How do I register a private stay?

[Lamphen]

Good morning,

 

I hope I'm in the right forum, fingers crossed.

I'm going to visit my girlfriends family for a week in June this year, and for the first time we are going to stay at their house in Buriram.

We have heard some rumours that I / they need to register this stay.

Do anyone know what needs to be done?

Appreciate any advise.

 

Kind regards

Lamphen

[ubonjoe]

There is no need to do a TM30 form. They do not go out looking for foreigners that have not been reported.

[JG27]

We stayed in a condo owned by family for two weeks in BKK....didn't tell any Officials !...don't know if we broke the law !!! (hope not). 

Will be good to hear from anyone who knows.

[Lacessit]

Ubon Joe is right as always. If the TM30 on your principal place of residence is up-to-date, no other action is needed.

[KhunFred]

I brought this subject up to my girlfriend during a stay at her sister's home. She nearly chewed my head off. Thais consider it absurd to track farangs all over the country. That said, the law is clear. Up to you whether you want to comply. If we stay at a hotel, she pays and registers under her her own ID card. No one has ever asked me for my passport or any other personal information. The attitude of the average Thai on this subject was a bit surprising to me.

[elviajero]

Under the law the owner, or house-master, or possessor of the property you are staying at should report your stay to immigration within 24 hours of your arrival. If it’s not done a fine of upto 2,000 baht can be charged.

 

In reality, not all offices enforce this law and do not, as a rule, go knocking on doors looking for foreigners and handing out fines.

 

As long as your not planning any contact with the local immigration office, and aren’t bothered by the fine in the unlikely event it’s charged, there’s no problem not reporting.

 

If you want to comply with the law it’s best to ask the local office what they require.

[torrzent]

17 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

Thais consider it absurd to track farangs all over the country.

Am guessing that you are the one that thinks it is absurd.

[KhunFred]

2 hours ago, torrzent said:

Am guessing that you are the one that thinks it is absurd.

I only know what they tell me. They feel it is overreach. I am judging by the amazed and outraged reaction I get when I broach the subject. Thais have a very libertarian slant. Surprising for people who consistently support coups.

[torrzent]

12 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I only know what they tell me. They feel it is overreach. I am judging by the amazed and outraged reaction I get when I broach the subject. Thais have a very libertarian slant. Surprising for people who consistently support coups.

Never heard words like absurd, overreach and libertarian bandied about by the locals....am guessing, that you are putting words in their mouths.  They are just politely nodding so as not to offend you.

[Russell17au]

I would say that if you are going to be out of your province when you need to do your 90 day report then I think to save you any hassles lodge a TM30 at the local immigration office or at the local police station.

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

I would say that if you are going to be out of your province when you need to do your 90 day report then I think to save you any hassles lodge a TM30 at the local immigration office or at the local police station.

More than that would be needed to do a 90 day report at a different office than where the extension was issued.

A formal change of address is required by doing a TM28 form.

[Russell17au]

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

More than that would be needed to do a 90 day report at a different office than where the extension was issued.

A formal change of address is required by doing a TM28 form.

You are right about the TM28, but some offices are not interested in the TM28, when I changed my address from Udon Thani to Khon Kaen I had my TM28 and the landlord had the TM30 and they only took the TM30 and handed the TM28 back to me, they did not use it

[Mac98]

If you, or they, do report when you are staying with friends out of province then you will also have to report when returning home. Right?

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, Mac98 said:

If you, or they, do report when you are staying with friends out of province then you will also have to report when returning home. Right?

At most offices you do not need to do a new report since your permanent residence has not changed. Only the most pendant offices want one.

[Enoon]

 

You don't have to do it.

 

The house owner/master has to do it (if they want to be bothered).

 

I sat in front of an immigration official on the 26th December (with my house mistress at my side) getting a TV extension.  They were not in the slightest bit interested in the fact that one had never been filled out, in seeing one or talking about one.

 

 

[Mac98]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

At most offices you do not need to do a new report since your permanent residence has not changed. Only the most pendant offices want one.

That would include Jomtien, as my luck would have it.

[KhunFred]

10 hours ago, torrzent said:

Never heard words like absurd, overreach and libertarian bandied about by the locals....am guessing, that you are putting words in their mouths.  They are just politely nodding so as not to offend you.

