Phuket Immigration Warns Of Drive On Foreign Stay Reports

[PCA]

So if you rent a house and relatives come to stay with you what is the requirement there?

Why is this topic causing so much confusion. If you rent the house you ARE NOT the owner, so it's not your responsibility to tell immigration of the foreigner staying there.. it's the responsibility of the OWNER.

Even if you rent, lease or have an usufruct you are still not the legal owner.

No, as head of the household it's your responsibility.

According to section 38 of the 1979 immigration act, "House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national." If there is no immigration office in the province or locality of the respective house or hotel, the notification is made to the local police station. In Bangkok the notification is made to the Immigration Bureau. The notification of residence of foreign nationals is made by the manager of licensed hotels according to the hotel act, owners of guesthouses, mansions, apartments and rented houses using the form TM. 30.

The notification of residence of foreign nationals within 24 hours can be made in a number of ways to make the notification as convenient as possible:

In person at the respective office, or

Through an authorised person at the respective office, or

By registered mail, or

Via internet.

do you or anybody else know where to get that form TM30, is it downloadable from the internet somewhere or does it have to be picked up from the immigration office or the like?

Thank you

Edit: sorry just saw that there is already a link posted

Edited March 30, 2013 by PCA

[terryp]

the 8,000 baht a day fine is for guesthoses and hotels

Edited March 30, 2013 by terryp

[Louisblackbird]

I think it's great to know where everyone is

Especially in the case of missing persons

However, I doubt this make any difference

I've been in thailand on and off since 2003 and only been asked a few times for my licence or Passport

Maybe a lot of paperwork for the thai Authorities

Suppose it may reduce police checkpoints

They'd have something else to do

Hence bigger fines than RT

Thumbs up I'm in support of this being widely enforced

[draftvader]

I remember all this in China. The thing there was that every place we stayed (guesthouse, hotel, etc) had a method to report this information through a website. For them to report our stay took about 20 seconds and, in some cases, was integrated into in-house billing solutions.

What chances are there of this happening in Thailand? More likely is that pockets will be filled and the newly fattened officers will switch off and sleep off their excesses and we can all rest easy again.....until next time.

[PaulHamon]

Crazy law, trying to track where 22 million international guests (in 2012) stayed every night for an average length of 9 nights.

That's 198,000,000 records.................................................. Nationwide.

500,000 per day over 50 immigrations offices...................... Nationwide.

[challenger99]

What a sense to fill out the TM6 on arrival with address we stay included and eg. after between 24 hrs run to the immigration what takes a lot of time in Bangkok !!! This or that, both make nonsense

[Pinot]

This is crazy. None of this is computerized. This is just a useless mountain of paper that exists somewhere.

[taninthai]

Am I only one who remember the fine is 2,000b and not per day? Just one payment, no matter how long foreigner has stayed. Thought I read that in this forum long ago.

This correct it is 2000 bht not 8,000 saying that we are talking phuket here so maybe its different there:ph34r:

[hullupullo]

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf

Chapter 4
Temporary Stay in the Kingdom

Section 38 : The house – master , the owner or the possessor of the residence , or the hotel manager
where the alien , receiving permission to stay temporary in the Kingdom has stayed , must notify the
competent official of the Immigration Office located in the same area with that hours , dwelling place or
hotel, within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the alien concerned. If there is no Immigration Office
located in that area , the local police official for that area must be notified.


Chapter 8
Penalty

Section 77 : Whoever fails to comply with the provision of Section 38, shall be punished with a fine not
exceeding 2,000 Baht. If said person is a hotel manager, he shall be punished with a fine from 2,000 Baht
to 10,000 Baht.

[stevenl]

Okay lets take this one step further...

If you are living in Thailand, does this concern to Everyone?

You have retirement Visa...

You report every 90 Days at Immigration...

You are living in your Family Home...

Does your wife have to report you are living here? Would you not normally living in same house as your Spouse? This is already reported every 90 days on form submitted each time at Immigration...

Our is this another way to have some Official pocket 8,000 Baht?

Why do people here always look for non existent problems?

This is meant for guesthouses and hotels who are required to report names and passport numbers of their guests, I think also visa information. This is not meant for expats, and I would expect that also people having family over for a week and not reporting the required information will not be fined.

