What Is The Purpose Of 90 Day Reporting.

[belg]

its only to remind you are only a guest at the discretion of immigration that can change the rules whenever they want to without even noticing you of any of them...

you can compare with a probation officer

and off course to keep them busy overthere ... pushing paper & copies and stamps

[dunque]

Like any government job it's there to provide employment to the otherwise unemployable.

Ah, casual racism, was getting concerned there.

[meatboy]

Its a requirement, it happens 4 times a year, so why worry about it !!

It may be OK if the immigration office is just around the corner but I live in Buriram & we have to drive 150KM each way on very busy roads (taking a full day to do so). !!!

Does your local immigration office not accept reporting by mail?

ours dont in korat.

[Andre0720]

It is not to CONFIRM an address in Thailand. It is to DECLARE an address in Thailand.

If and when, for any reason, authorities would need to contact you, they could check your last declared address for that purpose.

For motor registration purposes, a legal document describing your address is required.

how is it legal when you have to pay for it,it is suposed to be free,and the only address that document has is the one you gave that is not proof unless immigration visits your home see the land and transport web site,as for your last address that was entered on their computer at your yearly extension visit.if you do move then change it.

Providing a copy of a lease would be free.

And obtaining a copy of the land registration document from my landlord is also free. (As I do not have a lease)

[LarryBird]

when something seems completely inane, the answer is almost always corruption. why havent they automated? corruption. somebody is profiting somewhere, and there's no reason to change!

[timewilltell]

Strikes me that the 90-day frequency is a bit excessive. Why not every 12 months concurrent with annual extensions of stay - with a duty to notify any address change in the meantime within 24 hours (consistent with the obligation on house owners & hotels to report details of foreigners staying on their properties)?

In my humble (and cynical) view, the purpose of a 90-day reporting frequency is 2-fold:-

(1) To make life as difficult, awkward and inconvenient as possible for long-stay foreigners; and

(2) To chop down as many trees as possible in order the generate the mountains of unnecessary paperwork held at immigration offices.

I find it sooo frustrating and inconvenient to hand my passport to the receptionist so that she can sort out my reporting.

Well you should never give your passport or even a copy of it to anyone else. I know of people who have done that and the passport / copy was used fraudulently. When at court the judge questioned why the foreigner would ever let anyone have a copy of his passport - never mind the real thing and that admission went very badly against the foreigner. So there is a good reason why you should never give up your passport for anything.

Secondly it IS a pretty stupid thing to have to do in it's current form. Given the information the Immigration collects it would be much simpler for everyone just to be required to report online or by ATM, 7-11 or one of the other methods suggested. It astounds me that people support idiocy in this forum and it seems for some EVERYTHING Thais do is right. I do not subscribe to that opinion but recognise that there are plenty of things wrong in every country I know of - that doesn't mean people should not complain - after all governments are there to serve the people and I cannot imagine any Thai being in the least bit bothered whether I turn up every 90 days or not.

Some people also live a good distance away from the nearest immigration office, so 90 day reporting is not such an insignificant inconvenience - I suppose you can say it is their choice and whatever the inconvenience any irrelevant rule that is dreamed up is somehow right. I don't think anyone minds rules - just that rules should at least have some logic or reason to them - turning up at immigration for 90 day reporting does not pass that test.

[wolfmanjack]

Its a requirement, it happens 4 times a year, so why worry about it !!

It is a waste of time and diesel. I went yesterday and spent over an hour standing in line only to be told to come back on tuesday.

Why the hell don't they put up a sign or something letting us know the que is supposedly full for the day?

Actually based on the number of people sitting around i could not see how it could be full but that is what they claimed.

The only thing i could figure is that it as a lazy friday for them.

[BanTamo]

Goodun samran. The interminable whinging that goes on in here is really quite something, particularly from the pensioners' brigade. I suppose those "otherwise unemployable" government workers who post the pension checks to silly buggers in paradise could be more productively reassigned to answering calls at a government nine whine whine hotline for missing pension checks.

[Sheryl]

Purpose of 90 day reporting?

Simple. It's a basic screening test to weed out people with insufficient patience to live in Thailand.

[wolfmanjack]

Yeh, it's a terrible inconvenience, isn't it.

Had to do one a week ago. Got there at 9:30 in the morning.

My Queue number was 200 ... they were taking care of number 140 when I arrived.

They were calling numers about 2 or 3 or a minute.

I had to sit there for a whole 30 minutes until they called me, and I had my new reporting date after a whole 2 minutes at the desk.

What a horrible inconvenience in my busy life.

Walked out of the place at 10:05. Have to do that every 90 days also.

Disrupts my whole life!

This is usually the case for me also BUT !

One tie i went it took me around 4 hours to get through the que and yesterday they told me to come back on Tuesday. Not only does it waste a lot of my time but it cost me around 200 baht to drive back and forth to immigration and Tuesday may be full as well which would mean another trip for me on wednesday. The only way I can be sure to get in is if I show up early in the morning (ie. 6am) and I can't do that unless i take my children out of school for the day.

