Goethe

The fee charged by agents ranges from 0 to 500 baht, depending on the agent. I pay 200 baht and am happy to do so.

You may not "volunteer" in Thailand in any capacity without the requisite documents.

At Jomtien Immigration you have to "tag along" with the agent (for a one-year extension of stay) merely for the purpose of having your photograph taken (by the agent!) somewhere in the Immigration Building. (My experience during the past 3 years.)

Since the date of arrival counts as day one, the report is due 89 days later.

90 days means 90 days. The grace period of 7 days applies only if you remain in the country. There is no grace period if you leave the country after 90 days without reporting. Whether or not you will be penalized on your next visit to Immigration is unpredictable. Why take a chance?

TiT. From day to day, IO to IO the rules may change.

It is not safe to assume that. This forum is full of reports from people who were advised differently by their local Immigration Office. (Jomtien is one such office.) The only safe course of action is to ask your local Immigration Office what their policy is.

As is the case with so many issues on this forum, with respect to all Thai Immigration questions there is only one reliable guideline: There are NO consistent rules! It is pointless citing the Immigration Act, it is pointless citing what happened to someone last week, it is pointless calling an Immigration Office "rogue": every Immigration Office and every Immigration Officer has the power to do whatever it wants every day of the week. Accept that fact and act accordingly.

Not complete nonsense. I know of a recent case where the overstayer went to an agent who "fixed" the problem for 500 000 baht.

Because there is no consistency between Immigration Offices with regard to filing a TM30, the only safe course of action is to check with your local Immigration Office. You may or may not be required to file a TM30 within 24 hours of arriving, and you may or may not be fined if you don't.

And how often has an office changed its procedures or demands after you labelled it "rogue"? Given the endless complaints about moving goalposts and the inconsistencies between Immigration Office and the Officers in them, it seems that every Immigration Office in Thailand could be described as "rogue". The label is irrelevant anyway: we have no choice but to accept whatever situation occurs.

The only reliable advice re the submission of a TM30 is to check with your local Immigration Office. Quoting the Immigration Act is not helpful if the local office ignores it, and saying that a local office is "rogue" does not help either. Several recent posts have advised that Jomtien requires a TM30 when returning from a trip away: this week I was informed that it was not necessary... Like so many other aspects of Immigration procedures in Thailand there is no consistency. Smile and accept it: TiT.

Yes, soi 5 is supposed to be a one-way street heading due to the beach. But without constant police presence many vehicles are ignoring the one-way rule - - which, given the high volume of people currently attending the Immigration Office, makes a visit there even more difficult.

An agent will do the 90-day report for you. The fee differs from agent to agent. Over the years I have paid 200 baht, 500 baht, and nothing (!).

Not if your home country has a "double taxation" agreement with Thailand.