witchhunter

I have a question on getting Non-o-visa and regulations to enter Thailand.

I am 58 y. old individual of the RF nationality married a Thai girl for seven years already. Since the end of 2013 we moved to Thailand from Germany for residence. I had previously single entrance non-o visas for 90 days and one year duration issued in Germany.

Now I want to get a single 90 days non-o visa in Laos without financial prove of income. Actually, I have invested a few million baht into farming land and estates but it is always difficult to freeze 400 thousand Thai baht for a long while at a bank accountaccou

A problem that my passport is valid till September 13, 2016 and a previous extention to stay in Thailand is valid till March 07, 2016. Yesterday I have applied for a new passport at the Russian embassy/consulate in Bangkok but been informed that it will take 3 months to get it. They reject any possibility to accelerate the issue process either to give me any written document that my passport is extended for 3 month longer than at present. No information on duration of the procedure to get a new passport was available at a web site of the RF embassy in Thailand, BTW. They were nusty enough to claim that it will be my own problem if I cannot enter Thailand with an old passport. Moreover, they proposed me to return to Russia and to wait for a new passport over there. It is impossible, as I do not reside in Russia since 1999 and am not officially registered for residence either for any address in Russia since 2010. So, my only option is to get a new passport in Thailand.

Can I apply for a 90 days single non-o visa in Laos and enter Thailand before March 13 that is 6 months before my passport gets expired? It would allow me to wait in Thailand for a new passport and later on to apply with the new passport for a multiple 90 days non-o visa in Laos.

Yes you can get a single entry non 'O' in Laos.

Alternatively, as you are married, you could get a 60 day extension of stay to visit your wife that could extend your current stay until May.

Thanks a lot for your kind advicing. It is a big relief to learn that I can get yet a legal permission to stay in Thailand for the time required.

I am already on my 60 days extension. Therefore together with my wife we are heading to Lao for getting a non-o 90 days single entrance visa before March 07 to be back before March 13. It has to be a nice trip and short vacations.

Cheers

I have a question on getting Non-o-visa and regulations to enter Thailand.

I am 58 y. old individual of the RF nationality married a Thai girl for seven years already. Since the end of 2013 we moved to Thailand from Germany for residence. I had previously single entrance non-o visas for 90 days and one year duration issued in Germany.

Now I want to get a single 90 days non-o visa in Laos without financial prove of income. Actually, I have invested a few million baht into farming land and estates but it is always difficult to freeze 400 thousand Thai baht for a long while at a bank accountaccou

A problem that my passport is valid till September 13, 2016 and a previous extention to stay in Thailand is valid till March 07, 2016. Yesterday I have applied for a new passport at the Russian embassy/consulate in Bangkok but been informed that it will take 3 months to get it. They reject any possibility to accelerate the issue process either to give me any written document that my passport is extended for 3 month longer than at present. No information on duration of the procedure to get a new passport was available at a web site of the RF embassy in Thailand, BTW. They were nusty enough to claim that it will be my own problem if I cannot enter Thailand with an old passport. Moreover, they proposed me to return to Russia and to wait for a new passport over there. It is impossible, as I do not reside in Russia since 1999 and am not officially registered for residence either for any address in Russia since 2010. So, my only option is to get a new passport in Thailand.

Can I apply for a 90 days single non-o visa in Laos and enter Thailand before March 13 that is 6 months before my passport gets expired? It would allow me to wait in Thailand for a new passport and later on to apply with the new passport for a multiple 90 days non-o visa in Laos.

