Certificate of residence in Thailand: the immigration letter for your driving licence, free in Bangkok

Do you need one?

You need a proof of address at the Department of Land Transport (DLT) for a driving licence. The DLT accepts any one of these:³

• a permanent residence certificate³
• a work permit or digital work permit that has not expired³
• evidence of a SMART visa³
• a residence document from a Thai government office, a foreign government agency or an international organisation, issued no more than 1 year before you apply³

If you have a valid work permit, you do not need this letter for the DLT. The immigration letter falls under the last item.³ An embassy is a foreign government agency, so the rule also covers a residence letter from your embassy.³

To register a car or motorcycle, the DLT accepts a permanent residence certificate, a work permit, or a residence document from a Thai government office, a foreign government agency or an international organisation.⁴ If you have no domicile in Thailand, you must register the vehicle at the DLT office for the address on a residence document that a Thai government office issued.⁴

The current form also lists opening a bank account. It asks for the name and branch of the bank.²

What it is, and what it is not

The Immigration Bureau calls it a letter of residence information (หนังสือรับรองข้อมูลการแจ้งที่พักอาศัย).⁵ The letter certifies the address where immigration has you on record. The 2025 edition of the letter said that this address comes from your TM.30 or your 90-day report, under sections 37(5) and 38 of the Immigration Act.⁶

You apply for TM.16 on form TM.18 after the Immigration Commission, with the Minister’s approval, grants you permanent residence.⁸ The address letter is also not a tax residence certificate, which is a Revenue Department document for tax treaties.

Get ready

1. Check your TM.30. Make sure your landlord, host or hotel has filed the TM.30 for your current address, and get a copy of the receipt.¹ The letter certifies this address, so it must be the one where you live now.⁶ For how your host files it, see TM30.
2. Find your 90-day receipt. Bring a copy of your latest TM.47 receipt if you have one.¹ For how to file it, see 90-day reporting.
3. Fill in the form. Download it from the Immigration Bureau or from Bangkok immigration. Both are the 2569 (2026) edition.²⁵ In Chiang Mai, use the office’s online tool instead (see the Chiang Mai tab).⁹
4. Copy your passport. Copy the photo page, the entry stamp and your latest extension stamp, if you have one, and your TM.6 departure card, if you have one.¹

The form asks for:²

• your name, nationality, date of birth and passport number²
• your TM.6 number, your entry date and the date your permission to stay ends²
• your address in Thailand and your phone number²
• what the letter is for: a driving licence, buying or selling a car or motorcycle, or a bank account, with the bank’s name and branch²
• your consent for immigration to share your information with that office or bank²

The English download page of the Immigration Bureau still links an older form, titled “Residence Certificate in Thailand”.¹⁰

Apply at your office

Apply in person at the immigration office for the area where you live.¹ You cannot get the letter online yet. The Immigration Bureau lists it, as “Certificate of Stay”, among services it plans to add to its THIM app.¹¹

Bangkok

Go to Immigration Division 1.¹

Take a queue ticket at counter 4, or book a queue online from Bangkok’s page.¹ You go twice: once to file the application and once to collect the letter, on the date and time on your appointment card. You must go yourself both times.¹

Bangkok asks for no photo, no lease and no copy of the landlord’s house registration.¹

• Fee. None.¹
• Waiting time. You collect on the date on your appointment card. No official page states a number of days.¹

See also what people report from Bangkok.

Chiang Mai

Go to Chiang Mai Provincial Immigration. Its home page links to an online tool that fills in the form for you.⁹ Only Bangkok publishes an official document list, so bring everything on the Bangkok list as a minimum.¹ The legal schedule of immigration fees lists no fee for this letter.¹²¹³

The tool asks for a photo and a lease, and the office is reported to charge a fee and post the letter. See what people report from Chiang Mai before you go.

Other provinces

Go to the immigration office for the province where you live.¹ Bring everything on the Bangkok list, and ask your office if it wants more.¹ The legal schedule of immigration fees lists no fee for this letter.¹²¹³

How long it is valid

The letter says it is valid for 90 days from the date of issue.² The DLT accepts address evidence issued up to 1 year before you apply.³

Tourists, DTV and short stays

No official page says whether a tourist or a visa-exempt visitor can get the letter. The form does not name a visa type.²

At the DLT, a tourist cannot get the 5-year driving licence.³

The DLT has a draft rule open for comment until 4 December 2026. For a temporary driving licence, a foreigner would need at least 2 years left on their visa, or meet conditions the DLT sets. Foreign and international licences would no longer exempt you from training and tests.¹⁴

What people report

In Bangkok

• A reader on a DTV with a hotel TM.30 got the letter at Chaeng Watthana in 7 days, with no 90-day report. Bangkok had no same-day or next-day option.¹⁵

In Chiang Mai

• Chiang Mai’s online form tool lists more documents than Bangkok: a photo 2 inches or 4x6 cm with a white background, taken within 6 months, and a house registration, a lease signed by both sides, or a sale contract. It gives filing hours of Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 12:00.¹⁶
• In December 2025, a reader said the Chiang Mai airport office ended next-day service. The letter now costs 60 baht and comes by Thai Post in “7 business days”. Before, 500 baht bought next-day pickup.¹⁷
• A reader’s Chiang Mai letter said “valid for Chiang Mai DLT only”.¹⁸