Explainer: Here’s what is required by Chonburi immigration for TM30 and retirement extensions

[rooster59]

Explainer: Here’s what is required by Chonburi immigration for TM30 and retirement extensions

 

 

Chonburi immigration have clarified exactly what is required with regards to TM30 reports and the financial requirements for those applying or renewing a retirement extension.

 

Speaking to Tommy Dee at Fabulous 103FM, Khun Pichai, who signs all the extensions of stay for foreigners applying at Jomtien immigration answered questions regarding the TM30 form and retirement extensions.

 

Regarding the TM30 form, foreigners staying in Thailand on an extension of stay are not required to submit a TM30 form each time they stay outside of the province. 

 

Completing the TM30 form once is enough for those on an extension of stay, Khun Pichai told Fabulous 103FM. Because foreigners on an extension of stay submit a 90 day report, they do not need to submit a TM30 form each time they return from a trip outside the province.

 

However, you are required to complete a new TM30 if you change address.

 

For people staying on tourist visas, their host must inform immigration that the foreigner is staying at that address. For hotels or guesthouses this is done when you hand over your passport at check in. 

 

But if you have a foreign friend or family member staying with you overnight at your house or condo, you are required to notify immigration that the person is staying at your address and are subject to being fined if you don’t.

 

Regarding retirement extensions, Khun Pichai said that first time applicants must be able to show at least two months of income coming from overseas or traceable to a taxable source in Thailand.

 

For renewal of retirement extensions, the applicant must be able to show 12 months income from abroad or from  a taxable source in Thailand. The applicant must also be able to show the income transferred into a Thai bank around the same time each month. 

 

For those using the lump sum method, 800k baht needs to be in the Thai bank account two months before the application date and still be in the bank 90 days later. After this up to 400k can be withdrawn, but the same account must maintain a balance of 400k baht for the remainder of the year before returning to 800k baht two months before the next application.

 

The report didn’t state what penalties foreigners face in the event the bank balance drops below 400k baht.

 

Khun Pichai also told Fabulous 103FM that a new database used by immigration, the police and tourist police makes it much easier for the authorities to track down foreign criminals staying in Thailand.

 

You can listen to the excellent report by Fabulous 103FM in full below:
 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-03-31

[henrymeier99]

thanks for this important information. 

[mokwit]

23 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Khun Pichai also told Fabulous 103FM that a new database used by immigration, the police and tourist police makes it much easier for the authorities to track down foreign criminals staying in Thailand.

Assuming of course they diligently file their TM30's and give 'criminal activity' as their reason for requesting a visa/extension. My guess is some criminals will not go along with this.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by mokwit

[taichiplanet]

17 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Here's a scenario for ya.

 

What happens if I check into a hotel on my break in Phuket or business trip to Songkhla? The hotel will register a change of my address. 

 

Will I then have to then do another report when I get back home?

 

I rarely do 90 day reporting, as I leave the country once or twice a month on business.

 

They don't have a clue what they are doing as usual I suspect.

on the arrival card you need to put your address. i've been questioned when i've put a different address on the arrival card than what was on the computer.

[pontious]

39 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

For renewal of retirement extensions, the applicant must be able to show 12 months income from abroad or from  a taxable source in Thailand.

I will only have 10 months. I thought they were told to be lenient  this year.

[MadMac]

Selfmade rules again. For an address change a TM30? TM30 is if you arrive from abroad only. For address change a TM28 is required.

 

Move to another province and you are screwed.

[Lemonltr]

The stipulation that incoming funds must arrive at about (within 4/5 days) the same time each month is new and very problematic for British retirees. The state pension is not paid monthly but every 4 weeks. 13 payments yearly. So 2/3 days earlier every month. Immigration should be made aware of this. Showing it has already been taxed is also new. 

[mike787]

9 minutes ago, MadMac said:

Selfmade rules again. For an address change a TM30? TM30 is if you arrive from abroad only. For address change a TM28 is required.

 

Move to another province and you are screwed.

Another stupid Thai system make it up as they go along...consequences are on you if you don't figure it out...don't forget to "save face".  Welcome to LOS!  Enjoy your stay, now get out!

[mokwit]

7 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

The stipulation that incoming funds must arrive at about (within 4/5 days) the same time each month is new and very problematic for British retirees. The state pension is not paid monthly but every 4 weeks. 13 payments yearly. So 2/3 days earlier every month. Immigration should be made aware of this. Showing it has already been taxed is also new. 

