Immigration proposes much harsher penalties for failing to report foreigners staying in Thailand

[Felt 35]

3 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

I have been reading several other Facebook forums and there is talk about new police orders being implemented shortly. How true these rumors are I cannot say, yet they come from several sources that have been right in the past.

Probably spot on. They (government) will most likely push through as many new laws as possible as long as they are in power which they may or may not be 6 months out!

[Lacessit]

34 minutes ago, Rally123 said:

Famous last words.

Quite possibly true, as I could be dead before officialdom reaches my GF's village.

[greeneking]

14 minutes ago, aqua4 said:

I think that is only for business. If the house or apartment is in the name of your wife she has to report it in person. She has to report you each time you return to Thailand. We got a fine for it last year as we did not know. 

But what are they worried about?

Tell them where you will be at the airport desk....in my case the same house I live in for 15 years already.  Tell them where I live more than 80 times now!

Thailand 4.0 Interconnectivity ha ha ha

[HampiK]

4 hours ago, itzmeacire said:

lol .. okay so it works with those browsers too.. the point here is to let others know that it is working and they can use it for their convenience. 

The online 90 days reporting never worked for my. I tried it now 3 times and always the message came up to contact….

So the easiest way is still use mail reporting, as this at least is working.

 

Yes it would be nice if Thailand 4.0 would be able to write correct programming so that the online stuff would work for all person.. and maybe for all major browsers as well….

[LukKrueng]

12 hours ago, Kasset Tak said:

So, EU should impose the same on Thai nationals... when Thais's have a Schengen visa, then they are free to travel and stay where ever they want all over the Schengen area without even go to immigration... as long as they have a valid visa!
The countries they are sighting to have these rules are countries like China, North Korea and other highly controlled countries!

umm, right on!! But maybe only after Thailand make the same difficulties to Europeans that want to come to Thailand for a short visit??

[tandor]

12 hours ago, z42 said:

I understand the need for border security, but treating all foreign visitors as potential criminals whose whereabouts need to be confirmed under threat of arrest simply isn't the way forward.

 

This initiative is hardly likely to be welcomed by any side, be it the tourists or the tourism operators / hoteliers.

 

Thailand needs less buraecracy, not more

...well, we can all thank Osama bin Laden.

[balo]

Give Big Joke the job as the new PM now, he is in control of this country , not Prayuth . 

 

Let him get his wish and get rid of all the foreigners. 

 

 

[LivinLOS]

12 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I dont need to. It was done once by someone else, years ago, and since then I have been told repeatedly by Jomtien immigration that as long as I return to my own condo I dont need to report again.

 

The problem is that isnt the law, and isnt how other locations see it.. 

 

The laws are not the problem.. Its the many conflicting opinions, and inability to have an actual working easy to use system.. 

[ocddave]

Until BIG JOKE informs all Immigration Offices that they will ALL follow the same set of rules (without Exception!), use the same forms, and not be allowed to create their own office rules, then this is nothing more than another foot put on the throats of foreign visitors. Start by fixing your OWN house, then enforce the rules as they apply to EVERYONE, not this make it up as you go crap, with different office interpretations, rules, forms, etc. Otherwise, he just lives up to his nickname a "BIG JOKE".

[rabas]

5 minutes ago, HampiK said:

The online 90 days reporting never worked for my. I tried it now 3 times and always the message came up to contact….

So the easiest way is still use mail reporting, as this at least is working.

 

Yes it would be nice if Thailand 4.0 would be able to write correct programming so that the online stuff would work for all person.. and maybe for all major browsers as well….

They re-wrote the software about a year ago and it now works better. I won't guess which browsers work but think Firefox is OK.

 

Like you, I also get the [Please contact.] error after filling page1 but ONLY after I got a new passport in Thailand. Before the new passport I could file 90 day online.

They told me that my new passport is not in the 90 day system, the only way to get the new passport in the 90 system was to leave the country and come back in.

I know because I go and ask them every 90 days.....

