Yellow House Book in Phuket: Who It Covers and How to Apply
The yellow book is the common name for house registration Tor Ror 13, which is used to enter foreigners who stay temporarily. The registrar prepares it for non-Thais permitted to stay temporarily. Under DOPA's 2015 standard procedure the fee is 0 baht and processing takes 30 days. You file in person where you have a domicile.
On this page
House registration Tor Ror 13 (ท.ร.13), which people call the yellow book, is used to enter foreigners who entered lawfully but stay on a temporary basis.
Thai law has the registrar prepare it for persons without Thai nationality who are permitted to stay in the Kingdom temporarily. It also names those granted a special case-by-case exemption to stay under the immigration law, as the Minister announces.
You apply at the district (amphoe) or municipal registration office where you have your domicile.
Who the yellow book is for
Your situation decides which book you are in, so start with the branch that fits.
If you are staying temporarily on a permitted stay
This is the yellow book case. The application route covers a foreigner who entered Thailand with a passport and whose permitted stay has not ended. Which visa types count is not confirmed, so ask the registration office before you queue.
If you hold a foreigner’s identity certificate
You are entered in Tor Ror 14 instead, which is used for Thai nationals and for foreigners who hold a foreigner’s identity certificate.
If your permitted stay ends
Keep your stay valid. Once you are no longer permitted or exempted to stay, the registrar is to remove your entry promptly. See Thailand visa types for the routes that keep a stay going.
What the law says
Section 36 of the Civil Registration Act has the registrar prepare a house registration for every house, for Thai nationals and for non-Thais who have residence in the Kingdom. Section 38, rewritten in 2008, covers temporary stays. The English below is our own translation of the Thai.
มาตรา ๓๘ ให้นายทะเบียนอำเภอหรือนายทะเบียนท้องถิ่นจัดทำทะเบียนบ้านสำหรับคนซึ่งไม่มีสัญชาติไทยที่ได้รับอนุญาตให้อาศัยอยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราว …
Section 38: The district registrar or local registrar shall prepare a house registration for persons without Thai nationality who are permitted to reside in the Kingdom temporarily ….
ในกรณีผู้มีรายการในทะเบียนบ้านพ้นจากการได้รับอนุญาตหรือผ่อนผันให้อาศัยอยู่ในราชอาณาจักร ให้นายทะเบียนจำหน่ายรายการทะเบียนของผู้นั้นโดยเร็ว
Where a person with an entry in the house registration ceases to be permitted or exempted to reside in the Kingdom, the registrar shall promptly strike that person’s registration entry.
Civil Registration Act (No. 2) B.E. 2551 (2008), section 38
Section 38/1, added in 2019, covers a person without Thai nationality who has a duty, set in a ministerial regulation, to be added to a house registration. That person must notify the registrar within the time the regulation sets. Ask the registration office whether that duty applies to your stay.
Documents, fee and timeline
Under DOPA’s 2015 standard procedure for adding a foreigner to Tor Ror 13, you provide these documents. Confirm each point with the registration office before you go, as the procedure dates from 2015.
- A copy of the house registration of the house you are to be added to: 1 original, 0 photocopies.
- The applicant’s identity card: 1 original, 0 photocopies.
- Your passport translated into Thai by a reliable institution: 1 original, 0 photocopies.
- At least 2 witnesses who can vouch for and confirm your identity.
| Item | Listed value |
|---|---|
| Fee | 0 baht |
| Total processing time | 30 days |
| Filing | In person at the office where you have a domicile |
How to apply
- Go in person to the district (amphoe) or municipal registration office where you have your domicile.
- Arrange for the householder to come with you, as the applicant is the householder or the person asking to be added.
- Bring the documents above and at least 2 witnesses.
- Expect the officer to question you, the householder and credible witnesses on your history and the householder’s consent to adding your name.
- The officer then submits the evidence with an opinion to the registrar for decision.
- Allow 30 days in total; the fee is 0 baht.
We recommend asking the householder to agree before you go, since consent is one of the points the officer checks.
Other paperwork to check
Your yellow book is separate from other Phuket paperwork, so read each office’s own list. Read Residence Certificate in Phuket and Thailand Driving Licence in Phuket for what the driving licence office asks. For ownership and tax, read Buy a Condo in Phuket as a Foreigner and Thai Tax ID for Foreigners.
Step by step
- Go in personGo to the district (amphoe) or municipal registration office where you have your domicile.
- Bring the householderThe applicant is the householder or the person asking to be added.
- Bring documents and witnessesBring the house registration copy, your identity card, your passport translated into Thai and at least 2 witnesses.
- Answer the officer's questionsThe officer questions you, the householder and witnesses, then submits the evidence to the registrar for decision.
- Wait for the decisionThe total processing time is 30 days and the fee is 0 baht.
Not confirmed: Which visa types count as a temporary stay is not confirmed; ask the registration office before you go. The documents, fee and timing come from an older procedure; confirm them at the office. Whether the book gives a Thai ID number, or counts as proof of address at banks or land offices, is not confirmed; do not assume it.
Common questions
Can my child born in Thailand be added?
Section 38 covers the children of such persons who are born in the Kingdom. Ask the registration office what it needs for a child.
What if the registrar doubts my details?
Where there is reasonable doubt that the notification was unlawful, disguised or contains false details, the registrar checks the facts and questions witnesses and completes the consideration within 60 days.
Does the yellow book cover people who entered unlawfully?
Tor Ror 13 is also used to enter foreigners who entered unlawfully under the immigration law. This guide covers the temporary-stay case.
Who counts as a witness?
Witnesses are persons who can vouch for and confirm your identity, at least 2 people.
Do I get an identity card?
Under section 38/1, once the registrar has added a person who has that duty, an identity card is issued, except that a person under five years old first gets an identification document.
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