28 minutes ago, elviajero said:

If you leave a country you have left the country. If you leave the country the immigration record shows that you have left the country, therefore, you are no longer staying at the last known address. When you re-enter the country a new entry record is created and they do not where you are actually staying until a responsible person submits a TM.30. The reason for the law is so that immigration receive confirmation (from a third party) of where you are staying.

You use Section 39 "entry permit has ended" = "stay has ended" as argument why people have to submit a new TM30 after re-entering the country.

What if somebody does have a re-entry permit? Then according to section 39 this person's entry doesn't end so following your logic if this person returns to the same place a new TM30 would not be needed.

But on the other hand this person left the country and will also be marked in the immigration system as "left" and is thus no longer staying at his address, so again just following your logic it means the person has to submit a TM30.

For this case your arguments are contradicting, so something is not right with them.

 

Would you say a person who returns to the same address as before using a re-entry permit needs a new TM30?

Would you say a person who does not leave Thailand, but just spends a few days in another province needs a new TM30 upon his return?

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

You use Section 39 "entry permit has ended" = "stay has ended" as argument why people have to submit a new TM30 after re-entering the country.

That is not what I am arguing. I am simply confirming to you that immigration consider someones stay has ended when they leave the country. Section 39 has nothing to do with section 38.

 

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

What if somebody does have a re-entry permit? Then according to section 39 this person's entry doesn't end so following your logic if this person returns to the same place a new TM30 would not be needed.

It doesn't say that. It says that the stay HAS ended, BUT if they buy a re-entry permit the remainder of the ended stay will be honoured on re-entry. On re-entry they receive a new temporary permit to stay for the remainder of the previously authorised stay.

 

Someone leaving the country and returning to the same address is still required to be reported (TM.30) on their return. They left the country! The fact that they are returning to the same address is irrelevant.

 

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

Would you say a person who returns to the same address as before using a re-entry permit needs a new TM30?

Yes. Otherwise how do immigration know where the person returning is living. They can assume it's the same address or the address given on the TM.6, but that isn't how the system works, or the law is written. TM.30 address reporting is Thailands way of tracking our whereabouts/movements. If you accept that you might start to understand the law/rules.

 

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

Would you say a person who does not leave Thailand, but just spends a few days in another province needs a new TM30 upon his return?

Yes they do (but it's selectively enforced). Someone in the other province should have reported (TM.30) the person as staying at their address. From then system will show them as staying at that address until someone at another address makes a new TM.30 report. So someone at the address he's returning is required by law to submit a new TM.30 reporting that the person is staying at their address (has returned to the same address), otherwise the person will still show as staying at the last address reported.

 

Also, FYI, if we stay more than 24 hours in another province we are supposed to report to the local police. It's the law, and guess what, they don't enforce it!

 

It is very, very simple. When you arrive in the country for the first or Nth time someone is responsible for confirming to immigration that you are staying at their property, even if you've stayed there before; AND every time you stay (they mean overnight) somewhere else someone is responsible to report that stay. If you stay in 10 different hotels over 10 nights each hotel should report (TM.30) your stay. The same rule applies to private addresses. If the current place you're staying at haven't reported your new stay the system will show you at the last address reported. 

 

The increased enforcement of TM.30 reporting in recent years is a direct result of the Bangkok bombing. It is the authorities way of demonstrating that they are tracking the movements of foreigners better. A pointless and out of date law, which is why it is selectively and reluctantly enforced by some immigration offices.