After Arrival: the Ongoing Duties
Getting the visa is half the job. Staying legal means a small set of recurring duties. Learn them once and they become routine.
90-day reporting (TM47, ตม.47)
Anyone staying in Thailand on a long-stay permission must report their address to immigration every 90 days of continuous stay. The clock starts on the day you enter, and it resets every time you leave and re-enter the country.
Three ways to report
- In person at your local immigration office with your passport. Simplest the first time, because you learn the office and the form.
- Online through the immigration reporting system. Convenient once it works for you; first-time users sometimes hit snags.
- By mail with the TM47 form and copies, sent to arrive in the window.
The window: you can usually report from 15 days before the due date up to 7 days after it. Missing the window can mean a fine, so put the date in the deadlines dashboard and let it remind you.
Verify locally: reporting windows, online system availability, and fines follow current immigration practice. Confirm with your office.
TM30: reporting where you sleep (ตม.30)
The TM30 is the landlord's duty, not yours: whoever hosts you (hotel, landlord, or your spouse as house owner) must report your stay to immigration within 24 hours of your arrival at that address. Hotels do this automatically. If you rent a house, make sure your landlord files it; if you live in your spouse's house, she files it.
Why you should care: some immigration offices ask for a TM30 receipt when you do your 90-day report or extend your stay. If none was ever filed, that can stall your visit. Ask whoever hosts you to confirm it was done, especially after your first arrival.
Re-entry permits
This is the one that ruins people's years. If you hold an extension of stay and leave Thailand without a re-entry permit, the extension is cancelled the moment you depart. You come back as a tourist and start the whole extension process over.
- Get the permit before you travel: at your immigration office, or at the airport before departure.
- Single re-entry covers one trip; multiple re-entry covers unlimited trips within the extension year. The multiple usually pays for itself if you travel more than a few times.
- Make it a habit: re-entry permit first, flight tickets second.
Verify locally: current permit fees and where they are issued. See the fees table for the last checked figures.
The yearly extension cycle
Extensions of stay are renewed once a year at your local immigration office. The rhythm:
- 45 days before expiry: start gathering. Fresh bank letter, updated bank book, copies of everything, photos if your route needs them.
- 30 days before expiry: visit the office and file. Earlier is calmer; offices get crowded near month end.
- After approval: note the new expiry date in your dashboard, keep the funds seasoned per your route's rules, and keep up the 90-day reports.
Never let the expiry date pass without filing. An overstay, even a short one, brings fines and can complicate every future application.