The residence certificate in Thailand is an official form on which the home address of a foreigner is actuated.
A certificate of residence is always needed if a foreigner in Thailand triggers an official procedure. For example, when buying a car or motorcycle in the name of the foreigner, to open a bank account, when applying for a telephone or Internet line or to issue or renew the Thai driver’s license.
This certificate of residence is usually obtained free of charge from the immigration office. However, it is quite common that a small contribution to the coffee cash of about 100 Baht is paid.
You only have to bring your passport and the receipt of the official form of the 24 hour notification in Thailand.
The 24 Hours upon Arrival Notification
This “24 hour registration” is usually done by the landlord. He needs your passport or a copy of it. Any foreigner in Thailand is required to report to Immigration within 24 hours of arrival at his or her home in Thailand.
For tourists this is done unnoticed by the hotel. For private residences that should done by the landlord.
This is the small slip you’ll get as a receipt from the notification within 24 hours (this is not a residence certificate).
On this small section of the page is usually your correct home address in Thailand, which is then entered in the Residence Certificate at the Immigration Office.
This section of this form should be stapled in your passport as well as the departure card so you won’t loose it.
The Residence Certificate
Obviously, you can also get a certificate of residence at your Embassy in Bangkok or at the consulates in Pattaya and Phuket (if any). However, then a fee of about 1800 Baht (German Embassy) is due . I’ve never tried it myself.
A certificate of residence is only available if you have either a valid Tourist Visa or a Non Immigrant Visa in your passport. The 30-day stamp, which you get as a tourist without a visa on entry, is not enough. The type of visa (TR or NI) is also entered in the residence certificate.
Of course, you also need a real residential address in Thailand, so a rented house, apartment or similar. An accommodation in the hotel is not accepted as an address in my experience.