It makes me so sad to witness that a depopulation program is coming also to Thailand. Because the ban of polyethylene bags is a part of it. When the program is in the US or in India, I was thinking, it is probably OK to wipe out people who produce nothing while they are consuming a lot like in the U.S., and obviously there are too many people in India who are turning an environment to a rubbish mountain. I thought that Thailand is different. There are not too high population growth rate, land has a capacity to feed 2-3 fold more people than for now. However, the program is just spreading to any area where there is no resistance to it or people are dumb enough not to see dangers. Why the ban of plastic bags is a part of the program? Because it is about to spread diseases and to increase living cost of a nation. Regarding of plastic bags there is also another way to spread diseases - it is to start recycling of the bags that were in contact with food and have a lot of pathogens inside. Instead of incineration and producing electricity from burning polyethylene. It is a big duty secret of our humankind that so called "green" technologies like solar cell batteries, wind mills, recycling of plastic bags are actually pollute environment and produce more CO2 than power stations at coal burning and incineration of the rubbish. OK, there are too many non-educated fools who have to extinks. Yet, instead of growing a new generations of smart and healthy people we are moving in opposite directions: the use of fluoridated tooth paste, the use of fluorinated additives to polyethylene, spreading a milk formula to substitute a breast milk, indoctrination instead of education, hysteria of fears of radiation and nuclear power - it is all making kids dumb, obedient, physically and mentally compromised, and poor. Yet, I hope to see a better future. Internet is a base of the hope.

you never what could happen , alcohol most probably , "girlfriends " or any other motives ..... after all this is Pattaya .

Stabbing a person with a knife is common for "Russians" that are actually from Caucasian republics of RF. I have to say that it looks like one "Russian" refugee (from Chechnya?) who got a Danish citizenship has been attacked by other people from Chechnya just for been at an opposite side of a no-ending war in Chechnya. As a Russian citizen myself I heard a lot of similar stories from Russia. Well, people may travel and meet their war foes. It happens.

A fair decision. I fully support it. When my wife applied for a German visa, the application has been rejected. Why? They do not like to see attractive young Thai girls in Germany even if they are officially married! Only after I told my chief - i will not return to Germany without my wife and he specially asked local authorities in Munich to contact the embassy in Bangkok, the visa one month duration has been issued. In total, it took longer than 3 months to get it. I do not complain, to stay in Bangkok together was probably the happiest time in my life. In Germany we got a new visa one year duration and payed for it. After being in Germany for about 8 months, my wife returned to Thailand for about 3 months for some family business and came back to Germany before the visa expired. As a result, her German visa has not been extended! Because the authorities do not like she was not full time in Germany. At least, we have been told such BS. Recently, I have relocated to Thailand and wish to reside here as we cannot live together in Germany. Please, charge every German visiting Thailand 4000 Thai Baht at once! I am not a German citizen :-)

Well, our Sun is in an active phase and changing its magnetic poles. Such a regular polar reversal, i.e. once in about 11-12 years, always disturbs our Earth ionosphere and ignites instability in human societies as well as results in climate extremes. An unrest in Egypt, Ukraine, Thailand are in part are consequences of the Sun status.

I agree that a present government was not performing well in comparison with the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. In my vision, poor farmers were the main losers as their earnings groped tremendously last year. I believe the level of support of the RU from the farmers dropped and this recent unrest in Bangkok may lead very probably to withdrawal of the Yingluck Shinawatra as well as the parliament. The Sun is active and so the people are agitated, youngsters are especially sensitive to it.

Export of jewellery is down, export of food is up. Well, it is hard times for many countries. No wonder if the tendencies will persist. Thailand need to lift regulations on foreign engineers and to invite them to build better highways that would connect Thailand with China and Myanmar, as well as to build an international deep water port at coast of the Andaman sea and a rail road to it. I mean to the Thilawa Port or the Dawei Port in Myanmar. It would ease communications to India, Arab countries, and Europe. They all need food from Thailand. Also, Myanmar have a huge potential for economical growth and to be a buyer of cars and appliances from Thailand. Co-operation with Myanmar can make huge profits in near future. Invest in infrastructure over there. Build a railroad to Myanmar.

Many years ago J. Stalin resolved for a while a similar situation with Chechens in the former S.U. in a few days about year 1947. He moved them from the Caucasus to Siberia. At first opportunity after his death the Chechens returned. When the former S.U. collapsed they killed or ousted all Russians in Chechnya. These Russians were actually moved by Stalin to their land and had no connection to deportation of the Chechens. However, they paid the price. There is no easy solution to the terrorist problem if it is rooted into people mentality and self-identification. IMO, the best would be to let them live as they want and to isolate the borders to prevent them from invading into other areas. Yet, it would be tagged as a violation of human rights. May be something wrong with the liberal standards of human rights? I don't know.

