Visa & Residency — Practical Essentials
The obligations that come with living here.
A long-stay visa is only part of it. Living in Thailand — and owning a condominium here — comes with practical reporting duties and a few documents you will meet in everyday transactions. This page sets them out so nothing catches you unprepared.
What this is
What this covers
Beyond the visa itself, four practical matters come up repeatedly for foreign residents and condominium owners: the TM30 address notification the property owner must file, the 90-day reporting a foreigner does personally, the Certificate of Residence some transactions require, and the work-permit question that arises if you manage your own rental property.
None of these is difficult once you know it exists — but each carries a duty or a document, and a missed report can complicate a later extension. We explain the obligations and, where you want it, handle the filings.
This is general information about the obligations, not advice on your particular situation. Rules and local practice change — confirm the current requirements with us.
Eligibility criteria
The four practical matters
Each of the following is a distinct obligation or document. The descriptions are the position at the date checked; local Immigration practice varies and changes — confirm the current requirements with us.
TM30 — address notification (the owner's duty)
- The owner or possessor of the property where a foreigner stays must notify the foreigner's address to Immigration, within the period the Immigration Act requires
- For a condominium you own and occupy, this duty attaches to you or your representative; if you let your unit, you as landlord notify your tenant's stay
- The notification receipt is often asked for when a foreigner files a 90-day report or an extension, so keeping it current matters
90-day reporting (the foreigner's duty)
- A foreigner staying on a long-stay visa must report their current address to Immigration every 90 days
- The report can be made in person, by post or online, and there is no government fee for it
- The LTR visa replaces 90-day reporting with an annual report; most other long-stay routes keep the 90-day cycle
Certificate of Residence
- A Certificate of Residence is a letter from Immigration confirming your registered address in Thailand
- It is commonly required to buy or register a car, to obtain a Thai driving licence, and for certain bank and administrative dealings
- It is issued on application with your passport, visa and proof of address; some offices charge a small fee and take a few working days
Managing your own rental — the work-permit question
- Simply receiving rent from a condominium you own is passive income and does not by itself require a work permit
- Actively managing a letting business — advertising, showing units, handling tenants as an occupation — can amount to work that requires the correct permit and visa basis
- Where the line falls depends on the facts; we assess your arrangement and advise on the lawful footing before you act
Documents typically required
- Passport with the current visa or entry stamp and the departure (TM6) card where issued
- The TM30 address notification receipt for your unit
- The house-registration (tabien baan) or condominium documents and a letter from the juristic person, where an office asks for proof of address
- For a Certificate of Residence, your passport, visa, proof of address and the application form
- For any letting activity, the lease documents and, if a permit is needed, the company and work-permit paperwork
Government fees & disbursements
These are third-party costs paid to the authorities, separate from the firm's professional fee. Amounts are indicative at the date checked and change — confirm current figures with us.
- TM30 notification and the 90-day report — filed without a government fee
- Certificate of Residence — a small fee at some offices
- Where a letting business needs a work permit, the company, visa and work-permit government fees, scoped separately
- Certified translation where an office requires it
The process
How we help
01
Map the duties
We set out which obligations apply to your visa and your property, and when each falls due.
02
File the notifications
Where you want it, we prepare and file the TM30 notification and the 90-day report, and keep the receipts.
03
Obtain the certificate
We prepare and file the Certificate of Residence application when a transaction needs it.
04
Advise on letting
If you intend to let your unit, we assess whether your management amounts to work and advise on the lawful visa and permit footing.
Typical timeline
TM30 and 90-day filings are quick where documents are in order; a Certificate of Residence commonly takes a few working days depending on the office. A work-permit and visa arrangement, where one is needed, takes longer and is scoped separately.
What the firm does / What the firm does not do
What the firm does
- Explains which reporting duties apply to your visa and your unit
- Prepares and files the TM30 notification and 90-day report where you want it
- Prepares the Certificate of Residence application for a transaction that needs it
- Assesses whether managing your own letting amounts to work and advises on the lawful footing
What the firm does not do
- Guarantee that a certificate or report is issued on a given day — timing rests with the Immigration office
- Advise you to run a letting business without the correct permit where one is required, which we will not do
- Advise on your particular situation through this page — this is general information; a matter is taken under engagement
- Waive a reporting duty — the duties are set by law
Sources
- Immigration Act B.E. 2522 — s.37/38 (address notification, TM30) and 90-day reporting · checked 2026-07-20
- Immigration Bureau — Certificate of Residence and re-entry permits · checked 2026-07-20
Read this first
Buying a condominium does not by itself confer any right to live in Thailand. A long stay rests on a visa granted on its own criteria — approvals rest with the Thai authorities, and rules change frequently; confirm current requirements with us.
We prepare and file. We do not guarantee any visa approval, company registration, transfer date, price or other legal result — approvals rest with the Thai authorities and are discretionary.
Rules, fees and processing times change — confirm the current requirements with us.
This page describes services and general information. It is not legal advice on any person's situation.
Legal work is a separate engagement with Suwanvara Law Firm under its own professional fee, never bundled into a brokerage fee. You remain free to appoint another adviser at any time.
Engagement follows a conflicts check and a written engagement letter that sets out the scope, the fee and each side's obligations.
Visa & residency enquiry
Tell us where you are, and we will tell you the routes that fit.
A visa and residency enquiry goes to Suwanvara Law Firm as a separate engagement, quoted in an engagement letter after a conflicts and scope check. Immigration outcomes rest with the Thai authorities.