Does the tax reference not refer to funds from Thailand having to be from a taxable source?

 

I think he is making the point that funds from a taxable source in Thailand will be viewed as equivalent to funds brought in from overseas.

Edited March 31, 2019 by mokwit

[sumrit]

There are two Immigration Offices in Chonburi, Jomtien and Si Racha. Will both offices apply all the same rules or will they pick and choose what one they want to use as they have done in the past?

[Thailand]

30 minutes ago, pontious said:

I will only have 10 months. I thought they were told to be lenient  this year.

I will have a similar situation.

You think they will have read the last memo from BJ in January?

Show them a copy and see the result, it's a loss of face so that won't work.

[Thailand]

"Khun Pichai also told Fabulous 103FM that a new database used by immigration, the police and tourist police makes it much easier for the authorities to track down foreign criminals staying in Thailand."

 

Why don't they just get them when they arrive then? 

[bdenner]

Quote

The applicant must also be able to show the income transferred into a Thai bank around the same time each month. 

Now they are really <deleted>ing with us. Since January I've been transferring >65K on a day of the month where I don't think I'll get a better xrate. For the most part it has been working but on 3 totally different dates thus far! Was once, but now not even considering the 800K option, IMHO that's bordering on extortion.

Edited March 31, 2019 by bdenner

[NCC1701A]

thank you for "Explainer" that. I was hoping to hear Khun Pichai's voice in the interview, that way you could play it on your phone the next time you visit immigration.

 

now on to endless comments and pages of misinterpretations and poor listening and reading comprehension.

[The Deerhunter]

55 minutes ago, taichiplanet said:

on the arrival card you need to put your address. i've been questioned when i've put a different address on the arrival card than what was on the computer.

 I agree. And I think that's hotels are not recognized as a long-term place of residence and are unlikely to be confused with your listed place of residence. It may raise a few more questions but it is some sort of an attempt to clarify things for people in that province. Unfortunately it also means that local people are making up their own rules and that is always a problem in Thailand.

[ThomasThBKK]

48 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

The stipulation that incoming funds must arrive at about (within 4/5 days) the same time each month is new and very problematic for British retirees. The state pension is not paid monthly but every 4 weeks. 13 payments yearly. So 2/3 days earlier every month. Immigration should be made aware of this. Showing it has already been taxed is also new. 

Not only for uk people, it's a stupid requirement per say as the international banking system is a train wreck. Your bank or someones else bank <deleted> up and u won't get a visa... So stupid 

[zib]

So I assume this also means I dont have to register when coming back from abroad? It only said "outside province"

[hargri]

What is acceptable evidence of funds coming from abroad? I have made 5 transfers since the new rules commenced and 3 show as foreign transactions. I have plenty of documents to prove the overseas source of funds as long as immigration are prepared to take the trouble to look at them. If it's Thai bank book/statement only then I'm 60% compliant.

[Emdog]

"But if you have a foreign friend or family member staying with you overnight at your house or condo, you are required to notify immigration that the person is staying at your address and are subject to being fined if you don’t."

Would if friend staying with you is on retirement extension (they say those folks don't need to do a tm30, right?).

[madmitch]

I just wish there was some consistency.Every office has its own rules.

[andyman57]

Move to the Philippines so easy I spent 20years in Thailand sick of the place now

[55Jay]

1 hour ago, Lemonltr said:

The stipulation that incoming funds must arrive at about (within 4/5 days) the same time each month is new and very problematic for British retirees. The state pension is not paid monthly but every 4 weeks. 13 payments yearly. So 2/3 days earlier every month. Immigration should be made aware of this. Showing it has already been taxed is also new. 

I don't think the taxation issue was linked to income transferred from abroad.   The key transition was "or" in the OP.

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

applicants must be able to show at least two months of income coming from overseas

     or traceable to a taxable source in Thailand.

Which is odd he mixed that in when talking about retirement extensions, which don't allow for working in Thailand.  I suppose it could be interest or investment income/dividends from an onshore portfolio?  Otherwise, in my mind, the taxable source comment might refer to those working legally on a Marriage extension, paying Thai tax on their wage. 