[stevenl]

*scratches head*

so... if someone owns a house through the company route... does he, as the company director, have to report himself to immigration?

"House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national."

As head of household, yes.

Depends if he entered as a tourist or not.

[Minnehaha]

Okay lets take this one step further...

If you are living in Thailand, does this concern to Everyone?

You have retirement Visa...

You report every 90 Days at Immigration...

You are living in your Family Home...

Does your wife have to report you are living here? Would you not normally living in same house as your Spouse? This is already reported every 90 days on form submitted each time at Immigration...

Our is this another way to have some Official pocket 8,000 Baht?

Yes. Lets all assume it does. EVERY time I sleep at the wifes family place cross town for whatever reason, and anytime I sleep at a place that is not my registered location....

I say we all do this and flood the local police station, any police station with paperwork and calls and let their phones ring off the hook. "Just reporting, sir. Here are the foreigners details".

[animatic]

So here's a hypothosis.

Even if not on a tourist visa, we are ALL temporarily let in to live, until give Thai citizenship.

So it counts for Any and All Aliens in Thai soil.

If a friend, a legal Thailand resident, has his own registered rental domicile in Thailand.

He stops in for 2-3 nights in transit at your place as a personal guest, but not a hotel or rental guest, it appears you must notify immigration he is in your home, even if he has his own full time residential home in Thailand, that he will be returning to the next day.

And on return to his Thai registered address, the owner of his rental place, or home he owns in rental land, must then renotify immigration when he has come home.

The level of paperwork needed to monitor the movements of all farangs seems stageringly absurd.

But a wonderful way to generate teamoney.

So I must report myself as returning to my home if I go to Bangkok for a few days.

And apparently writing my next destination on my hotel check in card is not enough.

Edited March 30, 2013 by animatic

[NamKangMan]

Sounds like a few members may also need work permits as they are acting as real estate agents renting to their "friends and relatives."

Edited March 30, 2013 by NamKangMan

[mike123ca]

Usually the Thai wife will take care of hotel reservations in Thailand.

I suspect that she also uses her own name. Using her husband's

name always results in higher prices.

How would the hotel know they have a foreigner registered?

[animatic]

Usually the Thai wife will take care of hotel reservations in Thailand.

I suspect that she also uses her own name. Using her husband's

name always results in higher prices.

How would the hotel know they have a foreigner registered?

They see them walk in the door and go to a room with the Thai who took the key.

[tomacht8]

Can i still pick up a pretty girl in RCA and stay in her High floor Condo, lets say for 3 days/nights?
Must she report me then?

[atyclb]

In order for implementation to occur all the Thai staff would have to become organized, efficient, motivated, coherent and somewhat competent. Nice that someone at immigration has such a dream and vision for their country. Many a prudent person would advise them not to hold their breath waiting.

PS; recently checked into a hotel with a visiting friend. We got 2 rooms. After the desk clerk copied friends passport I offered my passport, the girl quickly said no. There was no queue and not busy.

Edited March 30, 2013 by atyclb

[UbonOz]

So, in theory, if non-Thai, resident of Thailand, stays at your home for a couple of days whilst travelling you have to rush off to immigration, which maybe a hundred kilometres or more, to report their stay?

[hgma]

And what about the electronic tracking devices?

why not suggest (lobby for) every tourist to wear a ankle device.?

Enter a payed room and biiiiiiieeeep, no beep in 24 hours your asked to leave (the country)

Exception for high end tourisst who sign a MOU of not less the spending a 1000 $Us a day in Thailand,(LOL of course)

It is getting worse then Laos were it is just highly 'appriciated" to welcome the village chief first before saying hello to friends or spouses family.

This all is related to AEC is my opinion, neighboring country folk will be harsly "followed' construction 'registered' labor will be able to pay there way out, but

women and children are most likely to fall victim HT hangs if these rules are not strictly enforced.

Well it is the law.

[hansnoi]

Phuket and surrounding areas are contineously in the headlines for the wrong reasons: murders, burglaries, rapes, jet ski scams, tuktuk and taxi maffia, etc

It strikes me that the authorities are only grabbing headlines by enforcing existing laws related to the presence of foreigners, like the one in this topic or the drive against foreign (Russian) travel agencies.

