TM.30: Immigration chief tells foreigners: Report where you are and who is staying with you

[Tanoshi]

36 minutes ago, Bantex said:

1. At the top of page 1 is “WRITTEN AT” what should go here?, it’s just above the Date, Month & Year.

The immigration office where you submit the document, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, etc.

 

38 minutes ago, Bantex said:

2. Page 2 “NAME OF ALIENS IN RESIDENCE” - “Expire date of stay” i take it this is the date they leave our house & not date leave Thailand. If they initially intend to stay for a week but stay longer is another application required?

The date you expect them to leave.

 

39 minutes ago, Bantex said:

3. Do the forms have to be completed in Thai or is English acceptable?

English is acceptable.

[thurien]

On 7/20/2019 at 5:19 PM, 2long said:

How about short-time hotels? ????

That'd be an interesting can of worms if everyone had to 'report' their stays! ????

 

the only way out is to entertain the lass at your home and not bother about sleazy hotels anymore

[Jip99]

3 minutes ago, thurien said:

 

the only way out is to entertain the lass at your home and not bother about sleazy hotels anymore

 

 

The missus might have something to say about that.....

[Artisi]

33 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

The missus might have something to say about that.....

Yep, probably a lot more trouble than immigration could ever be. 

[lamyai3]

1 hour ago, Bantex said:

From time to time we have friends or relatives who stay temporarily with us whilst they are on holiday or business trips.

Perhaps you'd be better asking your friends first whether they're ok about you registering them. This might line them up for a fine by failing to register their return. Easy way to turn a friendship sour. 

[scoutman360]

Did they stop to think how this will affect foreign investment and foreign businesses in Thailand? Who in their right mind would bring their company here when they will be treated like a common criminal? Business men travel regularly. I can foresee a lot of investment money leaving this country, or not coming at all.

[spidermike007]

On 7/21/2019 at 7:10 PM, marcusarelus said:

Did you use the app?  It was up for me 5 minutes ago.  

No. I did not know they had an app. That is very good information. Will look for it. What is it called, and is it available on the Apple store platform? thanks

[Andrew Dwyer]

No. I did not know they had an app. That is very good information. Will look for it. What is it called, and is it available on the Apple store platform? thanks

Apparently it is called Section 38 , if you look for it on the App Store you will have to change your country to Thailand but there was a poster reporting on another thread that it is missing from there .

[Artisi]

pity the British comedy " Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" isn't still in production, there is a full series available here with immigration stories. 

[JamesBlond]

Question I asked on page 7 didn't get an answer so let me try again because I think it puts this topic to bed:

Can TM30 be submitted by post? If so, does the 24 hr rule apply to the time it was posted (proven by the registered post receipt) or the time the immigration office receives it?

 

If there's no problem sending it by post, why on earth are people spending half a day at the immigration office to do it?

[ThomasThBKK]

Question I asked on page 7 didn't get an answer so let me try again because I think it puts this topic to bed: Can TM30 be submitted by post? If so, does the 24 hr rule apply to the time it was posted (proven by the registered post receipt) or the time the immigration office receives it?

 

If there's no problem sending it by post, why on earth are people spending half a day at the immigration office to do it?

 

You can do it postal yes, or also using a messenger a la line man. 

At least in bkk they don't give a damn when you do this, u aren't there means they can't steal ur money, results in no fine...

 

Beat them with their own stupidity

 

 

I don't know why people go there, i never went there myself. Used postal before and then line man, postal is too much work... Line man charges 400baht..i couldn't care less, and he brings back the receipt to you... Let him wait there 5 hours, i won't wait there for that amount of money...

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

[Almer]

3 hours ago, thurien said:

 

the only way out is to entertain the lass at your home and not bother about sleazy hotels anymore

Ok but would the wife not have to report the Lass at  your house????

[Tanoshi]

 

29 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

Question I asked on page 7 didn't get an answer so let me try again because I think it puts this topic to bed:

Can TM30 be submitted by post? If so, does the 24 hr rule apply to the time it was posted (proven by the registered post receipt) or the time the immigration office receives it?

 

If there's no problem sending it by post, why on earth are people spending half a day at the immigration office to do it?

Depends if the office accepts TM30's by post.

 

Anyone with any savvy registers and does it online, from the comfort of a chair, with a cold one nearby.

[Xavnel]

Okay... I do have a few replies to this subject... so I will make a couple  different posts.. 

First,  some background...

My wife and I (both Americans) came to Thailand in November 2017. 

We rented a house, she ended up getting a ED Visa for Learning Thai Language.  I work outside of Thailand on a Rotation Schedule. (35 days on and 35 days off). Every days off, I must go to Immigration (in CM) to extend as I am over the 30 days with my work schedule.

