Reader submission: Reporting obligation for tourists and expats
Dear readers,
It has already been written that anyone who enters Thailand, but does not go to a hotel or resort, must report to Immigration.
Last year I sent an acquaintance to immigration to report with a residence address, knew nothing about it at immigration and was sent back. This month before making an annual visa this man got his problem for not reporting an address and was fined 4000 baht, after payment this man could apply for a visa and was also granted.
Monday, January 23, I again sent people to immigration, were first at a resort and rented a house, so change of address. Once again at the immigration in Jomtien soi 5 at the information desk they knew nothing about it. The people called me and told them to go straight to the 2nd floor in the immigration building (many don't know that there is another floor at immigration). They did that and there too they received their notification form from immigration that they are registered at that address.
Everything free of charge. You must report within 24 hours, otherwise you will be fined 200 baht to a maximum of 5000 baht per day. This also applies to anyone who has a 90-day note, annual visa, etc. and is leaving the country for a short period of time.
It should be noted that as soon as you leave Chonburi and go to the Isaan for example, you must report it and also report it again when you get back. They can also penalize you for that if they find out you've been out of the county. That is possible because every hotel must make an online report if a foreigner comes to spend the night.
Everyone has been warned.
Regards,
Roel
According to document TM30 from Immigration, this concerns a report by "house-master, owner or the possessor of the residence where alien has stayed".
And if the Immigration doesn't want to help you, the local police will. You must have that TM30 form with you signed by the homeowner or entitled party. And don't run away until that thing is signed. There is an Immigration helpline 1178 and you call it.
But it's a twisted situation. Not the guest but the main occupant or owner must fill in and offer that thing! But the Thai does not know the law; my partner was fluttering her ears when I asked her to sign it. I even wonder if the fine can be imposed on the guest because he / she is not in violation.
I hope that everyone is now convinced of the obligation that rests on the hotel, guesthouse and someone who provides accommodation. It will be up within 24 hours.
So if I understand correctly, when you temporarily rent a condo, the owner must report this to immigration and I am not liable as a tenant.
Beats. But if you want something from immigration, for example an extension, you are the point of contact and must therefore pay the fine. You can of course try to recover it from the owner.
Arrivals of foreigners must be reported using form TM30 – Notification for housemaster, owner or the possessor of the residence where alien has stayed.
In principle, this is something that should not be done by the foreigner himself.
In Bangkok I (officially through my wife) do it by post. Works fine.
Whether it is also possible by post at other immigration offices, you should inquire locally.
In principle, a TM30 must be created with each new “Entry”.
If it concerns a “Re-entry”, this is usually not necessary. But that is something that can be different locally.
When applying for an extension, of any kind, it is usually checked whether your stay has been reported with a TM30 form.
If not reported, a fine may follow, but it is not actually intended for the foreigner.
However, if you want your extension, you will almost have to pay the fine.
Getting your money back from the person who had to report it is another story, of course.
Changes of address or stays outside the province must be reported with a TM28 – Form for aliens to notify their change of address or their stay in the province for over 24 hours.
Here it is the foreigner who has to report it.
Within 24 hours when it concerns a change of address.
Within 48 days after arrival, if it concerns a stay in another province.
It is best to find out locally which rules are applied in your immigration office.
However, don't be surprised if they don't know what you're talking about when you show up with a TM28. Almost never used. The TM30 is usually sufficient.
For those who stay in a hotel all the time, it is simple. Everything is reported via the hotel manager.
You may only need proof of notification from the hotel when applying for an extension.
Those are pretty much the rules.
Many landlords, or heads of families where you are staying, often do not know that this is necessary. Especially outside the tourist areas.
Let them know if they don't know. Fill it in yourself if necessary and have them sign it.
Reporting requires little work and you are done quickly.
Of course everyone does what they want with this.
Ronnie,
Do you also have to do that if you have a yellow book?
Yes, in principle, however strange that may be.
The yellow Tabien Baan proves the registration of your address with the municipality, but does not prove that you are currently actually staying there.
For immigration, a TM 30 report is proof that you are actually staying at that address.
With a Yellow Tabien Baan, however, it may well be that immigration tells you that a one-off report with TM30 is sufficient. It's best to ask at immigration itself.
Remember that when you get visitors who stay at your address for a longer period of time, it is up to you to report them.
This is only necessary if you are in the blue book.
PR is never covered by the mandatory notifications that apply to Non-immigrants or tourists.
The same is true for 90 days of notifications
Those few who are PR here will know that and that's not what the answers here are for.
Non-immigrants or tourists are not allowed to register in the blue Tabien Baan. The yellow Tabien Baan serves that purpose. If that does happen, this is an error on the part of the municipality, but it does not change their status and does not release them from the reporting obligation.
They remain tourists or Non-immigrants.
Also say right away that possession of the pink card ID for foreigner does not change the status either. They remain Non-immigrants and the reporting obligation also continues to apply to them.
Ronny, how do I get a TM30 form, can I find it online somewhere?
Go to http://www.immigration.go.th/.
Then click on Download form.
You get all the forms
@ Ronny etc, I or my wife have never filled out such a form in the over 40 years that I have lived here and have never had a fine or the like. I do now, since I'm retired, my 90 day report, I didn't do it before either.
For those who live permanently in Thailand, request a password at immigration together with the homeowner, this can be done online by a Thai partner. We had to do this 2 years ago. Since our homeowner lives in America, her brother went with us to the immigration. After a few hours, our housemate had registered everything and instructions to fill in everything online every time at home.
If you then go to immigration for your extension, you must bring a printout of this. Then there is no problem.
