Renting a private property in Thailand as a foreigner – What is the TM.30 Law?
If you are renting your property in Thailand, whether it be a condo, apartment or otherwise, you need to comply with a law that applies to everyone who provides accommodations to foreigners. The law is called TM30.
TM.30 is the mechanism which the Thai Government uses to track and monitor the addresses of foreigners in Thailand, in cooperation with INTERPOL, with the function of improved international surveillance (hence the notification within 24-hour requirement).
The law states that all properties that have non-Thai nationals living on their premises must register the tenant with the immigration department.
The enforcement of the TM30 law has been expanded to include those not previously covered under the hotel act, and now includes anyone providing accommodation to a foreign national.
Although this regulation is not new, as of March 2019, the immigration department is now enforcing the law consistently, particularly in Bangkok. Failure to comply with TM.30 regulations will result in penalty fines for the landlord and potential bureaucratic issues for the tenant.
Who is responsible for filing Tm30 notifications with immigration?
For houses and condos, the responsibility is with the home-owner/landlord to register a non-Thai national staying on the premises — within 24 hours of the time of their arrival, with the local immigration office.
When renting to a foreign national, irrespective of the length of stay —whether it is 1 Month or 3 Years, it is the responsibility of the the landlord (be it owner of a house, hotel, residence or lessor) to notify immigration.
Ultimately, it’s the owner that will be fined, so the overall responsibility falls upon the owner.
For the landlord, non-compliance can be costly. Fines are around 1,600 Baht for every instance of non-registration and can add up quickly, with the potential to be subject to fines of up to 10,000 Baht
Without the official TM.30 receipt, foreign tenants can expect to have their immigration requests rejected or delayed; affecting all types of visa extension applications, both first-year and renewal applications, 90-day reporting and multiple re-entry permits.
Listing your property with a property rental agency does not negate your responsibility. Most agencies will not follow through with registration of guests they rent your property to— though it will be you, the landlord that is responsible for the fine. SOHO Properties can streamline this process on your behalf, and ensure your tenants are registered.
As a tenant, you cannot always rely on your landlord to take care of this process – SOHO can coordinate this process on your behalf and ensure your next visit to Chang Watthana isn’t impeded as a result of non-registration.
Soho Properties can complete this process for you, by simply providing the following documents:
- Completed TM.30 Form (link)
- Copy of landlord’s ID
- Copy of title deed and house registration book
- Copy of rental contract
- Copy of foreign tenant’s passport – including copies of the following pages:
- Photo and information page
- Arrival stamp
- Departure card (TM.6)
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