BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s immigration authorities reminded long-stay foreigners that strict 90-day address reporting rules remain in force, with different deadlines depending on how the report is filed.
What the 90-day report does – and what it does not do
The 90-day report, officially called “Notification of Staying in the Kingdom over 90 Days” and filed on form TM.47, was defined as a simple confirmation of residence. It was anchored in Clause 37(5) of the Thai Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) and did not change visa validity or extend a permitted stay.
Instead, the report only informed the immigration office that a foreign national still lived at the registered address. Officials stressed that this obligation applied every 90 days of continuous stay, regardless of whether the address had changed.
Overstay and a missed 90-day report were described as separate offences. Missing the TM.47 deadline led to a fine but did not make a foreigner illegal in the country as long as the underlying visa remained valid.
Who must file – and who is exempt
All foreigners who stayed in Thailand for more than 90 days without leaving, and who held a valid residence permission, had to report. This applied to holders of Non-Immigrant O, Non-Immigrant O-A, Non-Immigrant B, Non-Immigrant ED, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) and the Thailand Privilege Visa.
Tourists and visa-exempt travellers were not covered because they were required to leave before 90 days. People with permanent residence status were also exempt from the 90-day obligation.
Every departure from Thailand, even for a single day, reset the 90-day count to zero. The new period started on the date of re-entry, and the next report deadline was calculated from that day.
How the deadline is calculated – and why many misread it
The first deadline was based on the date of entry. A foreigner who entered on 1 January had to submit the first report by 31 March at the latest.
Subsequent deadlines were calculated from the date of the last report, not from the original entry date. Someone who reported on 20 March, eleven days before the due date, then faced a new deadline 90 days after 31 March, landing on 29 June.
Immigration did not send reminders. It was the sole responsibility of the person required to report to track their date, for example by putting it into a calendar or reminder app 20 to 25 days in advance.
In-person reporting: the widest 22-day window
Foreigners who appeared in person at the responsible Immigration Office had the most generous time frame. A report could be filed from 15 days before the due date until 7 days after, a total effective window of 22 days without penalty.
If the seventh day after the deadline fell on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the report still had to be submitted before the weekend. There was no extension beyond this grace period.
In-person reporting was the only method that allowed filing after the due date without an automatic fine. Those who came after the seventh late day already faced a penalty but were still advised to report as soon as possible, as self-reporting led to lower sanctions than being caught in a spot check.
Online reporting: portal closes 7 days before deadline
The online portal at tm47.immigration.go.th operated with tighter limits than in-person visits. According to the official handbook of Bangkok Immigration Division 1, an online report had to be submitted within the last 15 days before the deadline, but at least 7 days before it.
The system did not allow submissions on or after the due date, and there was no online grace period. Anyone who waited until the deadline day found the portal locked and had to switch to an in-person visit within the remaining seven-day grace window.
Authorities therefore advised online users to file between day 75 and day 83 of the 90-day cycle. This left time to react to a possible rejection and resubmit before the system closed.
Postal reporting: delivery date is decisive
Registered mail remained an option in many provinces but came with risks. For postal submissions, the decisive factor was the date of arrival at the immigration office, not the postmark.
The office had to receive the documents between 15 and 7 days before the deadline. Anyone who sent the letter too late risked a delayed delivery and a fine, even if the envelope was mailed in good time.
Postal reports required the completed and signed TM.47 form, copies of the passport pages with photo, current visa and latest entry stamp, the TM30 confirmation and a stamped return envelope with the sender’s address. Because of reliability concerns, specialist forums often recommended post only as a last resort.
Comparing the three time windows
In-person visits to an Immigration Office were possible from 15 days before to 7 days after the deadline, offering the broadest 22-day margin. Online submissions via tm47.immigration.go.th were accepted from 15 days before until 7 days before the due date.
For registered mail, the package had to arrive at the office between 15 and 7 days before the deadline. None of the remote options allowed any submission after the due date.
From these rules, immigration advisers drew a simple recommendation: those wanting maximum certainty should report in person between day 75 and day 85. Online users were urged to file by day 83 at the latest to preserve time for a second attempt if necessary.
When a first report must be done in person
The first 90-day report after entry or after obtaining a new visa always had to be made in person at the responsible office. The online portal could only be used from the second report onwards.
After every re-entry, a new first report was usually required in person, unless the system automatically recognised the new arrival, which did not always work reliably. Holders of a new passport number also had to appear in person first.
Any move to a different apartment or house, even within the same city, triggered another mandatory in-person report under the new address. Only after that could online reporting resume, always at the office responsible for the district of the registered residence.
Technical demands of online reporting
Using tm47.immigration.go.th required a registered user account. Since May 2025, every online report also had to include the reference number of the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), the electronic entry form that replaced the former paper TM.6 card.
