Thai Immigration To Keep Close Track Of All Tourists

[astral]

Astral, what were your particulars?

Astral said:

My wife has been fined for not reporting my arrival,

so could the up country cousins when you visit.

It is a while back.

I went to apply for a renewal of my one year Non Imm O visa.

There was a new official who wanted to make an impression on the boss.

Firstly she wanted to fine me for not reporting every 90 days.

I pointed out that I had not been in the country for 90 days so the address on TM card

at the airport was still valid.

I refused to pay, and asked to speak to her boss, who agreed with me.

Then she fined my wife for not reporting my last arrival.............

My wife was not happy, but the Imm officer was right.

Rules are rules, and we must suffer if we do not obey, even if the enforcement is hit and miss.

Since then the officer in question has settled into the job and I have not had any more problems.

[elkangorito]

^Prehistoric rules or not, this smacks of xenophobia.

[JimGant]

Then she fined my wife for not reporting my last arrival.

....because your TM6 address was different from your previous in-country 90-day reports?

Or, by leaving the country, then re-entering, the TM30 process had to be regenerated?

Was there a TM30 already on-file with Immigration -- if not, was all the above because (in your estimation) there wasn't?

Confusing questions, I know. Just trying to figure out whether or not, living here long-stay, the wife will be required to do a TM30 report whenever I travel, with a re-entry permit, because the 90-day clock gets kicked down the path.....

[LindsayBKK]

Well we all know why this has come about, or do you?

Reason is thanks to a the sniper, whoever it was supposed to have been a farang, who shot Seh Daeng (red shirt leader)

then fled the country never to be seen or heard again. But can somebody answer me how do they (think more likely)or know it was a farang?

Because he was shot with 1 bullet from long range? Thais don't shoot straight or what?

Once again big brother is watching closer just like John Mark Karr, who claimed to have murdered Jon-benet Ramsey, increased Visa rules.

He is back in the news again ,read for yourself.

Here

[Mario2008]

Then she fined my wife for not reporting my last arrival.

....because your TM6 address was different from your previous in-country 90-day reports?

Or, by leaving the country, then re-entering, the TM30 process had to be regenerated?

Was there a TM30 already on-file with Immigration -- if not, was all the above because (in your estimation) there wasn't?

Confusing questions, I know. Just trying to figure out whether or not, living here long-stay, the wife will be required to do a TM30 report whenever I travel, with a re-entry permit, because the 90-day clock gets kicked down the path.....

No, you have to report your adress to immirgation every 90 days. The land lord, wether it is a hotel or your own wife, must report your stay at the house when you arive. That is a seperate thing. My wife was also fined for not reporting my stay, 5,000 baht.

[JimGant]

The land lord, whether it is a hotel or your own wife, must report your stay at the house when you arrive.

Right. I'm just trying to figure out that, once you break your last established 90-day reporting cycle -- by leaving and re-entering Thailand -- whether or not the wife has to file a new TM30.......? I would hope just one TM30 on file, with same wife, same address would suffice -- even if you're a frequent traveler. Certainly, subject to individual interpretation by Immigration officers. But I have a feeling, if there's already a TM30 on file for same house and wife, you're ok (certainly, most long-stay types reading this, aren't getting hit with TM30 violations whenever they travel.....).

My wife was also fined for not reporting my stay, 5,000 baht.

Interesting. They do have the discretion to fine between 2k and 10k... Was there a TM30 already on file? If not, maybe explains why a higher fine was levied.

And if there was one on file, does your wife now trek to Immigration whenever you travel and return? (And, like hotels, wonder if you can do this via internet?)

[NamKAheng]

If they enforce this the happy visa overstay time is finish. People overstaying their visa could be arrest for that since the immigration will know where they are staying.

[neverdie]

Don't forget, unmentioned here but part of the same rule, is that any person having a foreigner as a guest in their house needs to inform the authorities within 24 hours. So, when your rellies come by you should give immigration a call otherwise risk a 10,000 baht fine. Another one of those lesser applied rules that some dodgy guy in uniform can use to extort money from the uninformed.

