Owners of rented houses, rooms ordered to report foreign occupants

[Baerboxer]

Actually this has been the law for some time. I remember some time ago, when I did my 90 day report, I received a note to give to my landlord that she was supposed to register me.

Same at hotels. Funny enough, if I stay at a 5 star hotel they never ask for my passport.

Maybe they will introduce a law that we are not allowed to live within 300 mtres of government buildings, religious buildings and education institutes.

Why not fit us all with a micro chip so we can be located at anytime?

How strange. Whenever I stay at a 5 star hotel - recently that would be in Thailand, Abu Dhabi, Osaka, HK, Singapore and KL they always ask for my passport. Some take a photocopy too.

[Seastallion]

And easily circumvented by renting under your Thai g/f's name. TYVM Miss Wanna.

Ironic, isn't it? An over reacted knee-jerk, which would not have prevented the bombing nor led to the suspect.

[lee b]

Nothing new for me here, I've been doing that for the last 3 years...

[shirtless]

Never happen to many rich have condos rented out and dont declare rental income so they will stay way off the grid now. But its good to know the Thai government care about our welfare.

[jonclark]

Never happen to many rich have condos rented out and dont declare rental income so they will stay way off the grid now. But its good to know the Thai government care about our welfare.

How so?

[lostoday]

25 million visitors moving 4 times a week for two weeks. Lets see that's 200,000,000 pieces of paper each of those taking 3 minutes to process. That's 10 million hours of labor to accept the reports and then there is data entry of of those 200,000,000 million reports at 5 minutes each (Thai data entry people). 17 million hours. 27 million hours of labor and we haven't added in the storage time for the paper records. 2,700,000,000 baht for labor.

I'm not much of a logistics guy but what percent of the total with labor and all the new office buildings they would have to build to house the labor force and paper making and storing. What percent of the Thai GDP would this cost them?

Thai Visa posters have been leading the charge to make this law a reality for some time now so congratulation guys and good luck in your next crusade for home visits for retirement visas and verification of embassy letters. Go get em.

Edited September 2, 2015 by lostoday

[stoneyboy]

what about the case of a foreigner living in is friend girlfriend appartement

She gets fined, you pay it..

In the 6 years I've been here my GF has never reported my arrival to anyone.

As I stated elsewhere,I can imagine the look on the faces of the policeman here in Lom Sak when my GF turns up to announce the arrival of her English Darling just back from another stint offshore.

Incidentally when they the police stopped me a couple of weeks back after the bombing they never asked for my passport,driving license or any form of ID.

They never questioned my GF on where I live or if I had reported my arrival to them,I imagine until now they were completely unaware of this law and aren't in no hurry to enforce it,in tourist areas and areas with large expat populations then yes it makes sense and will likely become more enforced.

In the back of beyond its very very hit and miss with the law regarding anything,half the time due to the language barrier they can not be bothered to attempt to interact with foreigners.

They did however ask me to smile as they took my picture,a picture that they have no information or personal details to relate to it,maybe they put it on their Facebook.

I will in future though depending how much this becomes enforced ensure my GF rushes out to the law shop and announce my arrival,merely to spare any hassle and unwanted fines.

[ukrules]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

[shamrock09]

I thought that law was already in existence?

Yes, law does exist of course. But most landlords dont want to report if renting houses to foreigners because they dont want to pay taxes for the money earned. And if they are forced to report they will raise the rental fee to get the money back.

Isn't that a good reason for enforcing an existing law.? Taxes are not exorbitant here so all in all it's fair enough!

[stoneyboy]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

But it's not enforced nationwide right ?

[lostoday]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

Sure they do and mom and pop Somchai will have no problem reporting the visiting Farang on line?

[ratcatcher]

No microchips just electronic ankle braclets should do the trick.....They can monitor alcohol levels as well.....killing two birds with one stone......All the bars would be gone and the Breweries would go out of business murdering the economy.

".......the Breweries would go out of business........."

People with '-bhakdi" on the end of their name do not go "out of business".

[Kitsune]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

Hotels but not private houses.

Your Thai wife has now to report you!

[Kitsune]

Sorry, but why? Unless the NCPO thinks all foreigners are criminals - in which case this is both a racist and stupid directive.

Doesn't immigration hold this data already on long term stayers via the 90 report?

True...but millions stay less than 90 days...and the government would have no idea, otherwise, of where those people were..

Especially the bad ones, that fly in to do their dirty work/get fake passports...and then leave quickly.

People married here for 8 years have been fined 800B for not reporting.

That means they ALREADY do the 90 days report

So it's ONTOP of the 90 days

[Kitsune]

To clarify, there are 2 reports required:

One by the house/apartment/hotel owner. If they get caught, the fine is ( I believe) 2,000 baht) each time.

The second report is the responsibility of the guest of Thailand. He/ she is supposed to report their whereabouts. The fine is 800 baht.

These regulations have rarely been implemented in the past.

The knee jerk reaction is by those posters here, who seem to forget that all are guests in this country, even if it is a short stay.

No the owner does not get fined, the farang does!

There are reports about this here.

it's 800B if your landlord has not reported you in your immigration office.

some are already enforcing this law.

do a search on it

[Ulic]

So the law already exists but the Government is now requesting people follow the law. Yes of course.

