Change address - Permanent residence

[tomazbodner]

I tried searching with different combinations of words but it yielded no results - or all the wrong results. So let me ask here:

 

What is the procedure to change address when you have PR?

 

When granted PR, address was first given to Immigration, who put it into the blue book. Then it was off to police station to issue red book. Finally to land department to be added into the house registration book.

 

If I wish to change address (in same province - and for the sake of anyone searching for the same, if it was other province as well) - what would the sequence be, and what documentation would be required?

 

I assume someone with PR must have moved home in Thailand before.

 

Thank you.

[tomazbodner]

Here is the procedure, in case anyone else needs it at a later stage:

 

As always, rules differ from one office to another and are basically based on how flexible offices are in your particular case. What the procedure, which involves a lot of running back and forth is, is listed below, and then variation that my particular offices allowed:

 

- Visit your OLD district office, where you remove yourself from OLD house registration. They require a witness. In case you were a tenant in another person's owned property, they will request OLD landlord and NEW landlord to be present as witnesses, and bring with them ID cards (Thai) or passports (Foreigners) and both OLD and NEW house registrations. This takes 30 minutes.

Your old house registration gets new address listed at the bottom of your record with the date you are registering the move. You also receive 2 forms, which you need to take to NEW area district office.

 

- Visit your NEW district office and present NEW house registration book, and the 2 forms, ID card/passport of NEW landlord (if moving to someone else's place) and wait for the entry to NEW house registration book to be complete. This takes 30 minutes.

 

- Return to OLD area police station and have yourself removed from that area - the red alien certificate book gets updated with the day you move out. This takes 30 minutes. It requires NEW landlord's (if moving to someone else's place) ID Card/Passport copies and some documents signed.

 

- Go to NEW area police station and have yourself added to that district - they add your new address on the same page where you had previous one removed above. Again, this takes about 30 minutes. It requires no witness but it does require original NEW house registration.

 

- Go to immigration office to change the address in the Certificate of Residence blue book. Requires NEW house registration book, but no witness.

 

- Go to Labour department to change the address on your work permit. Requires just filling out a form.

 

There is no fee for any of these.

 

 

My actual procedure (district dependent):

 

- Go to OLD area district office, and remove yourself from OLD tabien baan. You require a witness, which can be a Thai national over 20 years of age (or for example new landlord). They asked for new tabien baan and entered the new address into the old tabien baan to "check out" from the area. They handed over 2 forms to take to new area district office.

 

- Go to OLD area police station, to have red alien registration book updated - checked out from the area. They make a lot of copies of all the documents but don't provide any receipts, other than returning the red book. Policeman left phone number and name to be called when process at the new area is complete.

 

- Go to NEW area district office and add yourself to new tabien baan. They needed that 2 papers from old area district office, new tabien baan (and if moving to someone else's place, new landlord's ID Card). All paperwork was signed by new landlord (if your own place, that's you) - paperwork were the 2 forms received from old district office. At this point pink "ID card" was offered and was made in 15 minutes for 60 baht.

- Go to NEW area police station to update the red alien registration book. Requires no witness, but new tabien baan to read address from.

- Go to immigration, and finally to labour department to update Certficate of residence and the work permit.

 

A few side notes: district offices are open on Mon-Fri from 8 am to 4 pm. Closed weekends and holidays. Police stations are opened all the time however they normally only have 1-2 staff handling these documents, which means that they might ask you to return on another day if that person is unavailable.

 

I hope this helps anyone who is considering moving to a new address and has a permanent residence.

 

Note: Same procedure applies no matter whether you move within same province or to another province. You don't need to do these steps within same day, but are supposed to inform new area within 7 days from "checking out" from old area, as stated in alien certificate. Immigration stated just "don't need to do same day" but did not clarify how much time you have to report new address. Same for labour department.

 

Edited September 14, 2019 by tomazbodner
Added end note

[tomazbodner]

Additional information: At least at Chaeng Watthana, change of address is not required in the Certificate of Residence. They would put new address into the new book when it is issued. So you can save yourself the trip. It might not be so at other immigration offices, so worth to check.