Will this also apply to the short time hotels?

Depends if you are 'at it' for more than 24 hours it would seem.....definately a marathon effort james, are you trying to tell us something?

[whybother]

No, you have to report your adress to immirgation every 90 days. The land lord, wether it is a hotel or your own wife, must report your stay at the house when you arive. That is a seperate thing. My wife was also fined for not reporting my stay, 5,000 baht.

If you are living in rented accommodation, how does your land lord know when and where you are coming back from?

[neverdie]

Astral, what were your particulars?

Astral said:

My wife has been fined for not reporting my arrival,

so could the up country cousins when you visit.

It is a while back.

I went to apply for a renewal of my one year Non Imm O visa.

There was a new official who wanted to make an impression on the boss.

Firstly she wanted to fine me for not reporting every 90 days.

I pointed out that I had not been in the country for 90 days so the address on TM card

at the airport was still valid.

I refused to pay, and asked to speak to her boss, who agreed with me.

Then she fined my wife for not reporting my last arrival.............

My wife was not happy, but the Imm officer was right.

Rules are rules, and we must suffer if we do not obey, even if the enforcement is hit and miss.

Since then the officer in question has settled into the job and I have not had any more problems.

A couple of years ago when living on the farm my FIL went to immigration to report I was now living at that address. The took the report and supplied a slip of paper to confirm that had been done. At some point down the track (many months later) I went overseas for a week, upon returning we went back to immigration (FIL & I) and I said, "Hi, I'm back in the country and living at the farm again & the Immigration boss at that office told me I was already recorded as staying at that location and I wouldnt have to report 'this issue' again, not until I changed where I was living. I clarified with him, if I went to krabi for a week and stayed at a hotel & then returned to the farm? He replied, "Nothings changed, you are still living at the farm, your weeks accomodation at the hotel is recorded as such (a week at the hotel address).

I later changed address (to a new immigration office area). I went to them with the signed document, a copy of the id car of the owner I was renting from & house book copy. Immigration asked me, "Why you doing this for the owner, its up to him, not you" I informed them that I understood this, but he was busy & I was happy to come and see them. Again I asked this new office (later in the year we are going on a holiday overseas for a couple of weeks. When I get back, do I need to report on this same form about residing at these premises. The reply was "No." You are not changing your residence. You will report the same address when arriving at the airport & you will report on your usual 90 days after that.

So for me, it seems, I now have the same advice from 2 different immigration offices. It would appear to me that, temporarily leaving the kingdom or staying in a hotel for a period of time away from your home address doesnt mean the wife or owner of the same 'home' property needs to report you again, once you return. Then again, I am sure this is subject to any officers personal intereptation at any given time.

[leemo]

...Its supposed to be about the ability to afford to live in the ountry without recourse to public funds, and anyone can live here in this manner on the listed requirements as they currently stand. Retirees are goos news as they bring in foreign cash, feed domestic companies and services, can not work and often marry people that outlive them and thus the wealth stays in the country even without the farang. If anything, they shoul make it easier for visa renewals of all people here as expats as this brings in money, is not related to work in most cases (that's the work permit's job) and spend it here - there are no entitlements to visa holders to public funds, so its a win win really - heck we can't even compete with business or investments due to legal limitations. It merely stupidity, fear, general need for scapegoatism and the possible personal loss of back handers that stops trhis happening and becoming a foreign currency earning tool.

Unfortunately your arguments rest on common sense.

[leemo]

...I don't disagree with you on principle about a retiree programme but as mentioned earlier I think the focus should be on high net worth individuals, most of whom would only be here for a few months a year to escape the Winter.I disagree you on the worth of most existing retirees.Obviously not all by any means but many are frankly contributing very little.The country can certain do without most of them.Talking to Thai friends in the upper bureaucracy I am quite sure there is a strong wish to move the country's tourist industry up market.A good start would be to crack down hard on the vast numbers who abuse (by which I mean the spirit as much as the letter) the country's liberal immigration laws.THe intention of Thai Immigration to monitor closely these "tourists" is a very good start.

