Two questions. 1.Regarding staying in another Provins than registered / 2.New online registration form used by apartments, hotels etc.

[Felt 35]

Last year and I will do the same this year, I stay in another province 5 months of the year than where my main address in Thailand is registered (where the family lives). Last year I changed my address to avoid and travel halfway around the country for a 90-day report and am thinking and doing the same this year, but allow me to ask if there is another legal solution?

 

Regarding the new online registration form used by apartment hotels for Immigration which I got a copy of from the apartment hotel. Its just an A4 sheet with the Immigration emblem in the top left corner, followed by check in date/number of nights of stay and under that my passport number, citizenship, first name/surname, gender, date of birth.
But the apartment hotel has not filled in anything under telephone number, date of issue, TM number (not actual), visa type, expiry date of stay or point of entry. Still they say this is ok and the way they do it. Is it okay?

Btw, retired and on Non-O retirement visa.

 

Thanks

Felt

Edited October 31, 2023 by Felt 35

[Red Phoenix]

46 minutes ago, Felt 35 said:

Last year and I will do the same this year, I stay in another province 5 months of the year than where my main address in Thailand is registered (where the family lives). Last year I changed my address to avoid and travel halfway around the country for a 90-day report and am thinking and doing the same this year, but allow me to ask if there is another legal solution?

There are 3 options for doing the 90-day report:

1- Doing it in person at the Imm Office where you have your official address for imm purposes - then it has to be done during the window from 14 days before due date till due date, but when doing it in person you also have a '6 day grace period'  allowing you to do it without any repercussions until 6 days after due date.

2 - Doing it on-line, using this web-link > https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/login

then it has to be done in the window from 14 days before due date till actual due date (and there is no grace period).  Note that the program does not allow you to report when you try too early or after due date.

Depending on the Imm Office you are reporting to, the confirmation can be quick (same day) to very slow (sometimes arriving AFTER due date).  So when doing your 90-day report on-line it is recommended to do it as early as possible (14 days before due date).

3 - Sending it by mail.  Generally not recommended, as in that case according to Imm procedures they need to receive your 90-day report 15 days before due date (although in practice they seldom adhere to that ridiculous time-line).

Edited October 31, 2023 by Red Phoenix

[Felt 35]

50 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

There are 3 options for doing the 90-day report:

1- Doing it in person at the Imm Office where you have your official address for imm purposes - then it has to be done during the window from 14 days before due date till due date, but when doing it in person you also have a '6 day grace period'  allowing you to do it without any repercussions until 6 days after due date.

2 - Doing it on-line, using this web-link > https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/login

then it has to be done in the window from 14 days before due date till actual due date (and there is no grace period).  Note that the program does not allow you to report when you try too early or after due date.

Depending on the Imm Office you are reporting to, the confirmation can be quick (same day) to very slow (sometimes arriving AFTER due date).  So when doing your 90-day report on-line it is recommended to do it as early as possible (14 days before due date).

3 - Sending it by mail.  Generally not recommended, as in that case according to Imm procedures they need to receive your 90-day report 15 days before due date (although in practice they seldom adhere to that ridiculous time-line).

 

Okay, but what is the point of 90-day reporting and can it be legal to do that online since in this case I am reporting the address online from a different Provins than where I have my registered address and are supposed to be found and if for some reason Immigration wants to contact me or do one of these checking's on where foreigners actually are staying in the country, what then?

Felt

 

[Red Phoenix]

1 hour ago, Felt 35 said:

 

Okay, but what is the point of 90-day reporting and can it be legal to do that online since in this case I am reporting the address online from a different Provins than where I have my registered address and are supposed to be found and if for some reason Immigration wants to contact me or do one of these checking's on where foreigners actually are staying in the country, what then?

Felt

 

You are not a prisoner, confined to stay at your official address for Immigration purposes.

The 90-day report is nothing more than a confirmation from your part that your official address for immigration purposes is still the same and has not changed. 

As you are on a 1-year extension of a Non Imm O Retirement Visa, there is no reason for Immigration to check whether you are 'always at home'.  And in the extremely rare case that Immigration would want to visit you, they always phone beforehand to avoid that they make the journey for nothing because you being on holiday in another part of Thailand.

[Felt 35]

2 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

You are not a prisoner, confined to stay at your official address for Immigration purposes.

The 90-day report is nothing more than a confirmation from your part that your official address for immigration purposes is still the same and has not changed. 

As you are on a 1-year extension of a Non Imm O Retirement Visa, there is no reason for Immigration to check whether you are 'always at home'.  And in the extremely rare case that Immigration would want to visit you, they always phone beforehand to avoid that they make the journey for nothing because you being on holiday in another part of Thailand.

 

Good to hear I'm not a prisoner😌🙂 Do you have any recommendation on when I should do the online report as the next 90 day report is 13 Jan 2024 and two weeks before that date is 31 Dec 2023 and the Thailand New Year holiday has started and all official offices are closed and at the same time as I checked Thai Immigration's website, an advertisement popped up on the Immigration website saying that December 29 is also a public holiday! 🤔

Felt

[Expat68]

By law you are not allowed to live in another province to the one you are registered at (you can be deported) Just change your residence and you should be ok. When Thai immigration visited our house 3 months ago I asked them the reason, they said because people live elsewhere to where they are registered 

[Red Phoenix]

43 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

By law you are not allowed to live in another province to the one you are registered at (you can be deported) Just change your residence and you should be ok. When Thai immigration visited our house 3 months ago I asked them the reason, they said because people live elsewhere to where they are registered 

 

By law you can make as many and as long trips to anywhere in Thailand or abroad while on a 1-year extension of stay of a Non Imm O Retirement Visa.  Obviously your address must be genuine but in the OP's case it is indeed his place of residence.  A fake address is not allowed (like when you make use of a Fixer Agent who applies for your Visa or extension at an Imm Office in a different province where he has 'connections'). 

