Police/immigration asking Condo jurisdiction for TM 30

[akda]

Hey Everyone,

 

We are living in a condo in Bangkok since 4+ years. First time, the condo jurisdiction asked me to provide the TM 30 form by September 20, 2024.

 

Here's some info if it helps:

We have Non-immigrant visa under BOI. Got visa at Chamchuri Square Bangkok.

This Year, I’ve been in Thailand since March 2024, and last month, I was in Pattaya. I haven’t traveled anywhere else since then.

I reached out to my landlord, and it appears that they never filed the TM 30 form.

 

 

I have a few questions:

1. Can the police or immigration authorities come to my condo to check for the TM 30?
2. What are the implications if we don’t have the TM 30?
3. Can I file the TM 30 form myself?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Maestro]

22 minutes ago, akda said:

...

I have a few questions:

1. Can the police or immigration authorities come to my condo to check for the TM 30?
2. What are the implications if we don’t have the TM 30?
3. Can I file the TM 30 form myself?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

1. No

 

 2. A fine, usually THB 800 but some immigration offices sometimes collect more.

 

3. Yes, as the householder because you are the possessor of the condo unit in your capacity as tenant.

[akda]

11 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

1. No

 

 2. A fine, usually THB 800 but some immigration offices sometimes collect more.

 

3. Yes, as the householder because you are the possessor of the condo unit in your capacity as tenant.

 

Seem my jurisdiction is lying they informed owner that Govt official coming to check. So asked owner to provide TM 30.

[Rob Browder]

1 hour ago, akda said:

Can I file the TM 30 form myself?

Yes, if the condo-owner will provide signed-copies of their ID-Card, Chanote for your condo, and Housebook for your condo.  Plus, the lease, of course - which assume you already have.

 

When renting a condo in Thailand, one must insist upon receiving those from the landlord or landlord's agent, before handing over the money.  That way, you are in control of your TM-30 reporting, and do not have to worry about problems with immigration in the future.

[akda]

6 minutes ago, Rob Browder said:

Yes, if the condo-owner will provide signed-copies of their ID-Card, Chanote for your condo, and Housebook for your condo.  Plus, the lease, of course - which assume you already have.

 

When renting a condo in Thailand, one must insist upon receiving those from the landlord or landlord's agent, before handing over the money.  That way, you are in control of your TM-30 reporting, and do not have to worry about problems with immigration in the future.

 

Thanks.

 

Seem like my condo jurisdiction is on power trip.

 

Jurisdiction is lying. Jurisdiction informed owner that Govt official coming to check at condo. So asked owner to provide TM 30.

 

I checked with other expat tenants but none was asked for this apart from me.

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

48 minutes ago, akda said:

Seem my jurisdiction is lying they informed owner that Govt official coming to check. So asked owner to provide TM 30.

Here on Samui they do go round checking - especially in the area where I live (lots of rental properties).

Folk that I know have been taken to the immigration office because they had no TM 30.

Luckily we were ably to help their landlord to register and process one PDQ. They were in the system by the time they were called to the desk (there was a long queue in front of them).

[mokwit]

Just now, akda said:

Can the police or immigration authorities come to my condo to check for the TM 30?

Yes. There are reported cases of them going to people's residence and people being fined for no TM30. It is more likely that they went there for another reason e.g. thought on overstay or somesuch and when this was not so homed in on unfiled TM30 as a way of justifying the visit.

[Mason45]

I've never even had one police visit since I started using an agent 10 years ago. To me the agent fees are money well spent in keeping the immigration wolves from knocking on my door.

[redinvestor]

Not sure if it has changed but previously visas issued at BOI/Chamchuri Square did not need to report TM30.

[Caldera]

2 hours ago, Maestro said:

1. No

 

Of course they can, and they do. They might have a specific reason to target a particular condo or have just been tasked with making the rounds in an area.

[jippytum]

The condo management and immigration have a right to check the TM30 notifications

Air B &B

and rentals of less than one month are illegal.

Our condo management assist in tm30 requirements. i am happy they do check. 

[jeffandgop]

14 hours ago, Mason45 said:

I've never even had one police visit since I started using an agent 10 years ago. To me the agent fees are money well spent in keeping the immigration wolves from knocking on my door.

And I don't use an agent and never even had one police visit since I moved top my present address 10 years ago

[Sorted2024]

Any immigration office can go to any Condo block to ask for anything pertaining to the immigration status of the residents or tourists located there.

[ChipButty]

The immigration have the power to visit any property they want, some years ago they visited lots of condo blocks along Sukhumvit area checking for TM30, 

[Dan O]

21 hours ago, akda said:

 

Thanks.

 

Seem like my condo jurisdiction is on power trip.

 

Jurisdiction is lying. Jurisdiction informed owner that Govt official coming to check at condo. So asked owner to provide TM 30.

 

I checked with other expat tenants but none was asked for this apart from me.

 

 

The jurisdiction person doesn't normal provide tm30. His comment to the owner was probably to prompt the owner to do the tm30 for you 

[SS1]

Filing the TM30 is the landlord's responsibility and not yours.

 

The BOI Immigration (One-Stop Service) in Bangkok does not require a TM30 for visa extensions or 90-day reports (as of speaking). So you don't really need to worry about it. I never filed a single TM30 during 6 years in Bangkok.

 

If the condo juristic office is asking for it, tell them to contact the landlord. It's not your problem. 

