TM30: The form getting expats in Thailand into a bureaucratic tangle

[catch104]

Have bus driver go flat out over a red light, few 100 meters the bus get caught by the police. Who get to pay the fines??? the passengers of course!!! ????????

[bowerboy]

49 minutes ago, jamestip1947 said:

I am going to Korat next week with my Thai wife for 3 days and staying in a hotel which I booked on the internet  in my name as I have always done in the past.  Previously the hotel has checked my wife in with her ID card and not bothered about me. Lets see what happens this time . If they want my passport which I always take anyway I wonder if they will report me as required to Immigration as being a guest at the hotel.. I have no intention of spending a morning on my return  going to Immigration to fill in a stupid TM30 form. My next 90 day report is due the first week in November. Will they  have the information that I have been away and try to fine me for not reporting back and/or maybe their records won't tell them I have broken the law by being away and not reporting my return.. I think it's a good punt just to find out whats going on.. Immigration talk a lot of rubbish saying it doesn't take long.. They forget we have to get there, wait, be served by staff who are not polite and then get home. This episode of reporting takes many "farangs" up to half a day

. As I go away a lot I reckon that if we are treated as criminals for doing nothing wrong as they have my datails anyway combined with the drop in the exchange rate it's time to exit Thailand and follow many who have already gone.

 

Yes they do have all the records. I wasn’t worried about TM30 until yesterday when a friend told me he had been fined.

 

He went to immigration to get some required document for his driving licence (not sure what exactly) and the lady brought up his details on the computer and then spun the screen round so he could see it and there were the names of all the hotels he had stayed in over the last few months....he got fined 1,800THB and had to pay it before they would give him the documents he needed.

 

BUT he wasn’t allowed to pay the fine...as the house was in his wife’s name she was the one who had to come down to the office to pay the fine before they would give him the documents.

 

Until yesterday I thought this was all a Thai Visa urban myth....it’s not....it’s real.

[AhFarangJa]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Landlords must notify immigration authorities whenever a foreigner returns home after spending more than 24 hours away from their permanent residence - be it a trip abroad or even leaving the province. The same applies to foreigners married to Thais - their Thai spouse, if they own the house, must file the report.

This is where I am confused. According to my local office, the landlord or owner of the property you rent only has to register you once, when you sign the lease contract. All other times it is up to the individual to report when returning from a trip. Still archaic I know, but how is the landlord or owner supposed to know if you take a trip to say, Pattaya for a weekend from Hua Hin. 

[Snackbar]

5 hours ago, tjo o tjim said:

The logistics of the process are just asinine. I can see needing to have all of your “permanent” addresses on file, but it is amusing to think how someone on (say) Koh Tao with a condo in BKK would actually be able to comply as they go between places. 

Not necessary, who’s to know?

 

 

[outsider]

Seems like xenophobic Thailand just wants to get rid of all foreigners, because they are all 'no good' (until proven innocent), always meddling in everything Thai and showing Thais up for who/what they are. Thailand just wants short-term foreign tourists to come, blow their life savings and then some, on their scams and schemes, and leave with nothing but a loincloth. Made of cheap paper towel, no less.

[FNQ]

4 hours ago, puchooay said:

You are going to sell your bike because a TM30 must be completed upon your return to your registered address? Really? Get online and register. It is very simple.

 

This whole TM30 saga has been blown totally out of proportion.

But if, you stay at several places durring your trip and assume they have reported you, then on your return you submit your Tm30 only to find out one ? Of the places has not submitted the form, What then ?

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I can see requiring hotels etc to report all  guests, the hotel has no way of knowing if you have a permanent residence elsewhere etc. But people on 1 year extensions of stay who have established a long term residence (as most have) that they continue to maintain, should not be required to report every time they come back to it after spending a night away from home. It is absurd, accomplishes nothing and the wording of the law does not require it.

Just for the record Sheryl, about three weeks ago, I went to my immigration office, an hour 20 drive up the road, 2 hours 40 return, yep all for 5 minutes to do do my 90 day reporting. The immigration guys are really helpful and welcoming and have been for the 4 years I have lived here.

 

The aboves said, we advised them that we had to go to Chiang Mai to do my wifes sons biometrics who are coming to Oz with us shortly and we will be driving to Chiang Mai on the Friday morning, staying the weekend as its an 11 hour drive to Chiang Mai, and we won't be back till Sunday night, the question followed, do we need to do this TM30 thing, YES, everytime you leave your province and stay somewhere for more than 24 hours, you must notify us within 24 hours of your return, so there you have it from the horse's mouth in a nutshell he added.

 

Apply online to do it he said, which we did, and when we went back and saw him on the Monday, much to his surprise, he said you didn't have to come back that soon, we can give you 48-72 hours sometimes....lol

 

My wife told him that she applied online as he suggested, and was waiting for BKK to give her a password, he had a look and said, yes I see you there and gave her a password as he said BKK forward the information to them to do, he then gave her a password and said try that now, it failed, then asked for her email and mobile number and said he would look into it to speed things up with the password, and to keep checking her email, the following Monday we had the password and we are now in.