Anybody who decide to take a parachute ride or to hire a wave jumper has to be in full understanding about dangers for themselves and outsides. Not to mention a huge devastating impact on environment from these kinds of sport activity. A gulp of Adrenaline does not cost the dangers to get it. Would it be so much better to attract tourists not by an opportunity to get some Adrenaline in veins but to drink a cocktail with magic shooms, or a kratom tea, or to get a good time to relax with a hookah, pot smoking after a body massage and sauna. Unfortunately, these types of body and nerves recreation are illegal while a killing of yourself and destruction of environment is perfectly fine in Thailand. I do not blame the Thai authorities. The U.N. is responsible for imposing such terrible regulations on all the people. Damn the U.N. officials, dismiss the organization, and split it to a large number of charity societies to work at any countries that need help and ban the U.N. in Thailand. You know who actually killed this Indian lady? The U.N. did not the speed boat.

Good for them! Their names don't sound too Russians by the way...

What's in a name? Traditional Australian names are things like Benjara, Yarrah, Karruah etc but you generally hear of Smith, Ngyuen, Mustafa, Quan etc.

Nureyev doesn't sound Russian? Seriously, have you not heard of Rudolf Nureyev?

With all due respect to Rudolf Nureyev he was not an ethnic Russian. I mean he was Tatar by nationality. Majority of Russians believe that they are Orthodox Christians and of Slavic nationality. These two guys are Muslims and certainly they were pissed off to return to Russia and to give up drinking alcohol as among Muslims it is prohibited, as far as I know. Nowadays Muslims terrorize the rest of non-Muslim population in Russia. And police afraid to deal with them too, as they have money and connections to free almost anybody from prosecution. So, being almost aboard the Russian airplane they behaved the same way as they do in Russia. However, they were wrong. Thailand is not Russia.

I have always put my up country address on the arrival card when coming into Swampy, even if I am staying in BKK for a week or two before heading up home. Never had an issue in 17 years. As said in many responses, it is the law, but 99.99% ignore it and it is never enforced.

A few month ago there was information at the ThaiVisa website on new regulations on registration of the alien's addresses. I cannot find it again. The Immigration Office started from hotels, next they are targeting Russians and East Europeans. I am hearing already about crack-downs on Chinese. It is coming to everyone even to locals. This is a technology to control humans, i.e. to make changes slow and to target selective groups of people. The changes were not instant in nazy Germany in 30s, you may be aware of the history.

If you use extensions or even a multi o, you will.have to have some sort of residence. So if you do leave Sakaew, you will need to have some base to put on the visa application. You could do single o visa in Vientiane and list a hitel I suppose.

There is a recent thread about Pattaya. Appears Immigration there is requiring a lease on top of everytjing for extensions.

You have to decide what works for you and your wife.

From my perspective, easiest option for most is living in Bangkok, Pattaya and CM in that order. Seems like the more provincial the office, the more hassles, money grubbing, lack of knowledge about the rule of law or the willingness to operate within the limits of it.

Issan seems like such a headache with Immigration I don't know why any foreigner would settle down there. Horrorvstories ate posted daily.

Good luck

My wife wants to stay with her relatives and to care of her kin. Our mother in law is living with us and taking care about the house and a garden if we are out for long awhile. Locals at our village are very friendly people and with a good Internet connection I miss a company of my friends overseas not much. However I agree that to stay in a community of foreigners somewhere in CM is much nicer. An advantage to stay in a middle of nowhere is cheaper life cost if it may matter. I see in time that more and more Western people are relocating to our area. May be these are not from a rich strata.

My point was not living around foreigners, but rather in a metro atea where Immigration officers ate relatively honest and have a reasonable grasp of their duties.

The reason I bring up location is that you will be required to use that "outpost" for extensions and reporting...You already were clued in on the hassles and problems. You might have a lifetime of hassles or at least until that officer that gave you grief is relocated.

I'm sure being Russian doesn't help, not sure if it hurts. Lots of farang get these hassles.