OP was asking for a legal solution to get rid of the hassle of having to 'relocate' every 6 months as he is living half of the year in a different place than where he has his official residence. 

And it is clear from what he wrote that if he is not actually relocating, and that he can simply keep his official address at the province where he is residing, as he would be on 'holiday' in the other place.  And there would be no reason to make the trip to the Imm Office where he has his official address just for doing the 90-day report in person, as he could easily do it on-line. 

In the rare case that the Imm Office would want to visit him after being already more than 1 year on a 1-year extension of stay at the same place, he would receive a telephone call to announce the visit.  And if he is not there but at his other place, he can truthfully say that he is on holiday and make an appointment on a date when he would be at his official residence.

[Felt 35]

57 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

By law you are not allowed to live in another province to the one you are registered at (you can be deported) Just change your residence and you should be ok. When Thai immigration visited our house 3 months ago I asked them the reason, they said because people live elsewhere to where they are registered 

 

That's how I thought it was, but what does the law say? In any case, I will "work" with the landlord to get them to draw up a lease for 5 months.

Felt

[Red Phoenix]

9 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

 

Good to hear I'm not a prisoner😌🙂 Do you have any recommendation on when I should do the online report as the next 90 day report is 13 Jan 2024 and two weeks before that date is 31 Dec 2023 and the Thailand New Year holiday has started and all official offices are closed and at the same time as I checked Thai Immigration's website, an advertisement popped up on the Immigration website saying that December 29 is also a public holiday! 🤔

Felt

 

You can do the 90-day report on-line on 31st december.  Obviously due to New Year holidays it will be only handled during the working-days of the Imm Office where you have your official address. 

If by 12 January 2024 you did not receive a confirmation from the Imm Office (you can check the status of your 90-day report notification on-line), you could call the Imm Office and ask why it is still pending.  If for one reason or another they want you to do it in person, you then still have time till 19 January to visit the Imm Office (as there is a 6-day grace period when doing the 90-day report in person). 

[HappyExpat57]

I lived in Chanthaburi for about a year while maintaining a condo in Jomtien where I had the TM30 registered. It was a royal pain in the butt. Chanthaburi immigration refused any and all services except one re-entry stamp. I closed out the Jomtien place and moved all my stuff to Chanthaburi and registered as such, but can't wait until I'm done with this place. Complain all you want about Jomtien IO, they're many times better than Chanthaburi.

[Expat68]

36 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

 

By law you can make as many and as long trips to anywhere in Thailand or abroad while on a 1-year extension of stay of a Non Imm O Retirement Visa.  Obviously your address must be genuine but in the OP's case it is indeed his place of residence.  A fake address is not allowed (like when you make use of a Fixer Agent who applies for your Visa or extension at an Imm Office in a different province where he has 'connections'). 

OP was asking for a legal solution to get rid of the hassle of having to 'relocate' every 6 months as he is living half of the year in a different place than where he has his official residence. 

And it is clear from what he wrote that if he is not actually relocating, and that he can simply keep his official address at the province where he is residing, as he would be on 'holiday' in the other place.  And there would be no reason to make the trip to the Imm Office where he has his official address just for doing the 90-day report in person, as he could easily do it on-line. 

In the rare case that the Imm Office would want to visit him after being already more than 1 year on a 1-year extension of stay at the same place, he would receive a telephone call to announce the visit.  And if he is not there but at his other place, he can truthfully say that he is on holiday and make an appointment on a date when he would be at his official residence.

I am just quoting what the immigration officer said to me

[Red Phoenix]

3 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

I am just quoting what the immigration officer said to me

~

Yes, the Imm Officer is correct that you cannot permanently live at another address than the one you are registered at in the province where you have your official address for immigration purposes.

But nothing prohibits you from making trips and lengthy 'holiday' stays at other places, as long as you are genuinely residing at your official address (even if most of the time you are not there).

[CMBob]

Technically, I understand that the OP is required to have a new TM30 filed for his "5-month" place and then file TM47s for that location while he's there.  Then have a new TM30 filed when he returns to the family location (which I think he refers to as his "main" address) so he can file TM47s while there.

 

But what would I do?   I'd forget all that and just keep filing online for my main  address (TM30 registered address) unless and until that ever becomes a problem (if a filing is rejected, then I'd do whatever is necessary to fix that). 

Edited November 1, 2023 by CMBob

[Felt 35]

Well, I stand corrected after a visit to Immigration with TM 30 and all other necessary documentation from landlord for new address registration. Then Immigration told me you are already registered online with new address so what can we help you with? Bummer😯 but I'm old and old fashion and "hang" in the old system and don't really fully get along with online this and online that. Anyway, thanks to all inputs. Edited, immigration also told me then as online registered I can do the 90-day report here on my "away from family" address.

Felt

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Felt 35