Thais Having To Register Frarang Guests?

[Beachcomber]

Hi

I was in the immigration office some while ago at the same time as a Thai guy who was registering a Farang that was renting his house. He was a bit niffed at this “new” law that required him to go to the trouble of visiting the immigration every time he had a change of guest or tenant but the officer assured him that if he did not come in and register each Farang and they found out it would cost him “big money”

Now I of course did not understand any of this till Ms Beach translated for me. Apparently there is this regulation that requires all landlords who rent to a Farang to go to immigration and inform them who is staying at their place. This apparently applies to all places including hotels, bungalows, guesthouses ect.

How can this be? Surely this would be totally impractical. I can understand it working for Farangs who are here working or on any sort of yearly visa but for the average tourist who maybe changes location every few days it would be a nightmare for the Thai owners, apart from the immigration offices being overwhelmed.

The landlord of the house we are renting at the moment is complaining that he has to go to the immigration office to register me as staying in his house. This involves a couple of hours drive each way as well as ferry crossing and I believe a registration fee. He’s not too happy.

Anybody heard of this regulation and knows anything about it.? Does it apply to tourists?

Thanks.

[Thetyim]

If a thai has a falang resident in his house either as a guest or rented then he must report it to the police.

I presume that registered hotels are exempt from this and keep a hotel register available for police inspection instead.

[opothai]

would this mean that when we come to thailand and stay stay in our house , registered in my wife's name, would she have to register myself as a visitor.

[Khun Larry]

would this mean that when we come to thailand and stay stay in our house , registered in my wife's name, would she have to register myself as a visitor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely.

You have no special status for being married to a Thai, other than the obvious.

[meelousee]

This is an odd situation, it sounds like 1 of 2 things, either it is real new and the shake down has just started or they are looking for someone of great interest. Something strange on the motive, why when it is supposed to be done already every 90 days by the “guest”?

Seems redundant, I.E. you as a farang report your place of residence (every 90 days) and the place you rent reports you as at that residence, when it is rented. Both of which are done at immigration.

I just wrote 1/2 a page read it again, and could not make heads or tails of it so I deleted more than half. This is like trying to unravel a ball of string with glue on your fingers.

Seems there must be a clear motive, setting everyone up that has more than 90 days stay and more than x number of extensions or what?

Think for a second if you were a popular hotel and had a guest turn over of say 50 people per day, by the time you finished processing the first 50 1/2 would be gone and an whole new bunch would need to be processed? The thread says

applies to all places including hotels, bungalows, guesthouses ect.

There is just something odd about this whole ball of string, or can of worms

I am confused about what this is supposed to accomplish, anyone want to try to explain it to me?

[ovenman]

I am confused about what this is supposed to accomplish, anyone want to try to explain it to me?

In general, bureaucracies like to generate reams of paperwork.

[Gazza]

would this mean that when we come to thailand and stay stay in our house , registered in my wife's name, would she have to register myself as a visitor.

Absolutely.

You have no special status for being married to a Thai, other than the obvious.

Wouldn't declaration of your address on the immigrations TM Arrival card be considered registering with the immigration authorities?

[Thetyim]

Firstly this is NOT a new law, it has been around for years and has been discussed here before.

I think the law is to ensure that the police know the location of every alien in the country. Not a bad idea if you think about it but a pain to enforce.

Technically I think I must report my address every ninety days AND inform the police if I visit another location for more than 24 hours.

[monty]

Absolutely true, and has been like this for a long time already!

Any landlord / business owner who harbours an alien has to report this to the local immigration office or local police station within 24 hours. Data needed includes name, passport number and TM card number of said alien. Standard forms are available at your local immigration office.

A while ago in Pattaya the local plod did a check-up of some hotels/guesthouses on Soi buakhao, and most of them were found not to be in compliance and fined as such!

As an added bonus for the men in Brown, several Farangs were found to be in overstay when requested to show their passports, and arrested to face court procedures...

Officially this law exists for everybody, meaning that indeed your wife has to report you when you stay in "her" house, as well as you have to report every farang who rents your legally owned condo unit....

[Nam Kao]

Do i have to register if i book in a short time hotel?

[loong]

This law has been in force for as long as I know.

I always put my address on the TM card and put my trust in that being good enough to notify the immigration.

