Two separate address rules trip up more foreigners in Thailand than almost anything else in the immigration system: the TM30 and the 90-day report. They sound similar, they both involve your address, and they are constantly confused — but they are different duties, fall on different people, and are filed in different ways. Getting both right keeps the rest of your paperwork moving.
The TM30 is the Notification of Residence of a Foreigner. Under the Immigration Act, when a foreign national stays at a property, the person who owns or controls that property — described in the law as the house master, possessor or manager — must notify Immigration of that foreigner's presence, in principle within 24 hours of arrival. In practice that duty falls on your landlord, the condominium juristic person, a property-management company or a hotel. It is legally their filing, not yours, and it can be done at the local Immigration office or through the official online TM30 system.
Even though the TM30 is the property owner's responsibility, the consequences land on the tenant. The TM30 receipt is the document that proves your registered address, and you generally need it before you can obtain a Certificate of Residence — which in turn is required to get a Thai driving licence, open some bank accounts and complete other official processes. If your address is not on file through a current TM30, a 90-day report can be rejected because the system cannot verify where you live. For that reason it is worth confirming, politely, that your landlord has filed it and asking for a copy of the receipt when you move in, and again if you travel and return.
The 90-day report is a separate obligation, and this one is yours. A foreigner who stays in Thailand for more than 90 consecutive days must report their current address to the Immigration office responsible for their area. The 90-day clock is about continuous presence, not your visa: leaving the country and returning generally resets the count, and extending your visa does not file the report for you.
The reporting window is generous but specific. You can file from 15 days before the due date up to 7 days after it with no penalty. Miss that window, and reports indicate a fine of around 2,000 baht for late filing, rising to as much as 5,000 baht if you are found not to have reported when stopped by an officer — but because administrative fees change, confirm the current figure with Immigration rather than relying on a number in an article.
There are several ways to file. You can go in person to your area Immigration office, send the report by registered post, appoint someone with a signed authorisation to file for you, or use the official online 90-day system. The online route has conditions: it is generally available only from your second report onward, not the first, and you usually need at least 15 days remaining before the due date for the system to accept it. First reports, and cases the online system rejects, are done in person.
The two rules interlock. The address on your 90-day report has to match the address held for you through the TM30, so a missing or outdated TM30 is one of the most common reasons a 90-day report is rejected. When you move, both need updating: a new TM30 for the new address, and your next 90-day report filed against it.
None of this is a substitute for checking your own case. Requirements, fees and online-system rules differ between provincial Immigration offices and change over time. Keep your TM30 receipt, note your 90-day due date the day you arrive, file within the window, and confirm the current procedure with your local Immigration office or its official website before you rely on any specific figure here.