Extending stay - living in hotels

[NoshowJones]

4 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Perhaps if you stated which office you use, a member that uses the same office could give a definitive answer.

I'm not so sure about that, immigration offices are like banks, one employee will tell you one thing and another one will tell you different.

The only way you would get a correct answer would be to go to your'e office personally.

[NoshowJones]

10 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

'Fan rooms' may not be registered for TM30 online reporting and we know in certain Provinces, no TM30, no service.

I think you are probably right about that, but surely that would mean that anyone who has to do 90 day reporting could not rent a place without getting the approval of the immigration office for that particular place.

 

[Tanoshi]

5 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I think you are probably right about that, but surely that would mean that anyone who has to do 90 day reporting could not rent a place without getting the approval of the immigration office for that particular place.

 

You can rent anywhere, but if your office enforces filing a TM30 some refuse to do 90 day reports until such time as the law has been complied with. (Filing a TM30)

If your contemplating renting a 'fan room' I'd firstly be asking if they are registered to file a TM30.

 

I know a few what I would term 'dingy' cheap back street hotels, guest houses, apartments that aren't registered with Immigration because predominately only a Thai rents and would accept the squalid conditions. However if a foreigner was prepared to accept the conditions, they never refuse the cash.

[tryasimight]

On 8/10/2018 at 10:33 AM, Tanoshi said:

Probably Isaan, NW of Thailand.

Furnished 1 bed apartments, or unfurnished 1 bed house from 3,000 baht per month.

 

Why would the OP want to rent in Myanmar (NW of Thailand)? 

Might be better to rent in Issan in the NE of Thailand. 

[Wake Up]

I got my first extension of stay at Bangkok CW and had a condo. I only a few 90 day reports in Bangkok in over 2 years. If I need to do another one I will get a hotel in Bangkok and mail it in to CW and let them mail it back to the hotel which will keep it for me until the next time I check in. 

 

Now I live in hotels in different cities in Thailand. When my next extension is due In December I will get a hotel in Bangkok and renew my extension in Bangkok and give the hotel as my address. Bangkok does not want a TM 28 and does not hassle you where you live such as in a hotel or condo or whatever as long as it is in Bangkok. I will be in a Bangkok hotel for a week or so as I like Bangkok but the hotels are more expensive. 

 

I am now staying in a very nice hotel in Pattaya with great TV, large shower, 24 hour security, daily maid service, large room newest hotel for less than 200 USA dollars per week charged to my credit card. No water bills or utilities bills or WiFi bills or Tv bills. Frankly you can live in a nice hotel in other areas of Thailand even cheaper except not in Bangkok. I can live in a nice hotel in Khon Kaen with breakfast for  about 700 USA dollars a month. Crazy cheap prices in Thailand if you travel by bus or even plane or car. 

[RangerF]

On 8/10/2018 at 9:52 AM, ubonjoe said:

It is not easy to do that due to doing 90 day reports and etc. You have to do the reports at the office where you got the extensions unless you formally change address.

My suggestion and what other have done is to rent a low cost room where you will be applying for the extension. Then you have the option of doing the 90 days my mail.

I second your suggestion, get a low cost room as a "permanent address & base" and relevant notification documents from household master, and then use the 80+ days period for touring. Return to base early to prepare docs. and do the 90 days report.

[Tanoshi]

53 minutes ago, tryasimight said:

Why would the OP want to rent in Myanmar (NW of Thailand)? 

Might be better to rent in Issan in the NE of Thailand. 

Sorry, is that your interpretation of having a joke or suggesting a spelling issue.

Before you go any further I suggest you look at the spelling of your location on your profile.

 

tryasimight

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[steve73]

On 8/10/2018 at 9:52 AM, ubonjoe said:

It is not easy to do that due to doing 90 day reports and etc. You have to do the reports at the office where you got the extensions unless you formally change address.

My suggestion and what other have done is to rent a low cost room where you will be applying for the extension. Then you have the option of doing the 90 days by mail.

Since the OP doesn't actually intend to stay there (much, if at all), he should chose a suitable location to rent (i.e. cheap), reasonably close to an Immigration office that does accept on-line 90 day reports.  In this way, he need only be physically present at the Immigration office for the annual extension.  In the event that the on-line system is not working, then he has the option to mail-in his report, and can then return "home" only if he wants a copy of the receipt, although it is not actually required.

Might even be easier to register (i.e. TM30) as a guest of a "friend", who already has a permanent address.

[Skeptic7]

Does the 90 day report by mail have to be sent from the same province as one's residence...or can it be sent from anywhere within the Kingdom? 

[ubonjoe]

24 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Does the 90 day report by mail have to be sent from the same province as one's residence...or can it be sent from anywhere within the Kingdom? 

It can be sent to immigration from anywhere but the return envelope for the report slip must be for your registered address.

