Renting a home or condo as a foreigner

It depends on the term. Section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code requires a lease of immovable property longer than three years to be in writing and registered with the competent official at the Land Office; otherwise it is enforceable for three years only. Section 540 caps a lease at 30 years. A one-year lease with automatic renewal gives far less security than registration, so register from the outset if you plan a long stay.

Check the title deed or condominium unit title to confirm the signatory is the owner or holds a genuine power of attorney from the owner, match the ID card to the name on the title, and check whether the property is mortgaged, because a later mortgage enforcement can affect the tenant. Also ask for a copy of the house registration book for the property — you will need it for the TM30 filing and visa applications.

The deposit is a contractual debt the landlord must return at the end of the lease once the property is handed back in the agreed condition. Send a written demand with proof of payment and dated photographs of the unit at move-in and move-out, then file a consumer or ordinary civil claim. The decisive evidence is a condition report and inventory annexed to the lease on the day you moved in; without it, proving the damage claim is difficult.

Immigration uses proof of accommodation when considering an extension of stay. Officers commonly ask for the lease, copies of the owner's house registration book and ID card, the TM30 acknowledgement, a map to the residence, and photographs of the applicant at the address. Requirements vary by office, so confirm the current checklist with the office where you will file before your appointment.

TM30 is the notification that a foreigner has taken up residence, required by section 38 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522. The duty falls on the housemaster, owner or possessor of the dwelling — or the hotel manager — not on the foreigner. It must be filed within 24 hours of the foreigner taking up residence, and failure carries a statutory fine. Spell this duty out in the lease.

Buying in the foreign quota requires proof that the funds entered Thailand in foreign currency and were converted to baht here. The evidence is the foreign exchange transaction form or the receiving bank's inward-remittance certificate, showing remitter, beneficiary, amount and the purpose stated as purchase of a condominium unit. State the purpose correctly at the time of transfer — retroactive corrections are hard and can hold up registration at the Land Office.

Yes. The Non-Immigrant O-A visa, applied for at a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate-General abroad, requires the applicant to show health insurance covering the whole period of stay in Thailand up to the published minimum sums insured, issued by an insurer that confirms cover inside Thailand. Check the current sums and conditions with the embassy where you file, because the notification is revised from time to time.

The Long-Term Resident visa administered by the Board of Investment requires health insurance at the coverage level set in the published criteria, or alternatively the specified deposit evidence, and in some cases Thai social security coverage. The exact sums and accepted documents are published in the BOI LTR system, so follow the version in force when you file.

If a parent holds a work visa or a long-stay visa, the child normally stays as a dependent under that visa's conditions. Where no parent holds a work visa, the child uses the Non-Immigrant ED student visa supported by a letter from a licensed school. Both routes still require 90-day reporting and TM30 address notification.

Generally a passport with a valid visa, the TM30 acknowledgement, evidence of residence such as a lease or unit title, copies of the housemaster's house book and ID card, and witnesses as the registrar requires. Foreign documents such as passports and marriage certificates need Thai translations certified in a form the registrar accepts. Requirements vary by registrar office, so ask in advance.

Yes. The duty to notify your address every 90 days comes from section 37(4) of the Immigration Act and attaches to temporary-stay permission; it is not removed by being listed in a yellow house book or holding a pink card. Different reporting conditions apply only to holders of a residence certificate and alien registration book.

Advance document review, queue booking or appointment coordination, Thai-English or other-language interpreting as agreed, and an attorney or staff member attending with you at the Land Office, district registrar, Immigration, the Department of Land Transport or a bank — plus sequencing filings across agencies so nothing expires mid-process. Ask about scope and fees by phone, LINE or email.

The order that works: first, prepare and legalise home-country documents before departure — marriage certificate, birth certificates, transcripts and police clearance; second, file the main earner's visa and the dependents' visas; third, on arrival have the housemaster file TM30 within 24 hours; fourth, sign the lease and gather proof of accommodation; fifth, open bank accounts and obtain residence certificates; sixth, apply for driving licences and school places. Doing this out of order usually means refiling.

Under section 538 of the Civil and Commercial Code, a lease of immovable property longer than three years must be registered at the land office or it is enforceable for only three years. Long-stay tenants therefore either use rolling three-year terms or register a 30-year lease, paying the 1% registration fee on total rent plus 0.1% stamp duty. Before signing, check that the landlord's name matches the title deed or condominium ownership certificate, the mortgage status, the deposit-return terms, and whether the landlord will file TM30 for you.

