Tourist visa extension madness

[Matej]

I have one entry tourist visa ending 18.8.

Today I went to immigration office in Sriracha for additional 30 days extension. After one million copies of my passport and million question about where are stay and what I'm doing here, officer started reading something from code of law in Thai, I didn't understand anything ... In the end I ended up with fine 800 thb for something like: owner of residence have to report foreinger to immigration within 24 hours.

I refused to pay and that's when it all started

... After 10 minutes of yelling and arguing with them I paid. Left with my visa.

Is this real life? Do I really have to report my address when I move?

Someone got free 800 thb ..

[Siriam]

Well you have to...there's a form for this, but it's the first time i'm hearing of someone getting fined for not reporting... WAPITA!!

[Siriam]

... in addition I have to say that I thought it wasn't really a Tourist duty, more an expat one...

[Matej]

And by the way I'm not owner of anything, I'm just a tourist. I rent a small room and moving relatively often ... Actually 4 days ago

[khwaibah]

Well you have to...there's a form for this, but it's the first time i'm hearing of someone getting fined for not reporting... WAPITA!!

Kap Choeng Immigration has been given out fines for not reporting your address. Its the landlords responsibility not the renter to report and its a forum TM 30 that they use.

[PoorSucker]

House possessor where you stay must fill in form Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay (TM.30)

As a tourist its not your obligation, for expats the form to fill in is Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours (TM.28)

[Siriam]

And by the way I'm not owner of anything, I'm just a tourist. I rent a small room and moving relatively often ... Actually 4 days ago

this is really going too far, it should be the owner of those rooms the one who reports to the immigration, neither you or any other Tourist... F@k1ng insane really!

[ubonjoe]

It seems the place or owner where you are staying did not report your presence by doing a TM30 form or online if they are registered to do it.

They should of fined them not you.

[elviajero]

"Is this real life? Do I really have to report my address when I move?"

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 located in the same area with that hours , dwelling place or hotel, within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the alien concerned.

"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.

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.

It is law but rarely enforced. Although immigration seem to be enforcing it more and more these days. When you arrive to stay at a hotel the hotel will inform immigration. If you stay at a private residence the "House Master" or "Owner" should inform immigration. If they don't the fine is up to 2,000 baht. So you got off lightly with 800 Baht.

[Matej]

Well you have to...there's a form for this, but it's the first time i'm hearing of someone getting fined for not reporting... WAPITA!!

Kap Choeng Immigration has been given out fines for not reporting your address. Its the landlords responsibility not the renter to report and its a forum TM 30 that they use.

Good to know.

So if you traveling on your own, the first thing you have to do after landing is report your address, otherwise when you show up in immigration they will charge you ... And who cares if you are owner or not? No one ...

Welcome to crazyland and give us your money.

[Siriam]

House possessor where you stay must fill in form Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay (TM.30)

As a tourist its not your obligation, for expats the form to fill in is Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours (TM.28)

It's not his obligation but he got fined for it... so now what?

[elviajero]

House possessor where you stay must fill in form Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay (TM.30)

As a tourist its not your obligation, for expats the form to fill in is Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours (TM.28)

It's not his obligation but he got fined for it... so now what?

He is renting which makes him a tenant which makes him the "House Master". So either he or the Owner can be fined although they usually do fine the owner.

[Siriam]

House possessor where you stay must fill in form Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay (TM.30)

As a tourist its not your obligation, for expats the form to fill in is Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours (TM.28)

It's not his obligation but he got fined for it... so now what?

He is renting which makes him a tenant which makes him the "House Master". So either he or the Owner can be fined although they usually do fine the owner.

Nonsense... it has to be the owner, period. Fining a tourist over this is outrageous... they should be investigated for abuse of power...

[elviajero]

He is renting which makes him a tenant which makes him the "House Master". So either he or the Owner can be fined although they usually do fine the owner.

Nonsense... it has to be the owner, period. Fining a tourist over this is outrageous... they should be investigated for abuse of power...

I completely agree that it should be down to the owner but that is not what the law says. The IO had every right to fine him. The OP is not a usual tourist if he is a tenant in a private residence.

The immigration act was written in the days when tourists stayed in hotels. These days people come and go and more are staying in private residences, which is IMO why this fine is becoming more frequent.

IMO it's completely unfair that immigration can apply this law when they don't inform those concerned of their obligation, but at the end of the day all aliens with temporary stay should know the immigration law of the country they are staying in, which is all the justification immigration need.

[Suradit69]

I have one entry tourist visa ending 18.8.

Is that the expiry date printed on the visa or the date on your permission to stay stamp when you first arrived?

After 10 minutes of yelling and arguing with them I paid. Left with my visa.

You apparently left with an extension of stay. Your single-entry visa would have been marked "Used" and no longer valid as soon as you entered the country.

Are you a serial "tourist" or was this your first visit to Thailand.

If you've been in the country on an extension of stay in the past, did you fail to do a 90 day report?

