A stolen wallet, a break-in or a drawer that no longer holds what it should: losing papers happens to everyone. Many people think the first stop is the police station, but in Thailand several official documents can now be replaced at the issuing office without a police report, while others, such as a land title deed, follow their own procedure with a public notice. This guide covers the four documents people lose most often and that matter most legally, with a section for foreigners.
Thai ID card: replace it within 60 days
Section 6 quater of the Identification Card Act B.E. 2526 (1983) requires the holder to apply for a new card within 60 days of the day the card was lost or destroyed. Applying later can lead to a fine.
- No police report is needed: you report the loss directly to the registration officer.
- Where: the district office (amphoe or khet), a municipal registration office that issues cards, or a mobile unit of the Department of Provincial Administration.
- Bring: a copy of your house registration and an official photo document such as a driving licence or passport. Without one, the head of household or another credible person can vouch for you.
- Fee: 100 baht.
Your fingerprints and photo are taken and the card is printed the same day. Foreigners do not hold this card, but Thai spouses and children of foreign residents often do.
House registration book: the head of household asks for a new one
The household data is already held in the state's civil registration system, so a lost book does not remove anyone from the register.
- Who applies: the head of household, with their ID card, at the registration office of the area where the house is located.
- No police report is needed in ordinary cases.
- Sending someone else: a power of attorney plus the ID cards of the head of household and the representative.
Land title deed: apply for a replacement
A title deed (chanote) exists in two copies: the owner's copy and the copy kept at the land office. Losing the owner's copy does not take away ownership, but you need it to sell, give the land away or register any other transaction. The owner should therefore apply for a replacement under Section 63 of the Land Code. Once the replacement is issued, the old deed is cancelled unless a court orders otherwise, so anyone who finds it cannot use it.
The same rule applies to Nor Sor 3 and Nor Sor 3 Kor certificates of use.
- Prepare documents: ID card, house registration, proof of any name change, and at least 2 witnesses with their original ID cards. If the deed was stolen or lost through another offence, bring the police report.
- Apply at the land office where the land is located. Officers question you, check the documents and check whether the land is under attachment, then collect the fees.
- Notices are posted at the land office, the district office, the kamnan's or village head's office, on the land itself and, inside a municipality, at the municipal office.
- Wait 30 days. If nobody objects, the replacement is prepared.
- Collect the replacement once the land officer has signed it.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application | 5 baht per plot |
| Public notice | 10 baht per plot |
| Posting the notice | 10 baht per place |
| Replacement deed | 50 baht per copy |
| 2 witnesses | 10 baht each |
Example: Bee loses the deed to one plot during a house move. She applies with two witnesses and pays 5 baht for the application, 10 baht for the notice, 20 baht for the witnesses and 50 baht for the replacement, 85 baht in total, plus 10 baht for each place where the notice is posted. With no objection, the government's service information centre gives a total processing time of about 36 days.
A warning: never declare a deed lost when you know someone else, such as a relative, is holding it, just to get a replacement for yourself. Giving false information to an official is an offence under Section 137 of the Criminal Code, punishable by up to 6 months in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both. If the dispute is about who should hold the deed, talk to a lawyer instead.
For questions, contact the local land office or the Department of Lands hotline 0 2141 5555.
Lost passports
Thai nationals who lose a passport in Thailand apply for a new one at the Department of Consular Affairs or a passport office, bringing their original ID card (a birth certificate for children under 15), any name-change certificate, and filling in the lost-passport record form. Bring a police report or a copy of the old passport if you have one.
Foreigners who lose their passport in Thailand follow three main steps:
- Report the loss at the police station of the area where it was lost and ask for a report that shows the passport number. The Tourist Police hotline 1155 can help.
- Contact your embassy for a new passport or an emergency travel document, with a copy of the police report and a copy of the old passport if you have one. If your country has no embassy in Thailand, contact the Department of Consular Affairs.
- Go to Immigration with the new passport and a letter from your embassy to have your visa and arrival stamp entered in the new passport.
When to report to the police anyway
Even where a police report is not required, it is a useful record when:
- the document went missing with a wallet, phone or other property, or you think it was stolen;
- you fear someone may use your card or details to pose as you;
- an office or company you deal with asks for a police report as proof.
When a lost document is misused
If a lost document is used against you, for example someone signs a transaction in your name or a family dispute arises over a title deed, get a lawyer involved early. On Lawmanee you can describe your situation for free and interested lawyers reply in the platform chat, or search for a lawyer by case type, province and language.
