Immigration Registration for all

[superal]

I have been told today by a Thai immigration officer that I have to visit my local immigration office to register my place of residence . Once complete I will be given a password that will enable me to register online in the future without having to attend the office . Registration has to be completed every time I leave and then return to Thailand . I asked what happens if I am a tourist and moving around Thailand to another area every day . He said that the hotel or guest house will take my passport and give the info to the local police to be entered on the national register .

Is this a new event or have I somehow missed this in the past ? I was certainly not told of it when I arrived in Thailand 2 weeks ago

[Crossy]

Which immigration office was this?

Open today?

[ubonjoe]

It has been in the immigration act since 1979 that if a person spends more than 24 hours in another province they have to report their residence. But it is not enforced because it would be impossible to do in this day and age. There is no online reporting for this.

There is also a requirement om in act that home owner. hotel, guest house and etc must report a foreigners presence within 24 hours. Businesses can register to do the reports are online. It largely not enforced for individual home owners and they cannot do it online other than perhaps one immigration office that I know of.

Some offices try to pass the homeowners responsibility onto the individual staying in in a residence but it is not truly correct.

[superal]

Which immigration office was this?

Open today?

kap choeng immigration office

[superal]

Which immigration office was this?

Open today?

kap choeng immigration office

Also I must report in person this coming Friday

[Crossy]

Do keep us informed as to what happens, the TM number of any forms you're asked to fill would be useful along with any fine.

As Joe says, this requirement has been around a long time but is rarely enforced.

What caused you to interface with an immigration official in the first place?

[superal]

Do keep us informed as to what happens, the TM number of any forms you're asked to fill would be useful along with any fine.

As Joe says, this requirement has been around a long time but is rarely enforced.

What caused you to interface with an immigration official in the first place?

LOL They are regular customers at my wife's restaurant and are always very amiable . I have returned from the UK only 17 days ago and I do not always see them as I am often out golfing or fishing . I got the view from my wife that this thing is just starting now as I asked the imm;off; why had the immigration at the airport not informed me . All seems a bit Mickey Mouse to me but I have to comply as I have been told my appointment time and the area of the imm; centre to report to . How they can possibly enforce this to all expats is not easy to understand unless a general statement is issued .

For sure I will keep you informed

[superal]

OK , I have just returned from the kap choeng immigration office and was able to speak to an officer who spoke reasonable English . He confirmed what was earlier mentioned in this post i.e. it is a long standing law that a falang must report to the local immigration office nearest to where they reside . It should be done on the first working day after arrival in Thailand . It is in the same context that hoteliers must inform the authorities of all new guests . I have been given an A4 type certificate which shows the date , time and place of registration plus my place of residence and owner's name . There were no fees involved . However there is one thing that has brought about its revival and that is the sharing of information by international police forces which has recently been upgraded . Apparently Thailand has a reputation of unknowingly harbouring foreign lawbreakers and villains on the run . When I said how can you enforce this law as I know of many falangs who have not been approached he conceded that it would not be easy but this is the directive that they have been given . The police do not have the capacity or information to be involved and it will be the Thai Border police and Immigration Officers who will carry out patrols and spot checks . They are currently seeking a european on serious charges who is believed to be in my neck of the woods .

[mxyzptlk]

OK, so as per your first post, have you received a password and can you now do further reports of aliens (including you) staying at your private house via the WWW? Since you don't mention it above, then I guess not....reporting of an aliens presence using the WWW has been around for a long time but only for commercial establishments, but not for private individuals....please advise.

Edited August 14, 2015 by mxyzptlk

[superal]

OK, so as per your first post, have you received a password and can you now do further reports of aliens (including you) staying at your private house via the WWW? Since you don't mention it above, then I guess not....reporting of an aliens presence using the WWW has been around for a long time but only for commercial establishments, but not for private individuals....please advise.

