Report to immigration when returned to Thai, rules/fines?

[happysanook]

My girlfriend returned to Thailand two weeks back but didn't report to immigration because she didn't know. What is the maximum fine?

 

If she goes now or goes when her 90 days needs to be done will it make a difference?

[ubonjoe]

It depends upon the immigration office she reports to.

The maximum fine is 2000 baht. The typical fines are 800 to 1600 baht dependent upon the ofice.l

[ThaiWai]

I never do it in Phuket and they never comment when I go in for other business. Skipping a trip to that nightmare is worth any fine they impose. I came in a few weeks ago and went in to report a change of address a week after that. Not a peep. 

[Emster23]

Report what? Living at the same place? "She didn't know"... didn't know what? Would help if you said what sort of visa she may have..... For retirement, day 1 of 90 is day you come back.

[Gandtee]

Do you have to report to the office where your address is ie. live in Chonburi, so have to report to Chonburi?

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Gandtee said:

Do you have to report to the office where your address is ie. live in Chonburi, so have to report to Chonburi?

Yes.

[Gandtee]

14 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Yes.

Bloody hell! 

[JackThompson]

1 minute ago, Gandtee said:

Bloody hell! 

If you have moved, you could report your move, so you can report there.

[mikebell]

So having lived at the same address for 12 years in Bang Saray, if I go on holiday I am supposed to report to Immigration and fill in another form besides the one on the landing card. 

My friends arrived on Monday and I told them of this; they said there are no signs/information at Immigration to this effect; how  can visitors be expected to fulfil yet another obstacle if they are not informed of it?

[berybert]

11 minutes ago, mikebell said:

So having lived at the same address for 12 years in Bang Saray, if I go on holiday I am supposed to report to Immigration and fill in another form besides the one on the landing card. 

My friends arrived on Monday and I told them of this; they said there are no signs/information at Immigration to this effect; how  can visitors be expected to fulfil yet another obstacle if they are not informed of it?

Why did your friends go to immigration when they arrived in Thailand ?

 

[The manic]

This has been debated endlessly on other threads and their seems no firm answers as everybody has different experiences depending on their, visa, their immigration office and the individual immigration officer. I am on a one year retirement extension and my IO is in Chom Tien. I have never reported back after leaving the country or the province. If everybody did so the office would have to shut down. These rumours originated from Chiang Mai a city under occupation where bars are forced to close by 11pm and the army and police visibly run the town. So it is no wonder wonder that the CM IO is an anomaly either making up its own rules, missaplying rules, misinterpreting rules deliberately or accidentally.etc. I interpret it this way. My abode, my home, my residence, does not change just beacause I leave the province or country for a holiday. Such travel does not constitute a change of address. If it did indicate a change of address one would cancel, mail, water gas etc and supply a new address. As for the duties of the landlords in such matters - another mystery. I chose not to change accomodation recently in Pattaya because the Landlord was having such a hard time about this matter and was supposed to pay alll the fines his transient tenants had had imposed on them. I considered his business and associated addresses tainted and under the IO micrsoscope. There is no rule of law in Thailand and no tradition of either British Common Law or Napoleonic code. Youare always at the mercy of an official with or without a uniform, a grudge. low IQ or an obtuse mentality. Much the same as Modern Britain actaully. So:' When the Law Gets ready - you gotta move.'

[Mattd]

3 hours ago, berybert said:

Why did your friends go to immigration when they arrived in Thailand ?

 

I'd imagine that it meant that they were at the immigration counters in the arrival hall of an airport.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Mattd

[soon2bexpat]

1600 baht fine this morning in Jomtein, because my wife "failed" to report me coming home back in November. I went in to get a 60 day extension to my Non Imm O marriage visa, and the first step was reporting my address. Apparently this should be done every time a foreigner enters the Kingdom by the property owner. We've never done it previously and nothing has ever been said on exiting the Kingdom.

 

 

[happysanook]

4 hours ago, soon2bexpat said:

1600 baht fine this morning in Jomtein, because my wife "failed" to report me coming home back in November. I went in to get a 60 day extension to my Non Imm O marriage visa, and the first step was reporting my address. Apparently this should be done every time a foreigner enters the Kingdom by the property owner. We've never done it previously and nothing has ever been said on exiting the Kingdom.

 

 

So, you got fined, not the house owner? I understand she's your wife.... What if she wasn't? Who gets fined?

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, soon2bexpat said:

1600 baht fine this morning in Jomtein, because my wife "failed" to report me coming home back in November. I went in to get a 60 day extension to my Non Imm O marriage visa, and the first step was reporting my address. Apparently this should be done every time a foreigner enters the Kingdom by the property owner. We've never done it previously and nothing has ever been said on exiting the Kingdom.

