Went in this morning to report that I had returned to Thailand ( from a few days visit to Laos) and expected to walk out in five minutes after the usual quick check and update from the 90 day lady in the back room.
Couldnt have been more wrong.
Place was packed to begin with, but after a while, and very much to my surprise, I was told to fill out form TM 30 ( number is in Thai only) entitled "Notification Form for House Master, Owner or Possessor of the Residence where Alien Has Stayed" I was told to return with our house blue book and copies of that and of my spouse's ID card signed by my spouse . . who is the actual house owner. The second page of the form has columns for all the aliens who have checked into our house in the previous 24 hours. (Of course my name is the only name on the page . .we are not running a hotel!)
This seems a huge amount of work just to report that I have returned after a few days abroad. Is this a new wrinkle, or have I just missed out on the thread where we all rant endlessly about this particular Thai immigration policy.
Also what time do they open in the morning?
24 hour report . .again!
Chas,
Did you miss the "report within 24 hours after returning" discussions that have been on the forum? Other than that, I can't think of any reason that they are picking on you!
Did you miss the "report within 24 hours after returning" discussions that have been on the forum? Other than that, I can't think of any reason that they are picking on you!
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
TM 30
I followed the 24hour discussions very carefully . .but I do not remember anyone being asked to fill out the TM 30 form and bring in the house book and Thai ID cards when reporting.
The form is actually not even something the individual alien has to fill out, but rather the house owner.
The form is actually not even something the individual alien has to fill out, but rather the house owner.
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stgrhe
- Professional
- Posts: 389
- Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 9:55 am
- Location: Hua Hin, originally from Stockholm
The TM 30 is not meant for us "aliens" when returning from a trip outside Thailand. The TM 30 should be used by the House Master and it is not an obligation for us to submit that document.
The immigration officer tried the same with me when I made my 24 hour reporting about 10 days ago. It was a new young lady at the reporting desk, but I told here that we, the aliens, have only an obligation to fill out the TM 28 form, which I had done. After discussing the matter with two other officers she admitted I was right.
The immigration officer tried the same with me when I made my 24 hour reporting about 10 days ago. It was a new young lady at the reporting desk, but I told here that we, the aliens, have only an obligation to fill out the TM 28 form, which I had done. After discussing the matter with two other officers she admitted I was right.
Yeah I agree and put up some Immigration Department documents on the other thread that seem to confirm this. I think they got it wrong Chas, I'd query it with them as may be setting yourself up for future obligations by doing it once.stgrhe wrote:The TM 30 is not meant for us "aliens" when returning from a trip outside Thailand. The TM 30 should be used by the House Master and it is not an obligation for us to submit that document.
It seems it's clearly for businesses accomodating foreigners, it actually states that at the top of the explanation document on Immigration website (see image below). It does include 'rented houses' though, so could affect some of us in that respect, ie: those who rent their property out, or do those renting have an obligation to advise their landlords to enable them to make the notification
From Immigration Website:
SJ
Clear to me
It is abundantly clear to me and to my spouse who went in with me this morning that form TM30 does not apply and that they have it wrong.
But knowing the general attitude toward aliens here (Welcome to Thailand . .now go home.) I was not about to challenge the two women who conferred and who sent me off with the TM30 and the request for the house book & Thai ID card. Probably the clerk made an error in the first place and rather than apologize and correct her error, chose to make me work for it. (Apologize? Government office? In your dreams! !)
We worked with yet another woman this morning and she went with the TM 30 without the blink of an eye. I now have TWO pieces of paper stapled to the back of my passport . .the 90 day and the TM30 receipt. (And we are taking bets on getting another piece of paper or two within the next few years . .maybe our dog will have to report.)
Anyway, we made several copies of the required documents in order to be prepared for the next time.
By the way, it is a madhouse out there now. Thanks to the excellent schmoozing skills of my spouse, we got in at around 8:20 and by the time we left . . 8:30, there were five couples already there with a steady stream coming in. Yesterday afternoon there were about 40 people squeezed into that room . .. every desk at work, every chair taken and a half dozen people standing.
You also have a ticket machine now and a dazzling array of electronic number boards which seem to be connected to some other office entirely. I could make no sense of them.
But then, I can make no sense of anything Immigration does (other than to encourage aliens to just leave their money and move right along to somewhere else) so it fits right in.
But knowing the general attitude toward aliens here (Welcome to Thailand . .now go home.) I was not about to challenge the two women who conferred and who sent me off with the TM30 and the request for the house book & Thai ID card. Probably the clerk made an error in the first place and rather than apologize and correct her error, chose to make me work for it. (Apologize? Government office? In your dreams! !)
We worked with yet another woman this morning and she went with the TM 30 without the blink of an eye. I now have TWO pieces of paper stapled to the back of my passport . .the 90 day and the TM30 receipt. (And we are taking bets on getting another piece of paper or two within the next few years . .maybe our dog will have to report.)
Anyway, we made several copies of the required documents in order to be prepared for the next time.
By the way, it is a madhouse out there now. Thanks to the excellent schmoozing skills of my spouse, we got in at around 8:20 and by the time we left . . 8:30, there were five couples already there with a steady stream coming in. Yesterday afternoon there were about 40 people squeezed into that room . .. every desk at work, every chair taken and a half dozen people standing.