Again, you misunderstand. I am being descriptive. No Thai would ever use words like these. They were not "politely nodding" they were telling me their opinion of the compulsive tracking of farangs in Thailand. They simply don't believe that their government does these things. I was asked a question and I gave them the answer and the reaction was near disbelief. What is so difficult to understand about that??? The result was that my girlfriend insisted on registering in her name on her ID card. I did not ask for this or even know that it was an option. Some Thais have the ability to think for themselves.

 

[Seeall]

On 5/9/2018 at 2:28 PM, ubonjoe said:

There is no need to do a TM30 form. They do not go out looking for foreigners that have not been reported.

 

Sounds good, however, if you report somewhere else, then go back and not report, then say, do your 90 day, you are an "easy fine"

[elviajero]

11 hours ago, Mac98 said:

If you, or they, do report when you are staying with friends out of province then you will also have to report when returning home. Right?

According to the law, yes.

 

If they make a TM.30 report it changes the national record and shows you staying at that address. Unless a new TM.30 is made when returning home the national record doesn’t change, and won’t change until the next local 90 day address report when the local and national record should be synced.

 

Personally I wouldn’t bother reporting the stay away from home or the return.  

[PhonThong]

On 5/9/2018 at 2:28 PM, ubonjoe said:

There is no need to do a TM30 form. They do not go out looking for foreigners that have not been reported.

When in Thailand. I live in three different locations because of business. I am only registered in one place. I still move freely from one house to another. I have never reported my movements.

[Mac98]

16 hours ago, elviajero said:

According to the law, yes.

 

If they make a TM.30 report it changes the national record and shows you staying at that address. Unless a new TM.30 is made when returning home the national record doesn’t change, and won’t change until the next local 90 day address report when the local and national record should be synced.

 

Personally I wouldn’t bother reporting the stay away from home or the return.  

True, but if owner reports ...

[KhunFred]

14 minutes ago, Mac98 said:

True, but if owner reports ...

I had not realized how resistant the average Thai was to reporting requirements. It seems to be sporadic and related to crackdowns.

[otherstuff1957]

23 hours ago, KhunFred said:

Again, you misunderstand. I am being descriptive. No Thai would ever use words like these. They were not "politely nodding" they were telling me their opinion of the compulsive tracking of farangs in Thailand. They simply don't believe that their government does these things. I was asked a question and I gave them the answer and the reaction was near disbelief. What is so difficult to understand about that??? The result was that my girlfriend insisted on registering in her name on her ID card. I did not ask for this or even know that it was an option. Some Thais have the ability to think for themselves.

 

When Thai friends or relatives hear me moaning about my yearly Immigration requirements they are always quite surprised.  They usually say that since I am married to a Thai and work in Thailand that I should not have to jump through all of the annual hoops!

 

I would guess that 99.9% of Thais are unaware of how much paperwork is needed for us to stay in Thailand and when they learn of it they do think that it is excessive.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, Mac98 said:

True, but if owner reports ...

 Unfortunately you won’t get a definitive answer here. The only way to know for sure is to ask your local office what they want. Some want everyone to report when returning from staying in another province, others if you return from a trip abroad, and others aren’t interested in any reports.

 

I wouldn’t encourage the people at the place you stay to report. Most Thais don’t even know they should report. Ignorance is bliss! 

[Lamphen]

Thank you all for your good advises!

All the best

Lamphen

[bkk6060]

Does anyone personally know someone who has been tagged with this?

I go all over the place in country, in and out of the country and have never reported anything.

Never been asked anything at immigration after when I do my reports, extensions, etc.

 

 

 

[KhunFred]

5 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Does anyone personally know someone who has been tagged with this?

I go all over the place in country, in and out of the country and have never reported anything.

Never been asked anything at immigration after when I do my reports, extensions, etc.

 

 

 

Same situation with me. I have occasionally stayed in Bangkok or Chiang Mai and several other cities for three or four days. Nothing was mentioned at subsequent renewals of my Extension of Stay. Lately, my girlfriend insists on registering on her ID. No hotel has ever asked me for ID in these circumstances. They seem not to care. I am not saying this is the best way, this is only my experience. Some things seem to be enforced only at the whim of certain officials.

[Hummin]

I stayed two months with my gf family last year, and I got a stamped paper from the local police station, and they told me just to show the emigration that if they asked any question. We did not need to come back every time we did a roadtrip either and spent some nights at hotel. 

 

It is how it is, rules are rules, but different practice everywhere you go.