I rather like Russians myself, I studied Russian language a bit in uni as well as History and Literature. I visited the Soviet Union in 83. Applaud you taking an Asian wife, very unRussian of you ☺ I wanted to be a diplomat. My interests returned to East Asia with the fall in 91. I should have stuck with it, I tbink Russia is a very interesting place now.

I used to live at a metropolis for 30 years, i.e. Moscow, and enjoyed an opportunity to go a few times a week to concerts of musics, to theaters, museums, fairs. Even had a very bohemian style of life with artists and musicians as friends and a girlfriend an opera star. After a collapse of an iron curtain in the former S.U. I traveled enough to see the world. With age a desire of excitement and adventures is vanishing and I prefer to reside in a country side, to eat fresh fruits from our farm, to ride a bike at mornings and to swim if we are at a coast. Best life for me is to stay in solitariness or with my wife, to sleep in a tent at a beach, to swim, to hunt for fish and shells, to cook myself some simple food, and to be a tiny part of this beautiful planet. I am tired of crowds of strangers, traffic jams, and polluted air in big cities. My wife in opposite likes to see other countries, to travel and to test this and that. She is young and full of energy. However, before we met and married her life was not with much joy and happiness. She appreciates all what I do for her. We are fine. In Thailand I love nature, nature and once more nature. Bangkok is not for me. If to stay in any city, I better will come back to Germany. If there will be an opportunity to stay in Thailand and to be more safe in investments I may contribute to Thai society. If not - there are other nice places I love no less than countryside in Thailand, i.e. Australia, Singapore, South of China.

Russia is an interesting but not a safe place for western people. A place to make easy money, dah, a place to have young girlfriend with white skin, dah. However, not a place to enjoy peace and safety. As for me, I cannot get job over there. Some of my students and a postgraduate student got rich in Russia. They are laughing on me - what are you doing in Germany? How much money are you making over there? Ah-h, you moved to Thailand and want to reside over there - you are a downshifter and a looser. OK, everyone makes his own choice. I did mine.

ah u are Russian... that s the problem dude!

nothing against Russians . they are weird , they don't speak English at all. , but here i know immigration are more strict with you. Russian guys must provide hotel address from their start to the end of their journey in Thailand...

can you get another citizenship? USA or Europe?

I tell you, I will never invest anything in Thailand. we are not welcome and law can change anytime...

just a trip outside of Thailand every 3 months is fun too. since we have air asia it s cheap and fast... i go see friends in same time near lao or relatives in europe. i did this for 5 years never been in trouble.

in Thailand keep low profile...

I worked in Germany since 1999. Somehow I am not happy with development of things in Europe and was not eager to stay for too long in Europe and was looking for an asylum to live in a place with not so many imposed regulations and with increasing tax and living cost like Western countries and not in a hell like Russia. Some of my Russian friends in Germany are in hurry to change citizenship to German and do it in about 2 years after arrival. The German citizenship is a good base to get social benefits and live on them. Others like myself who has some better job and never unemployed do not change identity to Germans. Probably, it is from a desire to show that we are not for social benefits in Germany and a pride never to be unemployed.

You are right about Russians. I am also not happy with the current development of situation in Russia. The authorities are giving a Russian passport to any migrant from Tajikistan. No knowledge of Russian language, no official job in Russia is required for it. It is enough to have kids and to stay 2 years in Russia. No wonder that Russia is getting a hub of drug dealing. Meanwhile they are kicking out people of Slavic origin who after the collapse of the Soviet Union got citizenship of any of its republics apart of Russia. A number of migrants in Russia is far above 15 millions of people. This is an nonofficial evaluation. There are migrants from Egypt, Arab countries, Tajikistan, other Muslim countries, you name it. A plan to invite to Russia 50 million of new migrants is adopted. Russia is going to be a Muslim country with nuclear weapons. Also, Russia is one of the most corrupted countries in the world and you see in Thailand certainly not the best of the Russian society. Many of people with money in Russia are criminals. Therefore I fully understand a concern on Thai government about Russians.

OK. There are such regulations that can be imposed on any selected group of foreigners in Thailand. However, it is only a question of time when the same regulations will be on the rest of the farang community in Thailand. You just wait. Of course, it is not good for Thailand itself as western people would invest less money to Thai economy.