Not sure which country you are writing about. Have you ever been to Thailand?

[naiharn]

You left out the DNA mouthswab, with 230% value added, mandatory processing and filing fee.

Yes this is another in the series of new Ministerial heads sending someone into the rule book

to look about and find something he can 'look effective' making a grand pronouncement about.

The RFID tagging would of course have to be sub-cutaneous.

Take the shot in the arm or leave Thailand. Might as well make it GPS traceable too

Asked my local head of immigration about this, and about it applying to Non-Im B and O visa holders

who own residences and companies. etc, going to Bangkok getting reported at a hotel, over a weekend stay,

but not reporting into Immigration on returning home... Computer limbo;.... yes no? A problem; yes no?

He looked about, hemmed and hawed, said all was OK, looked at a rule book, almost picked up the phone,

and then wrote down a phone number, for his' private phone',

and said call back when I had a Thai speaker in front of a computer.

Did that, and his own # was wrong...

Save face, get the farang out of the office, questions unanswered, end of problem.

TIT He was quite friendly any way.

Isn't there a subtext in all this with a link back perhaps to those crazy foreigners active in the red disturbances which might have brought a longstanding position to a head? Aren't the Thai authorities quite within their rights to crack down on the vast army of expatriates, mostly rather low grade, abusing a very liberal visa system.A tourist should be a tourist and not living more or less permanently in the country.Businessmen have proper visas and work permits.Permanent residents are permanent residents.For the rest a much more critical supervision by the Thai authorities is very understandable.The whole visa run process for example is a racket designed to frustrate the spirit if not the letter of Thai immigration law.I'm guessing some very senior Thais are absolutely fed up with this army of visa runners, very few of them desirable visitors anyway (and some of the outright criminals) as Thailand attempts to move its image upmarket.Basically then if you don't have a work permit or PR then you're a tourist and only under very exceptional circumstances would you stay more than a few weeks a year.Personally I would also end the so called retirement visa or at least introduce a proper wealth check (say net annual income of at least US$ 100,000 and/or assets of US$1,000,000.

Any your numbers come from where? Pie in the sky? Its supposed to be about the ability to afford to live in the ountry without recourse to public funds, and anyone can live here in this manner on the listed requirements as they currently stand. Retirees are goos news as they bring in foreign cash, feed domestic companies and services, can not work and often marry people that outlive them and thus the wealth stays in the country even without the farang. If anything, they shoul make it easier for visa renewals of all people here as expats as this brings in money, is not related to work in most cases (that's the work permit's job) and spend it here - there are no entitlements to visa holders to public funds, so its a win win really - heck we can't even compete with business or investments due to legal limitations. It merely stupidity, fear, general need for scapegoatism and the possible personal loss of back handers that stops trhis happening and becoming a foreign currency earning tool.

Well at least you didn't compare me to Goebbels (I guess one or two are a bit sensitive about their dodgy immigration status status).

I don't disagree with you on principle about a retiree programme but as mentioned earlier I think the focus should be on high net worth individuals, most of whom would only be here for a few months a year to escape the Winter.I disagree you on the worth of most existing retirees.Obviously not all by any means but many are frankly contributing very little.The country can certain do without most of them.Talking to Thai friends in the upper bureaucracy I am quite sure there is a strong wish to move the country's tourist industry up market.A good start would be to crack down hard on the vast numbers who abuse (by which I mean the spirit as much as the letter) the country's liberal immigration laws.THe intention of Thai Immigration to monitor closely these "tourists" is a very good start.

I had to check that we are still talking about Thailand when I read the highlighted phrase above.

