How to get a residence certificate in Phuket: step by step

What the certificate is for

A residence certificate is a one-page letter from Immigration that confirms your address in Thailand. It isn't a residence permit and doesn't depend on your visa: tourists on a visa stamp get one too.

The form itself lists what it is used for: a driving license, buying or selling a car or motorbike, and opening a bank account. The certificate is valid for 30 days from issue. What the document is and what it isn't is on the residence certificate page.

Step 1. Get a TM-30 from your hotel or landlord

This is where most people stop, even though it takes one sentence. A TM-30 is the notification of your address that the owner of the place you stay files with Immigration. Without it there is no residence certificate.

• Hotel. Take your passport to reception and say: "Could you please make a TM-30 for me?" Hotels usually give you a printed copy.
• Apartment or condo. Send the owner a photo of your passport's main page and write: "Could you please make TM-30 for me". The owner usually sends the file back on WhatsApp; you'll print it in step 2.

Who files it and what can go wrong is on the TM-30 page.

Step 2. Print copies and take a photo

Take your passport and the TM-30, if the hotel has already given you one, to a print and photo shop. There are some in Chalong and Nai Harn, and any shop that prints and takes photos will do. Ask for:

1. The main page of your passport: 3 copies.
2. The passport page with your entry stamp or visa: 3 copies.
3. The TM-30: send the shop the file on WhatsApp and ask for 3 copies.
4. One photo, 4×6 cm.

Three copies of each is a spare, so an extra request doesn't send you back to the shop.

Checklist

• copy of the passport main page;
• copy of the page with the stamp or visa;
• printed TM-30;
• 4×6 cm photo;
• your own pen, so you don't wait to borrow one.

If you forget something, it can be printed again at Immigration.

Step 3. Find the right room at Phuket Immigration

Phuket Immigration is at 482 Phuket Rd, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket (map). Lunch is from 12:00 to 13:00, so come before or after it.

The room you need is to the left of the entrance gate, under the stairs. The glass door says VISA EXTENSION and gives the hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30-12:00 and 13:00-16:30. If you can't find it, say "Certificate of Residence" to any officer and they'll show you the way.

Step 4. Fill in the form

1. Blank forms are in a box by the window on the left. Take one.
2. Fill it in using the sample below: each numbered box says where the information comes from.
3. Or photograph the blank form and your TM-30 and send both to ChatGPT: it will tell you what goes in each field.

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Step 5. Queue, cashier, certificate

1. Directly opposite the entrance there's usually a queue to an officer. Join it.
2. When it's your turn, hand over all your documents together. The officer sorts them.
3. You get your passport back with a slip showing your queue number.
4. Sit down and wait for your number to be called.
5. When it is, go to the cashier in the same room, hand over your passport, the slip and 500 ฿, then go back to your seat.
6. Wait for your name to be called in English.
7. Go up and collect your residence certificate.

That's it: the certificate is in your hands.

After the certificate

The certificate is valid for 30 days from issue, so plan the next step within that window. For a Thai driving license you also need a medical certificate; the whole path is in the guide how to get a Thai driving license, and every paper is listed on the documents page.

If you'd rather not collect the papers yourself, Phuket License prepares the whole set for 1,500 ฿. Message us on WhatsApp.