What Is TM.30 and Who Must File It?

TM.30 is the notification that a foreigner with temporary permission to stay has come to stay at a residence. The duty sits with the house master, the owner or possessor of the residence, or the hotel manager who receives the foreigner, not with the foreigner. It must be made within 24 hours of the foreigner coming to stay, according to the Immigration Bureau page on notifying foreigners' accommodation and section 38 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522.

What is TM.30 and when must it be filed?

TM.30 is the form used to notify that a foreigner has been received as a resident. The Immigration Bureau page says the form has two parts, the second being the list of foreign occupants (Immigration Bureau). The underlying law is section 38 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, which requires the house master, the owner or possessor of a residence, or the manager of a hotel that receives a foreigner with temporary permission to stay to notify the competent officer within 24 hours (Immigration Act).

The 24 hours run from the time the foreigner begins to stay at the residence (Immigration Bureau). In other words, the law ties the duty to the moment the foreigner comes to stay.

In practice, people often ask whether a new notification is needed when an employee returns from abroad or comes back from a stay in another province. We found nothing on the linked government pages that answers those cases directly, so we do not say that a re-filing is or is not required. What the law fixes is the moment the foreigner comes to stay at the residence. We recommend asking the local immigration office for the area of the residence first, because practice can differ by office and by case.

Who must file TM.30?

The person who files depends on the type of residence. The table summarises the wording of the government page and of section 38. Note that the duty lies with the owner or possessor of the residence, not with the foreign tenant.

If your foreign employee rents a condo or house from a unit owner, the person the law names is the owner or possessor of the residence. It is therefore worth agreeing clearly with the owner or the building management who actually files. That is an arrangement to make in advance, not a new rule.

Hotels and serviced buildings usually handle the notification as part of check-in, so guests rarely see it. For a rented condo or house the foreign tenant often does not know the form exists, which is why the question of who files tends to be forgotten until someone asks. Raising it early, ideally when the lease is discussed, avoids that.

What channels can be used to file TM.30?

The government page lists three channels (Immigration Bureau):

• in person, or through someone authorised to bring the documents
• by registered mail
• over the internet via www.immigration.go.th

The notice goes to the immigration office for the area. Where there is no immigration office, section 38 provides for notification at the police station of that area (Immigration Act). In Bangkok, the page says to notify the immigration officer at the immigration division (Immigration Bureau).

After filing, we recommend keeping proof, such as the acknowledgement, a copy of the form or the registered-mail receipt. If anyone later checks, it shows that you filed and when.

What are the penalties for not filing TM.30?

Section 77 provides that a person who does not comply with section 38 is liable to a fine of up to 2,000 THB, and for a hotel manager the fine is 2,000 to 10,000 THB (Immigration Act). These are the statutory limits. The amount actually imposed depends on the officer and the case.

Because the duty belongs to the owner or possessor of the residence, the direct consequence falls on that side. For an employer and a foreign employee, however, a residence that has not filed can create friction when you deal with immigration. We recommend checking in advance that the residence has filed. We do not describe TM.30 as a condition for any other application, because we found no official source confirming that. If you find that a residence never filed, we suggest raising it with the landlord and, where needed, asking the local immigration office how to put it right, rather than guessing.

How is TM.30 different from the 90-day report (TM.47)?

The two are often confused because both concern where the foreigner lives, but they are separate duties. TM.30 is for the owner or possessor of the residence. The 90-day address report belongs to the foreigner.

For the details of the 90-day report, including the online channel, see our article Missed your 90-day report? What to do.

What should employers do when foreign staff rent a condo or house?

The tips below are our recommended practice, not additional legal requirements.

1. Agree with the landlord before the lease is signed who will file TM.30 and through which channel.
2. Ask for and keep a copy of the proof of filing, whether the acknowledgement, the mail receipt or the online confirmation, in the employee file next to the passport and visa copies.
3. When an employee moves, tell HR and the new landlord straight away, so the person who has the duty knows a foreigner has come to stay.
4. Put the TM.30 proof on the onboarding checklist for every new foreign hire, next to the visa, work permit and 90-day dates, and review it at each renewal.
5. Track each employee's 90-day report date separately from TM.30, since the duty and the person filing are different.
6. If the employee travels abroad or stays overnight in another province, ask the local immigration office what to do, because the law ties the duty to the moment the foreigner comes to stay at the residence.

Before a new foreign employee moves in, we suggest HR asks the landlord three short questions: who will file TM.30, through which channel, and when the proof will be sent to the company. Write the answers down in an email or a document both sides keep, so that whoever takes over in HR after a change of owner or a move can see the arrangement at once. This needs no special system, and it helps everyone agree on who is responsible for what.

Housing is one part of keeping foreign staff compliant after the visa and work permit are issued. See our pages on the Non-B visa and work permit and the retirement visa, which include ongoing 90-day reports and TM.30, and the checklist in Work permit renewal checklist. If family members join, see the dependent visa page as well.

Information as of 20 October 2026, taken from the government pages linked above. Rules can change — check with the agency before you file.

If you are unsure what your employees' housing requires, you are welcome to reach us through the contact page for an initial conversation.