The most effective step is a dated, photographed condition report signed by both sides on move-in and attached to the lease. State in the lease that fair wear and tear is not damage, set a deadline for the deposit refund in days (for example within 30 days of handover), and require any deduction to be supported by a real quotation or receipt. If money is withheld with no evidence, a consumer case can be filed at Phuket Provincial Court, where consumer claimants do not pay court fees.

Section 38 places the duty on the house owner, possessor or manager — including hotels and landlords — to notify the immigration office within 24 hours of a foreigner taking up residence. The fine falls on that person, not the tenant. In practice, however, many immigration offices ask for TM30 evidence when processing extensions, 90-day reports and residence certificates. Put the obligation in your lease and ask for proof each time, or obtain system access to file it yourself.

Requirements vary by bank under Bank of Thailand KYC rules. The usual set is a passport with entry stamp and a valid visa, proof of a Thai address such as a lease plus TM30, a residence certificate from immigration or your embassy, and in some branches a work permit or employer letter. Tourist-visa holders find it much harder than before. The approach that works is calling ahead to a branch with foreign-client staff and confirming the exact document list before you travel there.

It depends on the visa category and is revised periodically. The Non-O-A long-stay visa requires health cover for the whole period of stay at the officially announced sums insured. The BOI Long-Term Resident visa allows insurance or a deposit alternative under the criteria published at ltr.boi.go.th. Policies must come from an approved insurer or an acceptable foreign insurer, with an English-language certificate of cover. Always verify current figures with immigration or the OIC before buying — non-compliant policies are a common cause of rejection.

Typically the student's and parents' passports and visas, the birth certificate, two to three years of school reports, a school leaving certificate, immunisation records, and a behaviour report or reference letter. Anything not in English needs a certified translation, and many schools also want legalisation or an Apostille from the country of origin. Start two to three months ahead, because getting foreign documents authenticated is the slowest step in the chain.

A prepaid SIM needs only your passport, registered at an operator store under NBTC rules. Monthly plans and home broadband usually require a passport, a visa with enough validity left, a lease or address proof, and sometimes a Thai-issued credit card or a deposit. Check the contract's minimum term and early-termination penalty; tenants who leave mid-term are frequently charged fees they never read.

It covers the tasks that need Thai and queueing at government offices: booking and accompanying you to immigration for extensions or residence certificates, filing TM30, applying for the Tor Ror 13 house book, attending bank account opening, arranging driving licence appointments, finding housing and reviewing the lease, liaising with schools, and providing an interpreter on key appointment days. We build a personal document checklist first, which cuts the repeat trips that cost new arrivals the most time.

The commonly forgotten items are cancelling the work permit and closing the Non-B visa in the correct order, filing personal income tax for the departure year and obtaining a tax payment certificate if a foreign authority will need it, closing or keeping bank accounts per the bank's guidance, deregistering from the Tor Ror 13 house book, terminating lease and utility contracts in writing, and collecting key documents such as employment certificates or medical records with certified translation and legalisation done before you go.

Secure your visa status first, then a lease naming the person shown on the title deed, then the TM.30 address notification and a residence certificate. Only after those can you reliably open a bank account, obtain a Thai driving licence and buy local health insurance, because each step is the documentary input for the next.

Remit foreign currency into Thailand and convert to baht locally so the receiving bank can issue the foreign exchange transaction evidence required by the Land Office for foreign-quota ownership. The remitter name should match the buyer, and the stated purpose should reference the property purchase.

Choose the visa route first, then legalise home-country documents such as marriage and birth certificates before you leave. After arrival, file the TM.30 address notification within the deadline, then open a bank account, convert your driving licence and sign a long-term lease. Banks and the Land Transport office both ask for proof of a registered address, so doing those first rarely works.

For a unit bought under the foreign quota, the Land Office generally asks for proof that the purchase money entered Thailand as foreign currency, usually a bank certificate issued by the receiving Thai bank under Bank of Thailand rules. Keep your passport, the sale and purchase agreement, the outgoing transfer instruction and the bank certificate together. Common problems are stating a transfer purpose unrelated to property, or routing funds through a third party's account so the trail breaks. State the purpose correctly on the first transfer and keep every document until title transfer day.

