TM30 by a CW Immigration Officer today - U-Turn??

[cliveshep]

While doing my marriage extension my wife was chuntering on to the lady I.O as wives tend to do and as it was all in Thai which is as intelligible as Quantum physics I left her to it. It was tonight as we were about to take the dogs for a walk that she started talking about what the I.O had to say about TM.30.

 

The gist was that if you go out of the country, on your return TM.30 rules apply as before.

 

But if you stayed in a hotel in Thailand, while they might legitimately ask for your passport and even copy it that is so your body can be identified if you die from too much bar-girl or bad fish soup. BUT on your return you or your wife if she is still speaking to you do NOT have to file a TM.30. The assumption is that the hotel won't either.

 

This conversation cam about because my wife said (wrongly I might add) that I wouldn't take breaks in Thai resorts or hotels because i was scared about having to go to Chang Wattana with my wife on our return and spend a day with her there queuing to do a TM.30.

 

This flies in the face of the strict instruction as we paid the fine a year ago for a very (3 year) late TM.30 that if we stayed away from our home address for even one night my wife must file a TM.30 as should the resort or hotel.

 

We have spent time away in a resort with another farang/Thai family and quite simply worked around this, and around the farang rates, by letting the Thai girls do the bookings, price haggling and paying the cash over so the receptionist never saw either us or our passports.  Good Game!

 

However, have the Immigration Department realised the folly of the stupidly excessive application of TM.30 and it's effects on the economy by curtailing farang holidays in-country because of the sheer hassle of TM.30? Certainly my wife and I won't ordinarily go away any more because of the restrictions.

 

Have they now officially relaxed the TM.30 rules to only apply to cross border jaunts?

 

[couchpotato]

It has been like this for a while now. Discussed on this forum many times.

Probably better to look first.

[MJKT2014]

4 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

It has been like this for a while now.

Been like what?

[BritTim]

While attempts have recently been made to clarify the rules for TM28, the situation with TM30 remains as unclear as ever. Each immigration office has its own rules. At CW, if they enforce TM30 at all (which they still sometimes do not) you only need to submit it after an overseas trip. The same is not necessarily true at another immigration office.

[cliveshep]

8 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

It has been like this for a while now. Discussed on this forum many times.

Probably better to look first.

What do you mean "look first"? On the forum, or in Immigration? I'm aware TV have had numerous discussion posts in the past, but what it the up-to-the-minute situation? Is it what I have described just then - or not?

 

And isn't CW the main Immigration Office? That Government complex houses numerous ministries including Electoral Commission amongst others. Surely whatever CW decide to do should be the norm for all the others or is that too simplistic?

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, BritTim said:

While attempts have recently been made to clarify the rules for TM28, the situation with TM30 remains as unclear as ever. Each immigration office has its own rules. At CW, if they enforce TM30 at all (which they still sometimes do not) you only need to submit it after an overseas trip. The same is not necessarily true at another immigration office.

I report for extensions at CW.

Never done a tm30 in 7 years and I exit and re-enter Thailand every 2 weeks.

Last extension Oct last year. Tm30 not required. The couple of guys either side of me waiting for return of pp also had not tm30.

However as you state every imm office have there own rules.

TM30 at CW is done and dusted. But to normal.

[Martyp]

9 hours ago, cliveshep said:

What do you mean "look first"? On the forum, or in Immigration? I'm aware TV have had numerous discussion posts in the past, but what it the up-to-the-minute situation? Is it what I have described just then - or not?

 

And isn't CW the main Immigration Office? That Government complex houses numerous ministries including Electoral Commission amongst others. Surely whatever CW decide to do should be the norm for all the others or is that too simplistic?

Thank you for your up-to-the-minute report that confirms that the way CW is handling TM30’s remains the same as it has been for the last 6 months. While CW is a big building with many government offices including a big Immigration office the other immigration offices often enforce their own interpretation of the immigration rules and are allowed to do so. It is always best to check with your own office if you are uncertain about a particular policy such as when to file a TM30.

[JackThompson]

The only reason the TM-30 bit got confusing, was many offices mixed the TM-28 and TM-30 rules together.  In Jomtien, when this first started, they had a sign-board printed with the two statutes literally spliced-together.  It didn't even read properly, as a result. 

 

But although there was an order not to enforce things this way any more - the TM-28 being elimiated for almost all - I would still ask the IO you deal with what they want.  Consider doing the reporting online - either your wife can create an acct to report you, or if you have a condo or lease in your name, you can even report yourself.

[Peter Denis]

Hi,

There is absolutely no need to curtail holidays in-country because of the sheer hassle of TM.30. Certainly my wife and I won't ordinarily go away any more because of the restrictions, as the OP wrote.

Please note that TM30 compliance is not enforced anymore at CW.

Also, before heading for a trip to your local IO to file your TM30 in person, consider the following:

• TM30 compliance, although mandatory according to thai law, is not enforced in same way at every IO.  Some IOs are very strict and require that it is done within 24 hours of your arrival at your place from any domestic or international trip.  Other IOs only require it after a return from an international trip (since your TM-6 arrival/departure card has a unique number different than your previous arrival).  And some IOs don't enforce it at all.
• TM30 compliance will ONLY be checked when visiting your local IO for a service that requires your address (e.g. an extension of stay, a residence certificate, ...).  It is not checked when you do your 90-reports in person at your IO (these 90-day reports can of course also be done on-line with no mentioning of TM30).
• When TM30 compliance is checked when visiting your local IO, they are ONLY interested whether a current TM30 has been filed from the place where you are staying.  They are not interested in your TM30 history, but only whether the TM30 on file matches with your current address.

Given the above, it is not really needed to file a TM30 when you foresee that you will do another domestic or international trip before you are required to visit your local IO if that IO enforces TM30 compliance (notably for your extension of stay).

Anyway, I did PM you a step-by-step instruction on how to register on the IO TM30 website, which will allow you to do your TM30 filings (and those of any foreign guests staying at your place) on-line.  It's easy if you know how to do it.

To access your PM-messages just click the letter-icon next to your Profile when logged in to the Forum

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 hours ago, cliveshep said:

Surely whatever CW decide to do should be the norm for all the others or is that too simplistic?

 Correct, that perfectly reasonable assumption is just to simplistic for Thailand. It doesn't work that way here with Thai Immigration, and never has in memory.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

TM30 at CW is done and dusted. But to normal.

 Except the OP went to CW, and the version related by his wife from talking with the IO is that they ARE still requiring TM30s for return from international travel, but NOT for domestic travel.

 

Right now, I'd say the recent reports from CW on the issue of return from international travel have been mixed and unclear. But the OP's account above adds another recent data point.

 

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 Except the OP went to CW, and the version related by his wife from talking with the IO is that they ARE still requiring TM30s for return from international travel, but NOT for domestic travel.

 

Right now, I'd say the recent reports from CW on the issue of return from international travel have been mixed and unclear. But the OP's account above adds another recent data point.

 

I think the OP is hearing imaginary voices.

Hundreds of folk attend CW for annual extensions daily. The OP wife sounded like she was asking io about "rules" regarding tm30. Never do that.

 

[pmarlin]

While not CW my IO at Uthai Thani doesn't want to see a TM30 unless I travel outside of Thailand. My last attempt to present one to him after staying in a hotel in Bangkok for three nights  resulted in it being handed back and five minutes of lecture of when he wants one.