[ukrules]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

Sure they do and mom and pop Somchai will have no problem reporting the visiting Farang on line?

Truth is stranger than fiction. When I moved into this rented place a few years ago the woman who owns the houses around here asked me for help with the computer.

She came to my computer, I logged into the immigration system using her username / password and entered my own passport details on her behalf.

This was nearly 3 years go and it's been going on longer than that.

She's learned how to use it herself since then as she only came back to me once for some other guy renting one of the houses....

[gaijinsomchai]

Thai authorities never disappoint. One had to know a xenophobic response was coming.

[Oziex1]

Another knee-jerk reaction - brought to you by.....

Exactly.. I am interested in what other ones will follow. From my own viewpoint, perhaps the worst part of the 9-11 attacks on my own country was how we handled ourselves in the months after, rather than the actual devastation from those events. The Patriot Act and the War in Iraq being the first things that come to mind. Will be interesting to see what happens here.

Not very much I would think, pretty hard to compare the two incidents and Thailand has little in the way of civil rights to roll back.

[Dukeleto]

Not sure if anyone else covered this already but the immigration TM 6 arrival and departure card requires you give the address you are staying at while in Thailand. Problem solved! If the argument is made that the person intent on criminal behaviour will furnish a false address then the same is likely true of the details given to the rented accommodation owner. immigration perhaps need to furnish the information obtained on the TM 6 to a national database.

[LannaGuy]

To clarify, there are 2 reports required:

One by the house/apartment/hotel owner. If they get caught, the fine is ( I believe) 2,000 baht) each time.

The second report is the responsibility of the guest of Thailand. He/ she is supposed to report their whereabouts. The fine is 800 baht.

These regulations have rarely been implemented in the past.

The knee jerk reaction is by those posters here, who seem to forget that all are guests in this country, even if it is a short stay.

so what? when people get a visa for USA or UK do they have to report like this? racial discrimination but we all know Thais are horrendously racist (even to their own citizens)

[cmsally]

To clarify, there are 2 reports required:

One by the house/apartment/hotel owner. If they get caught, the fine is ( I believe) 2,000 baht) each time.

The second report is the responsibility of the guest of Thailand. He/ she is supposed to report their whereabouts. The fine is 800 baht.

These regulations have rarely been implemented in the past.

The knee jerk reaction is by those posters here, who seem to forget that all are guests in this country, even if it is a short stay.

so what? when people get a visa for USA or UK do they have to report like this? racial discrimination but we all know Thais are horrendously racist (even to their own citizens)

If there are 2 reports then surely that would mean guests in hotels would have to report their own presence as well as hotel owner ?

[lostoday]

This system has been in place for years, even small guesthouses are required to register people who stay on a temporary basis.

There's a website and it can be done online. Every hotel also does this.

Sure they do and mom and pop Somchai will have no problem reporting the visiting Farang on line?

Truth is stranger than fiction. When I moved into this rented place a few years ago the woman who owns the houses around here asked me for help with the computer.

She came to my computer, I logged into the immigration system using her username / password and entered my own passport details on her behalf.

This was nearly 3 years go and it's been going on longer than that.

She's learned how to use it herself since then as she only came back to me once for some other guy renting one of the houses....

And she didn't give you the disk that imm gave her? Sorry I'm such a cynic. I've lived in 40 places in Thailand and no one has ever asked me for a passport.

[stickylies]

F.A.R.C.E.

[kerrysum]

I thought that law was already in existence?

I'd have to agree, it has always been this way. So is there is something here I am missing? I have always reported where I will be staying, as I know the motels have to.... But I haven't been back in 10 years and at this point have no plans to. It has changed too much for me at this point in life.....

[fish fingers]

will we get segregated on trains next?

[chainarong]

I thought that law was already in existence?

It is , Thainess

[chainarong]

I thought that law was already in existence?

I'd have to agree, it has always been this way. So is there is something here I am missing? I have always reported where I will be staying, as I know the motels have to.... But I haven't been back in 10 years and at this point have no plans to. It has changed too much for me at this point in life.....

Valid comment, it sure has changed and not for the better

[MyFriend You]

what about the case of a foreigner living in is friend girlfriend appartement

I ould suspect she should report you,or face a fine..............but I am not the Law, she better check up on this. Although I am in a different country, my presence always has to be reported to the Police, and I own the house!!

[Dante99]

25 million visitors moving 4 times a week for two weeks. Lets see that's 200,000,000 pieces of paper each of those taking 3 minutes to process. That's 10 million hours of labor to accept the reports and then there is data entry of of those 200,000,000 million reports at 5 minutes each (Thai data entry people). 17 million hours. 27 million hours of labor and we haven't added in the storage time for the paper records. 2,700,000,000 baht for labor.

I'm not much of a logistics guy but what percent of the total with labor and all the new office buildings they would have to build to house the labor force and paper making and storing. What percent of the Thai GDP would this cost them?

Thai Visa posters have been leading the charge to make this law a reality for some time now so congratulation guys and good luck in your next crusade for home visits for retirement visas and verification of embassy letters. Go get em.

It is done online. Stupidity of the ignorant reigns.