[wolfmanjack]

Immigration wants to know where you live. Is that unreasonable? I got to Immigration two days ago, got ticket number 1 and was out again in 10 minutes. No sympathy for people that can't get up early. Stating a false address is probably an offence.

Thailand already has a law that if you change your address you have to report it within 30 days. Having to report that you have lived at the same address for 15 years is bullshit.

[hellodolly]

Strikes me that the 90-day frequency is a bit excessive. Why not every 12 months concurrent with annual extensions of stay - with a duty to notify any address change in the meantime within 24 hours (consistent with the obligation on house owners & hotels to report details of foreigners staying on their properties)?

In my humble (and cynical) view, the purpose of a 90-day reporting frequency is 2-fold:-

(1) To make life as difficult, awkward and inconvenient as possible for long-stay foreigners; and

(2) To chop down as many trees as possible in order the generate the mountains of unnecessary paperwork held at immigration offices.

#1You must have an easy life if you think 90 day reports are that difficult

#2 Partially rite they don't hold all of it there. I think they save it up to send to Chiang Mai for burning every March.

[transam]

Its a requirement, it happens 4 times a year, so why worry about it !!

Because it's stupid. Once a year and/or notify them if there's a change of address is adequate.

Its their country their rules, stupid or not. and for 4 times a year it can hardly be considered a major chore.

Most offices accept reporting by mail so wheres the hardship?

We all have a choice......

Perhaps Thais in farangland should do the same eh.

[hellodolly]

Yeh, it's a terrible inconvenience, isn't it.

Had to do one a week ago. Got there at 9:30 in the morning.

My Queue number was 200 ... they were taking care of number 140 when I arrived.

They were calling numers about 2 or 3 or a minute.

I had to sit there for a whole 30 minutes until they called me, and I had my new reporting date after a whole 2 minutes at the desk.

What a horrible inconvenience in my busy life.

Walked out of the place at 10:05. Have to do that every 90 days also.

Disrupts my whole life!

This is usually the case for me also BUT !

One tie i went it took me around 4 hours to get through the que and yesterday they told me to come back on Tuesday. Not only does it waste a lot of my time but it cost me around 200 baht to drive back and forth to immigration and Tuesday may be full as well which would mean another trip for me on wednesday. The only way I can be sure to get in is if I show up early in the morning (ie. 6am) and I can't do that unless i take my children out of school for the day.

Was that for the normal 90 day reporting?

[wolfmanjack]

Yeh, it's a terrible inconvenience, isn't it.

Had to do one a week ago. Got there at 9:30 in the morning.

My Queue number was 200 ... they were taking care of number 140 when I arrived.

They were calling numers about 2 or 3 or a minute.

I had to sit there for a whole 30 minutes until they called me, and I had my new reporting date after a whole 2 minutes at the desk.

What a horrible inconvenience in my busy life.

Walked out of the place at 10:05. Have to do that every 90 days also.

Disrupts my whole life!

This is usually the case for me also BUT !

One time i went it took me around 4 hours to get through the que and yesterday they told me to come back on Tuesday. Not only does it waste a lot of my time but it cost me around 200 baht to drive back and forth to immigration and Tuesday may be full as well which would mean another trip for me on wednesday. The only way I can be sure to get in is if I show up early in the morning (ie. 6am) and I can't do that unless i take my children out of school for the day.

Was that for the normal 90 day reporting?

No. If you look at my first sentence it says my normal experience is the same as the previous poster. It usually only takes around 30 minutes to get in and out but lately there have been a ton of people at immigration and it id taking longer and longer each time. plus they have been telling us the Que is full for the day and nto come back the following day.

I did my extension in january and I went to immigration for 3 days in a row before 8 am. Each day they told me the que was full. I finally decided to show up at 6:30 am and there were 50 people in line ahead of me. The same is happening with the 90 day reporting.

Chiang Mai immigration is getting ridiculous these days.

[Hunter88]

Paper work provided during a 90 day report is not looked at. One could use any address in Thailand and no one would ever know. If you ask why a 90 day report is require, no one as any idea at Immigration. It's a joke and not at all necessary. It's just the way it is.

[MegaRanter]

I had to got to an interview with the mrs for 12 years, it was a breeze as I had a WP. taking picture in front of the house and inside it gives me grief.

In 12 years, I never went for 90 day reporting and not once did anyone ask anything about it in that 12 years. The fine was 2000, I am good with that.

Though half of the first 12, I was a frequent traveller.

[BahBahBoBo]

Its a requirement, it happens 4 times a year, so why worry about it !!

Absolutley! In the end its their country and if you don't like it get on the next plane out! Otherwise quit bitching and complaining and enjoy the fact you are living there while thousands of others can only dream of doing so.