- how do you know most 'high net worth' retirees only want to spend a months per year in Thailand? I know plenty, some of them quite wealthy, who wish to live in Thailand on a permanent basis, simply because they a) are married to Thai nationals who like living in the country of their birth, or b ) are the type of person who wants to put down roots, become part of a community and stay in that community - not up sticks and leave on a regular basis.

- your comment that Thailand has a liberal immigration laws is ridiculous when compared with most Western countries. In Australia for example there are tens of thousands of Thais, who despite only being there a few months or a few years, enjoy more rights and privileges then 99.9% of immigrants to Thailand. To give an example: Even Thai students who go to Australia for a one or 2 year course are allowed to work up to about 20 hours a week. They don't have to apply for a work permit (especially one which is fixed to one employer, in one location, with a huge list of occupations banned as happens in Thailand).

- "A tourist should be a tourist and not living more or less permanently in the country.Businessmen have proper visas and work permits.Permanent residents are permanent residents."

The problem is that in Thailand you can't apply for permanent residence until you have been in the country for at least 5 years, and for those 5 years the only visas obtainable are little different from plain 'tourist' visas. There is nothing 'in between'. There is thus no way for a person with a real interest in and attachment to Thailand, a person who could greatly contribute to the country, to remain there except on a frustrating merry-go-round of short tourist-like visas, and excruciating encounters with moronic and/or corrupt officialdom.

- "The whole visa run process for example is a racket designed to frustrate the spirit if not the letter of Thai immigration law." No, the whole visa run 'racket' is a racket designed to milk a little more money out of hapless foreigners, by forcing them to pay for transportation, accommodation and cough up fees for new visas.

- ".Personally I would also end the so called retirement visa or at least introduce a proper wealth check (say net annual income of at least US$ 100,000 and/or assets of US$1,000,000." Why? Do western countries demand huge assets and incomes off Thais who desire, for whatever reason, to settle in those countries? Plenty Thais do, in case you haven't noticed. (One million Thais in the USA at the current time. More or less permanently. Oh, sorry, as pretend 'tourists'). Your whole attitude seems a hodge-podge of racist anti-foreigner sentiment.

- " very few of them desirable visitors anyway" - if it is indeed the case that the majority of foreigners are undesirables (a big claim), perhaps the Thai visa regulations are one prominent cause of that problem. How many foreigners with good skills, high character, considerable assets want to muck around in such an annoying anti-foreigner system? May as well just stay at home, or go to a country where such people are welcome. Perhaps it's not surprising that many of the ones who do put up with the system aren't as desirable as you would like. (By the way: I do take it you AREN'T a foreigner in Thailand? I mean with comments such as yours, we do need some proof you are not one of those despicable undesirables!)

[electau]

It is very much how the regulations are interpreted.

Immigration wants to know your permanent address in Thailand. This is the one you must supply to immigration. If you stay at a hotel you have not changed your permanent address.

When I go to Thailand I always advise of my permanent address ( of my wife) on the TM6 form. My permanent address is the one on the current TM6 form.

If you are a tourist and do not know where you will be staying you leave the address blank on the TM6 card as it is the hotels responsibility to note your passport details. A tourist strictly does not have a permanent address in Thailand.

And if you are living in Thailand on extensions , yes you will notify immigration of your current address every 90 days.

I see the interpretation as if you have your permanent address as on your TM6 form and you are staying at that address your wife would not have to report. One needs a definition of "permanent address" as applicable to Thailand.

　

[JimGant]

It would appear to me that, temporarily leaving the kingdom or staying in a hotel for a period of time away from your home address doesnt mean the wife or owner of the same 'home' property needs to report you again, once you return.

ND, from your experience, it would seem so. I have a feeling the fines reported here were for folks who had no TM30 on file for his/wife's home.

Which raises the issue -- will the many here without TM30's on file have some extra baht removed at their next visit to Immigration?