1. When we initially rented the house, we both got TM-30.  She had to renew hers for Visa thing. I was told that I am not needing to renew mine, and I have never been even asked about it when doing the extension. (On my Arrival Card, I do put our address.)  Am I now going to need a TM-30? Another question.... if I do one now, thinking I must have,  will that then "trigger" them (Immigration) to ask and require it from then on? As in... not needing before, but doing it without them telling me to, triggers them to "want" it from that point onward?

 

[Xavnel]

2. Here is an idea...

Maybe one way to force them to do away with this idiotic policy is for everyone to actually comply with it... 

Think of the amount if paperwork to be filed?

The IO's will be swamped to no end and demand it changed themselves... 

Here is a scenario:

I arrive back in Thailand from work... report that I am back, TM-30, Passport copies, all the works... 

In a week,  I go on a riding trip to explore,  let's say up to Lod Cave, and stay in Pai... I must report that I am going, and hotel I stay in reports that I am there,..  I return to Chiang Mai,  Report that I am back... 

4 days pass...  I decide to go check out White Temple and areas around Chiang Rai...  report before I leave... then again, hotel there reports that I stay there.. 

I return home,  got to go report that I am back again.... 

Next week, I fly down to Ko Samui (getting into scuba diving) for a week... guess what... got to report before I leave. However, instead of flying straight back from Ko Samui to Chiang Mai, I sure do want to stop over in Bangkok for 2 days. So... hotel in Ko Samui and Bangkok both got to report me there.. 

Then... you guessed it.. when back in Chiang Mai,   must report that I have returned,  correct? 

Of course,  got to make sure that all the hotels actually do report me being there...  got to do it by the "book" and all.... 

 

Now... one or even 100 people doing this would not create a big stir... however,  if there were thousands and thousands... 

This would take no time at all to actually get amended. 

 

Just my thoughts.. 

[Salerno]

12 minutes ago, Xavnel said:

I must report that I am going

 

13 minutes ago, Xavnel said:

report before I leave

 

13 minutes ago, Xavnel said:

got to report before I leave

 

You don't have to report before you leave.

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, scoutman360 said:

Did they stop to think how this will affect foreign investment and foreign businesses in Thailand? Who in their right mind would bring their company here when they will be treated like a common criminal? Business men travel regularly. I can foresee a lot of investment money leaving this country, or not coming at all.

Not to mention the cybersecurity law they hurried through before the elections, allowing online snooping and seizure of computers and other devices without a warrant. Thailand 4.0 is not the place to set up shop. 

[lamyai3]

8 hours ago, Artisi said:

pity the British comedy " Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" isn't still in production, there is a full series available here with immigration stories. 

Now I'm getting mental images of Frank Spencer trying to file his TM30 on roller skates...

[intherealworld]

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

 

You don't have to report before you leave.

Your right.

That maybe next months requirement from the big Odious. 

[greeneking]

4 hours ago, Salerno said:

 

 

 

You don't have to report before you leave.

Article 37

48 hour

NOTIFY relevant officer everytime he/she needs to travel to different province for more than 24 hrs.

 

[Gumballl]

On 7/20/2019 at 6:10 AM, blackcab said:

 

Did I read that right? If you have a yellow house book, or you are listed in the blue house book (Permanent Residents), you do not need to file a TM30 if you are returning to that address?

My wife read the original article (linked in the OP) that is in Thai. She insists that since I am her husband, and that I am registered in the Tambien Baan (i.e. Blue Book), I do not need to complete the TM 30. It will be interesting to see if the BiB and/or IO agrees with her.

[Artisi]

Today is nearly 90 days since I re-entered the country after a 4 week holiday, so armed with my 90 day paper-work, passport, yellow address book, and feable excuses for not reporting by TM 30 on return I ventered into the IO, (I won't name the office but a major lower northern Thailand location), at about 7.50am, while sitting there the No1 guy arrives just before 8 - with a good morning and how can we help today,

just a 90 day

OK - and vanishes out the back 

30 seconds later out comes one of the staff, with a good morning. 

I hand over my passport and form, everything is very carefully scrutinised including the computer data base, the printer button is pushed and out comes the form which is duly signed and clipped into my passport. 

Your next 90 day is 20 Oct along with your visa extension, see you then - bye. 

Not a mention of TM 30. 

I walked out of the office at 8.03 good effort considering the office doesn't open until 8.30.

[Roy Baht]

7 minutes ago, Gumballl said:

My wife read the original article (linked in the OP) that is in Thai. She insists that since I am her husband, and that I am registered in the Tambien Baan (i.e. Blue Book), I do not need to complete the TM 30. It will be interesting to see if the BiB and/or IO agrees with her.

