TM30 sums up Thailand in a nutshell

[Sunderland]

At my place of employment we had 3 Filipino teachers who have all been here for over 5 years visit immigration at Chaengwattana in the last 2 weeks to extend their visas. None (zero) were required to provide a TM30 receipt at the non-B extension desk. One did ask about the need to provide the TM30 and was told by the immigration officer that some officers might ask for it, but some won't. Good, consistent law enforcement there!

In the same time period (last two weeks) one British teacher from the same school visited immigration and was told that he needed the TM30 receipt before he could have his visa extended. Again, he has been here for more than 5 years at the same school.

Last Friday a new American teacher attempted to acquire a non-immigrant B visa, but was told that he needed a TM30 receipt. He didn't have all the documents needed for the TM30 as his landlady has been non-cooperative and is unwilling to provide her ID card, household registration papers, etc. Anyway, on the same day the same guy was still able to obtain a 30-day extension of his tourist visa without the TM30 receipt. 

We have 3 more teachers who live in an apartment building who have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get documents from the owner of their apartment to try and do an online TM30 report as (a) she claimed to not understand the way to do a TM30 report online, and (b) she is not willing to go to immigration.

All the above sums up Thailand's government (whoever is in charge) and Thai society's attitude to law in a nutshell. Chaotic mess dumped on foreigners. And even after 23 years here, I agree with those who ask if Thailand really wants foreigners to work here, especially in the sector of education. 

It would be nice if the Head of Immigration could explain why foreigners are being fined and having to waste their time chasing up landlords and landladies for the TM30 information. Isn't this specifically a law relating to the owners of property leasing their property to foreigners? If that is the case, then immigration should be driving around the city, or beyond in many cases, and chasing up the required information from landlords and landladies.  

 

[ezzra]

The OP sums it well, it's a badlam out there when it comes to the TM30

it is after all a 20 years old law that was recently dusted off owing to some paranoid feeling of someone/s and was made to harass foreigners and local landlords as well, how long will it continue before it dies in the ass like many other attempts to install law and order? how knows, but the sooner it dies the better...

[glegolo]

I do understand fully your post, but what comes to mind when you are suming up your 23 years here and mine 11 years here, is what use it really is, to have all your teachers roaming around in Thailand. I dont know the answer to the question why thai people are so in hell worthless in speaking english:

 

a - The teachers are completely worthless and should have stayed in their resp. home-countries???

b - Thai people overall are non intelligente and cant take knowledge from others???

c - Thai people just dont <deleted> care of anything besides spekaing thai and eat their own food and have their eyes and ears closed for foreign influences????

 

So really why spend all this time to try to teach these guys??? I think the answer is that it is so damn attractive to make at most 30.000 baht (usd. 960), (GBP  765,.), EUR 860.-) a month?? Instead of staying home resuming a normal career and NOT lose time in a foreign country counting for absolutely nothing....

 

Yes it is irony.... the last part at least..

 

glegolo

[Orton Rd]

I think it's a 40 year old law at least that somebody just decided to act on fairly recently, well some officers in some offices for some aliens. It is legally the landlord or owner that gets fined for non reporting, my Mrs had to sign accepting it, but on my 90 day report slip it states (stamped on it) that the foreigner has to report to immigration within 24 hours. Not very clear and seems pretty pointless when they already know where you live.

[akampa]

27 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

but on my 90 day report slip it states (stamped on it) that the foreigner has to report to immigration within 24 hours.

If you mean the paper stapled in the passport when you do your 90 day report you are completely wrong I quote from my next time to do the 90 day report THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSION OF STAY PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR ADDRESS AGAIN ON  08 SEP 2019 .

[Orton Rd]

3 minutes ago, akampa said:

If you mean the paper stapled in the passport when you do your 90 day report you are completely wrong I quote from my next time to do the 90 day report THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSION OF STAY PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR ADDRESS AGAIN ON  08 SEP 2019 .

I have posted a pic of it on here twice before, it says on the 90 day report slip they give you back with the next reporting date on it in Thai and English 'in case of the foreigner going out and return to Thailand you must report the address within 24 hour at the immigration office' In blue ink.

[tgeezer]

Are we to believe in the computer age that in spite of all the high tech equipment purchased from abroad at huge expense that Immigration doesn’t know where everybody should be? Maybe they prefer sitting in offices shuffling copies of previous years where only the dates have changed, or issuing receipts. It is a wonder nobody has thought of making their own receipts, after all if it is as it seems, that they can not discover a 90 day report from an individual’s computer file then it is reasonable to assume that the file doesn’t exist! 

It is especially annoying to discover that there are people not making 90 day reports, am I required to do them because I volunteered? Is Thai Visa the means by which Immigration discovers the rules and the opportunities for fines?   What do you think chaps, should I neglect the 90 day report next year? I enter in October, extend in December before 90 day report is due and leave in March.  

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

I have posted a pic of it on here twice before, it says on the 90 day report slip they give you back with the next reporting date on it in Thai and English 'in case of the foreigner going out and return to Thailand you must report the address within 24 hour at the immigration office' In blue ink.

That's the TM30 report, not the 90 day nonsense.

[Orton Rd]

12 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

That's the TM30 report, not the 90 day nonsense.

No it is the 90 day report slip WITH the notice about reporting under the TM30 requirement given as a warning. I ignored it and at extension time it was brought to my attention and fined for no TM30. The latest 90 day slip still has the printed warning on it.

[akampa]

5 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

I have posted a pic of it on here twice before, it says on the 90 day report slip they give you back with the next reporting date on it in Thai and English 'in case of the foreigner going out and return to Thailand you must report the address within 24 hour at the immigration office' In blue ink.

I do not know where you report your 90 day but here in Chiang Mai  it reminds  the applicant  that THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSION OF STAY PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR ADDRESS AGAIN ON  08 SEP 2019 .     and nothing else.

[lamyai3]

6 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

No it is the 90 day report slip WITH the notice about reporting under the TM30 requirement given as a warning. I ignored it and at extension time it was brought to my attention and fined for no TM30. The latest 90 day slip still has the printed warning on it.

Correct, here's the thread where you posted the photo. The stamp on the 90 day report receipt is obviously different in Samut Prakan than what they've been doing in Chaengwattana, though it wouldn't surprise me if mailed receipts from CW start coming back with this TM30 warning in the future as well.