It is a requirement of law that is now being enforced at pretty much all immigration offices across the country that house owners must report the presence of any foreigners staying at the property at the local immigration office within 24 hours of their arrival.
Some people think that filling in an arrival card on the plane is sufficient, however this is not the case.
If you are staying at a hotel or guesthouse, don’t worry this will be taken care of for you. If you are staying in a short or long term rental property this will also usually be taken care of for you, however this should not be taken for granted. It is always better to check, if you are renting a property via an agent you can check with them and they will most likely have a procedure already in place. But if you are renting privately from a landlord they may not be aware or may not be happy about having to do this as it has been known for some private landlords not to declare the rental income for tax purposes. On a side note, this can sometimes also be an issue if you require rental receipts.
Technically, it is the householders responsibility to declare the foreigners residing at the property and ignorance of this law will not carry any weight with immigration officials. If you have a rental contract you can be classed as the householder and can register any foreigners residing at your address, however the primary responsibility lies with the property owner and they will be the one’s who get fined if it is not done.
There is a choice of three documents which can be provided by the householder:
- A copy of the householders’ house registration document or Tabian Baan
- A copy of the householders’ ID card
- A copy of a rental agreement
Please note that these rules also apply if you have family or friends visiting from overseas. These rules have been applicable for a number of years and work along with the hotel act of 2005 but have only begun to be enforced recently.
A fine of 2,000 THB is payable if you do not register aliens residing at your property within 24 hours of their arrival.
The form required to notify foreigners residing at the property is form ™ 30, officially you are required to re-register if you leave the country and return, however many immigration offices do not enforce this if you are returning to the same address.
For any further information relating to this article, or any queries about Visa related issues, contact Darren at 081 004 5397; email – [email protected], or call into the office located opposite Big C South Pattaya.
