There is a legal obligation your landlord almost certainly has, that affects your visa status, your ability to extend your stay, and your 90-day immigration report - and most landlords in Thailand have never heard of it. The TM30 notification has been a requirement since 1979. It is increasingly enforced. And when it is missing at your immigration appointment, the fine and the delay fall on you, not the landlord who forgot to file.
What Is TM30 and Where Does the Law Come From?
The TM30 is the official name for the notification that property owners in Thailand must submit to Thai Immigration whenever a foreign national stays at their property. Its full official title is the Notification Form for House-Master, Owner or the Possessor of the Residence where Alien has Stayed.
The legal basis is Section 38 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979). The law is not new. What has changed in recent years is enforcement. Thai Immigration now cross-references TM30 records when processing visa extensions, 90-day address reports, re-entry permits, and certificates of residence. A missing or outdated TM30 creates a block at every one of these stages.
The obligation applies regardless of the type of accommodation. Condominiums, apartments, houses, serviced apartments, and private homes are all covered. Hotels and registered guesthouses handle TM30 automatically through their own government reporting systems, which is why you are never asked for one when checking in at a hotel.
"The TM30 has been a legal requirement since 1979. Your landlord is legally responsible for filing it. Your visa status depends on it being done."
Who Is Responsible for Filing TM30?
The responsibility sits entirely with the property owner, landlord, or the manager of the accommodation. This is not a shared obligation. The foreign tenant is not legally required to file TM30. The landlord is.
In practice, the building's juristic person office handles TM30 in most professionally managed Bangkok condo buildings as a standard part of their service. Many expats living in these buildings never need to think about it.
The problem arises with private individual landlords renting one or two units - the most common rental arrangement in Thailand. Many of these landlords have only ever rented to Thai nationals. TM30 is completely unknown to them. A landlord who has rented the same unit to Thai tenants for ten years may have no idea the obligation exists.
Some landlords know about TM30 but simply decline to file, viewing it as inconvenient or unnecessary. This puts the tenant in the position of depending on someone else's compliance for their own immigration status.
why most Thai landlords are not property professionals and what that means for your lease
What Documents Does the Landlord Need to File TM30?
To file the TM30, the landlord needs a combination of their own property documents and copies of the tenant's travel documents.
From the landlord:
- Copy of their Thai ID card (or passport if the landlord is a foreign national)
- Copy of the property's household registration book (Tabien Baan) or the title deed (chanote)
- Copy of the lease agreement
From the foreign tenant:
- Copy of passport photo page
- Copy of the visa page
- Copy of the entry stamp from the most recent arrival into Thailand
The tenant's entry stamp is important. Every time a foreign national re-enters Thailand, a new entry stamp is created. Each new entry stamp triggers a new TM30 filing requirement, even if returning to the same address. This is the most common source of non-compliance for long-term expats who travel regularly.
Provide your landlord with updated copies of your passport documents every time you return from overseas. Do not assume they will ask.
store all your tenancy documents and immigration records in the Evidence Vault
How Landlords File TM30 - the Three Methods
There are three ways to submit a TM30 notification in Thailand. The online portal is the most efficient for both landlords and tenants.
Online via the Official TM30 Immigration Portal
The official portal is at tm30.immigration.go.th. The landlord registers an account using their ID card and property documents. Once registered, subsequent filings for the same property take only a few minutes. After submission, the landlord can download a PDF receipt which they should pass to the tenant immediately.
The online system was significantly updated in September 2023, making it more accessible. The current version does not require entering TM6 visa details, simplifying the process compared to earlier versions.
Via the Section 38 Mobile App
The Section 38 app is available for iOS and Android devices in Thailand. It offers the same functionality as the online portal and is practical for landlords managing multiple properties or tenants who travel frequently and generate regular re-filing requirements.
In Person at the Local Immigration Office
The landlord visits the immigration office serving their district with printed copies of all required documents. Staff process the filing at the counter and issue a stamped receipt the same day. This method is slower but useful for landlords who are not comfortable with online systems or who are filing for the first time and want to confirm the process is done correctly.
A fourth option exists for cases where the landlord lives overseas or is unavailable. With a signed and stamped letter of authorisation from the landlord, a property manager or authorised representative can file on their behalf. The authorisation letter typically requires a tax office stamp.
Check Your Landlord's Documents Before You Sign
Before committing to any lease, ask to see the documents your landlord will need for TM30. This serves two purposes. It confirms the landlord has the documentation necessary to file, and it verifies that the person renting to you actually owns or has the authority to let the property.
