Caution from Immigration Police

[Shannoblic]

Hi All,

 

Yesterday we had the home visit from the Immigration Police [our 3rd].  No problem - the two officers were polite, efficient and got on with the paperwork.

 

The [slight] problem arose when the [apparently] more senior officer commented that I had not informed Immigration when I returned home from a tri[p to the UK.

 

My understanding from my posted question a while ago in the Forum was that as long as you returned to your registered address you did not have to re-inform Immigration.  The kind advice in the Forum was this was the case.  'NO' said the officer.  Even if you spend one night away in a hotel you have to inform Immigration of your return.

 

There was no problem - just a cautionary comment for the future.  I may have got it all wrong in my understanding but I am not going to argue with Immigration Police.

[NE1]

Our immi. told me . if you do not leave Thailand and you return to the same address , no problem.

If you leave the country you have to report regardless.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, Shannoblic said:

'NO' said the officer.  Even if you spend one night away in a hotel you have to inform Immigration of your return.

The immigration officer was wrong. 

Which office. 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by DrJack54

[ubonjoe]

It seems they did not read the regulation immigration issued in June of 2020 stating that if you are on a extension of stay you do not need to do TM30 reports unless you change addresses or enter with a new visa.

You can download the order in English or Thai at number 30 or 31 in this pinned topic.

https://aseannow.com/topic/981135-laws-regulations-police-orders-etc/

 

[KannikaP]

32 minutes ago, NE1 said:

Our immi. told me . if you do not leave Thailand and you return to the same address , no problem.

If you leave the country you have to report regardless.

I have been to UK & UAE during the last 12 months, and stayed in hotels for Covid quarantine/tests. Got a three year old TM30 in my passport. Done 3 x 90 days and an Extension. No problems at Phitsanulok Immi.

Edited March 5, 2022 by KannikaP

[Shannoblic]

Thanks for your replies.  As I said, there was no real problem just a a caution for the future.  Ubonjoe - I have downloaded those documents and will read them - thank you.

 

     

[BritTim]

You handled the situation correctly. Even when you are quite sure the official is wrong, you do not unnecessarily make him lose face. He was not trying to be nasty. He was just an ignoramus.

[NE1]

11 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I have been to UK & UAE during the last 12 months, and stayed in hotels for Covid quarantine/tests. Done 3 x 90 days and an Extension. No problems at Phitsanulok Immi.

Different offices , different requirements. Been that way for years.

[DrJack54]

26 minutes ago, NE1 said:

If you leave the country you have to report regardless

That's not true.

You would only need to report if you change address or reenter with new visa or visa exempt..

[NE1]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That's not true.

You would only need to report if you change address or reenter with new visa or visa exempt..

It is true at the office I use.

[jak2002003]

20 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That's not true.

You would only need to report if you change address or reenter with new visa or visa exempt..

It is true at Chiang Mai office too.  We are told we have to do it if we leave the country and come back....even to the same address. 

 

We do not have to do it if we travel about inside Thailand.

 

You should know different immigration offices have different interpretations of the rules...it's up to them what they want to enforce....so you giving people blanket statements could well land someone in trouble. 

 

 

 

[Henryford]

23 minutes ago, NE1 said:

It is true at the office I use.

Surely the National Immigration rules apply to all offices.

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

You should know different immigration offices have different interpretations of the rules...it's up to them what they want to enforce....so you giving people blanket statements could well land someone in trouble.

It's a given that immigration offices play their own game.

A couple even require bank funds seasoned for 3 months instead of the correct 2.

Fact is CM are wrong regarding TM30 requirements.

I assume that you do not reenter with new visa or visa exempt. 

[ThailandRyan]

36 minutes ago, NE1 said:

It is true at the office I use.

Unfortunately your at the mercy of an ignorant officer and there can be no clear winner here.  Even though Immigration law covers the entire country and are supposed to be followed, each Immigration office is its own domain and they set there own rules in order to ensure a backhander is paid if necessary.  I faced that in Udon Thani versus here in BKK.

[YaiJung]

6 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

It is true at Chiang Mai office too.  We are told we have to do it if we leave the country and come back....even to the same address. 

 

We do not have to do it if we travel about inside Thailand.

 

You should know different immigration offices have different interpretations of the rules...it's up to them what they want to enforce....so you giving people blanket statements could well land someone in trouble. 

 

 

 

Seems to be luck of the draw.   I left the country last summer, returned through the quarantine program to the same address, didn't report to immigration and then extended my non-o visa in the fall without it being mentioned.  All this was at the Chiang Mai office.  In fact, through this whole mess the last few years I sometimes ignored or more often just forgot to do it, only updating my tm30 when moving to a different house.  Have done yearly extensions and 90 day reports without issue the entire time. 

[Shannoblic]

Dr Jack - if your question about re-entry was directed to me then no - I got a re-entry permit for my extension and was away for just under 4 weeks.  I returned under 'Test & Go' with a Thailand Pass and went through the procedure before my wife collected me at the hotel and we drove home.

My renewal extension is under consideration at the moment and I returned in December. 