We did exactly the same thing and reached the same conclusion. Also, I did my 90 day reporting yesterday and though I had stayed at hotels over the past 90 days, no TM30 (for my return to my home) was asked for. 

[Artisi]

5 hours ago, Xavnel said:

2. Here is an idea...

Maybe one way to force them to do away with this idiotic policy is for everyone to actually comply with it... 

Think of the amount if paperwork to be filed?

The IO's will be swamped to no end and demand it changed themselves... 

Here is a scenario:

I arrive back in Thailand from work... report that I am back, TM-30, Passport copies, all the works... 

In a week,  I go on a riding trip to explore,  let's say up to Lod Cave, and stay in Pai... I must report that I am going, and hotel I stay in reports that I am there,..  I return to Chiang Mai,  Report that I am back... 

4 days pass...  I decide to go check out White Temple and areas around Chiang Rai...  report before I leave... then again, hotel there reports that I stay there.. 

I return home,  got to go report that I am back again.... 

Next week, I fly down to Ko Samui (getting into scuba diving) for a week... guess what... got to report before I leave. However, instead of flying straight back from Ko Samui to Chiang Mai, I sure do want to stop over in Bangkok for 2 days. So... hotel in Ko Samui and Bangkok both got to report me there.. 

Then... you guessed it.. when back in Chiang Mai,   must report that I have returned,  correct? 

Of course,  got to make sure that all the hotels actually do report me being there...  got to do it by the "book" and all.... 

 

Now... one or even 100 people doing this would not create a big stir... however,  if there were thousands and thousands... 

This would take no time at all to actually get amended. 

 

Just my thoughts.. 

Would make little difference, it would all be stored away in the back room as it is currently done, who is going to enter any of this data into the database or if reported electronically

who is going to access it to see which individual/s is now at home, still absent etc. 

To me it's just all hot air talk, maybe they might do random checks on major hotels in major areas who already and in some cases have always collected non-Thai passport details. 

It will die a natural death along with most of these outlandish laws and proposals. 

[gunderhill]

5 hours ago, Xavnel said:

Maybe one way to force them to do away with this idiotic policy is for everyone to actually comply with it...

Or get  all expats  to  turn up at  immigration on the same day saying we ain't doing it, many Thai owners  don't  want to do it either.

[JamesBlond]

Last time I flew in, I got the idea of dropping straight in at CW with the missus to do the TM30, as it is near enough to Don Meuang. She made the mistake of telling them that we had just arrived and they told her we actually had to go home first - in other words, we had to get a taxi 90 minutes across town to where have been living for years, open the door, step in, step out again, take a taxi back 90 minutes to CW, then no problem.

I love this place.

 

I hear there is an Android app over which one can do the TM30 but I heard also that was just a front end for the hotel website, and I understand only hotels can register to use that. There is no app called Section 38 in any case.

 

Until there is an actual working online system for ordinary users, we shall be doing the TM30 by post. I'm not going to bother reading any more of this thread.

 

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Now I'm getting mental images of Frank Spencer trying to file his TM30 on roller skates...

Particularly like the bit from 0:42 when he is presumably trying to take his completed TM30 to the immigration office:-

 

 

[Gumballl]

8 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

Last time I flew in, I got the idea of dropping straight in at CW with the missus to do the TM30, as it is near enough to Don Meuang. She made the mistake of telling them that we had just arrived and they told her we actually had to go home first - in other words, we had to get a taxi 90 minutes across town to where have been living for years, open the door, step in, step out again, take a taxi back 90 minutes to CW, then no problem.

I love this place.

 

I hear there is an Android app over which one can do the TM30 but I heard also that was just a front end for the hotel website, and I understand only hotels can register to use that. There is no app called Section 38 in any case.

 

Until there is an actual working online system for ordinary users, we shall be doing the TM30 by post. I'm not going to bother reading any more of this thread.

 

See my previous post. Maybe if you are listed in the house Blue Book you do not have to jump through these hurdles.

[Salerno]

14 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

I understand only hotels can register to use that.

As owner/possessor you can register too.

 

14 minutes ago, JamesBlond said:

There is no app called Section 38 in any case.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.section38&hl=en_US

[DrTuner]

5 hours ago, Xavnel said:

Now... one or even 100 people doing this would not create a big stir... however,  if there were thousands and thousands... 

This would take no time at all to actually get amended. 

 

Just my thoughts.. 

This is Thailand. They'd just let you stew outside in a queue in scorching sun until you give up. And then fine you. 

 

Anything that has a potential to be a brown letter cash cow isn't going away. The top brass needs to keep the lower levels happy and farangs can pay for that.

Edited July 23, 2019 by DrTuner