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Downloads & related guides
- Residence certificate application form (PDF): the address letter for a driving licence — the one-page Thai/English form from Immigration Division 1, Bangkok. It has no TM number and is a scan: print on A4 at 100% and fill it in by hand
- Official TM.16 handbook (PDF, immigration.go.th) — lists the TM.18 as the application form for permanent residents, with the fees and the 3-working-day standard
- The complete guide to the residence certificate in Thailand — what the certificate is, who can get one, documents, offices, fees, validity
- Field-by-field guide to the residence certificate application form — the one-page form for the address letter, with a sample filled in
- TM.16 form: which PDF you need — the official TM.16 versus the address letter expats call 'the TM.16'
What Is the TM.18 Form?
The TM.18 is the application form a foreigner submits to receive a Certificate of Residence (TM.16) after being granted permanent residence in Thailand. The Immigration Bureau's Public Handbook for the TM.16 lists 'Application Form (TM.18)' as the first required document, and its form index titles it 'Application for Substitute of Certificate of Residence', so the same form number also appears in connection with replacing a certificate. The TM.18 is not a notification of residence. Reporting where a foreigner lives is done through the TM30, which the landlord or hotel files, and the 90-day report. It is also not the form for the proof-of-address letter that the DLT, banks and district offices ask for. That letter has its own one-page application form, titled 'Application Form Residence Certificate in Thailand' on the Bangkok version, with no TM number. If someone told you to fill in a TM.18 for a driving licence, that one-page form is what they meant. It is the first PDF in the box above, and our field-by-field guide to it is linked there too.
Difference Between TM.16 and TM.18
The TM.16 is the document and the TM.18 is the application for it. Both belong to permanent residence. According to the Immigration Bureau handbook, you hand in the TM.18 with your passport, your house registration (Tor.Ror.14) and five 4x6 cm photos, then pay the fee. An officer takes your fingerprints on the TM.16 and the control book and gives you an appointment slip, and you return to sign for and collect the TM.16 together with your passport. The service standard for the whole procedure is 3 working days. The fee depends on the category of residence: 191,400 THB for investment, work, expert and similar grounds, 95,700 THB for spouses of Thai nationals and related family grounds, and 0 THB for residence granted by the Minister of Interior with Cabinet approval under Section 17 of the Immigration Act. The proof-of-address residence certificate sits outside this pair. You apply on its own one-page form, it costs 200 to 500 THB depending on the office, and it is valid for 30 days. The TM30 is a third, separate form: the property owner or manager files it to report where a foreigner is staying, and Immigration checks it before issuing the address letter.
When Each Form Is Used
Use the TM.18 only if the Immigration Commission has granted you permanent residence and you are collecting your TM.16 Certificate of Residence, or if you have been told to use it for a substitute certificate. The handbook adds two conditions: your latest entry into Thailand before receiving the TM.16 must have been on a Non-Immigrant visa, and a foreign spouse applying in order to support a Thai spouse must show the original marriage certificate, with the Thai spouse signing as witness in front of an officer. For everything a typical expat needs, such as a Thai driving licence, a licence renewal, buying or transferring a vehicle, or opening a bank account, you want the address letter instead. Make sure your landlord's TM30 is on file, fill in the one-page residence certificate application form, and apply at the Immigration office that covers your TM30 address. The fee is 200 to 500 THB depending on the office, and the letter is valid for 30 days.
Filling In the TM.18: What to Bring With It
We could not find the TM.18 published as a downloadable form on immigration.go.th, so we will not guess at its fields. The handbook does list what goes with it: the TM.18 itself (one original); your passport or the document used in place of it (original); the house registration book (Tor.Ror.14) that your name will be added to, naming the responsible local police station (one original and two copies); and five half-length, front-facing photos without a hat, 4x6 cm, taken no more than six months before. Ask for the form at the Immigration office handling your permanent-residence file. If what you actually need to fill in is the address-letter application for a driving licence, our field-by-field guide covers every box on that form, with a sample filled in.
Where to Submit the TM.18 Form
Submit the TM.18 in person at the immigration checkpoint for the area where you live, or, if there is no checkpoint in your area, at the one responsible for it. The handbook gives the hours as Monday to Friday except official holidays, 08:30 to 16:30, with a lunch break. Its timeline runs in three steps: about 60 minutes at the counter for the document check, data entry, fee payment and fingerprinting; one working day while a supervisor reviews the certificate; and a 20-minute return visit to hand in your appointment slip, sign, and collect the TM.16 and your passport. That is 3 working days in total. Complaints and questions go to the Immigration Bureau hotline, 1178. The address letter works differently: it is issued at the Immigration office that covers your TM30 address, such as Chaeng Watthana in Bangkok or Jomtien for Pattaya, the same day or within 1 to 5 working days depending on the office.
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