TM30 at Ubon Immigration - required after returning home ?

[MikeN]

Has anybody had recent experience with Ubon Immigration and TM30 after returning home from a trip within Thailand ? Are they among the offices that want a new form every time, or are they more relaxed ( and sensible) about it ?

 Yes, I know we could phone them but sometimes it is best not to give them any funny ideas !

[ubonjoe]

Not sure what they are wanting at this time.

I was told a few months ago in a message from a member that they told him they would want one if he stayed in a hotel but I have not heard of anybody being asked for one yet.

[SantiSuk]

Answered I think by this contemporaneous thread - see Collingwood's (one of my hash house harrier mate's) post on page 3. It's worth reading the thread to get a good idea about the complete shambles that is Thai Immigration nationwide with regard to TM30 reporting. Each office has its own rules and some even fine you when the find out you have not been reporting, even though the same office has never enforced reporting before.

 

I will be testing out Sisaket immi tomorrow when I file my 90 day report (as I too stay in a hotel in Ubon when hashing and like Collingwood says it is one that now insists on copying your passport and won't take a Thai driver's license - many hotels are the same now in Ubon, following an apparent 'purge' by Ubon immi a year ago I think).

 

I'm also wondering whether Bumrungrad Hospital filed a report of my in-patient stay there last month (or Ubonrak Hospital come to that, sine I was A&E handled in their rooms first). All will be revealed tomorrow: my plan is to be squeaky clean (even discussing the fact I have a condo in BKK - not looking forward to dealing with the dreaded Chang Wattana immigration - massive long queues - on that). Plan B is probably more logical - stay schtumm and pay the fine when they finally catch up with you. I'm getting the impression from what I've read some more user-friendly offices (of which Sisaket historically has been one) would probably prefer me to use Plan B!

 

If worst comes to the worst and Sisaket aren't using the online reporting system but insisting on reporting I could see me suffering an additional 1,000 baht a month in diesel costs just to service the immigration implications a monthly one night 85 click visit to Ubon, one two night visit to my condo and, on average, one elsewhere. Even more if there is a physical reporting need at the Bangkok condo end. Pure madness - Thailand bureaucracy at its worst. Contrast with Thailand's super-efficient passport and ID system for Thai nationals. They can do systems and IT when they put there minds to it!

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by SantiSuk

[legend49]

How do they know you  went somewhere else in Thailand? Least you tell them the easier it is

 

[CGW]

7 minutes ago, legend49 said:

How do they know you  went somewhere else in Thailand? Least you tell them the easier it is.

Exactly! I just spent two days in Bangkok to attend a funeral, I stayed with a friend, were we supposed to make the time to go register - ridiculous!

[MikeN]

^ Because we are going to a family wedding this weekend in Ayyuttaya so will be staying overnight and out of province for just over 24 hours. The sister in law booked the resort rooms so I will try and stay out of sight and hope the resort office don’t want my passport. If so then I won’t get put into the system and immigration will never know, but if the resort do tell immigration then by the info above I guess a new TM30 will be needed.

[SantiSuk]

16 minutes ago, legend49 said:

How do they know you  went somewhere else in Thailand? Least you tell them the easier it is

 

Firstly I arrived back from Japan 2.5 months ago and there will be a note on my record form Swampy which in theory generates a need for a TM30 (but certainly informs them I had left my normal place of residence).

 

Secondly I stayed in an Ubon hotel that took my passport details 2 months ago. Again informs them and might trigger need for TM30

 

Thirdly I spent 4 nights in Ubonrak Hospital last month followed by 10 nights in Bunmrungrad. That latter hospital is supremely professional/efficient and has whole systems for dealing with foreigners. I suspect they will also have filed my presence away from home base.

 

Fourthly - I'm just like that. Prefer to deal with authorities openly.

 

Fifthly I'm kind of working on the basis they are less likely to fine me as a confessor than you as a rules dodger! May prove to be naive.

 

Happy?

[collingwood]

Did my extension yesterday in Ubon and was told I needed to do a TM30 after spending 1 night in a hotel in Ubon, as when you check in your address is changed in their system.

[collingwood]

The only way around it in Ubon it seems is to get your missus to check in with her I.D. stay out of view or sit and wait at the pub and go to the room later, or if you can persuade them to let you check in with your drivers license it then does not flag on their system.

[SantiSuk]

About 4 years ago we checked in at a beachside Thai-style resort in Chantaburi province. 2 full families and big family rooms, so decent income for the owner. Then they saw me getting out of the car. No sorry, can't stay - can't be bothered to file the paperwork.

