Registration, banking and utilities in Bangkok

The employment chain

For most arrivals the sequence runs employer first: a non-immigrant visa category appropriate to the work, then a work permit issued by the labour authorities, then an extension of stay granted by immigration on the strength of both. There are other long-stay routes, including the Smart Visa and the BOI-administered Long-Term Resident scheme, with their own criteria. Categories, documents and thresholds change and are applied differently between offices, so confirm the current position with the Immigration Bureau or a licensed professional rather than a forum thread.

• The work permit and the visa are separate documents from separate authorities.
• Extensions of stay are granted at Immigration Division 1 at Chaeng Watthana for Bangkok.
• Employer documents — company registration, financials, staff ratios — do much of the work; expect to be chasing your HR department, not immigration.
• Do not treat any category as available to you until the relevant authority says so in writing.

TM30, 90-day reporting and re-entry

TM30 is the landlord's obligation to notify immigration of a foreigner's address, and it is meant to happen within 24 hours of you moving in and again each time you return from abroad. Many landlords do not bother, and it becomes your problem when you next need anything from immigration. Separately, anyone staying on a long-stay extension reports their address every 90 days, and anyone leaving the country needs a re-entry permit to keep the extension alive.

• TM30: ask the landlord for the receipt, and keep a copy of every one.
• 90-day report: filed online, by post or in person, in a window around the due date; missing it carries a fine.
• Re-entry permit: single or multiple, bought before you fly, at the airport if necessary.
• Enforcement varies by office and by year — assume it will be checked and keep the paper.

Banking and the certificate of residence

Opening a Thai bank account without a work permit or a long-stay visa has become steadily harder, and outcomes differ between branches of the same bank on the same day. The document that unlocks most of it is a certificate of residence, issued by immigration or by your embassy, confirming your address. It is also what the transport department asks for when you convert a driving licence.

• Certificate of residence: from immigration on production of your lease and TM30, or from your embassy for a fee.
• A work permit makes banking straightforward; without it, expect to try several branches.
• PromptPay, linked to a Thai account and phone number, is how everyday payments actually move.

The yellow book and other optional documents

The tabien baan is Thailand's house registration book, and foreigners with long-stay status can be entered in a yellow version at the local district office (khet). It is not compulsory and getting one takes patience, but it makes banking, licensing and vehicle registration noticeably smoother. A pink identity card sometimes follows it.

In order

1. 1Let your employer start the visa and work permit before you fly; ask which category and which office.
2. 2Enter on the correct visa — converting from a tourist entry is not always possible.
3. 3Sign the lease and collect the owner's ID and title deed copies.
4. 4Chase the landlord for the TM30 filing and keep the receipt.
5. 5Complete the work permit, then apply for the extension of stay.
6. 6Buy a re-entry permit before any trip abroad.
7. 7Diarise the 90-day report and file it online where possible.
8. 8Get a certificate of residence, then open the bank account and convert the driving licence.