If you use extensions or even a multi o, you will.have to have some sort of residence. So if you do leave Sakaew, you will need to have some base to put on the visa application. You could do single o visa in Vientiane and list a hitel I suppose.

There is a recent thread about Pattaya. Appears Immigration there is requiring a lease on top of everytjing for extensions.

You have to decide what works for you and your wife.

From my perspective, easiest option for most is living in Bangkok, Pattaya and CM in that order. Seems like the more provincial the office, the more hassles, money grubbing, lack of knowledge about the rule of law or the willingness to operate within the limits of it.

Issan seems like such a headache with Immigration I don't know why any foreigner would settle down there. Horrorvstories ate posted daily.

Good luck

My wife wants to stay with her relatives and to care of her kin. Our mother in law is living with us and taking care about the house and a garden if we are out for long awhile. Locals at our village are very friendly people and with a good Internet connection I miss a company of my friends overseas not much. However I agree that to stay in a community of foreigners somewhere in CM is much nicer. An advantage to stay in a middle of nowhere is cheaper life cost if it may matter. I see in time that more and more Western people are relocating to our area. May be these are not from a rich strata.

This has been hashed around before but here goes again. I will pass on my experience from the Nong Khai immigration in regards to the Receipt of Notification. This is to be completed by the house owner whenever an alien resides at such address for More than 24 hours. So if you are married and living with your wife and she (or family) are the owners (tambien bahn) they are required to have you registered as you living at that address. Same as a Hotel or Guest House would do. Many hotels and guest houses are registered with immigration to complete this process on line (for Thai citizens as well not just foreigners). However to the best of my knowledge this system is not set up for private home owners.

Now I asked them if I travel a lot how often should I have my wife register? We go away for the weekend and come back after two days does she need to re-register the alien? Answer, NO. However if you leave the country or are gone for more than about 30 days (extended vacation but do not leave Thailand) I was told no problem, no need to re-register.

So if you fly into the country and stay one night in Bangkok and then proceed home the Hotel has registered you into the system and by law your wife (or home owner) should complete the Notification application at the nearest Immigration office as soon as possible or risk being fined.

Thanks. It may be a great idea to stay overnight at a hotel after crossing a border. Because of the time shift I am dizzy and not able to sleep at night for about 2 days. Any travel and getting again through formalities is a burden to me for the while. A night or two at a good hotel can give a healthy break before getting to the Immigration Office for registration. Also, a valuable information that there is no need to collect registrations receipts during time in Thailand. BTW, should foreigners register their address after every visa run?

As said, for hotels and such it is enforced and indeed increasingly so. But they can apply at immigration for a password and file everything online instead of having to go in person to the police office or immigration.

Thanks. However, today at the Sa Kaeo IO the registration from a hotel was in papers. Can any private house owner get a password and make the registration online? Where is the web site for registration? We asked the officials what can WE do. Come in person was the reply. OK, I have a friend from Switzerland who is getting many friends coming to his private house to stay for a while. He probably knows how to manage with the regulations. It can be a solution for us. Thanks again.

Only hotels and such can register online. But house owners have the option of registering at the local police station, the guests themselves must report to immigration.

Form for house owner: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/download/tm30.doc

Form for foreigner: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/download/tm28.doc

But do it only if immigration tells you to do it. In most areas immigration is not interested in it.

Thanks indeed, great help and a base to chill out and to think on a solution of the trouble. The Sa Kaeo Immigration Office is in Aranyaprathet. It is too far from our village. I will ask my friend in a nearby town who is getting many visitors to his home - how is he managing with the registrations? He is 15 years in Thailand and in a good contact with locals. Sure, he is not taking his visitors to Aranyaprathet. As for the Sa Kaeo Immigration Office, may be an O-visa for a year would give me a break in visits to them. I would be obliged to leave the country every 3 months and the demand is easy to follow in my current situation with frequent trips in Thailand and out.

Judging by your responses and I mean this in a non agro way - you sound like you need some serious clue-ing in on how the game works here. You labor under misimpressions and it seems like the cops see you as any easy mark.