[jb5music]

Oh no, there is a need to keep track of all the these sneaky tourists! If a tourist stays in a hotel in Bangkok for a few days and then another hotel in Pattaya for a few days and then a hotel in Chiang Mai for a few days, it's very important that the government know this. I'm sure you could check with immigration at any given hour and they could quickly pull up in their database system exactly where that tourist is right now (giggle, giggle).

After thinking for a few minutes I can't think of any valid reasons for such close tracking, but I'm sure they are some...let me form a commission to figure out (dream up) some valid reasons and I'll reported back in three years.

Maybe immigration could issue out free GPS-enabled cell phones to tourists for general tracking...and the phones would come with unlimited daily hours as long as the tourist called into an immigration call center every 24 hours to report their specific location and, in turn, get another 24 hours of free calls. What you think?

Here we go with this topic again. I haven't logged in here for more than a year? Tracking tourists or even Thais from a different region with cell phone GPS is a game they've been playing in Thailand for several years now. In fact a whole lot of countries not just Thailand. Even if the foreigner doesn't fill out the application when they buy the sim card there's still intelligence that pegs that number as a foreigners. Further more it's publicly available if your technologically astute enough to search especially some hard to find Thai only web pages. This leads to repeated instances of cars for example or cars spewing exhaust constantly on a direct collision course with you or your nose. Or how about just even walking around you might notice an inordinate amount of people always seaming to be right in your way. How about motoring or walking in the city and the disproportionately disease ridden sewer gas can just magically follow you down the street. Or in a shopping mall groups of gas filled anal fashionites just waiting for thier "mark" to hit the right spot with the right wind direction. It's a fantastically complex "Game" that's been going on for years and involves just a few more people than immigration.

[SamritT]

What about the tollway Easy Tag. Can it be used to track some foreigners? Like Cambodians?

[naiharn]

It is very much how the regulations are interpreted.

Immigration wants to know your permanent address in Thailand. This is the one you must supply to immigration. If you stay at a hotel you have not changed your permanent address.

When I go to Thailand I always advise of my permanent address ( of my wife) on the TM6 form. My permanent address is the one on the current TM6 form.

If you are a tourist and do not know where you will be staying you leave the address blank on the TM6 card as it is the hotels responsibility to note your passport details. A tourist strictly does not have a permanent address in Thailand.

And if you are living in Thailand on extensions , yes you will notify immigration of your current address every 90 days.

I see the interpretation as if you have your permanent address as on your TM6 form and you are staying at that address your wife would not have to report. One needs a definition of "permanent address" as applicable to Thailand.

Electau, I recommend you read the actual law which can be found at http://www.thailawfo...aw-mejesty.html

Do you have permanent residence?

Unless you have permanent residence, I think your interpretation is extremely dubious.

The law makes a distinction between 'temporary visitors' and aliens with 'permanent residence'.

If you don't have permanent residence then you are considered a temporary visitor, and section 37 applies, including the follow:

"(the alien) Shall notify the police official of the local police station where such alien resides, within twenty – four hours from the time of arrival. In the case of change in residence in which new residence is not located the same area with the former police stations , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within twenty – four hours from the time of arrival."

and

"If the alien travels to any province and will stay there longer than twenty – four hours , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within forty – eight hours from the time of arrival."

It is pretty clear from this text that you do have to notify the authorities when you go changwat hopping, and stay in hotels, even though your 'permanent address' has not changed. You might make an argument that the hotels are notifying the authorities for you, but that is not how the law is worded.

If you have permanent residence then there is no mention of obligations like these.

[animatic]

The focus should be on decent people.

[bangkokburning]

Nothing will change for the tourists. I read this as further clampdown on people staying in apartments, etc... for the managers to get with the program.

On another note - it just tells me how unwelcome we all are and how much we are not wanted here.

[electau]

It is very much how the regulations are interpreted.

Immigration wants to know your permanent address in Thailand. This is the one you must supply to immigration. If you stay at a hotel you have not changed your permanent address.

