If you rent a room, apartment or condo in Thailand, your landlord has to report your stay to Thai Immigration. This is the TM30 notification. This guide explains, for foreign tenants, what the landlord files, what they will ask you for and why, and which papers you should keep. Information as of 25/10/2026.
What TM30 is and who files it
Section 38 of Thailand's Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) says that the house master, the owner or possessor of a dwelling, or the hotel manager who takes in a foreigner with permission to stay temporarily must notify the immigration office of that area within 24 hours of the foreigner moving in. Where there is no immigration office, the local police station takes the notice; in Bangkok it goes to Immigration Division 1. The form is called TM.30.
- Who files: the Immigration Bureau's website says that for apartments, mansions, guesthouses and ordinary rental houses, the owner or operator files the TM.30. They may send someone else, such as a building manager, to do it.
- Who is listed: every foreign national staying in the unit, not only the person who signs the lease.
- How: in person, by registered mail, or through the Immigration Bureau's online system. For an online filing the landlord types in your details; no copy of your passport is uploaded.
What your landlord will ask you for, and why
These requests are common practice. They match the fields of the online system and the paper TM.30 form:
| Item | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Passport photo page | Name, nationality, sex, date of birth and passport number are fields in the online form |
| Visa page or latest entry stamp | The paper form asks for visa type, date of arrival, point of entry and the date your permitted stay ends |
| A phone number in Thailand | The online form has a phone field |
| Move-in date and lease end date | The notification records your check-in and check-out dates |
Let the landlord see your original passport, but keep it with you: a copy or a photo of the pages is enough for the paperwork. A passport copy is personal data under Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019), so it is reasonable to ask how it will be stored and who will see it.
The receipt to keep
After filing, the landlord gets proof of notification. Online, it is exported from the system; at an immigration counter, the officer tears off the receipt part of the TM.30 form; by post, the receipt is mailed back. Ask for a copy in your first days: the online system only shows notifications with a check-in date in the last 7 days, so it is easiest for the landlord to export it straight away.
You may need it yourself. Bangkok's Immigration Division 1 lists the TM.30 address notification among the documents for several types of extension of stay, so keep a copy with your visa papers.
Trips, renewals and moving
- Trips: under a Royal Thai Police regulation in force since 30/06/2020, once your stay has been notified, the landlord does not have to file again when you stay somewhere else for a while and come back within the notified period. This also covers trips abroad on a multiple-entry visa or a re-entry permit.
- Renewal: the notification records a move-out date. If you renew past that date, ask your landlord to check with immigration whether a new notification is needed.
- Moving: at a new address, the new landlord files a new TM30 within 24 hours of your move-in.
- Your own duty: if you stay in Thailand longer than 90 days, you must report your address yourself every 90 days under Section 37(5). This is separate from TM30, and the Immigration Bureau offers it online.
Fines and changes to watch
Under Section 77, a person who fails to comply with Section 38 can be fined up to 2,000 baht; for a hotel manager the fine is 2,000 to 10,000 baht. The fine falls on the landlord, but you may need the receipt later, so make sure the notice is filed.
The law is being revised: Thailand's Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the rules on notifying foreigners' residence on 23/06/2026, and it has gone to Parliament. Until a new law is published in the Royal Gazette and takes effect, the rules above apply. For questions, the TM30 system's call centre is 1178 (government office hours).
Find a room on RentKrub
RentKrub has English and Chinese pages for finding dormitories, apartments and rooms for rent across Thailand. Before you book, ask the owner whether they file TM30 online and will send you the receipt. RentKrub never collects payments or deposits on behalf of a property.
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