Also, stop asking your wife to sort things out for you. Smile, play stupid, see how it all develops and abdorb and learn from the experience

No idea what this registration thing is. Maybe related to you homestay but Id be shocked if the flunkie stamping your pp outbound cares at all about it.

Don't know what sort of situation your wife was in for her (you) to get some bs lecture about "bad farang" but I would not have been at all pleased. Corrupt cop lecturing me about random criminals that he has admitted to his country. Not my problem.

Be careful that you are being shaken down by the cops - but if I may be so bold, your wife. My wife is not one to be argumentitive or get in a cops face but our conversation would have been done with the "bad farang" lecture. Your wife needs to step up snd providea buffer to that nonsense. She will need to be your guide dealing with this lot...what is typical nonsense all Thais suffer snd ehat part is simply a bridge too far.

Good luck with Thailand. Its ok to push the envelope.

Thanks. My wife indeed tried to smooth my question. I just asked why registration at the airport cannot work and insisting on an answer. However, I better would take the warning seriously and change my stile to stay in Thailand on passport stamps and extensions. Instead, I should do any type of long-term visas. I have no criminal records. My problems seems to be my Russian citizenship. Despite I am 12 years out of Russia, I keep the citizenship yet. From frequent crack-downs specifically on Russians in Thailand I guess the officials targeting me as well.

What a nightmare. Just another case of making the farangs life here as troubledome as possible.

Why don't you find a hotel to use as a base on arrival in Bangkok? Put the hotel details in full on your arrival card and then make your way up to SaKaew as you see fit. The day after you arrive, pop over to Immigration.

The law is that wherever you are staying, you must (be) register/ed within 24 hours. OK...Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok - I get it. Some guy rolling into a village where he lives and is married to a local woman. Pretty much hardcase right there.

What an ugly human being. Blah blah fine blah farang disrespect blah Thailand blah mo money mo money...These people need real jobs with real problems.

Well Dork - he is being forewarned he will get hit upnfor the fine. Imagine no reciept either and if he pushes that then his life will be made miserable for any other business he must do with those cops.

I have a Thai wife and we stay at our own house. The house is registered to my wife's name. Why should we stay in a hotel? And there is no hotel at our village! I see at our village many foreigners are coming to visit families of their girlfriends. They are probably not aware about the regulation and the fee to pay if failed to come in person to the Immigration Office in 24 hours term .

Because you and or houseowner are required to report you on arrival. By staying at a hotel, you have met that requirement. In fact, the hotel is obligated to report and you are not required to do anything.

After that, you are a free man. So you rock up to your place the next day, have a nice sleep and go see tje Immigration flunkie the next day at your leisure.

You don't stay at a hotel in the village Einstein, in Bangkok! Besides, why would you want to drive all the way to Sakaew after a long trip anyway?

The guy has pegged you as a mark. Pay up or get smart. Hes coming for you (r money).

Thanks. A good idea. Certainly the officials were already coming to us as previously they were asking for all original documents to be shown. It is probably time to get an O-visa or to relocate to a better place after selling Thai assets. Normally I do not need any visa as I am frequently flying here and back. So, I use extensions instead of the visa, if necessary. As for registration in Bangkok while residing in the Sa Kaeo province. I will tell you something. I am of Russian citizenship despite of last time been in Russia 12 years ago. However I am aware of Russian news. Recently Russian authorities made a law that anyone local or foreigner who is registered at one address and reside at another is a criminal and a subject for punishment up to 3 years in jail or huge fines both for house owner and the falsely registered person. You may say, crazy Russians. Right. And now it is coming to you as well if you are spending time in a country of the third world. Or you think Thailand is a civilized country? LOL.

As said, for hotels and such it is enforced and indeed increasingly so. But they can apply at immigration for a password and file everything online instead of having to go in person to the police office or immigration.

Thanks. However, today at the Sa Kaeo IO the registration from a hotel was in papers. Can any private house owner get a password and make the registration online? Where is the web site for registration? We asked the officials what can WE do. Come in person was the reply. OK, I have a friend from Switzerland who is getting many friends coming to his private house to stay for a while. He probably knows how to manage with the regulations. It can be a solution for us. Thanks again.

