TM30 For Condo Owners in Pattaya

[Banana7]

Jomtien office is accepting multiple TM30s, one for each entry into Thailand, for foreigners living in their own condo.

I am in Thailand based on an “extension of stay” for retirement, and owner of a condo in Pattaya, where I reside most of the time. Last year, I registered a TM30 for living in my condo, and the TM30 receipt portion was stapled into the last page of my passport. Recently, I went to Vietnam for a couple of weeks, rather than doing the 90 day report. One day after returning, I went to Jomtien immigration (2nd floor) to see if they wanted a new TM30. They were delighted and removed the old TM30 and stapled the new TM30 into the passport.  Since I owned the condo, they accepted a photo copy of the front page of my chanote, I was not asked to provide item 5, 6, 7, and 8, from the TM30 requirements list, shown in the attached photo. Item 3 and 4 seem to ask for the same thing.

[Jingthing]

That's great, but you do realize that what you did is NOT required for owners living in their own condos. I can confirm this with a recent experience. So please don't encourage other people to go to bother they don't need to.

Cheers. 

[Banana7]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That's great, but you do realize that what you did is NOT required for owners living in their own condos. I can confirm this with a recent experience. So please don't encourage other people to go to bother they don't need to.

Cheers. 

No, I did not realize there is no requirement for condo owners. The immigration website instructions for TM30 doesn't make any exceptions for foreigners who own  a condo and live in their own condo.

 

[Jingthing]

9 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

No, I did not realize there is no requirement for condo owners. The immigration website instructions for TM30 doesn't make any exceptions for foreigners who own  a condo and live in their own condo.

 

Yes, it's been a point of confusion for some time now as far as condo owners living in their own condo.

 

However, I can confirm with a high level of confidence that you didn't need to EVER file a TM30 in your situation at JOMTIEN. My situation is the same.

Now that you're in the system, I can't say because that's weird. 

It varies by office. The situation is CHIANG MAI is very different.

I would advise all people in Jomtien that own condos to NOT do what you did. 

If the policies change, we'll all know that soon enough, but really, you didn't need to do what you're doing as far as reporting yourself living in your owned condo. 

Now if you have a foreign guest in the condo that you own, that's different. 

 

 BTW, you can take this or leave it, but if I were you and did what you did, I would REMOVE that receipt form from your passport and then just never do such reports again unless there is a change in policy. I sincerely think there will be no consequences to that and I would take that "risk" myself. But of course I can't promise  that now in your case. 

 

Edited November 8, 2016 by Jingthing

[Maestro]

No, I did not realize there is no requirement for condo owners. The immigration website instructions for TM30 doesn't make any exceptions for foreigners who own  a condo and live in their own condo.
 

Are you referring to this page on the immigration website?
Notification of residence of foreigners for businesses
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=alienstay

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[Banana7]

12 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

Are you referring to this page on the immigration website?
Notification of residence of foreigners for businesses
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=alienstay

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

Yes.

[chiang mai]

I've seen some screwball things in my time here but this one takes some beating - you can file your own TM30 in Pattaya as long as you own your own condo yet in Chiang Mai a Thai person must register you in the first instance, regardless of what you own or don't own. It's truly nuts.

[Maestro]

No, I did not realize there is no requirement for condo owners. The immigration website instructions for TM30 doesn't make any exceptions for foreigners who own  a condo and live in their own condo.
 

The page on the website of the Immigration Bureau to which you refer has the title "Notification of residence of foreigners for businesses". Unless the condo you own and live in is a business, the information on this page is not for you.

If the immigration website has another page, with instructions for foreigners who live in the condos they own about the details of how to notify their own arrival at the condo and the arrival of foreign visitors, I have yet to find it.



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[texanaust]

So is the current consensus NOT to self report on a TM30 when staying in ones own condo in Jomtien?  What about the condo management, do they report an owners arrival?  I always thought the address you put down on the arrival card at the airport was used for the first place of residence-I am now confused.

[Jingthing]

So is the current consensus NOT to self report on a TM30 when staying in ones own condo in Jomtien?  What about the condo management, do they report an owners arrival?  I always thought the address you put down on the arrival card at the airport was used for the first place of residence-I am now confused.

Condo owners living in own condo Jomtien do nothing and condo management does nothing.

Of course do the 90 day address reports as required ... separate issue.

[Banana7]

6 minutes ago, texanaust said:

So is the current consensus NOT to self report on a TM30 when staying in ones own condo in Jomtien?  What about the condo management, do they report an owners arrival?  I always thought the address you put down on the arrival card at the airport was used for the first place of residence-I am now confused.

Seems like I made a mistake reporting myself and filing a TM30, since I am not a business, nor is my condo part of a business.

 

Condo management normally are unaware of your whereabouts and have no responsibility to report  condo owner activity.

 

 

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, Banana7 said:

Seems like I made a mistake reporting myself and filing a TM30, since I am not a business, nor is my condo part of a business.

 

Condo management normally are unaware of your whereabouts and have no responsibility to report  condo owner activity.

No you didn't. You did the right thing as proven by the fact that they processed the report and gave you a notification receipt.

 

Every foreigner should be reported via a TM.30 and condo owners are not exempt. Whether or not an office enforce or insist on this law varies across the country.

[Jingthing]

No you didn't. You did the right thing as proven by the fact that they processed the report and gave you a notification receipt.
 
Every foreigner should be reported via a TM.30 and condo owners are not exempt. Whether or not an office enforce or insist on this law varies across the country.

It may not be wrong but it was 100 percent unnecessarily. So wrong or right is irrelevant.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, texanaust said:

So is the current consensus NOT to self report on a TM30 when staying in ones own condo in Jomtien?  What about the condo management, do they report an owners arrival?  I always thought the address you put down on the arrival card at the airport was used for the first place of residence-I am now confused.

Not sure there's a consensus. It appears to be one persons opinion in contradiction to a first hand report. However, if you choose not to report it's no big deal as the maximum fine/penalty is only 2,000 baht.

 

The address that you put on the arrival card is to advise where you are going to be staying. The TM.30 is for the hotel/guesthouse manager or the owner, house-master, possessor of a private property to confirm that you have arrived. They are independent requirements, but as you qualify as the owner you are also responsible for the TM.30.

 

The law was written 37 years ago and has been followed my many hotels/guesthouses for years without people knowing. It's becoming more of an issue now as more visitors stay in private accommodation, but the law still requires that the foreigner is reported. I doubt it was written with foreign ownership in mind, but the law is not specific to Thai owners/citizens, therefore, a foreign owner is responsible and liable.

 

The law is clear, what is frustrating is the inconsistent enforcement. IMO they should do away with the law or enforce it, but if you want a definitive answer you should ask your local office what they want.