[anfh]

I have not read every post here, so may be repeating some points.

 

there is a suggestion that travelling around may be awkward as far as 90 day reporting. But, you do not need to do 90 day report if you leave the country.

so, if you have a 12 month extension of stay for retirement, and get a multi entry re-entry permit, you can come and go as you please, if each visit is less than 90 days, then you never need to do a 90 day report, since the 90 days only starts from the date of each entry.

your problem, of course, is getting the extension of stay in the first place and renewing it each year, since there is a requirement to have a proof of address, ie a permanent address. ( plus, of course, the having the correct funds in bank etc etc ) 

[Suitcase]

Last time I was at Changwattana I met a man who said he had never done

a 90 day report in the 20 years that he had been in Thailand.

He had an extension of stay based on marriage.

The man just paid the fine for not doing the 90 day report.

He claimed the fine was about the same as the cost of four taxi and skytrain fairs

to and from Changwattana and no time involved.

 

 

 

 

[brewsterbudgen]

Last time I was at Changwattana I met a man who said he had never done
a 90 day report in the 20 years that he had been in Thailand.
He had an extension of stay based on marriage.
The man just paid the fine for not doing the 90 day report.
He claimed the fine was about the same as the cost of four taxi and skytrain fairs
to and from Changwattana and no time involved.
 
 
 
 

Yes. I know plenty of people who do that too.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Mansell]

You could rent a house in Korat for 3000 a month and lock the car inside the gate. Immigration here is a breeze and nice people,and they are trialing opening on Sat mornings.

[KKBKK]

On 8/11/2018 at 9:53 AM, Wake Up said:

When my next extension is due In December I will get a hotel in Bangkok and renew my extension in Bangkok and give the hotel as my address. Bangkok does not want a TM 28 and does not hassle you where you live such as in a hotel or condo or whatever as long as it is in Bangkok.

Question for Wake Up: 

When you apply for your extension in Bangkok what kind of proof of address do you submit? A receipt (letter) from the hotel?  Nothing?

I was told by an immigration service agent that for the extension you have to have a rental agreement in place or own a condo. Could you give more details how you handle this address issue it in terms of paperwork?

Thank you.

[gk10002000]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 7:17 AM, Suitcase said:

Last time I was at Changwattana I met a man who said he had never done

a 90 day report in the 20 years that he had been in Thailand.

He had an extension of stay based on marriage.

The man just paid the fine for not doing the 90 day report.

He claimed the fine was about the same as the cost of four taxi and skytrain fairs

to and from Changwattana and no time involved.

 

 

 

 

How much is the fine?  And is there truly no consequences other than being fined?  How do they pay the fine, I mean when is the fine imposed, when you go and try to the next yearly extension is that when immigration checks and if no 90 day report on file, they issue the fine then?

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

How much is the fine?  And is there truly no consequences other than being fined?  How do they pay the fine, I mean when is the fine imposed, when you go and try to the next yearly extension is that when immigration checks and if no 90 day report on file, they issue the fine then?

The standard fine for not doing or being late for a 90 day report is 2000 baht but they can fine you up to a maximum of 5000 baht.

When you apply for the extension they will look for a 90 day report receipt. If there is no receipt they will check to see when and if your last report was done. If late or you have not reported they will then decide the amount of the fine and issue a receipt for it after it is paid. There will also be a stamp done in your passport showing the reason for the fine and amount paid.

[gk10002000]

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The standard fine for not doing or being late for a 90 day report is 2000 baht but they can fine you up to a maximum of 5000 baht.

When you apply for the extension they will look for a 90 day report receipt. If there is no receipt they will check to see when and if your last report was done. If late or you have not reported they will then decide the amount of the fine and issue a receipt for it after it is paid. There will also be a stamp done in your passport showing the reason for the fine and amount paid.

as usual a lucid response from Ujoe.  I still wonder how they will react if one takes the approach to leave the country every 88 days to say, take a trip to Cambodia, then come back in. A multi-entry would be in order when first getting the visa/extension.  Repeat every 88 days or whatever.  Many posts say that is perfectly legal and eliminates the need to file a 90 day report.  But I have to believe some immigration guy will ask a lot of questions, ask to see exit and entry stamps, add up all the days in country and be confused, etc.  So at the very least it seems one should make sure their passport stamps are proper as they come and go.  Has anybody done the leave prior to 90 days, then returned, then gotten extension several years in a row or just one year for that matter with one extension?

