Thailand Introduces Online TM6 as Tourism Fee Faces Delays

[Mike_Hunt]

10 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

The TM6 will be reintroduced on the 1st may, you will have to fill out. if you want to enter the country, end of story !!

That's a step backwards. 

[MangoKorat]

2 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Well for one i think you are total  paranoid about this !! The TM6 And TM30 have been used for 15years i know of, no complaints,

Quite the opposite -  I just hate wasting my time doing things that I know won't have any effect/work.  Much like the Covid thing I mentioned - getting my 7 day test done took 2 visits to a hospital quite some distance away.  For what?  The App didn't work and nobody checked if it had. I'd previously had visions of the police knocking on my door - they didn't.

 

The old paper TM6 was just a joke - you could put any fictitious address you wanted on it - nobody checked. How will this one work?  Youre asked to download an app probably but when?  On entry? Will you be allowed to leave the airport until you've shown your registered? How will that stop you going somewhere else?

 

Its a waste of time and it won't work.

[MangoKorat]

10 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Thailand has always Tracked Tourist and expats,

No they haven't - they have just gone through the motions. They had no idea where most tourists actually went when they left the airport

 

Nobody ever checked if you were actually staying where you said you were.  There wasn't enough room on a TM6 to write most Thai addresses and there was no requirement for you to tell them where you were staying if you moved.

 

They didn't check before and they won't check this time.

[MikeandDow]

6 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

Quite the opposite -  I just hate wasting my time doing things that I know won't have any effect/work.  Much like the Covid thing I mentioned - getting my 7 day test done took 2 visits to a hospital quite some distance away.  For what?  The App didn't work and nobody checked if it had. I'd previously had visions of the police knocking on my door - they didn't.

 

The old paper TM6 was just a joke - you could put any fictitious address you wanted on it - nobody checked. How will this one work?  Youre asked to download an app probably but when?  On entry? Will you be allowed to leave the airport until you've shown your registered? How will that stop you going somewhere else?

 

Its a waste of time and it won't work.

As I said Its there system if it works or not, not up to you, if you want to come into this country you will jump through the hoop end of story!!  as I said Thailand for years has Track tourist and expats  whether it worked or not no idea not intrested !!  and you seemed to be asuming a lot,  people will just have to wait till its rolled out

[Ben Zioner]

Thought the TM6 had been dropped? Haven't seen one for years.

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 1/24/2025 at 11:31 AM, DFPhuket said:

In all of these countries it speeds up the arrival process either by not requiring an immigration officer to manually enter data or by allowing eGates where you simply scan your passport and the gates open.

 

It hasn't speeded up the arrival process in Cambodia. Still the same as it ever was.

[MangoKorat]

2 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

if you want to come into this country you will jump through the hoop end of story!! 

Yes I will, I have no choice but tourists have. Tourist numbers are going up at the moment but that may not always be the case. Introducing things that have the potential to make tourists feel uncomfortable is maybe not the best way to boost figures especially when other S.E. Asian countries are looking to increase their tourism revenue.

[josephbloggs]

5 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

Yes I will, I have no choice but tourists have. Tourist numbers are going up at the moment but that may not always be the case. Introducing things that have the potential to make tourists feel uncomfortable is maybe not the best way to boost figures especially when other S.E. Asian countries are looking to increase their tourism revenue.

So a family in the UK saves up for their dream holiday to Thailand, then they hear they need to fill out an online arrival card (same as in many other countries). They'll cancel their holiday immediately!! Can't have two minutes wasted on filling out a form, oh no!!!

Tourism will come crashing down, the economy will tank, we're all doomed.

[Hawaiian]

6 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

Well for one i think you are total  paranoid about this !! The TM6 And TM30 have been used for 15years i know of, no complaints, Thailand has always Tracked Tourist and expats,  it is just the way it is, never been a big deal, I was not in Thailand when covid was about so i dont know anything about a 7day test, now they want to go online so what !! there will be paper available, your bitching about some thing that has not happened yet !!  and iam sure if the Tourist dont want to fill out the forms they wont come !! thats up to Thailand to sort out !  and if you dont like it you know what you can do !!  