 

I agree with you about the legislation and should really only apply to those that are not living here on retirement or marriage extensions, that said I know what is going on, as he did say that they have a really BIG problem with too many illegals in the country, unfortunately we are caught up in it until someone up top puts 1 + 1 together and is prepared to lose face and changed things, and I don't see that happening, unless BIG JOKE is coming back from his mental asylum ????

 

[Yinn]

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

I used to take over 30 Thai students to the US for a month every year. Not one of them ever was refused a visa. When they received one, it was good for ten years. Students from my 2010 class are still using their visa from those years to travel back and forth to the US. 

Yes easy if go with farang.

sex worker the same.

 

But try to get visa without farang. Headache

[legend49]

5 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I have seen some truly asinine things in Thailand in my 10+ years here, but this B.S. tops them all. 

This has effectively killed my 2-10 day bike trips around the country. May as well sell my 300cc bikes and buy a 150 PCX. 

Agreed all my internal travel is finished since July this year. Maybe the hidden benefit is I keep my money and watch the Thai economy die slowly. My other mates have canned all golfing trips across the nation that's a huge loss of 20 people; flights, accommodation, food and drink, CADDIES.

 

Again the golden egg has been broken well done Thailand. I just hope more aliens like the one in the article get more media coverage only way to shame the greed of this place.

[zydeco]

5 minutes ago, Yinn said:

SOME people.

SOME farang come thailand, rape the kid, kill the wife, counterfeit the money, steal at the supermarket, 7-11, sell the drug, overstay, illegal work, own the brothel etc etc

So maybe you correct, better to have the TM30 for everyone right?

Here is what you're missing. Comparing criminal behavior is irrelevant, as Thais in the US commit crimes just like Americans in Thailand. BUT when an American stays in Thailand legally, he gets nothing other than the privilege of paying out money to live here. An American living here illegally, gets fined, jailed, deported, and likely has money confiscated. A Thai living legally or illegally in the US is eligible for K-12 education for free, in state college tuition in many states, free emergency medical care, EBT cards, earned income tax credit (free cash) even if they are illegal but have a US born child as head of household, driver's licenses, the right to rent or buy a house without proving immigration status, free legal representation often paid through government for immigration claims, right to seek amnesty, and equal treatment under the law (which means it is illegal to have things like double pricing, immigrant restricted services, etc.). And in the US there is no requirement for people on tourist visas or permanent residence to update their addresses. There used to be a postal filing that was required every six months I think, but that was discontinued in the early 1990s or late 1980s. Where can I get these services in Thailand?

[phka]

5 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I have seen some truly asinine things in Thailand in my 10+ years here, but this B.S. tops them all. 

This has effectively killed my 2-10 day bike trips around the country. May as well sell my 300cc bikes and buy a 150 PCX. 

Think of the money you will save

[RichardColeman]

5 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

You forget Thailand lives in a Parallel world and is therefore ignorant to what the real world thinks.  

More sort of The Thailight Zone

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, TooSweaty said:

I’ve been selling them off but I still own 12 condos. I have to have a separate login for each. 3 have been approved, 4 denied with no reason given, and 5 I have been waiting for several weeks for approval. Yet I’m still responsible for filing for all 12 units.

 

Please explain to me like I’m a 5 year old what hobby I should get exactly and how I have nothing to do. I’m looking forward to your brilliant barstool advice.
 

Not everyone is in your situation and if you had any awareness to that you wouldn’t make such ignorant comments. 
 

Individuals can jump through whatever hoop or pay the fine. Those of us with rental property are the landlords who have to deal with this differently and through a broken system.

Me thinks you've misunderstood the meaning of my post. 

[phka]

15 minutes ago, FNQ said:

But if, you stay at several places durring your trip and assume they have reported you, then on your return you submit your Tm30 only to find out one ? Of the places has not submitted the form, What then ?

Emm hahahaha gotcha 

[puchooay]

37 minutes ago, overherebc said:

16 weeks for a settlement visa for a Thai person to UK and when they arrive they dont have to report to anyone for 2 years and 6 months. Then they report once to confirm they are still married and stay for another 2 years and 6 months and then they get residency and a UK passport. In those years they will get medical and emergency accident treatment for free.

Can you explain what I would have to go through to get the same?

You can apply for residency here in Thailand after 3 years. 

 

Medical treatment is not free in UK. There is a payment at time of application. About the same as the health insurance that I pay and get free treatment in Thailand.

 

After FLR has been obtained and a further 2.5 years of stay residency needs to be applied for. It is not just "given"

 

I wonder how many expats would like to have to take a Thai language test and a knowledge test of Thailand and how many would actually pass?