Ask to see the Tabien Baan (household registration book) or chanote (title deed). The name on these documents should match the name on the lease agreement. If they do not match, ask for a written power of attorney or management authorisation showing who has the right to let the property.
Ask explicitly whether the landlord has filed TM30 for foreign tenants before. Managed buildings with a juristic office will confirm this without hesitation. A private individual who looks blank at the question needs to be informed of the requirement before you sign anything.
Consider including a TM30 compliance clause in your lease. This does not need to be complicated. A simple written agreement that the landlord will file TM30 within 24 hours of your arrival and after each return from overseas trip, and will provide you with the receipt promptly, is sufficient.
Choosing a building managed by a professional juristic office is the simplest solution. These buildings treat TM30 as a standard administrative task. You sign in, they file, you receive the receipt. For private individual landlords the situation requires more active management on your part.
Before You Sign: The Expat's Due Diligence Guide for Renting in Thailand
When TM30 Must Be Re-Filed
TM30 is not a one-time filing. Three situations each require a fresh submission within 24 hours.
Moving to a New Address
Every time a foreign national moves to a new property, the new landlord must file a TM30 for the new address within 24 hours of the tenant's arrival. The previous TM30 for the old address does not carry over. If you move during your stay in Thailand, brief your new landlord on this requirement before your move-in date, not after.
Returning to Thailand After Any Overseas Trip
This is the most frequently overlooked requirement and the most common source of problems for long-term expats. Every time you leave Thailand and return, a new TM30 must be filed within 24 hours of your return, even if you are going back to the same address you have lived at for years.
A weekend trip to Singapore, a visa run to Malaysia, a holiday to Bali - each return to Thailand creates a new entry stamp, and that new entry stamp triggers a new TM30 requirement. Your landlord needs your updated entry stamp details to file correctly.
Signing a New Lease at the Same Address
If your lease ends and you sign a new agreement for the same unit, this also triggers a fresh TM30 filing requirement. The new lease is a new contractual arrangement, not a continuation of the previous one.
log your TM30 filing dates and set reminders in the Lease Shield Timeline
What Happens If TM30 Is Not Filed
The landlord faces a fine of THB 800 to 2,000 per foreign national who was not reported. This is relatively modest and, frankly, part of why many landlords ignore the obligation. The fine does not create much pressure on the person who is supposed to file.
The real consequences fall on you.
When you arrive at an immigration office for a visa extension, 90-day report, re-entry permit, or certificate of residence application, officers check whether a current TM30 is on record for your address. If it is missing or outdated:
- You may be required to pay the fine before any other processing can proceed. There are no exemptions for emergency situations.
- Your visa extension or 90-day report may be refused until the TM30 is corrected and the fine is paid.
- Re-entry permit applications can be blocked by a missing TM30, which creates a serious problem if you need to travel and return on a time-sensitive basis.
- Some expats have also reported that insurance companies required a TM30 receipt when processing hospital claims. While this is not a universal experience, it illustrates how the requirement can surface in unexpected contexts.
Enforcement varies between immigration offices and over time. In some offices and for some visa types, officers are less strict. In others, a missing TM30 is an immediate stop. You cannot predict which situation you will face, and the downside of being unprepared is significant.
What to Do If Your Landlord Will Not File TM30
If your landlord refuses to file TM30, does not know how, or is simply unreachable when you need a filing done, you have several practical options.
The most straightforward is to assist your landlord directly. Most landlords who know about TM30 but find it inconvenient will cooperate if you do the legwork for them. Gather their documents and yours, walk them through the online portal, and handle the submission together. Once the account is set up, subsequent filings take a few minutes.
If the landlord is willing to authorise you but does not want to be involved, they can provide a signed authorisation letter allowing you or a representative to file on their behalf. This letter typically requires a stamp from the tax office to be officially recognised.
If the landlord is overseas or completely unresponsive, visit your nearest immigration office in person with all available documents. Officers can advise on the options available given your specific situation.
Immigration agents and visa service companies offer TM30 filing assistance for a fee, which can be useful if the process has become complicated.
If a landlord's outright refusal to file TM30 is creating real immigration problems for you, a formal written request citing the legal requirement and the consequences for your visa status is a reasonable first step. Lease Shield's letter templates provide a professionally worded framework for exactly this type of written communication.
use a Lease Shield letter template to formally request TM30 compliance