You also have a ticket machine now and a dazzling array of electronic number boards which seem to be connected to some other office entirely. I could make no sense of them.
But then, I can make no sense of anything Immigration does (other than to encourage aliens to just leave their money and move right along to somewhere else) so it fits right in.
Chas u r not alone (like the abbreviations ?) had to do the same in September and was threatened with a squillion Bht fine if I forgot next time.
I figure the HH runs as a semi autonomous region of Thailand and can set its own rules and reg's.
And Yes those lights and numbers are something to behold. One farang even took a photo while there of what must be immigrations attempt to beat Chevy Chase's Christmas vacation lighting extravaganza.
The excessive crowding must also be hard on those poor dilettantes too!
I figure the HH runs as a semi autonomous region of Thailand and can set its own rules and reg's.
And Yes those lights and numbers are something to behold. One farang even took a photo while there of what must be immigrations attempt to beat Chevy Chase's Christmas vacation lighting extravaganza.
The excessive crowding must also be hard on those poor dilettantes too!
I have a retirement visa. I am presently in Europe, I plan to return to Hua Hin soon. After the long flight I would, however, consider spending a day or two in Bangkok before proceeding to Hua Hin. I know I must report my return to Immigrations not later than 24 hours after my arrival.
Questions:
a) Must I report to the Hua Hin Immigrations Office, or can I report my return to an office in Bangkok, and if so, where? (address, please)
b) What are the repercussions if I report one or two days late?
Please advise.
Questions:
a) Must I report to the Hua Hin Immigrations Office, or can I report my return to an office in Bangkok, and if so, where? (address, please)
b) What are the repercussions if I report one or two days late?
Please advise.
There seems to be no pattern or reasoning to it, some people get fined others don't, you just have to take your chances on the day; be polite, well dressed and prepared for it if it happens.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
There is an old law that relates to 24 hour reporting, but for the life of me I can't find it at the moment. I'm pretty sure that it has to be done at your local office, especially now as Imm decentralised a little while back.
However, this report was worded for hotels/guesthouses and their customers and heads of private households. There was no mention of the necessity to report if you rented property - that was down to the Thai owners.
In reality, people have been fined here in HH as they seem to interpret the rules differently to almost everywhere else.
Similar to stgrhe, I returned to HH after a month in the UK and didn't bother to do the 24 hour thing. I did report on my 90 day cycle though (about 3 weeks after I came back) even though I didn't have to - I hadn't been in Thailand for 90 consecutive days before my departure or after my return, but the old reporting date was still stapled into my passport.
The officer noticed that I'd left the country from the exit and entry stamps, but didn't say anything. I just got another 90 day report date.
As buksida says, you take your chances, but I've always taken the view that they know where you live when you extend your visa and you also report your address when you re-enter Thailand on your arrival departure card.
It's a lottery out there!!
However, this report was worded for hotels/guesthouses and their customers and heads of private households. There was no mention of the necessity to report if you rented property - that was down to the Thai owners.
In reality, people have been fined here in HH as they seem to interpret the rules differently to almost everywhere else.
Similar to stgrhe, I returned to HH after a month in the UK and didn't bother to do the 24 hour thing. I did report on my 90 day cycle though (about 3 weeks after I came back) even though I didn't have to - I hadn't been in Thailand for 90 consecutive days before my departure or after my return, but the old reporting date was still stapled into my passport.
The officer noticed that I'd left the country from the exit and entry stamps, but didn't say anything. I just got another 90 day report date.
As buksida says, you take your chances, but I've always taken the view that they know where you live when you extend your visa and you also report your address when you re-enter Thailand on your arrival departure card.
It's a lottery out there!!
The TM30 has to be filled out once by the person named on the yellow/blue book, notes are subseqquently made on the back of it. However if you are reporting and ypu are not the person listed on the blue/yellow book , then the person who is named has to fill in a TM30 for you if he/she is reporrting on your behalf. This is how it was explained to me by immigration.If you stay somewhere else before coming back to Hua Hin, then there is usually no problem - just tell them you spent a few days somewhere before returning. They won't ask for proof usually but if you have a hotel receipt its always handy just in case.[/list]
The wind blows cold on brake and heath
The weeping willows cry
The mountains dark are jagged teeth
Against a leaden sky.
The weeping willows cry
The mountains dark are jagged teeth
Against a leaden sky.
24 hr reporting
Hi.. regarding the 24 hr reporting.. when we return to Thailand our Thai developer takes the passport for immigration registration within the first 24 hrs.. he has told us that he can now do this online?? Not sure if you can do this yourself or its only for the hotels/landlords/developers.. can anyone shed any more light on this?? Would be a lot easier if after the initial proof of residencey we can do this ourselves online..
I've heard that online reporting should be possible and indeed it says it here:
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en ... =alienstay
However, I've never come across anyone who's managed to do it
There's a contact telephone number given in the link. If you manage to find any information out about this, please report back as I'm sure it could help many of our members.
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en ... =alienstay
However, I've never come across anyone who's managed to do it
There's a contact telephone number given in the link. If you manage to find any information out about this, please report back as I'm sure it could help many of our members.