I didn't understand anything ...

And yet you seem to "know" why you were fined.

You could be correct, in which case you should not have been fined, or you may not have "understood anything" and the problem arose for a different reason.

Of course, the TV choir assumes you know exactly what happened and leaps to the conclusion that the Immigration officer must be at fault. The default assumption on TV is: farang right, Thai wrong.

[stoneyboy]

I went to Phitsanulok immigration two weeks ago and obtained a 60 day extension based on having a Thai child.

My GF came along with my daughter and I'd been in Thailand 23 days prior to getting the extension,there was no mention or fine for my GF and she hadn't and never has reported my presence in our home in 6 years.

As always here the enforcing of such laws and fines is so inconsistent and varies greatly from area to area.

There seems to be more of these reports here recently by people who for one reason or another seem happy paying a fine which isn't theirs.

Maybe there should be a pinned thread whereby people can report on recent experiences.

Just out of curiosity who has to inform immigration,we live in rented accommodation,have no contract or paperwork,only a verbal agreement with the owner,does this make them the legal owner of the house liable to report or my GF ?

[latelyo]

My wife was fined in Kap Choeng immigration 800 Thb last week, because she did not report I am living in her house !!!! We have been married and lived together 8 years

[Matej]

I have one entry tourist visa ending 18.8.

Is that the expiry date printed on the visa or the date on your permission to stay stamp when you first arrived?

After 10 minutes of yelling and arguing with them I paid. Left with my visa.

You apparently left with an extension of stay. Your single-entry visa would have been marked "Used" and no longer valid as soon as you entered the country.

Are you a serial "tourist" or was this your first visit to Thailand.

If you've been in the country on an extension of stay in the past, did you fail to do a 90 day report?

I didn't understand anything ...

And yet you seem to "know" why you were fined.

You could be correct, in which case you should not have been fined, or you may not have "understood anything" and the problem arose for a different reason.

Of course, the TV choir assumes you know exactly what happened and leaps to the conclusion that the Immigration officer must be at fault. The default assumption on TV is: farang right, Thai wrong.

18.08. 2015 is expiry date.

I entered country 20.06.2015 on a single entry tourist visa.

Visa was marked used when I entered country.

I'm a serial tourist. I usually travel here 2 times a year.

Usually on a single entry visa, or on visa on arrival(30 days).

I've never been here longer than 60 days. This was my first visa extension.

I don't have any overstay days.

I didn't understand when he was reading from code of law.

Then he showed me on some application form in English. I guess it was form already mentioned here by some guys.

and that TV choir:

I asked on this forum couple months ago what do I need for tourist visa extension.

Answer was "nothing", money, copy of passport and photo ...

Actually in many thread on this forum people claim that they will not even ask where do you stay ...

No one mentioned that I need to do something like this ... report my address to immigration office.

So mr. right guy(s) on this forum, it's not always so right.

btw. I'm glad he didn't charge me 2000 thb,

when I started yelling he could ...

[mxyzptlk]

Well you have to...there's a form for this, but it's the first time i'm hearing of someone getting fined for not reporting... WAPITA!!

Kap Choeng Immigration has been given out fines for not reporting your address. Its the landlords responsibility not the renter to report and its a forum TM 30 that they use.

Kap Choeng is my "local" immigration office (250Km round trip). My missus has never filled in a TM30 in the 6 years I've lived at her house. KC has never asked for one. I never supply anything that they don't ask for... After hearing reports of others being fined for not lodging a TM30, I was expecting a problem when I did my last extension in Dec last year...but nothing happened....maybe because KCI have visited our house (marriage extension), so I guess they are satisfied that I do indeed live there. Maybe there is a flag on the computer records to say that your address has been verified and if it has, then there is no requirement for a TM30?....maybe I'll get fined when I submit my next application in December.....

[elviajero]

and that TV choir:

I asked on this forum couple months ago what do I need for tourist visa extension.

Answer was "nothing", money, copy of passport and photo ...

Actually in many thread on this forum people claim that they will not even ask where do you stay ...

No one mentioned that I need to do something like this ... report my address to immigration office.

So mr. right guy(s) on this forum, it's not always so right.

Your fine was nothing to do with the extension of stay application. So no one would have told you about it because it's not relevant.

"Actually in many thread on this forum people claim that they will not even ask where do you stay ..."

I doubt that very much as the address is part of the extension application! But even so it still has nothing to do with someone failing to submit a TM30 when you moved in. You seem to want to blame others for the fact that you've got caught out not knowing and failing to conform to immigration law.

I doubt many people ever bother filing this report mainly because they don't know they should, and as the standard fine is 800 baht I doubt many will start. You were unlucky to get an IO who, for whatever reason, decided to apply the law.

[elgordo38]

House possessor where you stay must fill in form Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay (TM.30)

As a tourist its not your obligation, for expats the form to fill in is Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours (TM.28)

It's not his obligation but he got fined for it... so now what?

