TM30 in Thailand: the 24-hour foreign-guest notification, explained
TM30 is the notification Thai law requires an accommodation owner or manager to file within 24 hours of a foreign guest taking up residence — not a visa, and not something the guest files themselves.
What TM30 actually is
TM30 (Notification of Residence of a Foreigner) is a requirement under Section 38 of Thailand's Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979). It requires the house owner, possessor or manager of a residence — and separately, the manager of a hotel — who takes in a foreigner permitted to stay temporarily in Thailand, to notify the local immigration office within 24 hours of the foreigner taking up residence.
It is not a visa, and it does not extend or shorten how long a guest can stay. It simply tells Thai Immigration where a foreign national is staying. It is also a different requirement from the 90-day report, which is a separate duty on the foreign national (or their landlord acting on their behalf) to confirm an ongoing address every 90 days, not on arrival.
Who must file TM30
The legal duty sits with whoever accepts the foreign guest into the property — not the guest. For a hotel, guesthouse or serviced apartment, that's the manager or operator of the accommodation. For a private home or condo rented to a foreigner, it's the owner, the juristic possessor, or their appointed agent. Filing is the host's responsibility either way; a guest cannot file their own TM30.
How to file TM30 online
- 1
Register once at tm30.immigration.go.th
Create an account on the Immigration Bureau's official online system and verify it by email.
- 2
Add your property's address
Register the accommodation's address in the system before you can notify any guest staying there — a one-time step per address.
- 3
Notify within 24 hours of each foreign guest's check-in
Submit the guest's passport details, nationality and arrival date for that address, either one at a time or by uploading several guests in one Excel file for larger properties.
- 4
Keep the confirmation
The system lets you print or save proof of notification — keep it in case an immigration office asks to see it later.
The Immigration Bureau's official portal is tm30.immigration.go.th. An Android/iOS app for TM30, commonly referred to as "Section 38", has also been used for filing, but it has a history of intermittent outages — the web portal is the most reliable official channel if the app isn't working.
Documents and information you need
Property registration
Proof of the address (house registration or lease) and the owner's ID, needed once when you first register the address in the system.
Guest's passport
Full name, passport number, nationality, date of birth and visa/entry details — collect this at check-in, before the guest settles in.
Arrival date
The exact date the guest took up residence at your property, which starts the 24-hour clock.
Common mistakes
Thinking the guest has to do it. The legal duty is on the accommodation owner or manager, not the foreign guest — even if the guest offers to "handle it themselves", the responsibility, and any fine for a missed filing, falls on the host.
Confusing TM30 with the 90-day report. TM30 is filed by the host within 24 hours of a guest arriving; the 90-day report is a separate, ongoing requirement tied to the foreign national's continued stay at one address.
Filing late because the address wasn't registered yet. The property's address has to be added to the system before you can notify a guest — do this once, in advance, rather than on the day a guest checks in.
Not keeping proof of submission. If immigration later asks about a guest's stay, the printed or saved confirmation from the system is what shows you filed on time.
What happens if you don't file
Section 77 of the Immigration Act sets the penalty for failing to comply with Section 38 at a fine of up to 2,000 baht for a house owner or possessor, and from 2,000 to 10,000 baht if the person responsible is a hotel manager. In practice, how strictly this is enforced varies by immigration office and over time, and a missing TM30 can also complicate a guest's own 90-day report or visa extension. This page is general information, not legal advice — check with your local immigration office for how it applies to your situation.
How Prime Host helps — without filing it for you
Today's foreign guests, sorted by urgency
The dashboard lists today's foreign guests who need a TM30, sorted by how much of the 24-hour window is left — "X hours left", or "past 24 h" once the deadline has passed.
Guests with no nationality on file still count
If a channel didn't send a guest's country, that guest still shows up on the list, tagged as "no country given", so an unusual booking doesn't quietly fall through.
A reminder to collect the passport
The same screen reminds staff to ask for the guest's passport at check-in, since that's what filing actually needs.
It's a reminder, not a filing or a status check
Prime Host cannot see whether you've actually filed with Immigration — it only tracks the 24-hour window from check-in and links out to the official TM30 system. Filing itself still happens at tm30.immigration.go.th.
Frequently asked questions
What is TM30 in Thailand?
A notification, required under Section 38 of the Immigration Act, that tells Thai Immigration where a foreign guest is staying. It must be filed within 24 hours of the guest taking up residence, by the accommodation's owner or manager — not by the guest.
Who is responsible for filing TM30 — the guest or the host?
The host: the house owner, possessor or manager of the residence, or the hotel manager. A foreign guest cannot file their own TM30.
How do I file TM30 online?
Register once at tm30.immigration.go.th, add your property's address, then notify each foreign guest's details within 24 hours of arrival. An app called "Section 38" has also been used for this, though it has a history of outages — the web portal is more reliable.
What happens if I file TM30 late or not at all?
Section 77 of the Immigration Act sets a fine of up to 2,000 baht for a house owner or possessor, and 2,000–10,000 baht if the responsible person is a hotel manager. It's the host who is liable, not the guest, and a missing TM30 can also complicate the guest's 90-day report or visa extension. This isn't legal advice — check with your local immigration office.
Is TM30 the same as the 90-day report?
No. TM30 is filed by the host within 24 hours of a guest's arrival. The 90-day report is a separate, ongoing requirement tied to a foreign national continuing to stay at the same address.
In this guide
File TM30 online at tm30.immigration.go.th: register, verify your account, add your property, notify one guest or bulk-upload via Excel, then print the receipt.
Everything required for TM30: owner ID and house registration to register your address, plus each guest's passport and arrival date to file a notification.
TM30 must be filed within 24 hours of a foreign guest's arrival under Section 38. Section 77 sets fines for missing it — what counts as on time.
TM30 is filed by whoever hosts a foreign guest — hotel managers, guesthouse owners, landlords, Airbnb hosts, condo owners, even a Thai friend. Not the guest.
Late filings, a wrong passport number, forgotten bulk guests, no saved receipt, TM30 confused with TM47 — and why OTA bookings never auto-report for you.
Keep reading
Try the real thing before you decide
The demo opens every feature with nothing to fill in · price is calculated from your real room count, no sales call