No complaints?  Lot's of them, but who listens to a bunch of tourists that contribute to the Thai economy?  "you know what you can do!!" is just the attitude why things can go south.  Successful businesses listen to their customers and the tourist industry is a business.

[Hawaiian]

6 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

No they haven't - they have just gone through the motions. They had no idea where most tourists actually went when they left the airport

 

Nobody ever checked if you were actually staying where you said you were.  There wasn't enough room on a TM6 to write most Thai addresses and there was no requirement for you to tell them where you were staying if you moved.

 

They didn't check before and they won't check this time.

I've always wondered what happens to all the TM6s that have been submitted.  Shredded up to use as mulch or stored in a warehouse owned by a connected someone charging exorbitant rent?

[Hawaiian]

7 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Of course I do but I doubt 99.9% of tourists know about the TM30. Do you actually think a tourist would check to make sure they were registered if they moved to stay with a Thai friend for example? 

 

I've stayed at plenty of hotels where my girlfriend has dealt with the booking - my passport wasn't asked for so no TM30 was done.

 

In any case, you are just being obtuse.  My point in the post you initially quoted was that tourists are not going to like having a phone app or any other form of tracking. 

 

That is the underying reasoning behind all this - the Thai government have brought it all up before, several times.  They want the ability to track the whereabouts of a particular tourist - current and past locations. They think that by doing so it will help them to identify people involved in a crime or overstaying.

 

The last time this was proposed, they thought they could make tourists use a SIM card which they had to put in their phone and that would be used to track them.  Would you want to replace your SIM with a government one?  Its Thailand not China or North Korea - people on their holidays just don't want even the feeling they're being tracked.

 

Apart from that - have you ever known any Thai online system work properly?  Did you ever try to send your 7 day Covid test results?  When the App didn't work, were you worried you'd be stopped at the airport upon leaving, thinking you'd be arrested for not complying, even though you'd tried?  I and thousands of others probably had that experience but in fact nothing happened. In any case - even if the system did work and I had been able to send my 7 day test results - they had no way of knowing if I'd tested myself of the family dog.

 

I'll tell you what all this is about - its about money. Someone high up in the authorities will have a cousin who has a company that will create the app that tracks tourists and everyone will feed from the trough. They won't care one jot that the App isn't actually capable of tracking anyone because they don't care - they will have had their feast.

 

People entering bent on commiting crime would simply leave the phone in their room or take the govt SIM out, there would be no check on that or action until afterwards.

 

So I'll turn it around - 'do you not know how things work around here'?

 

I repeat what I said in the post you originally quoted:

 

This will really go down well with tourists.

I always let my Thai girlfriend handle the hotel check in process.  Sometimes my passport was asked for and sometimes not.  Most of the time we stayed at the family home.  That's the address I entered on the TM6.

[bristolgeoff]

From what i know the phillipines has a online thing u fill in before entry free of course.Tells them who is coming and with the passport they know everything.Online forms takes 5 mins to complete so the thais if they do the same i,am ok with that.You don,t do it on the plane or at passport controll.

[Spilornis]

The form is the norm these days but in Thailand's case it's also the precursor to the tourist fee.

Let's hop the website/app is more friendly than some others. Indonesia is a pain to say the least.

Also would be useful if you could opt to retain info for your next visit or dare I say if Countries had common questions that you could prefill before their "special local" questions

[redwood1]

And what of all the land border crossers who just come over for the day.....What address and telephone number in Thailand will they use?

 

Same for cruise ships...

 

And whats to stop people from using fake addresses and fake phone numbers?........Nothing, thats what........So much for stopping illicit  activities......

 

Things work just fine WITHOUT the TM6....

[MangoKorat]

10 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

I've always wondered what happens to all the TM6s that have been submitted.  Shredded up to use as mulch or stored in a warehouse owned by a connected someone charging exorbitant rent?

There was an article about that not so long ago - apparently storage of all the old TM6's was one of the main reasons they were discontinued.

[MangoKorat]

13 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

So a family in the UK saves up for their dream holiday to Thailand, then they hear they need to fill out an online arrival card (same as in many other countries). They'll cancel their holiday immediately!! Can't have two minutes wasted on filling out a form, oh no!!!

