Need for T.M. 30 Receipt of Notification

[rickb]

Today I went to the Ayutthaya Immigration Office to renew my extension of temporary stay based on retirement. Everything was the same as previous years except that this time they checked my passport for the Receipt of Notification from the T.M.-30 form, Notification Form For House-Master, Owner or the Possessor of the Residence Where Alien Has Stayed. I didn't have the required receipt since my wife had never before submitted the T.M.-30 form. Fortunately, my wife was prepared today to present the completed form to the Immigration Officer so that they could sign it and return it to me to keep in my passport for the future. This is the first time Ayutthaya Immigration has ever asked me for this form. But, after my wife presented the proper forms, they didn't care that we were presenting this form for the first time and obviously very late since I've lived with my wife in our house for more than six years already. The Immigration Officer told me to keep this form in my passport at all times, along with my other Receipt of Notification for reporting my current address every 90 days. So what I experienced today at the Ayutthaya Immigration Office confirms what many TV posters have been saying in the past several months, you must have a signed T.M.-30 Receipt of Notification in you passport. Immigration appears to be serious about enforcing this old law about reporting where Aliens are staying, even if you are living with your wife in your own house. Other than the new enforcement of this law, everything else about renewing my extension of temporary stay was the same as previous years. And again I compliment the Immigration Officers at Ayutthaya for their being efficient, courteous, helpful and very friendly. It's always a pleasure going there. I was in and out in less than 30 minutes, and that included their processing of my forms T.M.-7, T.M.-30 and T.M.-47 (Notification of Staying Longer than 90 days).

[Maestro]

The Ayutthaya immigration office got it wrong. It is not your responsibility to show proof that your wife made the TM.30 report. The receipt belongs to your wife, for her to keep and to show if she needs to prove that she complied with the reporting requirement. It should not have to be kept in your passport.

Aside from that, once the report is made the immigration office should enter it in their computer and subsequently be able to look it up any time. Since they seem incapable, or pretend to be incapable, of doing that your wife should keep this receipt very safe and preferably store a scanned or photographed copy of it on a computer plus a backup copy stored offline.

[oneday]

I would agree with Maestro. This TM30 form is the responsibility of the owner of the home where you stay to provide to immigration. Unless the alien is expected to keep a copy or receipt of this form...which maybe I could see some offices requiring this.

I would love to hear if anyone else has been asked this in other offices and most specifically Jomtien. I renew at the end of this month and hate being hit with NEW unexpected requirements.

[Mario2008]

His landlord is his wife. in that case it is not unheard of that they ask for tm30 filling, especially when on an extension based on marriage.

[george]

What if a foreigner is the registered owner of the house? Should he report himself?

[wpcoe]

If anything, I would have thought they'd want to see a copy of a form TM.28 that the OP had filed, since isn't that form the responsibility of the "alien" to file? When I filed a TM.28 after moving to Hua Hin, they stapled it into my passport and I've left it there.

[Mario2008]

Good questions. Normally a foreigner doesn't own a house but a condo and the condo management will report the presence of the foreigner. Sometimes a foreigner will own a house on company land or land in name of the misses. In that case I would now report, as the requirement seems to be increasingly enforced.

TM28 reporting seems not be often enforced, as you already have to make 90 day reports and give your address in that way. Currently I wouldn't worry about it as immigration is now more focused on 90 day reporting and TM 30 reporting, but especially if married to a Thai national it can be a good idea to make the TM28 report.

[oneday]

I just drove to Jomtien and confirmed they ARE NOT asking for a receipt of the TM30 in the aliens passport. I got this from the somber unsmiling guy who is always at the front desk so I pretty much trust this information.

[Mario2008]

I just drove to Jomtien and confirmed they ARE NOT asking for a receipt of the TM30 in the aliens passport. I got this from the somber unsmiling guy who is always at the front desk so I pretty much trust this information.

The Tm30 doe not belong to a foreigner, it belongs to the house owner/master and is his/her proof that (s)he reported the presence of a foreigner as required by law.

Unless the foreigner is the house owner, he should not have the tm30 slip from the house master.

[Somrak]

I was in and out in less than 30 minutes,

If they would not ask for wrong papers, it woud may need only 5 min. !?

Just did look at the Thai Police Order 777/2551 - for retirement visa - no T.M. 30 ask for

[Maestro]

I can't understand why immigration wants to see the receipt for the TM.30 report. These reports should be entered in their database and with a few clicks they should be able to display it on the screen.

[Maestro]

His landlord is his wife. in that case it is not unheard of that they ask for tm30 filling, especially when on an extension based on marriage.