[meatboy]

It is not to CONFIRM an address in Thailand. It is to DECLARE an address in Thailand.

If and when, for any reason, authorities would need to contact you, they could check your last declared address for that purpose.

For motor registration purposes, a legal document describing your address is required.

how is it legal when you have to pay for it,it is suposed to be free,and the only address that document has is the one you gave that is not proof unless immigration visits your home see the land and transport web site,as for your last address that was entered on their computer at your yearly extension visit.if you do move then change it.

Providing a copy of a lease would be free.

And obtaining a copy of the land registration document from my landlord is also free. (As I do not have a lease)

it was not for a copy of a lease,it was the l.a.t.car licencing dept.demanding a letter from immigration confirming my address which is surposed to be free but i cant have it unless i pay them imm.[500bht].

[isawasnake]

Strikes me that the 90-day frequency is a bit excessive. Why not every 12 months concurrent with annual extensions of stay - with a duty to notify any address change in the meantime within 24 hours (consistent with the obligation on house owners & hotels to report details of foreigners staying on their properties)?

In my humble (and cynical) view, the purpose of a 90-day reporting frequency is 2-fold:-

(1) To make life as difficult, awkward and inconvenient as possible for long-stay foreigners; and

(2) To chop down as many trees as possible in order the generate the mountains of unnecessary paperwork held at immigration offices.

The more government offices get to "see" you, the more leverage they have over you, In terms of both finances and control.

[Boon Mee]

I've no doubt that the Immigration Department would cease to function without all those 2k baht fines

Probably not but they do like their Tea Money.

[OJAS]

#1You must have an easy life if you think 90 day reports are that difficult

Completing a TM47 form is, indeed, easy. The difficult bit comes when you trot along to your immigration office with it only to find yourself stuck for ages at the back of a long queue or worse - as exemplified in post #101 above as follows:-

"One tie i went it took me around 4 hours to get through the que and yesterday they told me to come back on Tuesday. Not only does it waste a lot of my time but it cost me around 200 baht to drive back and forth to immigration and Tuesday may be full as well which would mean another trip for me on wednesday. The only way I can be sure to get in is if I show up early in the morning (ie. 6am) and I can't do that unless i take my children out of school for the day."

[OJAS]

Its a requirement, it happens 4 times a year, so why worry about it !!

Because it's stupid. Once a year and/or notify them if there's a change of address is adequate.

Its their country their rules, stupid or not. and for 4 times a year it can hardly be considered a major chore.

Most offices accept reporting by mail so wheres the hardship?

We all have a choice......

Perhaps Thais in farangland should do the same eh.

A good point IMHO. Which Western countries require longstay foreigners to trot along to Immigration every 90 days solely in order to report that they are still living at the same address they were 90 days previously? Certainly not the UK for one!

[transam]

A condition of permission to stay is that YOU should inform them of change of address, if you don't you are in trouble, fine or something. This would save a HUGE amount of useless paperwork and a HUGE amount of manpower.

[mommysboy]

This question falls in to the same genre as age old gems such as why do bees sting? and why does it always rain on me?

Don't blinking well know!

[lopburi3]

One post removed for language.

[moggie]

i just done the usual day trip to immigration to renew my 90 days.....also did a single reentry visa when i go to england in june for a holiday.

when i got home i realised my 90 day expires on the 3rd july but i do not fly back into thailand until the 6th july

my retirement visa does not expire until nov.

will i get hassle at the airport because my 90 day has expired?

i have been told it does not matter as it can be renewed up to seven days late! true or false?

will i have to pay a fine?

shall i contact immigration b4 i go?

thanks for any info

[lopburi3]

The 90 day address report is for staying longer than 90 days - if you leave before that time it is not required and you make your next report 90 days after you return (and if you leave again it again resets).

[55Jay]

Paper work provided during a 90 day report is not looked at. One could use any address in Thailand and no one would ever know. If you ask why a 90 day report is require, no one as any idea at Immigration. It's a joke and not at all necessary. It's just the way it is.

Is it a joke with them if you miss a 90-day report? The nice lady who did my marriage ext had some Cambodian guy doing push ups in front of her desk. I can only assume he was late on something, 1 push up for each day late..... Guess it beats jail though.

[12DrinkMore]

I reckon we should report at 7/11 for 10 Baht.

Exactly. Right after you pay your government electric bill, or whatever. That's what I'm talking about, but again, somebody will find a way to f***k it up and 99% of us pay the price.

I pay my True Visions, Electric, Water, Internet all at 7/11

All bills have my name and current address on, plus they prove residence.

Why on earth can't they set up scanners in 7/11 that work on a bar code (for immigration)?

I'm happy to pay for the service, like the other things.

If any government agency in the west openly stated that transactions through the local supermarket would be monitored and used to determine addresses there would be a huge outcry.

To suggest that such a process should be used here is ridiculous.