 

[Please contact] probably means something wrong with the data in their system or they can't find the passport. Maybe one time you can go and ask them.

[KarlS]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

No it’s not. Ask Big Joke. Most just take a pic of passport , visa and stamp and entry card. You DO NOT and for safety sake SHOULD NOT carry your passport. Much easier to get your most important document stolen. Some carry a laminate copy. 

A person can be legally detained until they produce a valid passport. 

[Briggsy]

2 hours ago, bkksiam said:

If I am renting and friends come to stay with me for a few days it it my responsibility to do the TM30 or is it my landlord's?

As long as your friends have no need to visit an immigration office, then you don't need to worry about it. Certainly Immigration don't care. They only care when a body (and a wallet) is sat in front of them.

[fouryesrs]

13 hours ago, gmac said:

What about those on retirement extensions living with their wives who have been told there is no need to report on TM30 each time they leave the province/country as long as their home address remains the same?  Do we report or don't we? I shall continue to do so, it's a pain for me and for them but I don't fancy a 10000 baht fine just for doing what they have told me is ok.

you gotto report every time you go to the loo...this is military rule take it or leave it ... relieve depression print ur own toilet paper with mr. big monkeys face on it

[alex8912]

2 minutes ago, KarlS said:

A person can be legally detained until they produce a valid passport. 

You should not carry your passport around with you when in Thailand. 

I as well as 99 % of foreigners here have never been “ detained”. I’ve been coming here since 1994 and many others waaay before. 

[ocddave]

1 minute ago, alex8912 said:

You should not carry your passport around with you when in Thailand. 

My Passport goes wherever I go, no exceptions.

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, Rally123 said:

What about the poor Thai who does not know that they're supposed to register a foreigner staying with them? It's not as if it's general knowledge is it? What utter idiots.

At least they all speak the same language.

 

But I agree that Immigration (and other branches of Thai government) are often very poor at communication. They should sort themselves out.

[Hanuman2547]

I have never had my wife send in the TM 30 when we have visited.  She has a house (that she bought before we were married with her own money) in Samut Prakan and had never heard of this.  Usually when we visit it is for 30 days using a visaon arrival.  This last visit I had to extend my visit which was no problem other than taking a couple of hours at the immigrationoffice in Samut Prakan and paying 1900 baht.  The officer did ask her for the TM 30 form and she had no idea what they were talking about.  Had to pay a minimal fine for this.  I don't think that your average Thai is aware of this.  I fill out the form on the plane before arriving so I am presenting our address where I will be residing.  

[alex8912]

4 minutes ago, ocddave said:

My Passport goes wherever I go, no exceptions.

Great for you and your chances of losing or having your most important document stolen have gone up quite highly percentage wise. Very foolish thing to do.  Next time your’re  swimming somewhere I’ll make sure to check in on you and your wet (or unattended ) passport. Bringing it to 7/11 makes a lot of sense too ????

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Whereas Pathumthani insist it is done, each time and enforce the 24 hour rule. 

 

What will be interesting is to see if Big Joke will stop the discrepancies and different procedures between various offices and go for more uniformity.

I agree that the many differences between the way the same law is applied in different areas can make life very hard for some, for no valid reason. It is also absurd.

[ocddave]

1 minute ago, alex8912 said:

Great for you and your chances of losing or having your most important document stolen have gone up quite highly percentage wise. Very foolish thing to do.  Next time your swimming somewhere I’ll make sure to check in on you and your wet (or unattended ) passport. 

Never had an issue, been here since 2016, I'm more worried about being killed by a Thai driver than I am about getting my Passport stolen or wet.

[spidermike007]

This is a silly, surly, arrogant, highly xenophobic and perhaps a racist demand on the part of immigration.  Now five more years of this toxic administration. What more are they going to ask of respectful, law abiding, relatively high income ex-pats? Where does this nonsense end?

[KarlS]

11 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

You should not carry your passport around with you when in Thailand. 