What a nightmare. Just another case of making the farangs life here as troubledome as possible.

Why don't you find a hotel to use as a base on arrival in Bangkok? Put the hotel details in full on your arrival card and then make your way up to SaKaew as you see fit. The day after you arrive, pop over to Immigration.

The law is that wherever you are staying, you must (be) register/ed within 24 hours. OK...Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok - I get it. Some guy rolling into a village where he lives and is married to a local woman. Pretty much hardcase right there.

What an ugly human being. Blah blah fine blah farang disrespect blah Thailand blah mo money mo money...These people need real jobs with real problems.

Well Dork - he is being forewarned he will get hit upnfor the fine. Imagine no reciept either and if he pushes that then his life will be made miserable for any other business he must do with those cops.

BTW, we got a receipt of the registration as an enclosure to my passport. I guess I have to present it at the passport control on leaving the country or to be fined. For foreigners who travel around the country - should they now collect all the receipts from hotels without any gap in registrations or charged at the airport by 5000 Thai Baht? My wife has been told - this regulation is to stop BAD farangs from coming to Thailand. Bad farangs, bad! Pay mo money, respect our rules or go to our jail, bad farand. Amusing Thailand. I cry on my investments to this country. It is far beyond 7 digits sums. We were planning to relocate to Thailand in time. A next surprise should be about mandatory insurance for all farangs. It is coming, be aware.

so each time u go home... you need to go to your local immigration...?

i stayed with my girlfriend 4 years... Never reported anything.

address was on my arrival card.

TIT:D

So did I. We were coming in time to extend my stay for 60 days if necessary and the address was in the application for extension. Now it is a special form to be signed by the house owner in person and before the eyes of the officers. And we have been told to come next time in 24-hours after my arrival to Thailand. I tried to speak what a mess and why my arrival card cannot work and was ignored. Seems to me they are getting fun from humiliating of foreigners while themselves hardly able to speak any English. My wife was talking as they ignored me. I expect they would charge me next time if I will come for the extension. How to avoid the trouble? It is for anyone, not for me personally. Anyone married a Thai woman will suffer.

Strictly speaking you still need to report. In practice, most times immigration cannot be bothered with it and requires only hotels and such to report your stay.

It seems to me that the Immigration Office enforced the regulation recently. While we were waiting in a queue to apply our papers a woman from a local hotel came to report about ONE foreign guest. It seems to be a headache for the hotels too as they have to send somebody to report about the foreign guest and to get a notification of the registration. It takes time and money. We were lucky to have not a long queue today. What about hours to wait? And foreigners are supposed now to pay more for a room as the cost of registration is included. What would happen if they will spend awhile in their friend's house without registration and be caught red-handed to live not registered? How to avoid troubles?

What a nightmare. Just another case of making the farangs life here as troubledome as possible.

Why don't you find a hotel to use as a base on arrival in Bangkok? Put the hotel details in full on your arrival card and then make your way up to SaKaew as you see fit. The day after you arrive, pop over to Immigration.

The law is that wherever you are staying, you must (be) register/ed within 24 hours. OK...Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok - I get it. Some guy rolling into a village where he lives and is married to a local woman. Pretty much hardcase right there.

What an ugly human being. Blah blah fine blah farang disrespect blah Thailand blah mo money mo money...These people need real jobs with real problems.

Well Dork - he is being forewarned he will get hit upnfor the fine. Imagine no reciept either and if he pushes that then his life will be made miserable for any other business he must do with those cops.

I have a Thai wife and we stay at our own house. The house is registered to my wife's name. Why should we stay in a hotel? And there is no hotel at our village! I see at our village many foreigners are coming to visit families of their girlfriends. They are probably not aware about the regulation and the fee to pay if failed to come in person to the Immigration Office in 24 hours term .

address is on the arrival card...

no need to report to your immigration...

or I m wrong?

I asked specially and have been told to come in person to the local Immigration Office despite the arrival card.

Since the maximum penalty is a THB2000 fine, it can safely be ignored as it is by 99% of the population. In my experience it is ignored by 100% of the people I know.

2000 Thai Baht is a fine to the house owner and the foreiner pays his part too.