Well spotted , although the omission of further reporting to their Imm; office and online password info was deliberate as I have yet to be advised on that and they still seem to be setting the procedure plus I think that I am something of a guinea pig . The officer involved will call at our restaurant next week with the update and concluding instructions . He also mentioned that falang should always carry their passport and I asked if a copy will suffice ? he said definitely no , ok then , how about a Thai driving licence which has the holders pp number . He said that is acceptable . I am unsure of privately owned property reporting but I will pose the question to him next week of , does the onus fall on the property owner to report that they have a falang guest ?

I think that this whole thing is either going to intensify or fade away

[superal]

Just had a visit from another falang and the same thing has happened to him . He had been here for 2 weeks and was merely making a visa enquiry at kap choeng immigration office and was asked why he had not reported on his arrival . He said he was unaware that it was a requirement . After sitting with the officers who completed his registration he had to pay 800 baht for late reporting .

[Don Mega]

Just had a visit from another falang and the same thing has happened to him . He had been here for 2 weeks and was merely making a visa enquiry at kap choeng immigration office and was asked why he had not reported on his arrival . He said he was unaware that it was a requirement . After sitting with the officers who completed his registration he had to pay 800 baht for late reporting .

He should have replied that he did notify his address when he wrote it on the arrival card.

[mxyzptlk]

OK, so as per your first post, have you received a password and can you now do further reports of aliens (including you) staying at your private house via the WWW? Since you don't mention it above, then I guess not....reporting of an aliens presence using the WWW has been around for a long time but only for commercial establishments, but not for private individuals....please advise.

Well spotted , although the omission of further reporting to their Imm; office and online password info was deliberate as I have yet to be advised on that and they still seem to be setting the procedure plus I think that I am something of a guinea pig . The officer involved will call at our restaurant next week with the update and concluding instructions . He also mentioned that falang should always carry their passport and I asked if a copy will suffice ? he said definitely no , ok then , how about a Thai driving licence which has the holders pp number . He said that is acceptable . I am unsure of privately owned property reporting but I will pose the question to him next week of , does the onus fall on the property owner to report that they have a falang guest ?

I think that this whole thing is either going to intensify or fade away

OK Thanks for the update. Please keep us posted with any new developments

[BeefSlapper]

Reference

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?/topic/848885-Immigration-/-police-visiting-foreginers-houses

[Walter Travolta]

I was asked on arrival at the airport why I hadnt filled in the 'address in Thailand' section and my reply was that I would find suitable accommodation on my arrival in Pattaya. They never told me that once I had found said accommodation that I needed to inform immigration.

I can understand that if there is a dodgy European in your neck of the woods that the police would do checks, maybe they would be better off doing a kind of mine sweep through Pattaya to weed out the Gary Glitters

[dageurreotype]

Just had a visit from another falang and the same thing has happened to him . He had been here for 2 weeks and was merely making a visa enquiry at kap choeng immigration office and was asked why he had not reported on his arrival . He said he was unaware that it was a requirement . After sitting with the officers who completed his registration he had to pay 800 baht for late reporting .

Funny how many times this '800 baht' 'fine', for whatever reason from 'late reporting' to 'not reporting residence' (the onus upon which is the housemaster anyway), all at Kap Cheong, is getting mentioned. The cynical would think that they'd all come up with yet another money making scam scheme during their som tam break. Of course I expect the ingenuous 'they're only doing their jobs/it's always been this way' along shortly

[Stray]

Seems there's been a bit of a shake-up at KCI, lately. Some of the older crew are being put out to pasture and are a bit upset.

With regards to the address reporting, I've always correctly filled it out on the arrival card but, during my last arrival (a few days ago), the immigration officer at Swampy airport told me that there was no such address. I showed him the reverse side of my Thai driving licence (same address only written in Thai). He pounded a few keys on his computer, stamped my passport (and arrival card) and I was on my way.

And, I've just received an e-mail (from my visa service) reminding me of the requirements of TM7 reporting.

[Stray]

Pardon me, a correction to the above. It wasn't an e-mail regarding TM7. It was the "Notification Form for House Master . . . ".

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post and the reply to it.