[milesinnz]

8 minutes ago, andyman57 said:

Move to the Philippines so easy I spent 20years in Thailand sick of the place now

Agreed... I wish I had never had anything to do with Thailand now, but hard when you have made a very good circle of friends... maybe one day they will really shoot themselves in the foot, and will be forced to reappraise their unfriendly approach to foreign visitors, short of long term...

[Jingthing]

People NEED to know what are the legal consequences of --

 

Going under the 800K during the 90 day POST seasoning period

 

Going under the 400K after the 90 day POST seasoning period and before the PRE seasoning 800K period for the next extension

 

I've been posting about this for months now.

Immigration has never announced one thing about that.

It's fair to assume that if you go under the 800K during the initial POST seasoning period, that your current extension is CANCELLED, but then what? Prison? Deportation? Order to leave? Overstay fines? Blacklisting (if so how long)? WHAT!?! People NEED to know.

 

On the 400K period, it's not even easy to make any assumptions at this point. 
We NEED to know.

 

Some people have guessed it would only mean that your next year's extension would not be possible. That would be mild. But they don't know. Guessing things are better than they actually are has proven to be a very DANGEROUS game in this current extremely onerous environment. 

Edited March 31, 2019 by Jingthing

[lamyai3]

Doesn't this just repeat what was already known? Several questions left unanswered here, such as:

 

- How many months of income are acceptable in the first year of these new rules (2019) during which immigration pledged to show "leniency"? 

- How is the three months post seasoning checked and what are the penalties for not meeting it?

- How is it fair that the extension applicant could be held responsible and refused an extension in relation to their landlord's fine? (I've personally never even seen a TM30 slip in two decades of living in Bangkok).

 

I wish they'd send in someone with a bit more nous when interviewing senior figures on important matters. The same thing happened a few months ago regarding income letters, with this radio station somehow putting lipstick on the swine and telling everyone that cancellation of the letters was in fact good news. It's as though the expat community is being represented by Smashie and Nicey. 

[Thaidream]

20 minutes ago, madmitch said:

just wish there was some consistency.Every office has its own rules.

Interview as reported leaves more questions than answers-

 

1. A person renewing a retirement extension of stay prior to  January 2019 would not have 12 months of  deposit transfers since the new rules did not exist  until then

 

2.  Since Chonburi is now stating that a Thai Tax return can show income- can one  pay taxes on  480,000 Baht per year (40x12) take all the deductions and exemptions- pay the tax and simply show the tax form and the tax paid receipt and receive their extension?  Same for retirement  800K

 

3. What about the Combination method and the seasoning parameters as well as the income flow

 

4.  What about the Embassy Letters-  still many out there. Do we need to bring in proof of the income  as stated on the letter?

 

I am sure the interviewer did the best he could- but there are many unanswered questions that need to be addressed and the whole issue of tax returns   on  income derived outside Thailand needs investigation. Since we are  non Thais- the tax law  gives a flat 15% on accessible income. If it's not accessible if one voluntarily declares it and pays the taxes will this  be enough for the extension?

[Jingthing]

Jomtien has been refusing to consider combination applications. 

[kiwikeith]

2 hours ago, taichiplanet said:

on the arrival card you need to put your address. i've been questioned when i've put a different address on the arrival card than what was on the computer.

I have rented the same property for 5 years now and never had a problem I never report 90 days and keep the official immigration paper of my residential address in my passport, so this seems to be ok as long as your not on a tourist visa and do not change address.

I did renew it when I got a new passport a couple of yrs ago.

Hotels never been a problem in the past I never worried as long as I was at the same residential address I have not worried .

Police never worried me, get along fine as long as you are polite.

[Jim7777]

Uhhh yeah okay thanks for the update LMAO ???? ????????, most of this information is old news in fact almost ALL of this information is old news nothing new here. And seriously, your source was Fabulous 103FM LMAO ????.  Yet another article just trying to get our attention.  From now on post new information if and when it arises tell me something I don’t already know lol ????.  

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Here's a scenario for ya.

 

What happens if I check into a hotel on my break in Phuket or business trip to Songkhla? The hotel will register a change of my address. 

 

Will I then have to then do another report when I get back home?

 

I rarely do 90 day reporting, as I leave the country once or twice a month on business.

 

They don't have a clue what they are doing as usual I suspect.

 

Good questions.

 

But also worth remembering that this is the boss of Chonburi immi saying what his rules are. Very useful for those people who live in Chonburi.

 

If you live in a different area covered by a different office then best to check what their rules, implementation and process is.