When I go to Thailand I always advise of my permanent address ( of my wife) on the TM6 form. My permanent address is the one on the current TM6 form.

If you are a tourist and do not know where you will be staying you leave the address blank on the TM6 card as it is the hotels responsibility to note your passport details. A tourist strictly does not have a permanent address in Thailand.

And if you are living in Thailand on extensions , yes you will notify immigration of your current address every 90 days.

I see the interpretation as if you have your permanent address as on your TM6 form and you are staying at that address your wife would not have to report. One needs a definition of "permanent address" as applicable to Thailand.

Electau, I recommend you read the actual law which can be found at http://www.thailawfo...aw-mejesty.html

Do you have permanent residence?

Unless you have permanent residence, I think your interpretation is extremely dubious.

The law makes a distinction between 'temporary visitors' and aliens with 'permanent residence'.

If you don't have permanent residence then you are considered a temporary visitor, and section 37 applies, including the follow:

"(the alien) Shall notify the police official of the local police station where such alien resides, within twenty four hours from the time of arrival. In the case of change in residence in which new residence is not located the same area with the former police stations , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within twenty four hours from the time of arrival."

and

"If the alien travels to any province and will stay there longer than twenty four hours , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within forty eight hours from the time of arrival."

It is pretty clear from this text that you do have to notify the authorities when you go changwat hopping, and stay in hotels, even though your 'permanent address' has not changed. You might make an argument that the hotels are notifying the authorities for you, but that is not how the law is worded.

If you have permanent residence then there is no mention of obligations like these.

The term "permanent address" is the address of my wife in Thailand. The address which I give on the TM6 card.

However if you do not have an address eg a tourist, you would leave this part of the TM6 card blank.

Permanent address does not mean that one has permanent residence. You can be a temporary resident and still have a permanent address. The address which you will normally live at while in Thailand.

If this law is so important why is it that all visitors are not advised of the requirements 1. on arrival in Thailand and 2. Through Thai consulates and embassies overseas?

And one is trying to interpret the regulations which have been translated into English and when reading English one has to be wary of literal translations.

　

Edited August 10, 2010 by electau

[naiharn]

It is very much how the regulations are interpreted.

Immigration wants to know your permanent address in Thailand. This is the one you must supply to immigration. If you stay at a hotel you have not changed your permanent address.

When I go to Thailand I always advise of my permanent address ( of my wife) on the TM6 form. My permanent address is the one on the current TM6 form.

If you are a tourist and do not know where you will be staying you leave the address blank on the TM6 card as it is the hotels responsibility to note your passport details. A tourist strictly does not have a permanent address in Thailand.

And if you are living in Thailand on extensions , yes you will notify immigration of your current address every 90 days.

I see the interpretation as if you have your permanent address as on your TM6 form and you are staying at that address your wife would not have to report. One needs a definition of "permanent address" as applicable to Thailand.

Electau, I recommend you read the actual law which can be found at http://www.thailawfo...aw-mejesty.html

Do you have permanent residence?

Unless you have permanent residence, I think your interpretation is extremely dubious.

The law makes a distinction between 'temporary visitors' and aliens with 'permanent residence'.

If you don't have permanent residence then you are considered a temporary visitor, and section 37 applies, including the follow:

"(the alien) Shall notify the police official of the local police station where such alien resides, within twenty – four hours from the time of arrival. In the case of change in residence in which new residence is not located the same area with the former police stations , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within twenty – four hours from the time of arrival."

and

"If the alien travels to any province and will stay there longer than twenty – four hours , such alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within forty – eight hours from the time of arrival."

It is pretty clear from this text that you do have to notify the authorities when you go changwat hopping, and stay in hotels, even though your 'permanent address' has not changed. You might make an argument that the hotels are notifying the authorities for you, but that is not how the law is worded.

If you have permanent residence then there is no mention of obligations like these.

The term "permanent address" is the address of my wife in Thailand. The address which I give on the TM6 card.

