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The 90-Day Reporting Guide: Where, When & How

All long-stay Thai visas have a 90-day reporting requirement.

This means that once you have entered Thailand and had your visa stamped, you will be required to report to an immigration office and produce some paperwork within 90 days of your stay.

In this FAQ, I'll run through exactly why you need to do this, how you can do it, and what documents you will need.

90-day-reporting-thailand

Promthep Cape, Phuket, Thailand, by Sumit Chinchane.

What is a 90-Day Report?

This requirement is officially known as a “Notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days.”

Whether you are holding a business visa, education visa, O-A, O-X, or Elite visa, if your stay is going to extend beyond 90 days, then you must complete the report.

What is the Point of 90-Day Reporting?

The requirement is centered around reporting your address, and essentially a way to keep tabs on the whereabouts of foreign nationals inside Thailand.

There are foreign criminal networks operating inside Thailand, and immigration has previously noted that this system helps make it more difficult for such people to fly under the radar.

However, some would argue that this requirement is outdated and that modern technology is able to adequately track foreign nationals throughout the kingdom.

Some speculate that the additional revenue created by the reporting requirement is the driving force behind keeping the system in place.

How Often Do I Have to Report?

Unfortunately, you will need to get used to doing this. It isn't just the first 90 days of your stay that you have to do a report, but every 90 days.

For example: over the course of the year, you would need to do a report at days 90, 180, and 270 of your stay.

What If I Leave the Country Before 90 Days?

If you have a multiple entry visa, then you can leave the country before your 90-day reporting requirement and travel to a neighboring country or elsewhere in the world.

You can then re-enter Thailand and have your length of stay reset to zero. At this point, your next reporting requirement would be due 90 days after you re-enter the country.

If your visa is not multiple entry, then you can obtain a re-entry permit before you leave, which ensures that your visa is kept valid in your absence.

Can I Report Before the 90 Days is Up?

Yes, by law you can report up to 15 days before your due date and up to 7 days after without any fine.

How Much is the Fine for Reporting Late?

The fine for neglecting to notify immigration of a stay over 90 days is 2,000 Baht.

If you are arrested for any reason and found to be in breach of your reporting duty, the fine goes up to 5,000 Baht. At this point, you will be fined 200 Baht a day for each day that you fail to report thereafter.

How do I Submit a 90-Day Report?

There are 3 main methods of completing the 90-day report:

  1. In person at a local Immigration Office
  2. Online
  3. By registered mail

In Person

The majority of expats choose to report in person because it's fairly easy to do.

It can be a hassle because immigration offices in cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai can get busy and wait times can be long.

Conversely, if you live in a rural area, you may find that a visit to your local immigration office is fairly uneventful and quite pleasant. You probably won't have to queue for long and you might well be in and out within an hour.

Either way, the best thing to do is to plan your reporting day in advance. Get an early night and get up early. Get to immigration as they open and you'll be at the front of the queue. As long as you have all of your documents prepared, you'll be home in time for lunch.

When reporting in person you will need the following:

  • Passport
  • Notification form (TM47) – address reporting form
  • Copy of passport info page (with photo, name, passport number, etc.)
  • Copy of current visa
  • Copy of latest entry stamp
  • Copy of latest visa extension
  • Copy of departure card (TM6) – should be in your passport
  • Copy of previous 90-day slip (if you have one)

Reporting Online

Previously the online system was a nightmare. It seldom worked and was compatible only with Internet Explorer browser, which belongs in the last century.

But alas, we have a new system. You can use this system up to 15 days before your report is due. The result of the report will take 3 days to be returned.

The report option is available under the Online Services section of the Immigration Bureau website. You will need to select TM47, which is the name of the form used for 90-day reporting. You then submit your details to your local immigration office – selectable from a list.

Before you submit a report, you must register here: https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add

Your information must be submitted in English. You'll receive a password to your email address, enabling you to login to the system.

Please note that you can't use the online system for your first report, or for your first report after being issued a new passport.

If you fall into one of these two categories you will need to do your report at an immigration office.

By Registered Mail

Reporting by mail is slightly different than reporting person. You will need to send your documents in at least 15 days before your reporting due date. You might want to do it 20 days beforehand, just to make sure everything is in good order.

You will be required to mail in signed photocopies of the following documents:

  • Passport info page (with photo, name, passport number, etc.)
  • Current visa
  • Latest entry stamp
  • Latest visa extension
  • Departure card (TM6)
  • Previous 90-day slip (if you have it)
  • Completed notification form (TM47) – address reporting form

These need to be submitted together with a stamp (10 Baht) addressed envelope with your home address written on the back. The envelope is required for immigration to send back the bottom section of your TM47, which will tell you when your next reporting date is.

Is There a Way to Avoid 90-Day Reporting?

It is possible to avoid the reporting requirements, if you leave the country before your notification date.

If you plan a trip to a neighboring country such as Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, or Vietnam, then you can enjoy a bit of traveling and receive a further 90-day stay when you return.

There is no other way to avoid reporting. However, if you have an Elite Visa, one of the benefits is that you get help with your reporting. You are able to give your passport to one of the company representatives and they will assist you with the process.

In Summary

90-day reporting in Thailand is somewhat of a pain, but if you prepare properly then it should be fairly straightforward.

One piece of advice I'd like to add is to be aware of public holidays. Of course these dates change from year to year, so you'd do well to have a calendar like this to schedule your reporting around these dates.

There are currently 19 public holidays each year and immigration offices always close on these days. It could be the case that an office is closed to out of the five days in a given working week.

