How to register non-hotel accommodation in Thailand, step by step

What non-hotel accommodation is

Under the Hotel Act B.E. 2547 (2004), offering paid temporary stays as a business is a hotel business and needs a licence. A ministerial regulation carves out a lighter category for small places: if a property stays under the size limits and the operator notifies the registrar, it is treated as non-hotel accommodation and does not need a hotel licence.

The rule in force today is the Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Types and Criteria of Hotel Business (No. 2) B.E. 2566, published in the Royal Gazette on 30 August 2023 and in force from 29 October 2023. It replaced the 2008 version that most English guides still quote.

Who qualifies

• Size: no more than 8 rooms and no more than 30 guests at a time. Both limits apply; a property with 6 rooms that sleeps 34 does not qualify.
• Building type: the official form (มร.1) lists detached houses, semi-detached houses, shophouses and “other”. Villas and pool villas on their own land are the typical case.
• Right to use the property: you do not have to own it. The form accepts a title deed, a lease, or a letter of consent from the owner.
• Main income: the 2023 text dropped the old wording that the business must be a source of *supplementary* income, but form มร.1 still asks for monthly income and for evidence of your main income. Expect to provide it.

Where to file

The regulation makes electronic notification the default. Where that is not possible:

• Bangkok: the Investigation and Legal Affairs Bureau (สำนักการสอบสวนและนิติการ) of the Department of Provincial Administration, at its Wang Chaiya office in Dusit. Bangkok's district (khet) offices are not the registrar for this.
• Other provinces: the district office (ที่ทำการปกครองอำเภอ) for the area where the property is.

Documents you need

The Ministry of Interior notification that sets out form มร.1 asks for the following. Items marked “if any” depend on your situation.

1. Form มร.1, completed and signed.
2. Two 2-inch photographs of the person notifying, taken within the last 6 months.
3. A map showing where the property is.
4. Floor plans of every building, floor and room, with photographs.
5. Evidence of your main income.
6. Evidence of fire protection: a fire-protection system or fire extinguishers.
7. Evidence of the right to use the land and building (title deed, possession document, lease or owner's consent), if any.
8. The building permit or certificate under the Building Control Act, or a letter from a local official confirming the building is structurally sound for up to 30 guests, if any.
9. A stamped power of attorney if someone files on your behalf.

The process, step by step

1. 1

   Check the property fits

   Count rooms across every building and the maximum guests you will accept. Stay at or under 8 rooms and 30 guests, and check the land and building are not restricted by zoning or by a housing-estate or condominium rule.

2. 2

   Prepare the property

   Fit fire extinguishers (or a fire system), emergency lighting and clear exits before the inspection. Inspectors also look at the rooms against your floor plans.

3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Assemble everything in the list above. Keep digital copies: you will need them again at renewal.

4. 4

   Notify the registrar

   File form มร.1 electronically, or at the DOPA bureau in Bangkok or your district office elsewhere. Notification is generally reported to be free; confirm locally.

5. 5

   Inspection

   An official inspects the property. Waits vary a great deal: the regulation sets 40 days for issuing the certificate, but operators have reported much longer waits for the inspection itself in some districts.

6. 6

   Receive the certificate (มร.2)

   Only once the certificate is issued does the property count as non-hotel accommodation. Put the certificate number on your listings and keep a copy at the property.

7. 7

   Diary the renewal

   The certificate is valid for 5 years from notification. Plan to refile before it expires, and use form มร.3 for changes, a replacement certificate, or closing (closure must be notified at least 15 days ahead).

Obligations once you are registered

• Report foreign guests within 24 hours (TM30). Section 38 of the Immigration Act applies to anyone who houses a foreign national. File at tm30.immigration.go.th or the local immigration office. Fines reported for late reporting run up to 2,000 THB for house owners and higher for hotel managers.
• Stay within the limits. Adding a ninth room or taking a group larger than 30 takes the property outside the category.
• Other laws still apply. The certificate does not override building, zoning or land rules, and it does not replace insurance or tax obligations.
• Thai guest registration. The hotel guest-register forms (ร.ร.3 / ร.ร.4) are duties for licensed hotels; a 2010 Council of State opinion said notified non-hotel places are not subject to the hotel standards. Ask your registrar whether they expect a guest record anyway.

What happens if you operate without notifying

A property that takes paid short stays without a hotel licence or a non-hotel certificate is treated as an unlicensed hotel under section 15 of the Hotel Act. Section 59 sets the penalty at up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 THB, or both, plus up to 10,000 THB for each day the offence continues.

A new accommodation law is coming

On 29 September 2026 the government announced a draft Accommodation Establishments Act (พ.ร.บ.สถานที่พักแรม) that would repeal and replace the Hotel Act with size-based tiers. It is not law yet, and until it is enacted and published in the Royal Gazette, the 2023 regulation described here is what applies. We follow the bill in Thailand's short-term rental law in 2026.

Keeping licence details with each listing

In Propool every unit has a field for its licence or certificate number, recommended before the unit goes live on Airbnb, Booking.com or Agoda, so the number your team puts on listings matches the certificate on file. Rates, availability and bookings for the unit then run from one calendar across all three channels.

Questions