SETV extension or visa run

[Alldar]

Hi all,

I am currently in Thailand on SETV which permits me to stay until 29th December. I need to get 30 more days as I have flight back to my home country on 27th January.

 

From what I read it should be possible to get the 30 day extension at immigration office which would solve my problem. However, I am not sure if TM30 report wouldn't cause me problems during the extension. At the moment I am staying in Pattaya in a friend's room who didn't do any TM30 report. First month I had rented apartment and they did TM30 for me (I asked). Second month I moved to the friend's room (no TM30) and during the second month I also travelled a bit and stayed in 2 hotels outside Pattaya, where they possibly did TM30 for me (I didn't check). In this case if I would apply for extension do you think I would have some issue about TM30? Can you please advise what is required for the application and where is the immigration office in Pattaya?

 

I am also thinking about doing a border run to Cambodia using the land border crossing at Poi Pet. However, I was reading bad stories about Poi Pet and I am afraid they might not let me back in.

 

Also considering I might return to Thailand in the future, what is better for visa history - extend the SETV or SETV + VE both fully used. 

 

Thanks for any advice.

[Matzzon]

The best choice will be extension, due to that it´s seen as the right way of using the visa system.

[Alldar]

Thanks, I will try to do the extension then.

 

If I do the extension today, will I get the +30 days from today or from 29th December? 

 

What about the TM30 - do you know if I would have some problems as I don't want to pay fine. 

 

Immigration office in Pattaya is in Jomtien, is that right? What is needed for the extension - photo, 1900 baht? 

 

Thanks. 

[jacko45k]

39 minutes ago, Alldar said:

If I do the extension today, will I get the +30 days from today or from 29th December? 

The 30 days is added to the current permission of stay. So from 29th Dec.

[Alldar]

Any idea about the TM30 report if I can have some issues? ????

[Brewster67]

11 minutes ago, Alldar said:

Any idea about the TM30 report if I can have some issues? ????

You will probably get hit with the 1600 baht fine, my office usually drops this to 800 baht (Korat) then stick it in their corrupt pockets.

[Alldar]

Hmm, that's not good. Maybe I will try to look some cheap hostel for one night if they can do the TM30 and do the extension tomorrow. 

[Enoon]

34 minutes ago, Alldar said:

Hmm, that's not good. Maybe I will try to look some cheap hostel for one night if they can do the TM30 and do the extension tomorrow. 

 

Or your friend could go to the office with you to do a TM30 report, telling them that you arrived at 6pm on 26th December.

 

 

PS It's your friend who would be fined, it was their responsibility to make the report, not yours.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by Enoon

[Peter Denis]

I don't know how strict your local IO in Pattaya is on TM30 compliance.

But contrary to a couple of months ago, many IOs (even CW) don't even seem to care about it anymore.

And the fact that you are not here on long-stay but are a tourist surely helps.

Checking in to a cheap hotel the night before applying for your extension of stay, will surely work.  But the hotel should ask for your passport (and the TM6 entry/departure card) otherwise they will not be able to file your TM30.  Better still, ask them for a screen-shot print-out that they filed a TM30 stating that you stay in the Hotel.

And ask them not to check you out in their TM30 register, until after your visit to IO.

Also take a business-card from the Hotel, in case the TM30 filed did not turn up in their IO TM30 database when checking, so that they can contact the hotel.

In any case, do NOT do a border-run for something as trivial as the TM30, the worst that can happen is that you are fined - which will normally be 800 THB.

 

[Alldar]

Thank you Peter for your answer. Too bad I didn't read it sooner. We went with my friend to some condo responsible person and they did TM30 for me but asked for 500baht. I paid it because it was less hassle than finding a hotel to do TM30 and also it was cheaper than paying 1600 fine. If I would know they are not so strict with the TM30 anymore or the fine is often 800baht, I wouldn't have paid it.. 

[Peter Denis]

23 minutes ago, Alldar said:

Thank you Peter for your answer. Too bad I didn't read it sooner. We went with my friend to some condo responsible person and they did TM30 for me but asked for 500baht. I paid it because it was less hassle than finding a hotel to do TM30 and also it was cheaper than paying 1600 fine. If I would know they are not so strict with the TM30 anymore or the fine is often 800baht, I wouldn't have paid it.. 

HI Alldar,

Could you be so kind as to report back whether your Pattaya IO (is it Jomtien?) asked for your TM30 when you go apply for an extension of stay?  Always useful to know latest State of the Nation.  Thanks.

[mockingbird]

16 hours ago, Alldar said:

Thank you Peter for your answer. Too bad I didn't read it sooner. We went with my friend to some condo responsible person and they did TM30 for me but asked for 500baht. I paid it because it was less hassle than finding a hotel to do TM30 and also it was cheaper than paying 1600 fine. If I would know they are not so strict with the TM30 anymore or the fine is often 800baht, I wouldn't have paid it.. 

Sounds a bit odd. The condo charged you 500 baht?