 

I would quite happily exchange a TM30 filing every now and then for the simple visa and extension rules here in Thailand to be applied in the same way in the application process for a visa and subsequent stay for UK.

[SymS]

When I travelled outside my province, but within Thailand last year, I used to check-in in hotels with my pink ID card. Do hotels report people who checked in with pink ID card on the TM30? If not, it might be possible to only use the pink ID card outside the province, and not need to report TM30 when coming back.

[zydeco]

48 minutes ago, Lupusthai said:

As far as I know, your uploaded passport.jpeg has to be of good quality since it is automatically scanned for the passport information.
Bad photo -> "not approved"
Real passport presented -> "approved" 

So now we must depend on the unstated vagueries of whether some anonymous Thai Immigration official thinks your passport photo upload meets some amorphous, undefined quality?  Yep, "easy to use app" alright.

[55Jay]

24 minutes ago, bowerboy said:

 

Yes they do have all the records. I wasn’t worried about TM30 until yesterday when a friend told me he had been fined.

 

He went to immigration to get some required document for his driving licence (not sure what exactly) and the lady brought up his details on the computer and then spun the screen round so he could see it and there were the names of all the hotels he had stayed in over the last few months....he got fined 1,800THB and had to pay it before they would give him the documents he needed.

 

BUT he wasn’t allowed to pay the fine...as the house was in his wife’s name she was the one who had to come down to the office to pay the fine before they would give him the documents.

 

Until yesterday I thought this was all a Thai Visa urban myth....it’s not....it’s real.

It's not "real" until it happens to you, or someone you know. 

[spidermike007]

The enforcement of the TM-30 is the most idiotic thing, I have seen this moronic administration do, in the past five years or so. They are proving themselves incompetent, and grossly unprepared for the job, on a daily basis. They are the worst thing that has happened to this nation, and they must go. 

[puchooay]

12 minutes ago, phka said:

Emm hahahaha gotcha 

You cannot be fined for a hotel not reporting you. If you stayed at many but only one reported, how would immigration know anyway?

 

It is only your responsibility to ensure the TM30 is filed upon your return to your registered address.

[mikebell]

'Analysts say the new policies could also deter foreigners from travelling around the country' - especially poorer less popular areas which the Government are keen to promote as secondary tourist areas.

Thai Logic!

[csmith]

5 hours ago, puchooay said:

You are going to sell your bike because a TM30 must be completed upon your return to your registered address? Really? Get online and register. It is very simple.

 

This whole TM30 saga has been blown totally out of proportion.

 

Agree completely … blown out of proportion.

 

[Janne1949]

If we after a trip return home to our normal adress I dont Think it should be necessary to do the TM30

Immigration would than know that we are home again at our registered adress!

[4MyEgo]

10 minutes ago, SymS said:

When I travelled outside my province, but within Thailand last year, I used to check-in in hotels with my pink ID card. Do hotels report people who checked in with pink ID card on the TM30? If not, it might be possible to only use the pink ID card outside the province, and not need to report TM30 when coming back.

What is the big deal, just register online, and when you get your password, log online each time your back in your province and report in, 2 minutes, that's all it takes, cannot for the life of me understand what is so hard about it, oh yes, change can be hard for a lot, I get it ????

 

[stevemac]

Same could be said for farangs. So should we be guilty by association?

Yinn has her compatriots to thank that for. Illegal workers overstaying, especially in knock "massage" shops, scams, etc etc. Guilty by association.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[csmith]

Chiangmai Immigration is even opening at weekends and holidays for the TM30 … also the App does seem to be working fine. (Might be a little slow depending on your connectivity)

 

I'd suggest much of this challenge is a 'user interface error' and not so much Immigration.

 

 

 

 

[Vacuum]

5 minutes ago, Janne1949 said:

I dont Thinkt should be necessary to do the TM30

Immigration would than know that we are home again at our registered adress!

How would they know that you're back home?

[poppysdad]

It might be very simple for some - I’m certainly not simple but if you have an iPhone it isn’t. I cannot download from the App Store because I’m registered in the uk. Yes I have tried to change to the Thai App Store but cannot because I have a uk credit card. And no I’m not getting a android one.

[sweatalot]

5 hours ago, GraThai said:

I totally agree that TM30 is an outdated law however I have lived here in Thailand for 30+  years and try to abide by all the rules including this one. Every time I return home from a trip she fills in the form pops into immigration and its done so what is the massive problem...unless of course people have something to hide?????

it is a pain in the ass.

Got family visitors from Europe. Immigration office is 20 km from home. Cost us half a day to comply with this nonsence. It is a disgrace. That's not the way to treat guests. It is far from hospitality - it is hostile. Not blaming the IOs - they have no choice.

[sweatalot]

16 minutes ago, csmith said:

Agree completely … blown out of proportion.

agree Immigration blowed it out of proportion by enforcing this useless annoying law.