How to submit the TM30 Form in Thailand: Step-by-Step Guide

Having stayed in Thailand for a few years, one of my biggest gripes is dealing with immigration processes, and one of the most annoying one is the TM30 form. This is because you need to submit every single time you re-enter Thailand, even for short trips to Malaysia or Laos.

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the TM30. Should visitors or foreigners submit it themselves? Or will the accommodation handle it?

As someone staying with my wife in a condo she owns, I’ve run into this TM30 headache many times. The most frustrating part is when I fly out and back into Bangkok and forget to submit the form within the 24 hours window.

After going through this process more times than I’d like to admit, I consider myself a veteran TM30 submitter. 😂 In this blog post, I’ll share who needs to handle the TM30, why it’s important, and provide a step-by-step guide on how to submit it yourself if needed.

Who needs to care about the TM30 Form?

First, what's a TM30 form? It’s the registration of a foreign person staying at a residence, whether it’s a hotel or private property. Legally, it has to be submitted within 24 hours of your arrival.

Here are the key situations when a TM30 is required:

1. Foreigners Staying in a Private Residence
   If you’re staying at a rental place, like rental condo, rental house or even Airbnb, your landlord or the property owner need to submit the TM30. You might think it's none of your problem. BUT, if you're planning to extend or renew your visa, you need to actively follow up with your landlord to ensure the submission is completed. Otherwise, you might encounter issues or complications at the immigration office during your extension.
2. Staying with Friends or Family
   If you’re crashing at a friend’s or family member’s place, they must file the TM30 for you. This is something that many people overlook!
3. Changing Residences
   Each time you move to a new place—whether it’s a different province or just a new apartment in the same city—you’ll need a new TM30 submission.
4. Returning from International Travel
   Whenever you leave Thailand and return back to your same address, your landlord or host need to submit a new TM30 for your re-entry. (Particularly annoying)
5. Hotels and Guesthouses
   Most hotels and licensed guesthouses will handle TM30 for you during the check-in process.. However, I feel that it's still worth to confirm this with the front desk, especially at smaller or more informal accommodations where manpower is tighter.
6. Landlords and Property Owners
   If you’re hosting foreign friends or guests in your own property, you’re actually responsible for submitting the TM30.

Who needs to submit the TM30?

1. Property Owners / Landlords
   The primary responsibility lies with the property owner or landlord. If they don't submit within 24 hours, they can face fines of up to ~2,000 THB. If you’re staying in Thailand long-term, this is something you need to know.
2. Hotels, Guesthouses, & Airbnb Hosts
   These accommodations are also required to submit the TM30 for their foreign guests. As tourists, we usually don’t have to worry about this process, but it’s good to be know and be aware.

Do I really need to submit TM30? What are the consequences?

I try to be diligent about submitting the TM30 because neither my wife nor I want to deal with fines. On Reddit, people often ask if it’s a problem when friends visit and don’t file a TM30.

Generally, the answer is no — TM30 mainly matters when applying for a visa, such as extending a tourist visa or obtaining a longer-term visa. For short-term tourists, it’s not as critical.

However, for those staying long-term, a missing TM30 can become a significant issue during visa extensions or 90-day reporting periods. Here's an example of a Reddit post I’ve come across, complaints from people whose landlords refused to file the TM30, leading to complications with their visas.

When do you need to submit the TM30?

• Within 24 hours of arrival at your residence.
• Late submissions can be penalized with fines of 800 THB to 1,600 THB per person.
• That said, I’ve submitted mine a few days late before and haven’t run into issues so far (but don’t take that as a guarantee).

Documents required for TM30 Submission

• Passport (photo page and visa page)
• Rental agreement or proof of residence

Step-by-Step Guide: Submitting the TM30 Form

There are two primary ways to submit the TM30: in person at an immigration office or online. I’ve always preferred the online method for its convenience. Here’s a detailed guide on how to navigate the online submission via the Thai Immigration website.

Step 1: Register an Account

i. Go to TM30 Portal Registration.

ii. Fill in the required fields. The interface is user-friendly with English support.

• Select ‘Foreigner’
• Enter your passport number, phone number, gender, and name
• Attach your property registration document (if you’re the landlord or your partner owns the property)

iii. Complete the email verification through the OTP sent to your email.

iv. After you verify your email, you’ll receive another email with a random generated password. Log in and reset your password.

Step 2: Add Your Accommodation

Once you set up your account, log into TM30 portal.

You then next need to add your accommodation first before you can submit your stay details, but I always get confused here due to the system’s unclear navigation.

Instead of filling up the form directly, you'll instead need to

i. Click on the Profile icon (top right corner)
ii. Select ‘Profile’ from dropdown menu.

iii. In your profile, click ‘Add’ to input your accommodation details.

iv. Fill in all the necessary information fields and hit ‘Save’.

v. Save the profile again to return to the main TM30 page, where your residence address should now be listed, allowing you to proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Submit Your Stay Information

i. Click on the ‘Add’ button.

ii. Your accommodation address should appear on the left side if you’ve completed Step 2 correctly.

iii. Enter your check-in and check-out dates, along with any other required particulars.

iv. Review the information, then save and submit your TM30 form.

Step 4: Confirmation

After submitting, you should receive a confirmation document or email. This serves as your official TM30 confirmation, proving that you’ve informed the immigration office of your stay.

FAQ

What if my landlord refuses to submit my TM30?

If your landlord is a landlord from hell and refuses to submit the TM30 for you, or alternatively, they try to make you pay extra money to them for helping to submit the TM30 for you, you might face the consequences instead, such visa problems such as denied extensions or re-entry permits. This situation can be very frustrating since, while it’s only a small issue for the landlord (small fine or maybe no fine), it significantly affects you (visa issues).

What can you do:

• Bring Proof of Communication: Gather all evidence of your attempts to get the TM30 submitted, such as text messages or emails.
• Visit Immigration Personally: Some immigration offices may allow you to submit the TM30 yourself, especially if you can prove your accommodation situation.

Do I need to submit Tm30 if I stay in hotels?

• No, hotels will handle TM30 forms for you automatically. Hotels and other accomodations like guest houses or hostels are legally required to submit the form for all foreign guests.

Conclusion

Submitting the TM30 form can be a real pain, especially when dealing with uncooperative landlords or navigating the clunky Tm30 web portal . Even though I’ve submitted the TM30 myself many times, it remains a hassle that I’d rather avoid.

I hope this post helped clear up any confusion and made the process easier for you. Stay on top of your TM30 submissions, and you’ll save yourself from unnecessary fines and visa complications!