[soi3eddie]

For the sake of 5 minutes on the computer I file my own TM30 each time I enter the contry. Print it out and put it in the passport. Never do it if having stayed at hotels etc. during period since last entry to the country. Not had any problems. Ask your immigration office to set you or your wife up on the TM30 system so that you can do it yourself. This wouldn't work if you rent your place though as landlord would need to file.

 

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, Shannoblic said:

Dr Jack - if your question about re-entry was directed to me then no - I got a re-entry permit for my extension and was away for just under 4 weeks.  I returned under 'Test & Go' with a Thailand Pass and went through the procedure before my wife collected me at the hotel and we drove home.

My renewal extension is under consideration at the moment and I returned in December. 

Yes. Since you had a reentry permit you were not required to make a TM30.

You have handled it the correct way in relation to the io that told you otherwise. 

I would have done the same.

What's that saying...."pick your fights" 

[RubbaJohnny]

Could part of the ever changing "application" of the rules,not the rule be that folks who stay at ASQ hotel get a TM30 done their which is on the database, then when you get back to your base the address changed.

 

When in doubt ask your Office or do a TM30 online.

 

As others have noted each office/officer seems to have impunity to interpret/apply/make up rules for which there are countless examples.

 

Of course anything that causes loss of face or confrontation to a monopoly over your stay needs prudence.

 

For many years I have had good advice base on current laws and situation from Joe and others , an invaluable resort which has enabled me to never need an agent or under the counter methods .

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Ask your immigration office to set you or your wife up on the TM30 system so that you can do it yourself. This wouldn't work if you rent your place though as landlord would need to file

So why on earth do we need our immigration office to register us on the TM30 online system when we don't need them to register us on the TM47 90-day online system?

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, NE1 said:

Our immi. told me . if you do not leave Thailand and you return to the same address , no problem.

If you leave the country you have to report regardless.

That's exactly the information I received from my local office when I applied for my reentry permit.

[NE1]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Unfortunately your at the mercy of an ignorant officer and there can be no clear winner here.  Even though Immigration law covers the entire country and are supposed to be followed, each Immigration office is its own domain and they set there own rules in order to ensure a backhander is paid if necessary

You are not telling me something I don't know .

We had a change of immigration officers a couple of years ago , what was good for the old officers , was not good for the new ones.

Every year I go to do my extension , I take 3 copies of everything i need and everything I think they might need.

Sometimes they want stuff and sometimes they don't.

I don't argue with them , I just give them what they want.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by NE1

[jak2002003]

In the old days at CM there were some imm officers who seemed to get a kick out of asking for documents and extra stuff that was not needed so they could tell you to come back...usually the next day...after you had been waiting in the heat and crowds all day.  

.

 

Thankfully it's not like that now and it's quite pleasant experience.

 

Back then I used to photocopy multiply complies of all documents and anything possibly they might ask for.  I used to hand the officer what was required and wait till they said there needed extra this one or that...then I presented I had just remembered I had them and pulled the extra document out of my bag.

 

Sometimes they would say extra things after that...and to their annoyance I would have them. 

 

I always made a note of what was required at that time...and nearly each time it changed. 

[big dendrobenaes]

OVER THE YEARS i have been many foreign countries from Thailand......never ONCE told them when i came back.......like many others i suppose !!!!

[soi3eddie]

4 hours ago, OJAS said:

So why on earth do we need our immigration office to register us on the TM30 online system when we don't need them to register us on the TM47 90-day online system?

I know. It should be as simple as self reporting. Unfortunately that is how they deigned the system. Frustrating, inneficient, unnecessary and often broken anyway. We are at their mercy as they interpret the rules and make new requirements on a whim. 

 

[ukrules]

7 hours ago, NE1 said:

It is true at the office I use.

That's the problem, they're making it up as they go so you have randomly enforced sets of legitimate rules and non rules which may have been actual regulations years ago but these dinosaurs choose to implement them.

 

I guess it depends on how much they hate you.

 

[tonray]

6 hours ago, OJAS said:

So why on earth do we need our immigration office to register us on the TM30 online system when we don't need them to register us on the TM47 90-day online system?

You don't. Can register yourself . GF's ID and housebook, and I installed app on my phone and good to go.

[ChaiyaTH]

4 hours ago, big dendrobenaes said:

OVER THE YEARS i have been many foreign countries from Thailand......never ONCE told them when i came back.......like many others i suppose !!!!

I never did it unless starting to live in a new place as main base again when signing the contract.

 

Never had issues with it either except once in CM, but they make issues of so many things, that's why I get the visa done in BKK / Isaan via agent now, easy life since the past 3 years with multi re-entry.

Edited March 5, 2022 by ChaiyaTH

[connda]

9 hours ago, Shannoblic said:

The kind advice in the Forum was this was the case.  'NO' said the officer.  Even if you spend one night away in a hotel you have to inform Immigration of your return.

It depends on your immigration office.  It seems individual IOs can interpret immigration law anyway they see fit. So now you understand how your immigration office works.  Given that you've had 3 home visits, you should know that they are a bunch of hard-a***s.  Most immigration offices don't want you to report unless you've left the country and returned.

Edited March 5, 2022 by connda

[ChaiyaTH]

He just wanted to have something to say and show his power with, legally he either should have issued the fine of 700-1400 baht or not talk much more. Just nonsense as usual.