Reporting to immigration on re-entry

[Airbagwill]

I have a B Visa with multiple re-entry Visa.

Can someone clarify the situation on re-entering the country?

As I understand it, I have to report to my local immigration to reconfirm my address?

Please previously I always assumed that I just got an automatic 90 days on re-entering.

I very chopped an changed jobs and visas over the last year and seem to have avoided this new requirement.

Can someone outline my obligations?

Thanks in advance.

[BritTim]

You, personally, probably have no obligations.

 

Depending on your local immigration office, the "house master", "possessor" or "owner" of the dwelling where you live may have to file a TM30 notification of "alien staying in the dwelling". The whole situation with interpretation and enforcement of the law around TM30 notifications is an absolute mess. There have been several recent long threads on here about the subject. Everyone on here (and each immigration office and sometimes individual official) has their own ideas. If you indicate where you live, we might be able to provide some specific advice.

[Pungdo]

I recently went home to Oz, the day after I got back I went into the Jomtien Immigration office to lodge a TM30 and took my wife with me, we have our own house, but it is in her name.

When we sat down in front of the IO the first thing she said to me was , "Is this your wife" yes I said, not your job was her reply, her job, so even if you are married and live with your wife in a house in her name, she is the one who has to do the report, an Aussie mates wife was recently fined 1600 baht for not reporting his re-entry and they are in the same boat as us.

[ubonjoe]

If you have a multiple entry non-b visa that allows unlimited 90 day entries you will not need to be concerned about the reporting unless you need to do something at an immigration office.

[BritTim]

31 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you have a multiple entry non-b visa that allows unlimited 90 day entries you will not need to be concerned about the reporting unless you need to do something at an immigration office.

I interpreted this

 

2 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

I have a B Visa with multiple re-entry Visa.

as meaning he has an extension of stay on the basis of working with a multiple entry re-entry permit. I could be wrong, of course.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, BritTim said:

as meaning he has an extension of stay on the basis of working with a multiple entry re-entry permit. I could be wrong, of course.

I was not sure what he meant. That is why I wrote about what a multiple entry visa allows.

That is a problem when people call an extension based upon working or teaching a non-b visa.

[andersonat]

1 hour ago, Pungdo said:

I recently went home to Oz, the day after I got back I went into the Jomtien Immigration office to lodge a TM30 and took my wife with me, we have our own house, but it is in her name.

When we sat down in front of the IO the first thing she said to me was , "Is this your wife" yes I said, not your job was her reply, her job, so even if you are married and live with your wife in a house in her name, she is the one who has to do the report, an Aussie mates wife was recently fined 1600 baht for not reporting his re-entry and they are in the same boat as us.

 

P,

 

My (Thai) wife and I were told the *exact* opposite in Chiang Mai, ie that it was *my* responsibility to report, and that *I* would be liable for a fine if I didn't report within 24 hours.

 

[CMBob]

13 minutes ago, andersonat said:

My (Thai) wife and I were told the *exact* opposite in Chiang Mai, ie that it was *my* responsibility to report, and that *I* would be liable for a fine if I didn't report within 24 hours.

 

This comment relates to CM Immigration only. You might want to distinguish between the original TM30 and updating (when you re-enter the country to the same address as reported on a prior TM30).   For some/most/all (it keeps changing) things, you need to have the original TM30 filed for an address and, frankly, CM Immigration doesn't care who does it (technically the owner/landlord/possessor is liable under the law to have it filed) and will hit you (or whoever shows up for Immigration service) for the 1,600 baht if it isn't filed.  With respect to updating (and presuming you're re-entering the country to the same address), typically the possessor (you) is the one who does that and, again, it's whoever shows up needing some service from CM Immigration who gets tabbed with the fine (i.e., you don't get any service unless it's paid).  I should note that some condominium offices do take care of this for their falang residents.

With respect to the time for updating, multiple CM Immigration officers have said that updating within a week or so is fine (i.e., you don't have to be a slave to the 24-hour law).  I've updated several times 3-5 days after re-entering without a problem or comment from them.

[Airbagwill]

I have a B visa and work permit.

the B visa was extended to complete a whole year. (In fact it will probably be renewed before I leave the country)

It will have a multiple or at least a single re-entry permit.

 

\Until this year I have been leaving the country frequently by car and never reported back to immigration on my return just got a stamp for 90days at the border on re-entry.

 

My old immigration was Sri Racha. Previously I hardly ever did a 90 day sign as I got 90 days every time I re-entered the country.

but now I'm living in Chonburi and I do my 90 days in Rayong where my employer is. I have signed there 3 times.

 

[DrPhibes]

33 minutes ago, andersonat said:

 

P,

 

My (Thai) wife and I were told the *exact* opposite in Chiang Mai, ie that it was *my* responsibility to report, and that *I* would be liable for a fine if I didn't report within 24 hours.

 

They probably meant the two of you but got lost in translation.  For Chiang Mai, it is the person renting or owning the house that needs to do TM30 reporting in person with you there (best) when you enter the country and show back at your abode.  As CMBob says, have showed up at immigration a few days after returning to our house and no fine.  Wife does the reporting (she rents the house) as our landlady is really busy and we have time.  We bring the rental agreement and filled out TM30 (fill-in .pdf http://donslifeinthailand.com/Immigration_Forms.html  Thanks Don) and they just stamp and date on the TM30 slip in my passport I got when I originally came in 1.5 yrs ago.   Pretty cut and dried.