Two routes exist: the local Immigration office, or your own embassy or consulate. Processing practice and validity differ between them. Documents usually requested include your passport, the TM.30 address notification receipt, a lease or proof of address, photographs and the office's application form. The certificate is used for a Thai driving licence, some bank account openings, vehicle registration and other registry work. Because receiving offices often accept only a recently issued certificate, request it close to the date you need it and confirm which issuer they accept.

Spending an aggregate of 180 days or more in a tax year makes you a Thai tax resident under the Revenue Code, with a duty to file according to the categories of income you receive. For foreign-sourced income, the Revenue Department issued instructions Por.161/2566 and Por.162/2566 setting out how remittances into Thailand are treated, with different outcomes depending on the year the income arose. Keep entry and exit records, bank statements, evidence of foreign tax paid and the relevant double tax agreement. Days are counted cumulatively, not consecutively; consult an accountant or your local Revenue office before your first filing.

Copies without the issuing authority's seal; certified originals submitted without a certified Thai translation; names spelled differently from the passport; documents issued longer ago than the receiving office accepts; and documents amended by hand without an authorised endorsement. Prevent this by ordering fresh originals, checking spellings against the passport before translation, and asking the receiving office in writing which version they require. We pre-check files before submission to reduce the chance of a return.

Yes, and we work as advisers rather than couriers. We start by mapping your residence and work goals, set the most time-efficient order of steps, review drafts and translations before filing, coordinate with Immigration, the Department of Consular Affairs, the Land Office and embassies, then report progress stage by stage and flag risks that could cause a rejection. With more than 15 years handling expatriate files in Phuket, Bangkok and upcountry, we can give you a step plan tailored to your case before any fee is committed.

Yes. Address reporting for foreign nationals is tied to where you actually live, so when you move the house owner or occupier must file a new notification of residence within the prescribed period, and your own periodic reporting continues using the new address. Moving to another province also means the file is transferred to the immigration office covering that area, which usually requires a new lease, a map to the property and the house owner's documents. Neglecting this is a common reason why records do not match at renewal.

To buy a condominium within the foreign quota you must show that foreign currency was brought into Thailand and converted to baht here, with the purpose stated as the purchase of real property. The bank issues the confirmation of inward remittance in the format the Land Office accepts. Transfer into the buyer's own account and avoid routing funds through another person, because a mismatch between the remitter and the registered buyer will stop the transfer on the day.

Banks look at your visa category and evidence of ties to Thailand. Commonly requested documents are the passport, a long-stay visa or work permit, a residence certificate from Immigration or your embassy, a lease, and at some branches an employer's letter. Tourist-visa holders are often refused or limited to restricted account types. Choosing a branch experienced with foreign clients and preparing certified translations in advance saves repeat visits.

Yes, and we act as advisers throughout rather than running errands one at a time. We begin with your residence and work goals, sequence the steps so each document supports the next, review drafts and translations before filing, coordinate with Immigration, the Department of Consular Affairs, the Land Office and embassies, then report progress and flag anything that could cause a rejection. With more than 15 years handling expatriate files in Phuket, Bangkok and upcountry, we will set out the step plan for your review before work starts.

A practical order is: first, settle your immigration status, including visa type, expiry and reporting cycle. Second, create proof of address: a lease naming you exactly as your passport does, plus the residence notification filed by the property owner. Third, obtain a certificate of residence from Immigration or your consulate, since it unlocks the driving licence, bank accounts and vehicle registration. Fourth, prepare foreign civil documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates and diplomas with home-country authentication, Thai translation and Department of Consular Affairs legalisation, because these are reused constantly and cause the longest delays when left until they are urgent. If you would rather not run between offices, our advisers build the timeline and handle every agency in one coordinated process.

The lease should name a landlord matching the title deed or house registration, spell your name exactly as in your passport, state the full address including unit and building name, run beyond the current date, and carry both signatures. Attach a certified copy of the owner's ID card, the house registration and proof of ownership. If you rent from a company, include the company affidavit and a power of attorney. The most common defect is a landlord who is not the registered owner, which invalidates the residence notification and every filing built on top of it.

There are two routes. The immigration office covering your address issues one against your passport, TM.6 where applicable, lease or accommodation proof, the residence notification, photographs and the office's own application form. Alternatively your embassy or consulate may issue one, often same day but at a higher fee, and some Thai offices then ask for a translation and legalisation. Processing ranges from same day to several working days depending on the office. These certificates have a short validity, so request one close to when you need it.