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Comments Sort by : newest | oldest

  1. John says

    Thanks for all the info, very helpful.
    90 day check in question you might know.
    I arrived August 1, checked into immigration August 2. My receipt of notification is dated August 2. Is the next 90 day check in calculated from August 1 or August 2?
    Thank you.
    Reply

  2. Jennifer C. says

    HI there!
    I'm apologize if this has been answered in someone's comment already.
    My husband has a Non-B work visa and his 90-day check is coming up September 10th. However, we had to travel to Laos beginning of July in order to work on some visa things for me, and he had exited and re-entered on a re-entry permit. So he has a re-entry stamp now for July 3. My question is does this re-entry stamp reset his 90 days? Or do we still go off of the original date on his paper?
    Also, do you know if they limit how many times you can request a re-entry permit on his visa?
    Thank you so much.
    Reply

    • JamesE says

      Re-entry resets the 90-day clock. I don't think there's an "official" limit but frequent trips out and back may raise some eyebrows with an immigration agent. The question he'll get is: "If you're working here why do you have to leave so often?".
      Reply

  3. John says

    Some advice for those uninitiated like me! I did my one year extension for the first time in Bangkok. No issues. The lady was great and told me the date I must do the 90-day report. About 85 days later, without any troubles at all, I did a 90-day report online and received the confirmation email. All good!

    A few weeks later I went to immigration to get a re-entry permit. A *very* aggressive officer accused me of not doing my 90-day report and stated I must pay a fine. I informed him that I had indeed done my 90-day report, but the issue seemed to be there was no evidence in the passport ! Well, as I told him I did it online - So I received an email confirmation - so clearly nothing is in the passport!

    I then suggested he check his system to see that I had indeed reported. He refused to do so. In the end my poor wife (who was with me) had to spend 2 hours going all the way home, to collect my notebook that contained the approval email and to bring it back. 2 hours to go all the way home to collect evidence of an email that came from immigration in the first place! Just bizzaire.

    So the lesson is, even if you report online, do not assume everthing is now online. You still need to PRINT the attachment to the email and have it with your passport.

    Beggar's belief.

    John.
    Reply

  4. Jerry says

    Hello,
    My first Non-O Extension of Stay was in March 2022. So my "first" 90 day check-in is June 30, 2022.

    I tried to use the Online Tool. This message came back: "Previous notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days is not found."

    My question is: Do I need to go in person this time, then I can use the Online Tool?

    FYI.. to your readers .. for me the account application only took 5 minutes for the auto response to happen and get an account. And the 90 day check-in was "rejected" within 24 hours, I got an email telling me it was "rejected."

    At least the tool is quick in responding.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Hey Jerry, yes, the first time you will need to report in person. You can then use the tool after that. "Please note that you can't use the online system for your first report, or for your first report after being issued a new passport."
      Reply

    • Bobuntu says

      In my experience at Chiang Rai office, the 90-days starts from your previous 90-day report and not from the start date of a new visa extension.

      Also, FYI, I only have to present my passport for a 90-day report (no copies of any kind).

      The ฿2,000 fine is a maximum. So I would think that there's a daily rate up to that amount.
      Reply

  6. Eddie says

    Some information seems out of sync. It's all easy to understand when reading but in the real world issues come up.
    1. You get fined 2,000 baht for being late reporting 90 days. OK, supposedly you go down in person 7 days after -- It's actually 6 days because they count the day YOU ARE IN.
    2. I have read somewhere that if you mail-in your 90 day check and nothing comes back in time, there is no 7 days after grace period. Meaning if you go down a few days late you will be fined. Doesn't really make sense but well -- "here we are."
    Reply

    • Bobuntu says

      90-day reporting is a requirement for EVERYBODY who is staying over 90 days without leaving the country. . . no exceptions.
      If you have to re-enter Thailand to activate the 2nd entry of a multiple-entry visa, the 90-day count-down should restart from when you re-enter the country.
      Reply

  8. Kev says

    Hi, I have my 90 day reporting due on the 28th June and am planning to fly out on the 2nd July which is still in the acceptable reporting in person timeframe of +7 days.

    The system is not letting me do the reporting online for whatever reason, do I need to bother to go in, or will I just be able to leave with no issues at immigration?

    Does anyone have any insight or experience with this scenario? Thanks!
    Reply

  9. Jerry says

    I plan to have a Non-OA, or Non-O Retirement Visa, multi-entry.
    Will taking "Holidays" to nearby countries, rather than do a 90 check ins, cause any issues on my Annual Renewal? Anything I should expect since I deviated from the norm? I appreciate your wisdom. Great blog.
    Reply

    • michael barber says

      Seems a ' sledgehammer to crack a nut' approach to 90 day reporting requirement, but should not ( I repeat 'should not') cause problem at Annual renewal.
      I have met problems at local Immigration office when relying on date of arrival as evidence for 90 day extension, but this was not for Annual renewal
      Reply

    • JamesE says

      This seems like a workable plan but it begs the question: Why? If you're planning on taking holidays anyway why tie up ฿800K languishing in a Thai bank for the retirement visa? The 90-day report can be done online (I know, the system has issues) or even by mail or agent. Then you just have to show up for your annual extension.
      Reply

  10. Jerry says

    Is There a Way to Avoid 90-Day Reporting?

    It is possible to avoid the reporting requirements, if you leave the country before your notification date.

    If you plan a trip to a neighboring country such as Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, or Vietnam, then you can enjoy a bit of traveling and receive a further 90-day stay when you return.

    I had been thinking I would take "Holidays" to neighboring countries for my 90 day at times. QUESTION: Will this cause any issues when I do my "Annual" renewal for my VISA (Non-O Retirement) each year?
    As always, great Blog.
    Reply

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