Nothing is ever said when  leaving (or re-entering) the country respecting TM30/TM28 notifications. What happens when you visit an immigration office depends on the office, and sometimes the individual official.

[ExpatDraco]

1600 baht fine this morning in Jomtein, because my wife "failed" to report me coming home back in November. I went in to get a 60 day extension to my Non Imm O marriage visa, and the first step was reporting my address. Apparently this should be done every time a foreigner enters the Kingdom by the property owner. We've never done it previously and nothing has ever been said on exiting the Kingdom.
 
 

Yep, if you need an extension done at Jomtien, better have that tm30 in order.

The good part is that is easy to do, even as a renter. Can do it all by yourself. The bad part is that you can drink 2 big Leo's at slow peace until it is your turn. :)

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[phuketrichard]

PHUKET:

i have the same tm 30 form in the back of my passport sine feb 2058 . have had 2, 1 year extensions,various 90 day reports and been in an out of the country at least 8 times.Never checked in on a return trip.

Never had any trouble

[mikebell]

23 hours ago, berybert said:

Why did your friends go to immigration when they arrived in Thailand ?

 

Don't all tourists go through Immigration gates at the airport when they land?

[wgdanson]

On 1/24/2018 at 6:44 AM, Gandtee said:

Do you have to report to the office where your address is ie. live in Chonburi, so have to report to Chonburi?

Does that not seem obvious?

[berybert]

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

Don't all tourists go through Immigration gates at the airport when they land?

All tourists go through immigration when they land. Not many go to immigration.

[Mattd]

On 1/24/2018 at 10:46 AM, mikebell said:

My friends arrived on Monday and I told them of this; they said there are no signs/information at Immigration to this effect

 

7 minutes ago, berybert said:

All tourists go through immigration when they land. Not many go to immigration.

I do not see anywhere where it was mentioned that they went 'to' immigration? Personally, I thought it was obvious what was meant.

 

It is actually a good point, as there is no mention of this requirement at the arrival immigration points, or at least not in BKK or DMK, although I do believe that some of the airlines (Thai Airways perhaps) show it on their arrival video prior to landing?

[Gandtee]

5 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Does that not seem obvious?

No! What if you can't get to your local immigration office within 24 hours?

[soon2bexpat]

8 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

No! What if you can't get to your local immigration office within 24 hours?

The lady in Jomtein told me within 3 days even though they say 24hrs. I guess a little common sense kicked in.

[berybert]

2 hours ago, Mattd said:

 

I do not see anywhere where it was mentioned that they went 'to' immigration? Personally, I thought it was obvious what was meant.

 

It is actually a good point, as there is no mention of this requirement at the arrival immigration points, or at least not in BKK or DMK, although I do believe that some of the airlines (Thai Airways perhaps) show it on their arrival video prior to landing?

You thought it obvious, I didn't. I don't know many people who would be looking for signs telling them they need to sign in at their local immigration centre if they don't know they have to do it. 

What signs do you look for when you go though immigration ?  

Edited January 25, 2018 by berybert

[jackdd]

On 24.1.2018 at 10:46 AM, mikebell said:

My friends arrived on Monday and I told them of this; they said there are no signs/information at Immigration to this effect; how  can visitors be expected to fulfil yet another obstacle if they are not informed of it?

Always when people here write about a fine or problems it's about a missing TM30, i think nobody here got fined for not doing a TM28. Is there actually any law that says you have to submit a TM28?

The TM30 is the responsibility of the owner of the place where the foreigner stays, so why should immigration inform the tourists at the airport about this? The tourist doesn't have to do anything by himself, the hotel where he stays will report him, and if a friend visits you at your place (or you stay at your own place), then that's your responsibility. And of course it can be expected, that when you are living here, you spend some time reading the laws here in Thailand. If you don't do this, you don't have to complain that you are fined for doing something wrong. Would be the same in any other country too.

[DJ54]

Planning trip to Singapore for 4 days. On retirement visa do I need to go to immigration office before I leave and again upon return? Also heard that you should get multiple entry or could be issues. 

[BritTim]

49 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

Planning trip to Singapore for 4 days. On retirement visa do I need to go to immigration office before I leave and again upon return? Also heard that you should get multiple entry or could be issues. 

• If you are in Thailand on an extension of stay on the basis of retirement, it is important that you have a re-entry permit to keep your permission to stay intact when leaving and re-entering Thailand. Otherwise, you extension of your permission to stay will be canceled. You can get a re-entry permit (single re-entry or multiple re-entries) at the airport on departure.
• If not staying in a hotel, depending on your local immigration office, it may be necessary to file a TM30 notification of alien staying at the property when you return. If you are staying in Bangkok, this is not required. If staying elsewhere, and not staying in a hotel, you could let us know your local immigration office, and someone may know the latest policy at that office.