Yellow Tabien Baan the house registration book for foreigners living in Thailand


Yellow Tabien Baan the house registration book for foreigners living in Thailand

So what exactly is a yellow house book?

Quite simply, it’s a type of government-issued document called a Tabien Baan (literally ‘House Registration’ in Thai)

Quite simply, it’s a type of government-issued document called a Tabien Baan (literally ‘House Registration’ in Thai) which lists all foreign individuals holding a ‘Temporary Stay’ or a ‘Long Stay’ visa/visa exemption who live at the condo or house address specified in the house registration book. What a yellow Tabien Baan is not, contrary to popular belief, is proof of ownership of the property; as it happens, the yellow house book won’t even record the foreign owner’s details unless they’re occupying the property as their main residence in Thailand. Instantly recognisable, the Tabien Baanfor non-resident foreigners is a little booklet with a bright yellow cover and emblazoned on the front with Thailand’s emblematic Garuda and, in the upper right-hand corner, the initials ’ท.ร.13’ (short for ‘Thor Ror 13’ which is the Thai designation for the yellow house book).