However, local officials and politicians should realise that their actions lack any credibility as long as they are not even able to establish a busconnection from Phuket Airport to the main tourist spots.

[hullupullo]

So, in theory, if non-Thai, resident of Thailand, stays at your home for a couple of days whilst travelling you have to rush off to immigration, which maybe a hundred kilometres or more, to report their stay?

No, you go local police

"If there is no Immigration Office located in that area , the local police official for that area must be notified."

[JetsetBkk]

Just another way for the greedy Immigration blokes to make more money. Don't they make enough already screwing the tourists for 300 bht for 2 minutes "consultation". Just watch them while you are waiting for your retirement visa extension to be processed. Watch how many slip notes into their pockets. Makes me sick.

[happysanook]

We hear fairly regularly that immigration intends to enforce the long existing law on foreigner visitor registration in hotels etc.

I think it would be a deterrent for some undesirables - assuming their passport is genuine and backhanders do not get passed around to not register the visitor.

Equally, let's hope that immigration do not also accept a brown envelope to bypass any of the targeted establishments.

However, how many hotels, etc. are there in Phuket, and does the immigration department have enough staff to check every place?

Questions, questions, questions.

Sounds like we have an applicant for the Thai immigration force.

[bikerjoy]

BIG BROTHER'S WATCHING YOU!!

[12DrinkMore]

When you go for your annual 1 yer renewal for retirement you need to have the owner of the property or your spouse with you or a contract. I assume that this is in replacement to reporting. Personally i think it is a good idea this way they can attempt to make sure people that are a hardship are not here screwing things up for the rest of us

Not once in my fifteen experience.

A map showing where I live is all they want.

And what that has to do with "hardship people screwing it up" I do not know.

[fxe1200]

So if you rent a house and relatives come to stay with you what is the requirement there?

Why is this topic causing so much confusion. If you rent the house you ARE NOT the owner, so it's not your responsibility to tell immigration of the foreigner staying there.. it's the responsibility of the OWNER.

Even if you rent, lease or have an usufruct you are still not the legal owner.

You still can manage to receive a residency paper by supplying a renting contract, your visa and passport, or get listed within the yellow tabien baan (for that one you need the owner of your residence). Then you are all set.

[grahamhc]

We hear fairly regularly that immigration intends to enforce the long existing law on foreigner visitor registration in hotels etc.

I think it would be a deterrent for some undesirables - assuming their passport is genuine and backhanders do not get passed around to not register the visitor.

Equally, let's hope that immigration do not also accept a brown envelope to bypass any of the targeted establishments.

However, how many hotels, etc. are there in Phuket, and does the immigration department have enough staff to check every place?

Questions, questions, questions.

In Pattaya, they can hardly cope with the sea of Walk-in Clients. Here we queue in the car-park and listen for the loudspeaker to call our number.

My last 90 Day took 90 minutes to do as the queue was so long - and it was mid-week!.

[Kitbaikitmah]

A few years ago whilst staying in a CNX gh , a huge 'skinhead' type Serbian did a runner owing a months rent. He had used a photocopy of his passport.

The landlady reported it. Two days later Immigration and 'others' turned up and checked her records. They said the guy was on thier wanted list and made her promise to submit a detailed guest list everyday. Which she faithfully honoured.

A guy would come round each morning, collect yesterdays form and leave a new form to be filled in.

Months later after returning from Laos, in the same gh, reception where called by the consulate asking to speak to me (family emergency-go home asap). The consulate had found me via the guest reporting system and so I was able to say goodbye to my farther.

This system is priceless for safety and emergencies. It should be strictly enforced.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Kitbaikitmah

[fxe1200]

So if you rent a house and relatives come to stay with you what is the requirement there?

Why is this topic causing so much confusion. If you rent the house you ARE NOT the owner, so it's not your responsibility to tell immigration of the foreigner staying there.. it's the responsibility of the OWNER.

Even if you rent, lease or have an usufruct you are still not the legal owner.

You still can manage to receive a residency paper by supplying a renting contract, your visa and passport, or get listed within the yellow tabien baan (for that one you need the owner of your residence). Then you are all set. It is useful to have two duty stamps on your contract. I just put them next to the signatures on the scanner.