Condo house registration in Thailand, how to apply, how to move in, and what documents you need

Key Highlights

• Every condo unit has its own house registration book. The developer hands you a blank book on transfer day and it is your job, not the juristic person's, to get names written into it.
• The blue book, form Tor Ror 14, covers Thai nationals and foreigners holding a residence certificate. The yellow book, form Tor Ror 13, covers foreigners who entered the country legally but stay on a temporary basis.
• Thai law gives you 15 days from the day you move in to file the move. Filing late adds a fee that starts at 30 baht and rises to a maximum of 500 baht.
• Destination filing lets you complete everything at the district office where your condo is, for a 20 baht fee, without travelling back to your previous address.
• Holding your name in the book for a full year before you sell shifts you from 3.3 percent specific business tax to 0.5 percent stamp duty, and it is also a condition of the mortgage interest deduction of up to 100,000 baht a year.

Why do foreign owners so often leave the house book untouched?

Transfer day comes with a stack of paperwork, and the house registration book is the one item that does not seem to do anything. You receive a slim blank book, nobody explains what it is for, and it goes into a drawer next to the title deed.

A book with no names in it gives the owner no benefit at all. It does not help with tax when you sell, it does not support the mortgage interest deduction, and it does not make dealings with Thai government offices any easier. The task takes an afternoon. The consequences of skipping it last for years.

This guide walks through what a condo house registration book actually is, the difference between the blue and yellow books, how to get your name added, what tenants can do, and how the book affects your tax position when you eventually sell.

Does a condo have a house registration book, and what kind is it?

Yes. A condo has a house registration book in the same way a landed house does, except that it is issued per unit rather than per building. Each unit carries its own house number and its own book.

In practice the developer applies for house numbers for the whole building once construction is complete. The civil registration manual published by the Department of Provincial Administration requires that application within 15 days of completion. The blank books are then handed to buyers at transfer.

The book you receive lists the unit number, the address, and the building details, but no residents. Adding residents is the owner's responsibility. Neither the developer nor the condominium juristic person will do it for you.

If you buy a resale unit and the seller never handed over the book, the local registration office where the unit sits can issue a replacement using the condominium title deed and the owner's identification. You can see resale and ready to transfer units on the Bangkok condos for sale page.

How do the blue book and the yellow book differ?

The difference sits with the person, not the property. It reflects your civil registration status in Thailand, so a single unit can hold blue book residents and yellow book residents at the same time.

For Thai nationals, the blue book Tor Ror 14

The blue book is form Tor Ror 14. It covers Thai nationals and foreigners who hold a residence certificate for the Kingdom. This is the standard book used to prove an address to government offices, banks, and the electricity and water authorities.

For foreigners, the yellow book Tor Ror 13

The yellow book is form Tor Ror 13. The civil registration manual describes it as the record for foreigners who entered the country lawfully but remain on a temporary basis. Work visa, retirement visa, and dependant visa holders fall here rather than in the blue book.

District offices commonly ask for the following.

• Your passport, certified by your embassy in Thailand, together with a certified Thai translation
• Your TM.30 residence notification filed with the Immigration Bureau
• Copies of the house master's Thai identification card and house registration book
• Two witnesses, with copies of their identification cards and house registration books
• Two photographs, 2 inches in size
• The condominium title deed, where the foreign applicant owns the unit

You file at the district office covering the address of your unit. The house master and the applicant should attend together, and some offices interview the witnesses. Thirty days is a common processing window. Document lists vary between offices, so a phone call before you travel usually saves a second trip.

How do you get your name into the condo house registration?

The rule that matters is the 15 day window. You must report a move in within 15 days of moving in, and a move out within 15 days of moving out, using the move notification form, Tor Ror 6.

Documents to prepare

• Identification of the person moving in, meaning a Thai identification card or, for foreigners, a passport with the supporting documents listed above
• The house registration book of the condo unit
• The house master's identification card, or written consent if the house master cannot attend
• A power of attorney where somebody files on your behalf
• Parts 1 and 2 of the move notification form, Tor Ror 6, where the move out has already been filed at the previous address

Where to file and how long it takes

Destination filing is the practical route for anyone moving across provinces. You go to the district office covering your condo and complete everything there, without returning to your previous address. The fee is 20 baht and most cases are finished the same day.