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, gk10002000 said:

as usual a lucid response from Ujoe.  I still wonder how they will react if one takes the approach to leave the country every 88 days to say, take a trip to Cambodia, then come back in. A multi-entry would be in order when first getting the visa/extension.  Repeat every 88 days or whatever.  Many posts say that is perfectly legal and eliminates the need to file a 90 day report.  But I have to believe some immigration guy will ask a lot of questions, ask to see exit and entry stamps, add up all the days in country and be confused, etc.  So at the very least it seems one should make sure their passport stamps are proper as they come and go.  Has anybody done the leave prior to 90 days, then returned, then gotten extension several years in a row or just one year for that matter with one extension?

No problem to never do a report of staying longer than 90 days in the country if you never stay that long. Many people do it because they are working outside the country. No different than doing it to avoid the reports.

But there is no reason not to stay longer than 90 days and do the reports since you can do them online or by mail without ever being at a immigration office until your next extension is due.

But there is also a new twist to the situation at some immigration offices because they want a new TM30 report everytime you enter the country which makes leaving within 90 days much harder.

[gk10002000]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

No problem to never do a report of staying longer than 90 days in the country if you never stay that long. Many people do it because they are working outside the country. No different than doing it to avoid the reports.

But there is no reason not to stay longer than 90 days and do the reports since you can do them online or by mail without ever being at a immigration office until your next extension is due.

But there is also a new twist to the situation at some immigration offices because they want a new TM30 report everytime you enter the country which makes leaving within 90 days much harder.

if i return to the same hotel/condo I rent long time, wouldn't the landlord just submit the TM 30 each time?  seems silly and they may not like doing the report over and over, but a few baht to the landlord may make him happier for his troubles? 

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

if i return to the same hotel/condo I rent long time, wouldn't the landlord just submit the TM 30 each time?  seems silly and they may not like doing the report over and over, but a few baht to the landlord may make him happier for his troubles? 

More or less correct but some owners do not want to do them. Hotels and etc will normally due them since it is enforced heaver for them and are subject to higher fines than individuals (up to 10k baht for a business or 2k for individuals).

It really depends upon where you are living at the time. Some offices such as Bangkok do not enforce the TM30 requirement for individuals.

[Tanoshi]

21 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

if i return to the same hotel/condo I rent long time, wouldn't the landlord just submit the TM 30 each time?  seems silly and they may not like doing the report over and over, but a few baht to the landlord may make him happier for his troubles? 

Hotels should be registered for online notification, the law makes it clear it's the hotel manager/owners responsibility in this case.

 

Condo's may have management committees who file the report, some do, some don't, so you should enquire. 

 

But firstly you should find out if your local Immigration office enforces refiling a TM30 if you exit/re-enter the Country.

[Wake Up]

12 hours ago, KKBKK said:

Question for Wake Up: 

When you apply for your extension in Bangkok what kind of proof of address do you submit? A receipt (letter) from the hotel?  Nothing?

I was told by an immigration service agent that for the extension you have to have a rental agreement in place or own a condo. Could you give more details how you handle this address issue it in terms of paperwork?

Thank you.

The last extension I had a condo address with a lease.   The next extension I will have a hotel address in BKk in October and will let you know. I have never taken a rental agreement with me to get my extension of stay. And my landlord did not fill out a TM 30 because he said he never had and never will but he gave me his business card to give to immigration if they had any issue to call him. They had no issue and the subject of a TM 30 never came up. 

 

I don’t do 90 day reports often but the last one I did I filled it out at the Bangkok hotel  and mailed it to CW with a return envelope that was mailed back to the hotel  and held for me. I told the hotel what I was doing and they know I stay there and know me. No TM 28 was filled out by me or requested by CW. I plan on staying a week in the hotel in Bangkok and going to get my extension of stay in late October. I have no worries as CW is pretty easy to deal with except the wait time it takes to get the extension of stay and reentry permit. For the extension of stay I take original passport and copies of last entry, last extension,  and tm6 airport paper, the extension form filled out, my USA embassy income verification letter and photos. If any more copies are needed they have copy services available. On the extension of stay form I will put my address as the address of the hotel which is true as I will be staying or living there on the day I am requesting the extension of stay. If I have any troubles I will let you know but CW is pretty easy to deal with just time consuming. The idea that a condo or house address is needed for a retirement extension of stay to me is not true as some people live in hotels. Maybe they are more strict on the marriage extension of stay but that does not affect the retirement extension of stay. 

 

[Tanoshi]

3 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

The last extension I had a condo address with a lease.   The next extension I will have a hotel address in BKk in October and will let you know. I have never taken a rental agreement with me to get my extension of stay. And my landlord did not fill out a TM 30 because he said he never had and never will but he gave me his business card to give to immigration if they had any issue to call him. They had no issue and the subject of a TM 30 never came up. 

