you [1].
- Through someone you authorise, who takes your signed form and documents.
- By registered post, sent so it arrives in time. Include a stamped addressed envelope for the receipt.
- Online through the Immigration Bureau's website [1][2].
Keep every receipt slip stapled into your passport: it shows the date of your next report and you'll be asked for the latest one at extension time.
What it costs if you're late
| Situation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Report filed late, or not filed at all | 2,000 baht (about £44) [1] |
| Caught by police without having reported | 5,000 baht (about £111) [1] |
Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = THB 45.1092).
TM30: telling immigration where you live
Who has to file it
Under section 38 of the Immigration Act of 1979, the house master, owner or possessor of the place where a foreigner stays, or a hotel manager, must notify immigration within 24 hours on form TM.30 [4][5]. For a condo, that's usually the owner you rent from; for a serviced flat or guesthouse, the business. Filing can be done in person, through an authorised person, by registered post or online [4][5]. In Bangkok the notification office is in the Muang Thong Thani area of Nonthaburi [5].
Hotels do it automatically. Private landlords often forget, especially those who are used to Thai tenants, and the person who feels it is you: offices expect a TM30 receipt with your extension application and 90-day report, and some refuse to go further without one [2][9].
When it has to be done again
Expect to need a fresh TM30 when you move, and many Bangkok offices also expect one when you come back from a trip abroad, even to the same address [9]. Weekends away in Hua Hin can trigger one at the hotel too, which is why it's worth keeping a copy of your landlord's receipt and passport details to hand.
The fines
The official pages we checked confirm the 24-hour duty but don't state the fine. The Immigration Act provides for fines on the house master who doesn't report, and immigration offices have enforced them in the past. A TM30 problem usually surfaces when you try to extend, so sort it as soon as you move in.
Our tip: ask your landlord about TM30 before you sign the lease, and write it into the agreement. Our guide to renting in Bangkok has more.
Re-entry permits
Why they matter
Your permission to stay in Thailand is a stamp in your passport, separate from the visa itself. Leave the country without a re-entry permit and, in the words of Bangkok's immigration office, your permission to stay is "considered terminated" [3]. Come back on a one-year retirement extension without one, and you're a tourist again with 30 days and the whole application to redo.
You need one if your current stay comes from a single-entry visa or an extension in Thailand. Holders of a valid multiple-entry visa don't need one for travel within that visa, though it's worth asking if you've since extended [2].
Getting one
- Form: TM.8, with one 4 x 6 cm photo taken in the last six months [3].
- Documents: your passport, copies of the photo page, last entry stamp, extension stamp and visa, and the departure card if you have one [3].
- Where: Immigration Division 1 at Chaengwattana in Bangkok, or the immigration counter at the airport on the day you fly. People under the investment laws use the Chamchuri Square office in Pathumwan [3].
- Fees: 1,000 baht (about £22) single, 3,800 baht (about £84) multiple [3][6].
A multiple permit pays for itself after four trips, and saves a nervous queue at Suvarnabhumi on your way to a family wedding back home.
A calendar that keeps you out of trouble
- Moving-in day: check your landlord has filed the TM30; get a copy.
- Day 75 to 90 after arrival: file your first 90-day report.
- Every 90 days after: repeat. Set a reminder; immigration won't.
- Before every trip abroad: have a valid re-entry permit in your passport.
- When you're back: your 90-day clock restarts; check the TM30.
- About a month before your extension expires: start your renewal [2].
Who's different
- LTR visa holders report every year instead of every 90 days and get multiple re-entry permits [8]. See our DTV and LTR guide.
- Visa-exempt visitors on the 30-day stay won't reach 90 days, but should watch the end date: overstaying costs 500 baht a day up to 20,000 baht (about £443), and can mean detention, deportation and a ban of up to 10 years [7].
- Thailand Privilege members aren't exempt either: the scheme posts 90-day reporting notices for its members on its own site.
The FCDO's "Living in Thailand" guide confirms the 90-day duty for anyone staying longer than 90 days and points you to Thai immigration for extensions [10]. Retirees should read this alongside our retirement visas guide. And if you're stuck in the queue at Chaengwattana, our community group for Brits in Thailand is a good place to ask what the office is asking for this month.
Sources
- Chiang Mai University Faculty of Medicine: Notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days (last modified 9 February 2026)
- Mahidol University International College: Visa matters (checked 8 November 2026)
- Bangkok Immigration Division 1: Re-entry permit (checked 8 November 2026)
- Thailand Immigration Bureau: Public handbook – notification of residence by a house master, owner or hotel manager
- THAILAND.GO.TH: Rules for establishments on notification of foreigners' residence (March 2023)
- Samut Prakan Immigration: Immigration fees (checked 8 November 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Thailand travel advice – entry requirements (updated 12 October 2026)
- Board of Investment: Long-Term Resident visa (checked 8 November 2026)
- Prince of Songkla University, Phuket: Immigration matters (2022)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Thailand (last updated 11 December 2025)