With a marriage extension the wife has to accompany the applicant to the immigration office and if they want to own up to their inability of looking of the information of the TM.30 report on their computer they can of course ask the wife for the receipt for the report. In the case of the OP of this topic, he applied for a retirement extension.

[Maestro]

What if a foreigner is the registered owner of the house? Should he report himself?

Yes.

[Maestro]

...Normally a foreigner doesn't own a house but a condo and the condo management will report the presence of the foreigner...

The jury is still out on the case of a foreigner owning the condo where he lives, ie we have seen no report where the the failure to report the arrival of a condo owner was brought to court and what the court decided. Personally, I believe it is the condo owner who should submit the TM.30 reporting his own arrival. It cannot be the responsibility of the Juristic Person office to make these reports, as the condo owners are not obliged to make their comings and goings known to the Juristic Person office.

[Maestro]

Who must make the TM.30 report? From the Immigration Act:

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...

Three different personae are mentioned, but the Immigration Act gives a definition only for one:

Section 4 : In this Act :

...

“ House Master ” means any persons who is the chief possessor of a

house , whether in the capacity of owner , tenant , or in any other capacity

whatsoever , in accordance with the law on people act.

...

In the case of a foreigner living in his own condo he is house-master, owner and possessor all rolled into one and therefore the question of who of the three must make the report is moot.

When a foreigner rents his condo to another foreigner, the question arises whether the owner should make the report or the tenant, who is the possessor and house-master. I wonder if we shall ever see this decided by a court. I believe it should be the tenant to make the report, notifying the arrival of himself and of any other foreigner staying in the apartment.

[monty]

Who must make the TM.30 report? From the Immigration Act:

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...

Three different personae are mentioned, but the Immigration Act gives a definition only for one:

Section 4 : In this Act :

...

“ House Master ” means any persons who is the chief possessor of a

house , whether in the capacity of owner , tenant , or in any other capacity

whatsoever , in accordance with the law on people act.

...

In the case of a foreigner living in his own condo he is house-master, owner and possessor all rolled into one and therefore the question of who of the three must make the report is moot.

When a foreigner rents his condo to another foreigner, the question arises whether the owner should make the report or the tenant, who is the possessor and house-master. I wonder if we shall ever see this decided by a court. I believe it should be the tenant to make the report, notifying the arrival of himself and of any other foreigner staying in the apartment.

I guess practically it means that the person allowing a foreigner to stay in a property, or giving entry to a property, is the one needing to do reporting.

Examples:

- House owner rents out to foreigner, house owner reports.

- Condo owner rents out to foreigner, condo owner reports.

- Condo management rents out condo to foreigner (on behalf of owner), condo management reports.

And one step further:

Thai national rents a condo from condo owner, and subsequently allows foreigner to stay in condo (happens often where the rental contract is in name of wife/GF). In this case, the Thai person renting the condo (possessor) will be required to report the foreigner.

[wpcoe]

I can't understand why immigration wants to see the receipt for the TM.30 report. These reports should be entered in their database and with a few clicks they should be able to display it on the screen.

I had assumed that they *had* checked the computer for a TM.30, but didn't find one, so asked the applicant. I do agree that the extension applicant is the wrong person to ask for a TM.30.

[bluesofa]

If anything, I would have thought they'd want to see a copy of a form TM.28 that the OP had filed, since isn't that form the responsibility of the "alien" to file? When I filed a TM.28 after moving to Hua Hin, they stapled it into my passport and I've left it there.

I had to look up the TM.28 form on TV as I'd not come across this one before.

In what situation is the alien responsible to notify immigration he has moved - I always thought the onus was on the "housemaster"?

On a lighter (smutty) note, when I downloaded the TM.28, I saw that the translation of ตำบล came out in English as Tampon.

I'm guessing the TV archives of immigration forms come from immigration themselves, and it is a genuine mis-translation?

[ubonjoe]

The TM28 is seldom asked for (same for TM30). If doing 90 day reports that is enough when you move.

Just an immigration transliteration error. Putting a P instead of B for Tambon.

I wish they would just give you a line for the address on all their forms instead of the blocks because in most cases there is not enough room for everything. Also not everybody lives where there is a Tambon, Amphoe or even a lane/road name or number.

[redwood13]

I would agree with Maestro. This TM30 form is the responsibility of the owner of the home where you stay to provide to immigration. Unless the alien is expected to keep a copy or receipt of this form...which maybe I could see some offices requiring this.

I would love to hear if anyone else has been asked this in other offices and most specifically Jomtien. I renew at the end of this month and hate being hit with NEW unexpected requirements.

Last week a mate of mine was asked for the TM-30 receipt when he applied for an extension (child support) in Jomtien.

-redwood