He is standing front and center and its much easier to get the money out of him right on the spot. Why chase the owner and fight with him to much bloody work.

[paz]

I doubt many people ever bother filing this report mainly because they don't know they should, and as the standard fine is 800 baht I doubt many will start. You were unlucky to get an IO who, for whatever reason, decided to apply the law.

Th IO did not applied the law, he illegally extorted an innocent foreigner of Bt 800 and I would be curious to see if OP got a receipt.

The point you made above that since the OP rented a room for 4 days he's considered master of the house if ridiculous, for two good reasons:

1, the master of the House is the person that is register as housemaster in the house book. he's the one responsible to report foreigners.

2. A short time room rental, often without a written contract, is not enough to make anyone "master of the house" and responsible for whatever immigration regulation.

The OP should have called with the home owner and have them fight between themselves. When Thai immigration do these kind of things is invariably to sting a foreigner, like an husband in the cases mentioned above.

[Matej]

I doubt many people ever bother filing this report mainly because they don't know they should, and as the standard fine is 800 baht I doubt many will start. You were unlucky to get an IO who, for whatever reason, decided to apply the law.

Th IO did not applied the law, he illegally extorted an innocent foreigner of Bt 800 and I would be curious to see if OP got a receipt.

The point you made above that since the OP rented a room for 4 days he's considered master of the house if ridiculous, for two good reasons:

1, the master of the House is the person that is register as housemaster in the house book. he's the one responsible to report foreigners.

2. A short time room rental, often without a written contract, is not enough to make anyone "master of the house" and responsible for whatever immigration regulation.

The OP should have called with the home owner and have them fight between themselves. When Thai immigration do these kind of things is invariably to sting a foreigner, like an husband in the cases mentioned above.

I got a receipt, but I paid in spot ...

I've never have any time of rent contract in Thailand

When I was the first time here I stayed in a hotel, but after that only without written contract ...

I got hint for my current condo from my friend, they never have farang here ... I just drop some money and move in, no papers

Next time I will go to immigration with TM30, I guess ... or go here only for 2 months.

The best would be to officially stay in my friend's house. I hope no one will check if I really live there or not ...

Does the owner of house needs to have some kind of permission/registration when they want to rent a room or accommodate someone?

I'm pretty sure, he is not registered anywhere.

[paz]

Does the owner of house needs to have some kind of permission/registration when they want to rent a room or accommodate someone?

I'm pretty sure, he is not registered anywhere.

As an individual an homeowner doesn't don't need a permit to rent out but many are worried about tax issues and want to keep a low profile. Which contrasts with the obligation to report foreigner's presence.

If it is a guesthouse normally some kind of business permit is needed, I think.

[BuckBee]

I very rarely would use the extension for a tourist as I don't like wasting my time & money at immigration.

you might want try getting a double or triple entry tourist before arriving or perhaps take a short trip somewhere near thailand & pick up another tourist rather than be fleeced by thai immigration .

If you had been here for over a year on tourists & at last address for some months I could understand some reason in giving you a hard time, it all about the $ here & thai officials mug you easier than punks on the street :-/

[jacko45k]

Did you feel obliged to pay to be able to leave with your passport?

[Siriam]

My wife was fined in Kap Choeng immigration 800 Thb last week, because she did not report I am living in her house !!!! We have been married and lived together 8 years

May I kindly ask you what kind of visa/extension do you have?

Thanks

[Pepper1959]

I crossed into Laos at Mukdahan for three month extension, stayed one night. When next at Immigration Office, the Officer checked my passport and gave my partner an 800 baht fine for not declaring my residence due to my 'long term' period out of Thailand. I won't argue with the local office, need to keep in their good books, so I now know, one night out, file in the form, for the local office.

[biplanebluey]

"Is this real life? Do I really have to report my address when I move?"

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 located in the same area with that hours , dwelling place or hotel, within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the alien concerned.

"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.

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.

It is law but rarely enforced. Although immigration seem to be enforcing it more and more these days. When you arrive to stay at a hotel the hotel will inform immigration. If you stay at a private residence the "House Master" or "Owner" should inform immigration. If they don't the fine is up to 2,000 baht. So you got off lightly with 800 Baht.

HE did not get off lightly,it's the responsibility of the OWNER to inform immigration ---------- read replies and understand

[hugh2121]

I use Sri Racha office which I often find to be pedantic although legally correct. On my last visit (for extension) I found that some things had changed from the previous year. I politely asked what I needed to provide, left the office and returned with the extra documentation i.e. housemaster declaration, copy of housemaster's I.D. and medical certificate. Extension was processed with no further problems. The clue, I think, is to remain calm and polite. It is within their power to grant or deny your extension so why antagonise them? Shouting will achieve nothing in this country even when you are in the right.

Sri Racha are one of the few offices I know of who still demand umpteen photocopies for 90 day reporting, even though they are a sub district of Chon Buri. I am just thankful for on-line reporting.