It is my understanding that tourists must register with immigration/local police or some gov't group. Most tourists stay in hotels and the hotel does the paper work. Is this perception correct?

I ask because I have just purchased a condo and will not be staying at a hotel. I only enter Thailand on a thirty day tourist visa and I only stay for short periods of time. Usually a couple of weeks at the most. Does anyone know the answer to my question?

Richard

When you arrive in Thailand, you are required to fill out a form which documents your place of stay with Immigration.

The only other requrement to report your whereabouts is if you have stayed in Thailand for 90 days.

There is a regulation that speaks of reporting your whereabouts whenever you re-locate to another place of stay within the Kingdom after your first report upon entry, but to my knowledge, it is not enforced for short time stay or tourists.

I believe Immigration relies on the owners of your places of stay to report your presence, including your condo manager.

Since you stay for such short periods of time, pleading ignorance of any reporting requirements should be sufficient to get you by any rare checks.

Many farang haven't reported their whereabouts for years, and when finally "causght" are forgiven the first time for "no knowing the regulation". I was one of those.

There are two requirements:

1. You must report your address. You will have done this already by giving your condo address on the TM card when you arrived. That is sufficient unless you go and stay elsewhere during your visit.

2. The owner of the propery must also report your arrival.

As you own the condo, that is you!! Except for hotels I think this is more honoured in the breach than the observance. I have not found it to matter unless you are applying for a visa extension, or a letter giving residence details in order to buy a car or obtain a driving licence.

However if you want to live by the rules visit your local immigration office, or police station with the documents for your condo and tell them you want to register!.

An immigration office should manage it, the police will probably have no idea what you are talking about. (Welcome to Thailand!)