Tourism will come crashing down, the economy will tank, we're all doomed.

Its not about 2 minutes spent filling in your details - if they introduce the previously proposed SIM card thing, it will be the reluctance to feel like they are being tracked that will make the difference.

 

Remember, whilst many members here have a connection to Thailand - tourists have choices.

[MikeandDow]

2 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Its not about 2 minutes spent filling in your details - if they introduce the previously proposed SIM card thing, it will be the reluctance to feel like they are being tracked that will make the difference.

 

Remember, whilst many members here have a connection to Thailand - tourists have choices.

Where does it say anything about SIM Card use, is it just in your head !! Total Paranoia !! and Yes Tourist have choices to come or not, not up to you !!

[VBF]

10 hours ago, Spilornis said:

The form is the norm these days but in Thailand's case it's also the precursor to the tourist fee.

Let's hop the website/app is more friendly than some others. Indonesia is a pain to say the least.

Also would be useful if you could opt to retain info for your next visit or dare I say if Countries had common questions that you could prefill before their "special local" questions

If they make it as easy as the eVisa application, it won't take but 10 minutes. I no longer need a Tourist Visa (visa-exempt now 60 days) but the first time I applied, it was very "clunky".

By 2023 it was easy as pie with fewer documents requested, and saved me having to send my passport to London for a visa.

 

From the OP,  it says " Thailand is set to launch an online TM6 immigration form from May 1."

I think we know from past experience, that what is said in January is likely to be very different from what happens in May!

"A pivotal meeting is slated for January 31" so whatever happens after that may be vastly different to what is proposed now!

Also, the OP doesn't even mention needing a phone - I used my desktop when I applied for my eVisa as I mentioned above.

 

And to those who worry about being tracked - please!!!!!  Everywhere you go in the world now, the capability exists to track us all, phones, car licence plates, surveillance cameras, electronic payment, blah blah. My Google timeline knows when I visit the supermarket. I could switch it off but do I care who knows where I buy  my groceries?

 

The truth, I believe, is this which was told to me by a friend, a retired senior (Det Chief Inspector) police officer in the UK: "Yes, we have the technology, but neither the manpower nor the time to even keep on top of suspected criminals, let alone bother tracking the general public"  Recent events have borne this out.

 

All the FUD on this thread would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic...chill out and wait and see folks!

 

 

[MangoKorat]

3 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

Where does it say anything about SIM Card use, is it just in your head !! Total Paranoia !! and Yes Tourist have choices to come or not, not up to you !!

There you go with the paranoia accusations again. Do you understand the word 'if' - or are you just one of those who skim reads and draws conclusions based on what they think they've read?

[MangoKorat]

1 hour ago, VBF said:

I think we know from past experience, that what is said in January is likely to be very different from what happens in May!

Agreed, much like road safety proposals we hear every New Year and Songkran - the Thai government talk a lot but do very little.  I just don't understand why the subject of tracking foreigners in one form or another seems to come up every few months.

 

Its only my opinion but they should just leave it alone - criminals wll get in one way or another if they really want to, ways are always found.  Drawing a parallel with car security - various measures have been taken and security upgraded over the years. Now the criminals break into your house and steal your keys - or worse, carjack you, car thefts are actually up.

 

I think they just like talking about this.  Nothing they do will actually stop tourists going somewhere other than they have stated - unless they propose introducing chaperones

[redwood1]

Well one thing I will say is there is almost 100% agreement here that the TM6 is a stupid idea and almost every one is against it.......Except for a few.... Its their country and their rules....Suck ups....

[MikeandDow]

1 hour ago, MangoKorat said:

There you go with the paranoia accusations again. Do you understand the word 'if' - or are you just one of those who skim reads and draws conclusions based on what they think they've read?

All asumptions !!! 

Facts are required NOT asumptions or your opinions

(in factual areas such as, but not limited to news,)

[MangoKorat]

20 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

All asumptions !!! 

Facts are required NOT asumptions or your opinions

(in factual areas such as, but not limited to news,)

Are they?  Funny, I thought this was a place where we discussed things.