There was a spot check earlier this year. Someone from the Amphur came to check my details. So I assume that what I'm doing is okay(ish)

They copped one guy a few villages away with a 3 year overstay. Less than 300km from Mae Sai, beggars belief

[happymanme]

only if ya on a right bender over 24 hrs Nam Kao.but then i think that would be the least of ya worries cos your poor little soldier would be rubbed raw..........

[Nam Kao]

Thanks happy, i dont want to break any laws

[marquess]

I suspect that it will blow over, a few months of vigerous enforcement and then that will be that for a while.

[lopburi3]

Firstly this is NOT a new law, it has been around for years and has been discussed here before.

I think the law is to ensure that the police know the location of every alien in the country.  Not a bad idea if you think about it but a pain to enforce.

Technically I think I must report my address every ninety days AND inform the police if I visit another location for more than 24 hours.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Above is the law. All hotels have a daily report they prepare for immigration each night list all guests and they have done this for years. Smaller places have not been doing it and they have, within the last year due to terrorist actions, been advised to do so. All home owners are also required to report but I suspect this is still hit and miss in non tourist places - but police have been instructed to know everyone in there areas so I suspect those that fail to report will often be found out.

As for upcountry hotels I find they still prefer the Thai party to register rather than do the paperwork.

[autonomous_unit]

What about non-renting visitors? Can my wife really be put on the spot for not registering my arrivals even though I have an O visa and extension of stay? Can she have trouble when we have a foreign friend or relative stay with us for a week or two?

What about with rentals? Does a Thai lessee have any obligations when receiving visitors? How would the landlord even know if the lessee has guests?

And registration means a personal trip to the immigration police? This all sounds so unworkable! They ought to accept reports by mail, fax, email, or website, etc.

[Thetyim]

If you have alien guest in your house for more than 24 hours then you should report it, paying or non-paying is irrellevant.

The report can I think be done at the nearest police station it does not have to be immigration

[Khun Larry]

Wouldn't declaration of your address on the immigrations TM Arrival card be considered registering with the immigration authorities?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure about this but that is what I have assumed.

The issue will be reregistering every 90 days. Since I only have a 90 day visa I'm out before 90 days are up.

[Thetyim]

Wouldn't declaration of your address on the immigrations TM Arrival card be considered registering with the immigration authorities?

Not sure about this but that is what I have assumed.

The issue will be reregistering every 90 days. Since I only have a 90 day visa I'm out before 90 days are up.

There are two parts to this thread.

Firstly the alien must advice his address and secondly the house owner must report an alien visitor.

The TM Arrival card is a declaration of address but you should report again if you leave that address for 24 hours or stay longer than 90 days.

Also the house owner must report that you are staying at their house.

[Beachcomber]

Interesting to hear the different opinions.

Suppose you are just a tourist. On entry into the country you put as your address as Chewang Koh Samui which is acceptable but decide to go somewhere else? Who knows where you are?

On the other hand if you rent a house for your 60 day tourist visa and decide to spend a couple of weeks in Bangkok will you be registered as being in two places?

All very interesting.

[lopburi3]

Interesting to hear the different opinions.

Suppose you are just a tourist. On entry into the country you put as your address as Chewang Koh Samui which is acceptable but decide to go somewhere else? Who knows where you are?

On the other hand if you rent a house for your 60 day tourist visa and decide to spend a couple of weeks in Bangkok will you be registered as being in two places?

All very interesting. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that is exactly the reason for the place you stay having to report your presence - be it a hotel, guest house, rental or as a guest. The owner is required to report you as being there. But as Thailand has never had the police state mentality among the general population this has never been a priority requirement for other than the larger hotels. But the times; they are a-changing.

[HarryHacker]

I dated a Hotel receptionist a while back and part of her duties was to update the Police on a daily basis of who was staying in the hotel. I guess it’s a well-established law but not always enforced.

[BaanOz]

OK so what happens if you are discovered staying at your in-laws place in Bangkok. That includes you and your Thai wife on an Aussie passports with the proper visa stamp?

[Ijustwannateach]

The bit about the TM card above is correct- it counts as your first address registration, and it's where they start counting the 90 days for re-registration.

That would take care of you- but your wife would probably still technically have to register.

I say everyone should start actually doing it and then overwhelm the staff at Immigration with the increased paperwork. That usually shuts up overzealous bureaucracies.

"Steven"