Thai Immigration announce changes to TM30 reporting

[Scott Tracy]

Laws and regulations are always changing. I'm waiting for stupidity to resume after this hiatus.

[Oldie]

Great change for expats living at the same place. Will be interesting to see if this system can handle new passports and not a only a new TM6. But if I understood it correctly this is their problem. 

[4MyEgo]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

In your case yes.

Wow, thanks Joe

[Surasak]

19 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Surely if one of us "aliens" has a lease on a condo for one or more years, that should be proof that's where we intend to stay for the duration of the contract. Hence a 90 day report is superfluous. Same with someone living in a house in their Thai wife's name.

 

You are thinking logically. Please do remember where you are.

[Peter Denis]

To summarize the changes in plain english

> The 'owner of the place' where YOU - a foreigner - is staying has to report your arrival there only ONCE to your local IO, and this has to be done within 24 hours of your arrival at the premisses. 

The above is valid as long as the permission to stay (or the extension of it) on which you stay in the Kingdom has not expired.  So when having applied for or re-entering on a new Visa a new TM30 has to be filed by the owner of the place where you are staying within 24 hours of your arrival at the premisses (and this has to be done only ONCE).

Note; The 'owner of the place where you are staying' can be

- yourself, when you are the owner of the condo where you are staying;

- your wife/girlfriend, if it is her name on the house-book of the place where you are staying;

- your landlord, in case you are renting;

- a manager of a Hotel/Guesthouse where you are staying (even if only temporary).

[Orton Rd]

Problem is will ALL offices go along with the new rule? mine still ignores the change to two months money in the bank before an extension and insist on 3. Great if they all comply.

[Surasak]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

There is a pic of one in the OP.

It is a report of your arrival at a residence by the owner or possessor of it.

You are of course correct Joe. I have never had to fill one of these forms. So, as the owner and possessor of the residence, not the land it stands on, what do I do, should the need arise?

[fraggleRock]

15 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

To summarize the changes in plain english

> The 'owner of the place' where YOU - a foreigner - is staying has to report your arrival there only ONCE to your local IO, and this has to be done within 24 hours of your arrival at the premisses. 

The above is valid as long as the permission to stay (or the extension of it) on which you stay in the Kingdom has not expired.  So when having applied for or re-entering on a new Visa a new TM30 has to be filed by the owner of the place where you are staying within 24 hours of your arrival at the premisses (and this has to be done only ONCE).

Note; The 'owner of the place where you are staying' can be

- yourself, when you are the owner of the condo where you are staying;

- your wife/girlfriend, if it is her name on the house-book of the place where you are staying;

- your landlord, in case you are renting;

- a manager of a Hotel/Guesthouse where you are staying (even if only temporary).

So exactly what has changed as this was what I was doing anyways ? 

[fraggleRock]

The TM30 application currently does not even WORK! Useless.... so have to go all the way to CW and get COVID I guess and put my wives parents at serious risk!  Simple application seems a challenge just like track and trace here and in the UK.

[bbi1]

The second paragraph is stating that if

a person on a multiple entry visa or has an extension of stay and enters using a re-entry permit a new TM30 report is not required.

 

So METV holders don't need to do TM30 anymore when they come back to Thailand? Sounds good to me!!

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Chassa said:

Never done a TM30 in 10 years, moved around a bit too (overseas and local).

Neither have I, and I have done regular motorbike road trips and stayed in hotels all over Thailand.

If I don't agree with anyones laws, I just do not obey them if I think I will get away with it.

[DaLa]

I'm not defending Thai Immigration wholesale, however, when you consider there have been 76 posts on this simple subject and over half of those have their own 'interpretation' of the rules.  So would any of us on here make a better job than the Immigration officials we have to deal with and the way each office applies the (obviously) flexible rules?  

[Bedfont]

Thanks Dr Jack. It is my first time ever and I will be going to immigration to do this August 1st.

[DrTuner]

Ah right. I never do extensions since I have the elite and fly out (well used to) multiple times every year, always getting a new 1y permit upon entry. So, each time I still need to do the same TM30 when returning to home, where my yellow thabian baan is?

 

The whole circus is still because of one thing: the use of long term temporary permits instead of permanent residence.

 

EDIT: Unless the PE counts as multiple entry, which is apparently covered in the other paragraph. Maybe.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Ah right. I never do extensions since I have the elite and fly out (well used to) multiple times every year, always getting a new 1y permit upon entry. So, each time I still need to do the same TM30 when returning to home, where my yellow thabian baan is?

