How to Do Your 90-Day Reporting in Thailand

The first time I went to the Thai immigration office in Chang Watthana, Bangkok, to do my 90-day reporting, I had no idea what I was doing.

Moreover, I didn’t know what paperwork I needed, whether I needed visa photos, or if I’d have to pay for the process.

Seven years later, I’ve become a pro at the mandatory 90-day check-in.

That said, this short guide will walk you through the 90-day reporting process, show you where to go, and tell you the three methods you have for reporting.

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What is 90-Day Reporting?

Anytime you stay in Thailand on a long-term visa, such as one for work, education, retirement, marriage, or even the Elite Visa, you must report to the immigration office every 90 days.

You have to do this to let immigration know that you are, indeed, still in Thailand and living at the same place.

This process has been around for quite some time, but we can only hope that 90-day reporting will be done away with in the future.

When to do 90-Day Reporting

You can do your 90-day reporting anywhere from two weeks before your due date up until seven days after your due date without paying a fine (more on fines later).

I was once late by one day because I came down with the flu, but immigration had no zero sympathy – I had to pay the fine.

So, make sure you do your 90-day reporting on time every time to avoid paying hefty fines.

To make sure you never miss a due date, set a reminder on your phone or calendar.

How to do Your 90-Day Reporting

When it comes to doing your 90-day reporting, you have three choices, which we’ll cover in depth in each section below.

Online

It’s now very easy to do a 90-day reporting online.

You need to create an account with Thai immigration to use its online services. Immigration’s website also recommends that you use Google Chrome web browser.

Here’s what to do.

1. Go to the Thailand Immigration 90-day reporting page
2. Login with your username and password, or create an account by registering with a new username and password
3. Fill out form TM.47
4. Get confirmation page (this is NOT your Receipt of Notification)
5. Wait two to three days for email results
6. Print out your Receipt of Notification (this page will include your next 90-day reporting date)

Keep your receipts in a safe place so that the next time you have to go to immigration, you can have them ready as proof that you’ve been checking in every 90 days.

In some cases, you might not receive an email with your Receipt of Notification. If you wait more than a week for email confirmation, log in to your account and manually check your status.

You may have been approved but never notified.

Lastly, if you go the online route, be sure to file your online TM.47 before your due date. The seven-day grace period for late filing is only allowed with 90-day check-ins done in person.

Immigration Office

The most popular way to do your 90-day reporting is in person at one of the local immigration offices in Thailand.

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Here’s a Google Maps list of most of the immigration offices located throughout Thailand.

In most cases, you show up at the immigration office, get a queue number, and then wait your turn.

Outside of Bangkok, the process is fairly quick – usually under 30 minutes. However, in Bangkok it could take over an hour depending on how many people show up.

Also, you can have someone else do your 90-day reporting for you. Just make sure you give them all the required documents from the list above. Moreover, you don’t have to give that person power of attorney to do it for you.

Chamchuri Square

If you’re working with a company that’s promoted by the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), instead of going to a local immigration office, you have to go to the One-Stop Service Center on the 18^th floor of Chamchuri Square.

Through Mail

You can also send form TM.47 and photocopies of all the documents in the Documents section above to an immigration office through mail (check Google links above for addresses).

Personally, I wouldn’t go this route because I need to know that immigration actually received my paperwork, and going through the mail, there’s just no way to be sure that they’ve received it.

In the last seven years, I’ve only met one expat who did his 90-day reporting through mail, so it is possible – but I’d be wary.

Documents

Unlike applying for a Thai visa, doing you’re 90-day reporting in Thailand doesn’t take piles of paperwork and many hours to prepare.

With just a few forms, your passport, and some copies, you’ll be good to go.

To do your 90-day reporting, you need the following documents:

• your passport with visa stamp
• form TM.47, picked up at the immigration office (fill in the date, your name, passport number, and address; the immigration officer will fill in the lower half under “For Official Use Only”)
• your previous 90-day reporting receipt of notification (if you’ve done your 90-day reporting before)

Note that in some immigration offices, you may need copies of your documents including:

• a copy of your passport biometrics page
• a copy of your visa stamp from inside your passport
• a copy of form TM.47, completely filled out

Once you have your documents in order, you can go on to the next step.

Fines for Not Reporting

There may come a time when you forget to do your 90-day reporting. It happens to all expats at some point.

If this is the case, you have to pay a maximum 2,000 baht fine.

What 90-Day Reporting is Not

When you do your 90-day reporting, you’re not being granted more time in Thailand. You’re simply letting immigration know that you’re still in the country and living at the same residence.

Moreover, your Thai visa and 90-day reporting have nothing to do with each other.

And lastly, when you apply for a new visa every year, your 90-day reporting date does not change.

When Does Your 90-Day Reporting Due Date Reset?

Every time you do your 90-day reporting to immigration, your due date resets by another 90 days.

Immigration officers will stamp your next due date on your 90-day receipt of notification, which they sometimes staple into your passport.

However, if you have a long-term visa, leave Thailand, and then re-enter, your 90-day reporting due date resets from the date you re-entered the country.

As a side note, if you plan on leaving Thailand and you have a long-term visa, you must get a Thailand re-entry permit, otherwise you’ll void your visa.

TM30

If you move to a new house, you should always ask your owner to file form TM 30 at the local immigration office for you. Form TM30 is a notification of residence that your landlord or homeowner needs to file within 24 hours of you arriving or moving into their residence. 

If you don’t file it, you’ll need to pay an THB800 to THB1,600 fine. In addition, you won’t be able to do your 90-day reporting at the immigration office.

If you use a visa service agency to do your 90-day reporting on your behalf, make sure they file your TM30 at your local immigration office. There are some visa service agencies that will file your TM30 at an immigration office that is convenient for them, so that they can do your 90-day report there.

This will not benefit you in the long run because if you want to do your 90-day reporting yourself, you’ll have to go all the way to the other immigration office, or you’ll have to ask your landlord to file form TM30 for you again at your local immigration office. 

Changing Your Address

When you move in Thailand, you have to let immigration know ASAP.

You may think it’s okay to wait until your next 90-day reporting is due, but you’ll have to pay a fine if you do this — up to 2,000 baht, in fact.

Legally, you must let immigration know within 24 hours of moving into your new place. Realistically, this is hard to do when you’re dedicating all your time to moving.

Changing your address is not a difficult process, but it does take the help of your landlord. I wrote this guide on changing your address in Thailand for the province I live in, but the process is generally the same wherever you live.

Now, on to You

After you do your 90-day reporting one time, you’ll see it’s one of the easier things you have to do while living in Thailand.

Hopefully in the future Thai immigration will do away with the whole process, as it doesn’t really seem to serve much of a purpose.

But until then, it’s a reality of being an expat in Thailand, and one of those things you have to do to enjoy living in the country long-term.