Can a knowlegable Person please confirm the latest (2026) TM28/TM30 arrangements at CM Immigration when travelling, and staying in Hotels, inside Thailand.

I am registered as staying at an address in Chiang Mai (through a TM28).

If I, eg, travel as a Tourist to the South of Thailand, and stay in a Hotel and the Hotel registers me as a Guest (through a TM30), ... after my trip, will it be necessary for me to go to CM-Immigration to re-register my CM-address again at CM-Immigration (through a new TM28) ? ... Or is The [National] System somehow able to recognise that I was only a temporary/travelling Guest ? ... Is there a way for the Hotel to register a TM30 for me that doesn't change my permanent-address in CM ?

-- Many Foreign-Residents in CM must be travelling around the Country ... I just wonder how they "conduct-their-Business" re. the TM30-situation.

14 hours ago, andersonat said:

- Many Foreign-Residents in CM must be travelling around the Country ... I just wonder how they "conduct-their-Business" re. the TM30-situation.

Bumping your thread as no response.

I cannot advise specifically on CM.

For travel and temporary stays inside Thailand a TM30 and/or TM28 should not be required when returning to your usual place of residence (home) in CM.

Having stated that CM immigration has their M.O and in particular seem fussy about TM30.

Doesn't help but by way of example I deal with CW and only ever do a TM30 prior to doing my annual extensions.

I travel a lot inside and outside of Thailand and never do a TM30.

Hopefully someone dealing with CM will post first hand report

Can't say as far as CM goes, but here in NongKhai it just seems to matter which officer you get, or how the boss feels about it. We have been told by an officer there that as long as we didn't travel outside of Thailand and returned to our normal residence, we didn't need to do a TM30 when we returned home. But a couple of years later in the same situation we were told we should have done a TM30. There were no fines or consequences though, just the suggestion to do one next time.

You don't need to refile at TM30 in Chiang Mai after travel, either domestically or internationally.

On 1/22/2026 at 7:56 AM, lordblackader said:

You don't need to refile at TM30 in Chiang Mai after travel, either domestically or internationally.

Before I travelled to Vietnam last year I attended CM Imm Office to enquire as to whether a new TM30 was required upon my return, even though I was returning to my usual address which they had on record. I was told that I MUST have a new TM30 submitted as it was returning from international travel, even if it was to the same address. So CM do require a new TM30 after international travel.

I also have farang friends in this neck of the woods who returned from international travel last year (Canada & USA respectively) and they also had to do new TM30's.

Where you would most likely strike issues after international travel would be with our first 90 day report upon your return, as it has to be in person, not online, and that's where you might strike an IO having a bad day give you grief because your TM30 is not up to date in his/her opinion.

With regards to domestic travel, it's not necessary, but sometimes you get a pedantic IO that insists on one especially when it's your first 90 day report after returning from that travel. When I travel within Thailand I only ever use my pink ID or drivers license when checking in to hotels. That information doesn't go back to Immigration because it's treated by hotels as being a local, the same Thais having to use their ID cards. It's just a form of identification

I live in Phuket, not CM but every time I return home after travelling domestically, I file a tm30 online.

I never used to do this but once I was unable to file a 90 day report online and got a message saying to go to immigration. when I went to Phuket immigration they said it was because my address was still recorded as being the last hotel I stayed at in BKk some weeks ago. So the system wouldn’t let me do an online 90 day report.

Ever since then I have filed an online tm30 when returning home.

I have no idea if the system is still the same but it’s a painless exercise to do it, so I have continued as a matter of habit.

On 1/17/2026 at 10:12 AM, DrJack54 said:

Bumping your thread as no response.

I cannot advise specifically on CM.

For travel and temporary stays inside Thailand a TM30 and/or TM28 should not be required when returning to your usual place of residence (home) in CM.

Having stated that CM immigration has their M.O and in particular seem fussy about TM30.

Doesn't help but by way of example I deal with CW and only ever do a TM30 prior to doing my annual extensions.

I travel a lot inside and outside of Thailand and never do a TM30.

Hopefully someone dealing with CM will post first hand report

Daughter a student at Univ in Bangkok so we rented a house in Prawet DIstrict and the landlady of course after some haggling did a TM30 for the 2 year period we planned to be there. I read up on the TM.30 and it said if one travels within Thailand and then returns to their normal address, then a visit and new TM.30 is not required. Knowing that sometimes folks have had a problem i went to CM Immigration office and asked them - they looked me up in the computer and said well it has been 2 years so it would be better for you to sit down and do a new TM.30 but they did mention that yes, the written explanation of the TM.30 does say not necessary but...best to beware though others say they just ignore it and some I guess don't have a problem.

17 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

Before I travelled to Vietnam last year I attended CM Imm Office to enquire as to whether a new TM30 was required upon my return, even though I was returning to my usual address which they had on record. I was told that I MUST have a new TM30 submitted as it was returning from international travel, even if it was to the same address. So CM do require a new TM30 after international travel.

If you're returning on the same visa/extension of stay to the same address, Chiang Mai Immigration does not require a new TM30 under the changes made in 2020. Before that, they did.

Where you would most likely strike issues after international travel would be with our first 90 day report upon your return, as it has to be in person, not online, and that's where you might strike an IO having a bad day give you grief because your TM30 is not up to date in his/her opinion.

I file my 90 days reports in person every time and I have confirmed, in person at Chiang Mai Immigration, that I don't need to file a new TM30 everytime I leave the country, which last year at least was three times. And they check the TM30 everytime I file a 90-day report and there has never been a problem.

44 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

And they check the TM30 everytime I file a 90-day report and there has never been a problem

No idea why they would check TM30 for in person 90 report.

On 1/25/2026 at 7:33 AM, lordblackader said:

If you're returning on the same visa/extension of stay to the same address, Chiang Mai Immigration does not require a new TM30 under the changes made in 2020. Before that, they did.

I file my 90 days reports in person every time and I have confirmed, in person at Chiang Mai Immigration, that I don't need to file a new TM30 everytime I leave the country, which last year at least was three times. And they check the TM30 everytime I file a 90-day report and there has never been a problem.

On 1/25/2026 at 7:33 AM, lordblackader said:

If you're returning on the same visa/extension of stay to the same address, Chiang Mai Immigration does not require a new TM30 under the changes made in 2020. Before that, they did.

I file my 90 days reports in person every time and I have confirmed, in person at Chiang Mai Immigration, that I don't need to file a new TM30 everytime I leave the country, which last year at least was three times. And they check the TM30 everytime I file a 90-day report and there has never been a problem.

Like I said in the post, it comes down to the individual IO. Every time I've returned from outside of Thailand CM (and that includes all the Imm offices CM not just the airport) have ALWAYS insisted on me having to have a new TM30 submitted even though I'm returning to the same fixed address, and lst year was no different when I returned from Vietnam

So the question that needs to be addressed is which CM Imm office do you attend? The airport office, Central Plaza or one of the smaller offices in the province of which there a few that only do 90 day reports and TM30's etc. No extensions, no re-entry permits. Nevertheless they should be applying the rules the same rules as the airport office, but they mostly operate based on the senior IO's whim. I'm located 180kms from the airport Imm office, but lucky to have one of those smaller offices just 10kms away. Therefore based on your experience, I'm guessing you use either the airport or Central Plaza office who actually follow the correct process, whereas the senior IO at the Imm office near me is making his own rules.

The only time I drive the 180kms each way to attend the airport Imm office is for my annual extension and re-entry permit.