Filing after the 15 day window adds a fee tied to the delay. Up to six months late costs 30 baht, more than six months up to one year costs 50 baht, and beyond one year the fee rises in steps to a maximum of 500 baht, according to the civil registration manual.

The usual sticking point is the house master. A freshly transferred unit has nobody listed, so the owner normally registers first and takes that role, or grants authority to whoever will actually live there. If you want the wider picture of buying and renting in Thailand, see the PropertyScout process guide.

If you are renting, can you move your house registration in?

You can, provided the house master agrees, and that is usually the owner. Adding a name needs the original book plus the house master's supporting documents, so tenants get a far better result raising this while the lease is being negotiated rather than months later.

Plenty of owners hesitate, mainly because they worry about getting the name removed at the end of the tenancy. The workable answer is a lease clause setting a deadline for the tenant to file the move out after the lease ends, tied to the release of the security deposit.

For expats the stakes are higher than for Thai tenants, since a registered address supports driving licence applications, bank onboarding, and some visa processes. If your owner declines, ask the local registration office what alternatives exist rather than registering at an address where you do not live. Rental listings with clearly stated conditions are on the Bangkok condos for rent page.

How does house registration affect tax relief and selling costs?

The sharpest effect appears when you sell. If you have held the unit for less than five years and either have no name in the house registration or have been registered for less than one year, the seller pays specific business tax of 3.3 percent on the appraised value or the sale price, whichever is higher. Once your name has been in the book for a full year, stamp duty of 0.5 percent applies instead. The two are alternatives, never charged together.

That 2.8 percentage point gap is real money. On a unit selling at 3 million baht it works out at roughly 84,000 baht, and the price of avoiding it is one visit to a district office plus twelve months of patience.

The second effect is the mortgage interest deduction, capped at 100,000 baht a year against personal income tax. Revenue Department guidance requires the taxpayer to use the property as a residence with their name recorded in the civil registration records, so skipping registration puts the deduction at risk.

The third is land and building tax. A principal residence where the owner's name appears in the house registration is exempt on value from 0 to 50 million baht, while a second or additional property is taxed from the first baht at 0.02 percent for value up to 50 million baht. If a unit is meant to be your main home, the owner's name belongs in the book.

Transfer fees at purchase work differently and are not affected by house registration. The current measure cuts the transfer registration fee to 0.01 percent and the mortgage registration fee to 0.01 percent through 30 June 2027, for Thai national individual buyers, where the sale price and appraised value do not exceed 7 million baht per contract and the transfer and mortgage are registered together. Foreign buyers do not qualify for that reduction.

Frequently asked questions about condo house registration

After buying a condo, do you have to transfer your house registration

There is no obligation if you do not actually live there. If you do live there, you must file the move in within 15 days. Being registered is also a condition of the mortgage interest deduction, of the land and building tax exemption for a principal residence, and of avoiding 3.3 percent specific business tax when you sell within five years.

The seller never gave me the house registration book, what now

Contact the local registration office covering the unit and ask for a replacement book, supported by the condominium title deed and the owner's identification. Do this before you move in, because filing a move in requires the original book.

Is the house master the same person as the owner

Not necessarily. The owner holds title under the condominium title deed. The house master is the person listed as head of household in the registration book, with the duty to report civil registration matters. A tenant can be the house master with the owner's consent, and ownership of the unit is unaffected.

Can I register at my new condo without returning to my old address

Yes. Destination filing at the district office covering your condo handles the move out from your previous address as part of the same transaction. The fee is 20 baht.

Do foreigners who buy a condo need a house registration book

It is not required in order to hold title to a unit. The yellow book, Tor Ror 13, makes government dealings, bank accounts, driving licences, and vehicle registration considerably smoother, which is why long stay residents usually arrange one. Entitlements vary by visa category, so confirm your position with the district office and a legal adviser before you file.

Summary

Condo house registration takes a few hours to sort out, and it sits underneath benefits with real value, from the tax you pay on exit to the interest deduction and the land tax exemption on a principal residence. If you have just taken transfer, mark the 15 day window from the day you actually move in and finish the destination filing in one visit.

If you are still choosing a unit, the team at PropertyScout can walk you through the conditions attached to each listing before you place a deposit. Browse verified listings on the Bangkok condos for sale page or read more property guides.

Prices and availability change and are not guaranteed. Property information is general guidance only. This content is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Tax figures and fee measures reflect rules in force during 2026 and can change, so confirm your position with the district office, the Revenue Department, or your own adviser before acting.