 

I didn't blame them one bit!

[Brunolem]

3 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

Answered I think by this contemporaneous thread - see Collingwood's (one of my hash house harrier mate's) post on page 3. It's worth reading the thread to get a good idea about the complete shambles that is Thai Immigration nationwide with regard to TM30 reporting. Each office has its own rules and some even fine you when the find out you have not been reporting, even though the same office has never enforced reporting before.

 

I will be testing out Sisaket immi tomorrow when I file my 90 day report (as I too stay in a hotel in Ubon when hashing and like Collingwood says it is one that now insists on copying your passport and won't take a Thai driver's license - many hotels are the same now in Ubon, following an apparent 'purge' by Ubon immi a year ago I think).

 

I'm also wondering whether Bumrungrad Hospital filed a report of my in-patient stay there last month (or Ubonrak Hospital come to that, sine I was A&E handled in their rooms first). All will be revealed tomorrow: my plan is to be squeaky clean (even discussing the fact I have a condo in BKK - not looking forward to dealing with the dreaded Chang Wattana immigration - massive long queues - on that). Plan B is probably more logical - stay schtumm and pay the fine when they finally catch up with you. I'm getting the impression from what I've read some more user-friendly offices (of which Sisaket historically has been one) would probably prefer me to use Plan B!

 

If worst comes to the worst and Sisaket aren't using the online reporting system but insisting on reporting I could see me suffering an additional 1,000 baht a month in diesel costs just to service the immigration implications a monthly one night 85 click visit to Ubon, one two night visit to my condo and, on average, one elsewhere. Even more if there is a physical reporting need at the Bangkok condo end. Pure madness - Thailand bureaucracy at its worst. Contrast with Thailand's super-efficient passport and ID system for Thai nationals. They can do systems and IT when they put there minds to it!

 

 

 

I will be interested in the follow up of your visit to Sisaket immigration, where I also report. 

 

In about 10 years of reporting to this office, I have never filed a TM30, even though I have travelled abroad and in other provinces. 

 

They never asked about it. 

 

Waiting to see if that has recently changed... 

[SantiSuk]

Ditto for me Brunoelm - about 10 years also! I want to do it at a 90 day report stage, rather than leave it 'til my extension in December.

 

I'll post under an obvious new thread in the Isaan forum

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, collingwood said:

The only way around it in Ubon it seems is to get your missus to check in with her I.D. stay out of view or sit and wait at the pub and go to the room later, or if you can persuade them to let you check in with your drivers license it then does not flag on their system.

Are you sure? Your driving licence has your passport number on it. I use my motorbike licence all the time for checking into hotels, no way am I reporting to my local IO with a TM30 just because of an idiotic law. as it is about 60 Ks away.

Edited July 31, 2019 by possum1931

[SantiSuk]

Possum1931. Try telling that to the owner and staff of Phadaeng Mansion and T3 House Hotels (2 of the most popular with foreigners and expats in Ubon). The boss of T3 came out from his office to apologise to me when I questioned counter staff why they could not accept my Thai driver's license about a year ago. He explained that immigration had recently been doing the rounds of Ubon hotels and emphasising that hoteliers must see the passport and they must copy the pages that show that the foreigner is not on on overstay. I remember joking with him that Immi were signing hotels up as extra immigration police, which he seemed to agree with.

 

There are Ubon hotels where I have not been asked to present documents if my Thai wife has done the registration process alone (but who then see me around). I'll not rat on them here! There are a couple of hotels which do not ask me for ID at all even if I check in alone (based on one visit each in the last 6 months). I'll not rat on them. There is a hotel that insists of seeing my passport and those of other foreigners, but not that of a good mate who has used the place regularly for many years. Me and Collingwood are also talking only about Ubon.

 

Thais are not great followers themselves of rules, as we know, which is why I have no doubt there are probably quite a few hotels around even in Ubon who will book you in on a driver's license or not ask for any documentation. If you have time to drive/ride around the cheaper places you'll find some place not following the rules

Edited July 31, 2019 by SantiSuk

[ubonrthai]

Last year they said TM30 is never needed as long as you are going back to the same home permanent address. But they told me in January they would be enforcing the rule after 24 hour stays in hotels outside Ubon province. I stayed at 3 hotels earlier in the year and I tried to do TM30 each time only to find the hotels hadn’t reported me. I’ll have a chance to test it again after international and domestic trips in the coming weeks.