I as well as 99 % of foreigners here have never been “ detained”. I’ve been coming here since 1994 and many others waaay before. 

Who, other than you, said anything about carrying a passport? 

[ocddave]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a silly, surly, arrogant, highly xenophobic and perhaps a racist demand on the part of immigration.  Now five more years of this toxic administration. What more are they going to ask of respectful, law abiding, relatively high income ex-pats? Where does this nonsense end?

With less pesky Westerners and more Zero Dollar tours.

[alex8912]

5 minutes ago, Benroon said:

I will never get those 3 minutes back !

Slow reader and most people don’t know this about the BTS’s new rules. 

You probably live in naka no where anyways. 

[Destiny1990]

Nobody knows the exact rule and its purpose , all immigration offices handle it differently. Nobody knows who is responsible for doing the notification and or who has to pay. The only thing that is clear is that it will cost 10,000...

[wreckingcountry]

The future ! Reminds me more of when I lived in China .. except even more severe


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Kohkah]

Question:

If my Thai wife and I travel to Thailand for holiday and visit some relative and stay overnight for some days. Do the relative need to register me by immigration?

Another example, a foreigner stays in Thailand. Some oversees relative or friends visit him and stay overnight at his apartment / house. Does he need to register those visitors?
 

In China it is necessary to register all foreigners within 24h. If stay at a hotel the Hotel does the registration for you. If stay private by friends, you need to register at any police station (The best is, if your host goes with you as the police need some informations like the hosts ID card)

 

Is it like this in Thailand too? Will it be like this in future?

 

 

[steve73]

Fail to report yourself and face a possible jail term of 5 years.  I trust the prison will report your new address, and ensure your extensions are kept up to date.

(OK I realize the jail term is only for hotels harbouring migrant workers, and other heinous undesirables.... but 5 years..!!!!)

[Duck J Butters]

14 hours ago, z42 said:

RI understand the need for border security, but treating all foreign visitors as potential criminals whose whereabouts need to be confirmed under threat of arrest simply isn't the way forward.

 

This initiative is hardly likely to be welcomed by any side, be it the tourists or the tourism operators / hoteliers.

 

Thailand needs less buraecracy, not more

I gladly welcome this policy and I’m a farang living in Thailand. I’m all for a draconian crackdown on immigration. The US and Europe are in dire need of this as well but perhaps Thailand will actually be able to get away with it. The US and Europe are basically ruined as countries due to open border policies that allowed low IQ populations with high birth rates into the country to displace the white majority.

 

Due to massive racial and wealth polarization, Civil war in America and Europe is imminent. Big Joke ( a legit genius in my opinion ) is aware of this and knows it is time to start rounding up the riff raf into concentration camps or whatever the Thai equivalent may be. Rumor has it that BIg Joke is stockpiling over 200 megatons of  Zylkon B and will begin using it accordingly on unwelcomed guests.

 

Thailand needs to build a wall and establish draconian immigration laws. Only the most elite Farangs with genetics worthy of Gattaca and that are significantly contributing to the Thai economy should be allowed entry. Same laws should be applied to both Europe and the US. If you don’t have strict immigration. the end result is racial polarization and an inevitable race war. This is something Big Joke understands and is trying to avoid. Thus, in BJ we trust. A true hero.

[tlandtday]

34 minutes ago, Kohkah said:

Question:

If my Thai wife and I travel to Thailand for holiday and visit some relative and stay overnight for some days. Do the relative need to register me by immigration?

Another example, a foreigner stays in Thailand. Some oversees relative or friends visit him and stay overnight at his apartment / house. Does he need to register those visitors?
 

In China it is necessary to register all foreigners within 24h. If stay at a hotel the Hotel does the registration for you. If stay private by friends, you need to register at any police station (The best is, if your host goes with you as the police need some informations like the hosts ID card)

 

Is it like this in Thailand too? Will it be like this in future?

 

 

I stayed at a friends when in China and there was no such procedure even mentioned.