Travellers could find the TDAC number in the confirmation email or the PDF issued during entry registration. Without this number, an online submission could not be completed.
A frequent reason for rejection was a mismatch between the address stored in the system and the latest TM30 declaration. Hotels that filed automatic TM30 reports could overwrite an earlier address, leading to a failed TM47 submission until the main landlord updated the TM30.
Documents required for in-person visits
For an in-person report, foreigners had to bring their original passport, a copy of the photo page, a copy of the current visa page and a copy of the latest entry stamp. The completed and signed TM.47 form was also required.
Anyone who had filed a 90-day report before needed to show the detachable slip from the last submission. Depending on province and office practice, the TM30 confirmation from the landlord could also be requested.
In Bangkok, the responsible office was Immigration Division 1 at the Chalermprakiat Government Complex, Building B, 120 Moo 3, Chaengwattana Road, Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, generally open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:00, excluding public holidays. Outside the capital, provincial immigration offices handled reports for their respective districts.
A representative – friend, family member or visa agency – could submit the report on behalf of the foreigner with a signed authorisation letter and a passport copy.
TM30: landlord’s duty with direct impact on TM47
The TM30 declaration was a separate obligation placed on the landlord, property owner or hotel operator, not the foreign tenant. Under Section 38 of the Immigration Act 1979, the host had to report the arrival of a foreign guest within 24 hours, either online at tm30.immigration.go.th or in person.
Hotels usually completed this process automatically. For private rentals, tenants were advised to ensure the TM30 had been submitted correctly and that the confirmation was kept.
The online TM47 system automatically compared the address provided in the 90-day report with the stored TM30 data. If the details did not match, the 90-day submission was rejected. TM30 confirmations were frequently requested not only for 90-day reports but also for visa extensions.
Fines and possible consequences
Foreigners who missed the deadline but reported themselves after the seven-day grace period had to pay a fine of 2,000 baht (about 54 euros). This amount became due as soon as they appeared late at the immigration office.
Anyone found during an official inspection without a valid 90-day report, and who had not self-reported beforehand, faced fines of up to 5,000 baht, with some sources mentioning an additional 200 baht per day.
Immigration officers warned that delaying a late report only increased risk. Repeated failures could lead to visa extensions being refused or negative notes in the immigration file, and in rare cases, a ban on staying in Thailand.
Effect of leaving and re-entering Thailand
Every departure from Thailand, including short day trips to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia or Cambodia, reset the 90-day clock. After re-entry, day one of a new period began, and no report was required for stays of less than 90 days.
Holders of multiple-entry visas or a Re-Entry Permit who remained in the country for longer still had to file a new first report after coming back, usually in person. In many regions, online submissions after re-entry were treated as the first report of a new cycle and thus not accepted.
Those wanting to keep their visa while leaving Thailand temporarily had to obtain a re-entry permit at an immigration office or at the airport on the day of departure. Without it, the current visa was cancelled on exit and a new visa application became necessary. Single re-entry permits cost 1,000 baht, while multiple re-entry permits cost 3,800 baht.
Visa agencies and authorised helpers
Foreigners who could not or did not wish to handle the process themselves could hire a licensed visa agency. With a signed authorisation letter and a passport copy, agencies submitted the 90-day report on behalf of the client.
Fees ranged between 500 and 3,000 baht per report, depending on the provider. Many long-term residents in cities such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok used these services regularly and were advised to check for official licensing and reliability.
Private representatives were also an option. Friends or relatives could file the report for someone who was medically unfit to travel or absent for other reasons, using the original passport, a completed TM.47 form and a simple written authorisation. Most immigration offices accepted this arrangement.
Practical checklist for the next report
For future reports, long-stay foreigners were advised to first calculate the deadline: 90 days after the last entry or the last 90-day report, whichever came later. A calendar reminder 20 to 25 days beforehand was recommended.
They then had to choose the reporting method. Online submissions were only possible between day 75 and day 83 and only if at least one earlier report had been filed in person. In-person visits were possible from day 75 to day 97.
Before reporting, tenants were urged to verify that their TM30 data matched their current address and to ask landlords to update it if necessary. Required documents included the passport, copies of the photo, visa and entry stamp pages, the last TM47 slip if available, and the TDAC reference number for online filings.
Immigration officers recommended keeping every 90-day confirmation, both digitally and in printed form, together with the passport. These documents were often requested during visa extensions, driving licence applications and other official procedures.
Editorial note
The outlined rules were based on the current version of the Thai Immigration Act B.E. 2522 and on information and experience from 2026. Time windows for online TM.47 submissions were checked against the official handbook of Bangkok Immigration Division 1.
Exchange rates used in the fine estimates were based on 1 euro equalling around 37 baht in March 2026 and could fluctuate. Legal situations could differ in individual cases, and foreigners with doubts were advised to consult a visa agent or lawyer familiar with Thai immigration law.