However if you do not have an address eg a tourist, you would leave this part of the TM6 card blank.

Permanent address does not mean that one has permanent residence. You can be a temporary resident and still have a permanent address. The address which you will normally live at while in Thailand.

If this law is so important why is it that all visitors are not advised of the requirements 1. on arrival in Thailand and 2. Through Thai consulates and embassies overseas?

And one is trying to interpret the regulations which have been translated into English and when reading English one has to be wary of literal translations.

Hi Electau,

Firstly I'd just like to say that some aspects of Thai law simply aren't enforced. If they were, half of the Thai tourism industry would collapse.

But, if you want to strictly obey the law then you have to read what the law says.

The term "permanent address" is the address of my wife in Thailand. The address which I give on the TM6 card.

However if you do not have an address eg a tourist, you would leave this part of the TM6 card blank.

Permanent address does not mean that one has permanent residence. You can be a temporary resident and still have a permanent address. The address which you will normally live at while in Thailand.

All of this irrelevant: the law makes no mention of 'permanent address'. It DOES make a distinction between a temporary visitor and a person holding Permanent Residence. You haven't declared whether you hold Permanent Residence, but as it is not easy to get, and is very expensive, and judging from other remarks you have made, I assume you don't have Permanent Residence. If you don't hold Permanent Residence, then whenever you go into another province in Thailand, and stay there for more than 24 hours you HAVE to notify the police.

If this law is so important why is it that all visitors are not advised of the requirements 1. on arrival in Thailand and 2. Through Thai consulates and embassies overseas?

Draconian laws which are not enforced are hardly rare things in Thailand! I suspect most consulate and embassy staff aren't aware of the law. Those that are aware probably aren't keen on publicising it because they know what damage it would do Thailand's tourism industry.

And one is trying to interpret the regulations which have been translated into English and when reading English one has to be wary of literal translations.

I have read the original Thai. The Thai is actually quite simple to understand, and the English I quoted is a good translation.

[electau]

naiharn,

Let me give you an example of what many visitors to Thailand would do irrespective of what visa they hold.

Enter the country and fill in the TM6 form, the passport holder may or may not fill in the address information.

Passport holder checks in at a hotel and may check in and out of many hotels in Thailand, and all the passport holder fills in the form given to him when he registers, name , nationality and passport number plus visa type and number if applicable.

The passport holder does NOT report to the local police station at any time during his stay in Thailand.

When the passport holder departs immigration removes the TM6 card.

Yes, if you have temporary residence on an extension you would still report every 90 days as required.

From your interpretation just about every visitor to Thailand is in breach of the law, including yourself.

　

[Zolt]

I hereby declare that I have no problem with the police or government keeping track of my whereabouts - so long as they don't tell my wife.

[naiharn]

naiharn,

Let me give you an example of what many visitors to Thailand would do irrespective of what visa they hold.

Enter the country and fill in the TM6 form, the passport holder may or may not fill in the address information.

agree

Passport holder checks in at a hotel and may check in and out of many hotels in Thailand, and all the passport holder fills in the form given to him when he registers, name , nationality and passport number plus visa type and number if applicable.

agree (although there are loads of low-budget/low-key places around the Kingdom that don't even check passports)

The passport holder does NOT report to the local police station at any time during his stay in Thailand.

agree, which means, if said foreigner travels around Thailand, he/she is breaking the law. But TiT and that law is simply not enforced. Or is rarely enforced. As I posted previously, I remember a case, reported in the media, where it WAS enforced.

When the passport holder departs immigration removes the TM6 card.

Yes, if you have temporary residence on an extension you would still report every 90 days as required.

From your interpretation just about every visitor to Thailand is in breach of the law, including yourself.

How do you know? You don't even know whether I am a Thai or whether I have Permanent Residence.

But yes, I agree, 'just about every visitor' to Thailand (at least those that travel around a bit) is in breach of the law.

A visitor who comes here and only stays in only one hotel for his/her whole visit is safe.