Did they actually register you online with immigration? Did they give you the bottom third receipt section of the tm30 form?

[VBF]

23 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

HI Alldar,

Could you be so kind as to report back whether your Pattaya IO (is it Jomtien?) asked for your TM30 when you go apply for an extension of stay?  Always useful to know latest State of the Nation.  Thanks.

Not sure if it helps, but as of March 2019, Jomtien wanted either a TM30 OR a copy of the hotel's printout showing they'd registered you. I have used the latter for the last 3 years to extend SETV.

[Alldar]

Yes the condo charged me 500baht for TM30. They sent me some screenshot from immigration website later with my details.

 

Yes, Jomtien immigration wanted the TM30. Actually at first at immigration they asked me for many things which I didn't have like copy of rental contract, copy of ID of the room owner etc. We needed to go back to the condo to get it. Afterwards I got ticket for 'Notify of house registration' or something like that.. I tell the lady that I already have TM30 and I show her the screenshot from the immigration website. She told me she needs a paper and I need to print it. So then I was looking for a printing service.

 

I must say it was really unpleasant experience. It was almost 2 days of time for me, 3000 baht, lot of travelling and lot of nerves.. And I think those copies of rental contract etc. were not even needed because I already had TM30, but I didn't know they want it for that purpose.

[Peter Denis]

14 minutes ago, Alldar said:

I must say it was really unpleasant experience. It was almost 2 days of time for me, 3000 baht, lot of travelling and lot of nerves.. And I think those copies of rental contract etc. were not even needed because I already had TM30, but I didn't know they want it for that purpose.

Treating tourists like yourself that are simply applying for an extension of stay of their holiday is appalling.

Many IOs now don't even require a TM30 for long-stayers, so it seems that Jomtien is going against the stream, and that you were unlucky having to deal with them.

Note: Did you apply for your extension of stay inside the IO building at the TM30-desk?  I now recall a case of a tourist applying for an extension of his VisaExempt entry being 'taken for a ride' by the agency-service just in front of the Jomtien IO building.  

Edited December 28, 2019 by Peter Denis

[Alldar]

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Note: Did you apply for your extension of stay inside the IO building at the TM30-desk?  I now recall a case of a tourist applying for an extension of his VisaExempt entry being 'taken for a ride' by the agency-service just in front of the Jomtien IO building.  

Yes, it was inside Chonburi Immigration office at Jomtien. But first I dealt with the lady at Information desk, who was supposed to give me queue number. Her English wasn't good and sometimes I couldn't even understand what she wants from me. My friend was there fortunately with me so she helped. When I had all the copies from the room, she automatically gave me ticket for TM30 even though I had it already. Later when I had the printed confirmation for TM30 she gave me another queue ticket for 'Temporary stay' where I did the extension. At that time 29 people were waiting before me. 

[Peter Denis]

10 hours ago, Alldar said:

Yes, it was inside Chonburi Immigration office at Jomtien. But first I dealt with the lady at Information desk, who was supposed to give me queue number. Her English wasn't good and sometimes I couldn't even understand what she wants from me. My friend was there fortunately with me so she helped. When I had all the copies from the room, she automatically gave me ticket for TM30 even though I had it already. Later when I had the printed confirmation for TM30 she gave me another queue ticket for 'Temporary stay' where I did the extension. At that time 29 people were waiting before me. 

Totally unnecessary bureaucracy considering that you had a screenshot print-out of the TM30 that had been filed on-line. 

Unless of course the dormitory that you paid 500 THB wasn't registered.  But in that case they would not have been able then to provide you with a screenshot of your TM30 as being filed in the IO TM30 database. 

Anyway, crazy and appalling to treat tourists like this that just want to extend their holiday in Thailand.

[OJAS]

21 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Many IOs now don't even require a TM30 for long-stayers, so it seems that Jomtien is going against the stream, and that you were unlucky having to deal with them.

For this reason and also for their insistence on retirees using the 400k/800k bank balance method for their annual extensions returning after 90 days with their updated bank book (where they are also going against the general flow), I think that Jomtien can nowadays be safely regarded as a rogue office.

Edited December 29, 2019 by OJAS

[Wongkitlo]

On 12/28/2019 at 7:12 PM, Peter Denis said:

Treating tourists like yourself that are simply applying for an extension of stay of their holiday is appalling.

Many IOs now don't even require a TM30 for long-stayers, so it seems that Jomtien is going against the stream, and that you were unlucky having to deal with them.

Note: Did you apply for your extension of stay inside the IO building at the TM30-desk?  I now recall a case of a tourist applying for an extension of his VisaExempt entry being 'taken for a ride' by the agency-service just in front of the Jomtien IO building.  

The girl at the TM30 desk at Jomtien is not fun. No Land Of Smiles there.

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, OJAS said:

I think that Jomtien can nowadays be safely regarded as a rogue office.

A rogue office that seems to be reasonable wrt long term retirees.... heaven forbid I would have to go through the extra processes others in other areas of Thailand go through!