[shy coconut]

On 7/31/2019 at 8:02 AM, SantiSuk said:

Firstly I arrived back from Japan 2.5 months ago and there will be a note on my record form Swampy which in theory generates a need for a TM30 (but certainly informs them I had left my normal place of residence).

 

Secondly I stayed in an Ubon hotel that took my passport details 2 months ago. Again informs them and might trigger need for TM30

 

Thirdly I spent 4 nights in Ubonrak Hospital last month followed by 10 nights in Bunmrungrad. That latter hospital is supremely professional/efficient and has whole systems for dealing with foreigners. I suspect they will also have filed my presence away from home base.

 

Fourthly - I'm just like that. Prefer to deal with authorities openly.

 

Fifthly I'm kind of working on the basis they are less likely to fine me as a confessor than you as a rules dodger! May prove to be naive.

 

Happy?

I think what he was asking was if you stay with friends or relatives overnight or a few nights

how would immigration know you had left your residence.

 

The examples you gave were where immigration are aware of your movements, either by

passport stamps or hotel / hospital reporting.

[MikeN]

As it turned out, the resort was not interested in taking my details, even though the reception staff saw me. Guess they have not heard Immigration's warnings to hotels about registering foreigners ! So no need for me to test out the situation with Ubon Immigration office .....this time.

[SantiSuk]

3 hours ago, shy coconut said:

I think what he was asking was if you stay with friends or relatives overnight or a few nights

how would immigration know you had left your residence.

 

The examples you gave were where immigration are aware of your movements, either by

passport stamps or hotel / hospital reporting.

Yes - maybe he was talking about a friends and relatives visit in the abstract and not relating to my post at all. The juxtaposition of his and my posts made me think he was responding to my post.

[ubonrthai]

Did my TM30 yesterday after an international trip. My wife is landlord. Went in by myself with TM30 filled out. The lady checking documents wanted my passport main page copy, visa extension page copy, entry card copy and wife’s household registration copy. Once at the desk it took maybe 2 minutes to complete and he gave me back my copies.


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[Patriot]

On Wednesday we returned from a two day trip to Korat staying at a hotel.

I asked the hotel if they would be reporting me to Immigration; a definite "Yes", therefore:

My good wife presented my passport to Ubon Immigration on return. Whole process about three minutes. She just volunteered the information that we'd been in Korat for two days, no mention of any hotel names and no questions asked by the Officer ..... none.

A Receipt of Notification clipped into the Passport and an updated 90 Day Report date (ie from 15th) clipped into the Passport.

I arrived at the hotel about 2 hours before my wife. Had we arrived together then I would have tried to have her check in with me out of sight quaffing Leos by the pool therefore negating the whole of the above.

 

PS I used my Thai (pink) ID card for checking-in at the hotel. No problems.

[ubonrthai]

Did my TM30 again after staying in two hotels in other provinces. Prann (the front woman with glasses) says don’t bother writing dates on the form and you can just use the same form and copies every time. I hope I can get the website working soon. Have to do this twice in the next two weeks again.


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[SantiSuk]

5 hours ago, ubonrthai said:

Did my TM30 again after staying in two hotels in other provinces. Prann (the front woman with glasses) says don’t bother writing dates on the form and you can just use the same form and copies every time. I hope I can get the website working soon. Have to do this twice in the next two weeks again.


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And would you trust the immigration office to fully record your TM30? Yes, I guess if they give you a receipt that is specifically stamped as being relevant to the date you reported returning home. If they don't give a receipt and you know the office requires TM30s then maybe you are at risk of another immi officer saying at your subsequent visit "it says here that you stayed in [hotel reporting location] on [date], but we don't have a TM30 relevant to your return from that visit, so that will be ThB 1,500 please (trousered after receipt).

 

Call me a cynic but knowing the stories about differential treatments from different IOs let-alone different offices and the suspicions frequently aired about malfeasance I think I would insist on transactions being recorded 'by the book'. Fight bureaucratic fire with fire?!

Edited August 26, 2019 by SantiSuk

[Michael Hare]

So glad I took out PR 15 years ago, At the time, I thought everyone who lived in Thailand for any length of time could get PR. This was because my late Thai wife got automatic NZ PR when she married me and we moved to NZ.  Little did I know this is not the case in Thailand. However, with my Thai PR case, everything was straightforward and I got Thai PR. And what is the best thing now. The pink ID card. 

[ubonrthai]

if they give you a receipt that is specifically stamped as being relevant to the date you reported returning home.

You get a printed slip. They are frustrated with it too but they gotta follow marching orders.