[Dakhar]

18 minutes ago, CMBob said:

This comment relates to CM Immigration only. You might want to distinguish between the original TM30 and updating (when you re-enter the country to the same address as reported on a prior TM30).   For some/most/all (it keeps changing) things, you need to have the original TM30 filed for an address and, frankly, CM Immigration doesn't care who does it (technically the owner/landlord/possessor is liable under the law to have it filed) and will hit you (or whoever shows up for Immigration service) for the 1,600 baht if it isn't filed.  With respect to updating (and presuming you're re-entering the country to the same address), typically the possessor (you) is the one who does that and, again, it's whoever shows up needing some service from CM Immigration who gets tabbed with the fine (i.e., you don't get any service unless it's paid).  I should note that some condominium offices do take care of this for their falang residents.

With respect to the time for updating, multiple CM Immigration officers have said that updating within a week or so is fine (i.e., you don't have to be a slave to the 24-hour law).  I've updated several times 3-5 days after re-entering without a problem or comment from them.

I've had to show my air line ticket stub to prove I had been in Thailand for less than 24 hrs. According to the ticket stub, I had been in Thailand for about 22 hrs, the IO said I was "lucky.“

 

Ive had other IO say that I should not care about the rule because I'm married to a Thai. 

 

 

[BritTim]

10 minutes ago, Dakhar said:

Ive had other IO say that I should not care about the rule because I'm married to a Thai. 

 

I thought I had heard everything, but an official who interprets the requirement to submit TM30 notifications differently depending on whether you are married is a new one!

[bkkcanuck8]

1 hour ago, andersonat said:

 

P,

 

My (Thai) wife and I were told the *exact* opposite in Chiang Mai, ie that it was *my* responsibility to report, and that *I* would be liable for a fine if I didn't report within 24 hours.

 

The owner or possessor has the responsibility for reporting any foreigners residing at an address -- each time you return.  They will require the possessor to do it the first time (though they let me do it myself with a phone call to the owner).  If they don't do it, it is 1,000 baht fine.  The first time the owner did not do that for me -- and likely did not know of the requirement (they were a little nervous renting to a foreigner the first time).   IF this is not done, they will not allow you to extend your visa at immigration until it is done and the fine has been paid.  The first time I was just trying to get it done with as little trouble to the owner so I kept on telling immigration I was fine paying the fine myself - only after a little while did they relent and allow the reporting to be done by me (with that phone call) and I paid the fine (they told me I should get reimbursed by the owner - which I never did - again I don't want to trouble the owner with stupid admin stuff - the rent is actually quite good).  The stapled a piece of paper to the back of my passport with all the details of the owner etc.  Each time I enter now I go to immigration hand them my passport and they fill in the details on a form and enter the information and that is the complete process.  Luckily it is very quick and I am a 15 minute walk from immigration.

[ubonjoe]

29 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

I have a B visa and work permit.

the B visa was extended to complete a whole year. (In fact it will probably be renewed before I leave the country)

It will have a multiple or at least a single re-entry permit.

\Until this year I have been leaving the country frequently by car and never reported back to immigration on my return just got a stamp for 90days at the border on re-entry.

My old immigration was Sri Racha. Previously I hardly ever did a 90 day sign as I got 90 days every time I re-entered the country.

but now I'm living in Chonburi and I do my 90 days in Rayong where my employer is. I have signed there 3 times.

 

It seems you previously had a multiple entry non-b visa since you were getting a new 90 day entry.

And then you applied for a one year extension of stay and are doing 90 day reports to Rayong immigration which I assume has an address on it for that province. I don't recall any reports of Rayong immigration wanting a TM30 report every time you enter the country.

[Airbagwill]

I've had B visas with multiple entry for over 25 years - almost continuously and never reported on re-entry - but a friend extending his B visa was told by Sri Racha he should have reported  on re-entry.

As I said I've never reported to my local immigration on re-entry (it used to be Sri Racha) in just assumed I had another 90 days on re-entry. 

 

Sri Racha seem to be suggesting that this is no longer the case.

 

 

They seem to be suggesting a lot of things these days.....

as I said I now sign at Rayong.

[YetAnother]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

The whole situation with interpretation and enforcement of the law around TM30 notifications is an absolute mess.

a poster here, on another topic, referred to thai immigration, generally,  as 'administratively impossible'

[PETERTHEEATER]

I re-entered the Kingdom with wife on a Saturday morning. Went to Hua Hin Immigration with wife on Monday morning and filed a TM 28  which was politely declined. IO checked his database and saw same address reported for over twelve years and told us no need to report unless address changes. Took the 90 day expired receipt from my PP and replaced it with one dated 90 days from re-entry and that was that.

 

I have never reported after re-entry from previous trips and did so only because of the trend in IO fines for not doing so that I have read on TV.

 

every office different! A real muddle. 

[baansgr]

I dont bother. Ive come and gone a number of times and done 90 day reports. Extension based on Thai family, never questioned at Jomtien.