90-Day Report: how to stay fine-free

It takes ten minutes - if you remember the deadline.

The 90-day report is the requirement that catches out even experienced expats. It has nothing to do with your visa running out. It is simply an address check-in: every 90 days that you stay in Thailand continuously, immigration wants to know where you are.

Miss it, and the fine starts at 2,000 baht — even though your visa may have months left on it.

Who must report

Any foreign national staying in Thailand for 90 consecutive days. It applies to work permit holders, retirees, students, dependants — the category of visa does not matter.

Two things to note:

• The count restarts whenever you leave and re-enter Thailand
• If you leave before your 90 days are up, the clock resets and you never report for that period

When the clock starts

From the day you enter Thailand. If you entered on 5 January, your report is due in early April. Immigration allows a window of 15 days before to 7 days after the due date, and we recommend using the early part of that window.

Three ways to do it

• Online, through the immigration e-service. Fastest, but the system only accepts a report made at least 15 days before the deadline and not during the last 7 days.
• In person at the immigration office that covers your province. Reliable, and you can ask questions at the counter.
• By registered mail, at least seven days before the due date. Good if you cannot travel but you will have no receipt in hand.

What you need

• Passport
• Arrival card, or the departure card from your last entry
• The previous 90-day receipt, if you have one
• Your current address details, including the postal code

Changing address during the period

If you move, report your new address within 24 hours using the TM28 form. Do not wait for the next 90-day report — the two obligations are separate and the deadlines are different.

Fines and what happens if you are late

• Reporting late: a fine starting at 2,000 baht
• Not reporting at all until you surrender or leave: a higher fine, decided case by case
• Being stopped with an out-of-date report can lead to further questions about your address, your employer and your permit

The simplest way to stay safe

Put the date in your phone calendar the day you land, with a reminder fifteen days before. That single habit prevents the most common and most avoidable fine in Thailand.

If you would rather not think about it at all, we can file it for you each quarter and remind you before it is due.