TM30 and the 90-day report get mixed up constantly, and it's easy to see why. Both involve reporting your address to Thai Immigration. Both can get you fined if you miss them. But they're separate requirements, filed by different people, on different timelines. Confuse them, and you can end up stuck at the Immigration counter with a rejected 90-day report because nobody filed the TM30 behind it.
TM30: your landlord's report, not yours
TM30 is the notification a property owner or manager files with Immigration whenever a foreigner starts staying at their address. It has to be submitted within 24 hours of your arrival, and it's legally the landlord's job, not the tenant's, even though the tenant is the one who ends up dealing with the consequences if it's missed.
It applies to anyone staying in a private residence, whether that's a rented condo, a friend's house, or a home you own yourself. Hotels handle this automatically as part of check-in, so it's mainly relevant if you're not staying somewhere licensed as a hotel.
The 90-day report: your own responsibility
The 90-day report is a separate requirement that applies to anyone staying in Thailand longer than 90 consecutive days on a long-term visa. It confirms your current address to Immigration, and it's on you to file it, not your landlord.
Unlike TM30, this one repeats. You'll file it again every 90 days for as long as you stay, whether or not you've moved.
How the two connect
Here's where the confusion turns into an actual problem. Immigration often asks for proof that a TM30 has been filed for your current address before they'll accept your 90-day report. If your landlord never filed one, or filed it late, your own report can get rejected even though you did everything right on your end.
Once a TM30 has been filed and accepted for a given address, you generally don't need to show proof of it again for future 90-day reports at that same address. The friction is mainly on your first report after moving in, or after re-entering the country.
What happens if you're late
- TM30, filed late: 800 to 2,000 THB, and this penalty technically falls on the landlord
- 90-day report, filed late: 2,000 to 5,000 THB, scaling with how overdue it is
You have a window to file your 90-day report: 15 days before the due date, up to 7 days after it. Miss that window and the fine kicks in from day 8.
Does leaving Thailand reset the 90-day clock?
Yes. Every time you exit and re-enter the country, your 90-day count restarts from your new entry date. A quick border run genuinely does push your next report further out, it's not just a myth.
Three ways to file your 90-day report
- In person at your local Immigration office, the most reliable option if you can spare the time
- By registered mail, sent ahead of your due date with a self-addressed stamped envelope for your passport's return
- Online, through Immigration's reporting portal, though this system has a long history of outages and glitches going back years
If the online system is down when you need it, don't wait and hope it comes back. Switch to mail or in-person filing before your window closes. Waiting on a broken website is how people end up with an actual overstay fine instead of just an inconvenience.
Documents Immigration typically asks for
- Passport photo page
- Current visa page
- Most recent entry stamp
- Most recent visa extension, if applicable
- Copy of your TM6 departure card
- Proof of TM30 filing for your current address, especially on your first report there
This list has grown over the years as enforcement has tightened, so if you're working from an older guide, some of these newer requirements might be missing.
Want this handled instead of tracked yourself?
We file TM30 notifications and handle 90-day reports for clients in Bangkok, so you're not the one refreshing a broken website or standing in line to find out your landlord forgot a form.
Message us on WhatsApp or LINE (@fatboysmotorbikes), or email info@fatboyservices.com.