 

I don’t do 90 day reports often but the last one I did I filled it out at the Bangkok hotel  and mailed it to CW with a return envelope that was mailed back to the hotel  and held for me. I told the hotel what I was doing and they know I stay there and know me. No TM 28 was filled out by me or requested by CW. I plan on staying a week in the hotel in Bangkok and going to get my extension of stay in late October. I have no worries as CW is pretty easy to deal with except the wait time it takes to get the extension of stay and reentry permit. For the extension of stay I take original passport and copies of last entry, last extension,  and tm6 airport paper, the extension form filled out, my USA embassy income verification letter and photos. If any more copies are needed they have copy services available. On the extension of stay form I will put my address as the address of the hotel which is true as I will be staying or living there on the day I am requesting the extension of stay. If I have any troubles I will let you know but CW is pretty easy to deal with just time consuming. The idea that a condo or house address is needed for a retirement extension of stay to me is not true as some people live in hotels. Maybe they are more strict on the marriage extension of stay but that does not affect the retirement extension of stay. 

 

CW don't enforce the TM30's, that's why you never have a problem.

[Nemises]

Thanks for all assistance thus far.
I’ve checked out some nice A/C rooms in Isaan for 3-4K per month.
They are all charging about 8 baht /per KWh, is this electricity charge fair considering my friend in Isaan only pays 4 baht/ per KWh at his house?

[KKBKK]

On 8/15/2018 at 1:55 PM, Wake Up said:

The last extension I had a condo address with a lease.   The next extension I will have a hotel address in BKk in October and will let you know. I have never taken a rental agreement with me to get my extension of stay. And my landlord did not fill out a TM 30 because he said he never had and never will but he gave me his business card to give to immigration if they had any issue to call him. They had no issue and the subject of a TM 30 never came up. 

 

I don’t do 90 day reports often but the last one I did I filled it out at the Bangkok hotel  and mailed it to CW with a return envelope that was mailed back to the hotel  and held for me. I told the hotel what I was doing and they know I stay there and know me. No TM 28 was filled out by me or requested by CW. I plan on staying a week in the hotel in Bangkok and going to get my extension of stay in late October. I have no worries as CW is pretty easy to deal with except the wait time it takes to get the extension of stay and reentry permit. For the extension of stay I take original passport and copies of last entry, last extension,  and tm6 airport paper, the extension form filled out, my USA embassy income verification letter and photos. If any more copies are needed they have copy services available. On the extension of stay form I will put my address as the address of the hotel which is true as I will be staying or living there on the day I am requesting the extension of stay. If I have any troubles I will let you know but CW is pretty easy to deal with just time consuming. The idea that a condo or house address is needed for a retirement extension of stay to me is not true as some people live in hotels. Maybe they are more strict on the marriage extension of stay but that does not affect the retirement extension of stay. 

 

Khun Wake Up, would you please share your experience with the extension of stay in October? Did it go as planned?

[Wake Up]

6 hours ago, KKBKK said:

Khun Wake Up, would you please share your experience with the extension of stay in October? Did it go as planned?

Yes. I had to draw a map to where I lived and I drew it to the hotel and used the hotel address.  I also had to fill out two pages of where I lived in Thailand and what I was doing there. Then I had a conference with a supervisor because I used the USA income affidavit letter. She told me all the stuff the USA embassy said before the embassy released it news about stopping the letters January 1, 2019. I told her I was in a condo last extension last year but broke up with a Thai girlfriend and decided to travel Thailand for a while and lived in hotels but I stayed mostly in Bangkok. She was mostly concerned that I used an embassy income affidavit and not that I was living in a hotel. I told her I may get a condo next year in Bangkok but was not 100 percent sure. She did not seem to care where I lived as long as I was in Bangkok and had gotten my previous extsions of stay in Bangkok. I got the impression a lot of people live in hotels. Bangkok does not want a TM 28 and she said if I needed a 90 day report and was not at the same hotel I needed to go do it at CW and tell them my new address otherwise no problem. Got my extension of stay. 

[onera1961]

On 8/9/2018 at 10:43 PM, Tanoshi said:

Hypothetically,  it may be easier for an O-A Visa holder to exit/re-enter every 90 days rather than use an Immigration office to make 90 day reports,

I did the same for the first nine month of my O-A. Now rented a condo for the next 15 months at least. The agent was nice to do a TM30 and gave me the receipt. Can I do a 90-day now online? This will be my first 90-day. I am in Jomiten? Or the first one has to be done by in-person?

[onera1961]

On 8/11/2018 at 12:11 AM, Tanoshi said:

Thai rents and would accept the squalid conditions.

My GF has a condo in Bangkok that she rents for 3K. No air con. The condo was OK and not in squalid condition. It is mostly for low income Thais.

Edited November 8, 2018 by onera1961

[onera1961]

On 8/11/2018 at 6:17 AM, Suitcase said:

The man just paid the fine for not doing the 90 day report.

How much is the fine? Is it cumulative (for each missed 90-day)? I read stories about big jokes arresting people for not doing 90-day reporting.