You do not need to do TM30 reports since you have a multiple entry visa.

"The alien as defined is paragraph one shall include those who being granted multiple-visa who leaves and returns to the Kingdom with specified time in the visa, and those with re-entry permit."

[BobbyL]

Well, it seems like a good step, although still vague in terms of what is needed. You can guarantee there will be no consistency in how it is enforced by different IO. 

 

However, I certainly will not forget the experience I had last July filling my one and only TM30 at Chaeng Watthana. Absolutely farcical.

[DrTuner]

I take it after changing a passport a new TM30 is required. The database holds the passport ID. 

 

They could do the right thing and connect immigration database to the civic system, where the permanent address is for those who are in thabian baans. Instead of this bubblegum contraption.

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

I take it after changing a passport a new TM30 is required. The database holds the passport ID.

Not correct. You getting a new passport does not mean you would have to do a new TM30 report.

[DrTuner]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not correct. You getting a new passport does not mean you would have to do a new TM30 report.

When would the number of the passport in the immigration database change otherwise?

 

Last time I changed passport even the 90 day system required a physical visit to the immigration.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

When would the number of the passport in the immigration database change otherwise?

All you need is the receipt for the TM30 report. Your new -passport will have your old passport number in it.

[NightSky]

Immigration obviously nothing better to do

 

not to worry as soon as we are able to wife and This 20 year non o tourist are leaving

 

 

[Tuvoc]

I don't live in Thailand permanently just yet, but when I visit our house there in my wife's name on a 30 day exempt  I assume she should be filing a TM30. Never have done, although that address is on the TM6 arrival card. But I wonder if on the next visit I went to Chiang Rai immigration to get a 30 day extension of the visa exempt, at that point they may fine my wife for no TM30.  Better do it next time if my stay may be longer than 30 days.

[DrTuner]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

All you need is the receipt for the TM30 report. Your new -passport will have your old passport number in it.

So the database will hold the old passport number until a new TM30 is done. Will this break the online 90 day reporting as there is no entry directly connected to the new passport?

[Don Mega]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You do not need to do TM30 reports since you have a multiple entry visa.

"The alien as defined is paragraph one shall include those who being granted multiple-visa who leaves and returns to the Kingdom with specified time in the visa, and those with re-entry permit."

Does this include those on extensions with multi-entry ?

[DrTuner]

6 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Does this include those on extensions with multi-entry ?

Not sure if a multi-entry visa is invalidated if you get an extension to one of the stay permits. In any case, you're expected to get the re-entry permit, which seems to be covered. 

[connda]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

The law has been in place since 1979 but was seldom enforced until 2019, when immigration began cracking down on property owners who were not reporting the stay of foreigners.

No, not really.  Immigration began cracking down on foreigners whose property owners were not reporting the stay of the foreigner. 
Property owner doesn't report - foreigner doesn't get extension.

In order to get an extension, foreigner must pay the property owner's fine. 

Welcome to reality, TM30-style. 

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Does this include those on extensions with multi-entry ?

It says re-entry permit in the rule. But that does not mean you have to have one. Anybody that has a extension of stay does not have to do them.

[Dap]

I am thrilled to no longer face any anguish over simple travel to another province overnight or (possibly) a bit longer and I heartily applaud this momentous decision.  (me heartily applauding) 

[Don Mega]

34 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It says re-entry permit in the rule. But that does not mean you have to have one. Anybody that has a extension of stay does not have to do them.

Awesome, Thanks.

[SunsetT]

Last winter I arrived on a SE 90 day O retirement visa. I rented an apartment and the landlord registerered me at local immigration. When it expired I exited and re-entered with a SE Tourist visa. I didnt want to bother my landlord again so I didnt report again thinking no-one knows anyway. No problem and when it expired I exited and re-entered on 30 day Visa exempt. This time the IO told me to report to immigration within 24 hours. I realised that if I did that Id probably get fined for the previous re-entry so again, thinking no-one will know, I didnt report. No problem! It was not picked up which proves immigration offices and borders do not communicate online  or flag border re-entries (Even in the same town). However I doubt I would risk it again, as when the Covid crisis began, if Id wanted to stay, or had to stay in Thailand and needed to extend my visa, I probably would have had problems and been double-fined for the 2 previous 2 re-entries. Also there was always the niggling worry that any random immigration check for any reason might  catch me out; though I did risk assess the fact that, with low-key immigration where I stay, it had never happened in 13 years of previous 6 month winter visits.