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, Maestro said:

23 hours ago, akda said:

I have a few questions:

1. Can the police or immigration authorities come to my condo to check for the TM 30?
2. What are the implications if we don’t have the TM 30?
3. Can I file the TM 30 form myself?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

1. No

Really?  What prevents IO's from making TM30 checks at his condo?

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, akda said:

 

Seem my jurisdiction is lying they informed owner that Govt official coming to check. So asked owner to provide TM 30.

Maybe the Juristic Person wasn't lying, maybe they were told that checks were to be made or that the owner/possessor had to make the report? 

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, akda said:

I checked with other expat tenants but none was asked for this apart from me.

Maybe their TM30s had been done!

[Gaccha]

One radical difference this year in Bangkok is the police are now requiring your details on the TM30 to be instantly updated after you receive an extension/change to visa.

 

So the day you get an extension/change, the person dealing with the TM30 should be sent a photocopy/scan of your passport extension to send the details. You can then ask them to take a screenshot of the current data on you that they inputted on the system.

 

The data states your immigration status (e.g. NON-B) and the date of expiry. You should ensure it's correct. Sloppy errors are common when the matter is unimportant to the inputter. 

 

The police are clearly increasingly relying on these details. Just a few years back, they didn't care so long as they knew where you were.

[Liquorice]

10 hours ago, SS1 said:

Filing the TM30 is the landlord's responsibility and not yours.

Incorrect.
Read section 38 and section 4 of the Immigration Act as to who is responsible to file a TM30.

[Rob Browder]

10 hours ago, SS1 said:

Filing the TM30 is the landlord's responsibility and not yours.

Given no warning to those coming here, it makes sense the landlord should handle it.  But Immigration may make it your problem, if you don't have it when you see them to get an extension or other service.  

 

When they first started this, I read about it online, and immediately filed one after my next entry to the country.  When I went to immigration for an extension, I watched immigration slap 2K Baht fines on everyone in a crowded office except those who read the FB groups or "thaivisa," and those obtaining retirement extensions (who did not have to file them for years). 

[BrandonJT]

1 minute ago, Rob Browder said:

Given no warning to those coming here, it makes sense the landlord should handle it.  But Immigration may make it your problem, if you don't have it when you see them to get an extension or other service.  

 

When they first started this, I read about it online, and immediately filed one after my next entry to the country.  When I went to immigration for an extension, I watched immigration slap 2K Baht fines on everyone in a crowded office except those who read the FB groups or "thaivisa," and those obtaining retirement extensions (who did not have to file them for years). 

Never heard of a 2000 baht TM30 fine.  The fine for failure to do a 90 day report is 2000 baht though.

[Rob Browder]

1 minute ago, BrandonJT said:

Never heard of a 2000 baht TM30 fine.  The fine for failure to do a 90 day report is 2000 baht though.

They had a makeshift TM-30 office set-up just for these - I was in there for a couple hours to file mine, and watched the debates ensue.  The final offer was always the same - "you pay or you leave."  I don't know what they fine for filing-late these days.

[Liquorice]

2 minutes ago, Rob Browder said:

They had a makeshift TM-30 office set-up just for these - I was in there for a couple hours to file mine, and watched the debates ensue.  The final offer was always the same - "you pay or you leave."  I don't know what they fine for filing-late these days.

They can fine a maximum of 2,000 BHT, but 80 BHT is fairly standard.

[Liquorice]

12 minutes ago, Rob Browder said:

When they first started this, I read about it online, and immediately filed one after my next entry to the country.  When I went to immigration for an extension, I watched immigration slap 2K Baht fines on everyone in a crowded office except those who read the FB groups or "thaivisa," and those obtaining retirement extensions (who did not have to file them for years). 

I recall back around 2015/16, particularly at CW, when foreigners offered TM30's and they refused them.
Then suddenly they started to enforce the TM30's again, and fined even those that had previously tried to file them.

[Mason45]

5 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

Never heard of a 2000 baht TM30 fine.  The fine for failure to do a 90 day report is 2000 baht though.

I live between my Bangkok home and my Pattaya condo. After getting a marriage visa in Bangkok for 10 years I decided to use my condo address in Pattaya and get a retirement visa by an agent. If I'm in Bangkok when my 90 days in due I try to do my 90 days report online. Many times it doesn't work, so I drive to Pattaya and let the agent do the report for me. Which raises another point, how can an agent do your 90 days report. It's supposed to be so  that the Immigration are aware of where your living. I've lived in Thailand for 24 years and I soon discovered to just play the Immigration game and you'll never have any problems.

[SS1]

7 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Given no warning to those coming here, it makes sense the landlord should handle it.  But Immigration may make it your problem, if you don't have it when you see them to get an extension or other service.  

 

When they first started this, I read about it online, and immediately filed one after my next entry to the country.  When I went to immigration for an extension, I watched immigration slap 2K Baht fines on everyone in a crowded office except those who read the FB groups or "thaivisa," and those obtaining retirement extensions (who did not have to file them for years). 

 

Yes that is correct in normal circumstances but given OP has a visa issued by the BOI immigration in Bangkok, the TM30 requirement is not enforced by them. Otherwise, they will absolutely make it your problem during visa renewals (e.g. in Chiang Mai immigration). 

[akda]

7 hours ago, SS1 said:

 

Yes that is correct in normal circumstances but given OP has a visa issued by the BOI immigration in Bangkok, the TM30 requirement is not enforced by them. Otherwise, they will absolutely make it your problem during visa renewals (e.g. in Chiang Mai immigration). 

 

Well in that case am all set.

I no need to see immigration for next 4 year. I got 4 year visa which expires in 2028.