What a wonderful administrative mess. I would choose the easiest way and just book 1 hotel stay for 1 night. Registration obligation with the hotelier and you have proof that you have paid and spent the night there. Problem solved lol.
Fixed for 1 night yes. But not yet for the next(s).
for my upcoming stay of 2 months Thailand I have a Tourist visa single entry. Do I have to report at the airport somewhere else than usual for a short stay?
Hi Roel
I think it's strange because I've been staying here for 5 years and I just rented a house now I built a house and I've never applied anywhere.
When I come back to Thailand every time I never do anything, not even for my girlfriend.
And we also had a visa every time.
Kind regards, Rob
After moving, I went to immigration on Samui within 24 hours with a TM 30 and a TM 28 form. I got the TM 30 form back, but they did nothing with it. I had to return with the TM 28 form when I came to submit my 90 day report. So it just depends on which immigration office you are dealing with.
Recently took a 10 day trip with my wife. In the hotels and resorts where we stayed, everything was done with my wife's ID card, I was not asked about anything. So nowhere was a TM 30 report made. During the 2 days I visited family I left nothing to report. No immigration office there, it was a weekend anyway so it was closed anyway. And I don't think it makes much sense to go to the police station where they have probably never seen such a form, let alone speak a word of English.
What I read in various other forums is that reporting is important after a trip abroad.
Perhaps a little more information on this topic would be helpful.
As I understand it now, a tourist who wants to travel through Thailand for 14 days has to spend 4 weeks because he has to go to the immigration or the local police every other day.
The whole story only plays as soon as you spend the night at an address that is not a hotel/pension. So say: If you don't have to check in.
And then it is still up to the owner / resident to register, but it is wise to point this obligation out to him or her in order to avoid any problems with an extension.
2 weeks is therefore sufficient for 14 days.
Around 1985 I once ended up with a family in Hungary, and then I had to report to the police station together with the resident every day.
One of the family members had a cafe/restaurant and after I had invited the official on duty to come and eat and drink there, a stack of 10 backdated fully completed and stamped forms was waiting for me the next day. I never saw the man again.
How about that, because I went to the amphur in Uthai in 2015 because I told my girlfriend that she had to report that I was temporarily living with her (8 weeks) and they only asked me if I had a valid visa , and of course I had, then all was well said the official, without even checking my visa.
So I never mention where I am anymore, and when they ask at passport control I always say that I am going to my girlfriend's and that we will go on holiday together later, but I don't know where yet, never had any problems with that.
regards, Rob
I have been coming to Thailand for 12 years now, have been married for 10 years and have a 6 year old daughter.
now I read that I am obliged to report to immigration. I've never had to do this.
I visit my wife twice a year, never for longer than 2 days. my wife has her own house. I usually stay there (sometimes going to the coast for a week). I live in Roi et.
Am I now obliged to report if I am going again soon? and should I do that immediately after landing on suvarnapumi?
who can help me.
Other Ger reports: your wife can go to Immigration in Roi Et with you with the house booklet and a completed TM30 form. It takes little effort to complete a form and afterwards you will receive a slip with your notification stapled into your passport. If your daughter has Thai nationality you do not have to register her, otherwise you do and you can mention it with you on this TM30. You have done your best with 1 report, because the form does not state until when you will be staying there, so you are registered for Immigration from the day stated on the TM30 form (arrival date) until the end of the holiday.
If you first stay in a hotel or resort somewhere else, they must report this. only upon arrival in Roi Et does the obligation to report arise.
Go to immigration normally and report there with a TM30. does not go at the airport.
It is best to take the wife with you. I was also asked for a copy of the identity card of the owner of the house and a copy of the title deed, Blue booklet. TM 30 can be copied from the internet. Money until you ever move again. if your wife is the owner it costs 1600.
If you move, you normally also have to register where you are staying. Owners of hotels, guesthouses and the like must fill in lists as 2nd part of TM30.
Daniel
The situation is very simple.
In its drive to control, the government has drawn up a law that is often unworkable in practice.
Some immigration authorities follow the letter of the law, but others do not.
To find out how it is in your case, you must contact the relevant immigration office.
Since you will probably be going straight from the airport to your wife for 30 days, they will probably want to know when you get there.
It is not surprising that you have never had any problems.
At the immigration office they are also not clairvoyant and therefore do not know that you are there if no one tells them.
As long as you do not apply for an extension of your visa, there will not be any problems. But if you want to extend your visa once a year at immigration, they will ask for it. It's new by the way. Previously it was not requested
You have to report officially, or rather: your wife has to report you officially. But as long as you don't need immigration and just leave the country within 30 days, there is no rooster crowing about that.
Does this also apply to tourists who are going to Thailand for less than a month and who are making a round trip?
If you stay in hotels etc. they report you.
The last day of last year I applied for my year extension, I still lived in a condo and told them that I was moving the next day. The agent who did the paperwork told me to report the new address at the next 90 day notice. Another person had to check my old address. As it turned out, no list of residents had been brought in since June. On the papers I have, the boss risked a fine of 20.000Bt. It was just laughed at.
I did not wait until the 90 days (that is on Feb 5) but started reporting on the first working day of 2017. I didn't want to be penalized for not having done it within 24 hours. Cost me 1600Bt which in principle has to be paid by the owner of the place of residence.
In CM they ask that the owner would come along.
If I had to do like I did 16 years ago, moving from one place to another would be more about paperwork than moving around.
Daniel
If you read all that you don't feel like coming to Thailand anymore.
What a pleasant country.
What is not clear to me in this regard is that if one leaves the place of registration to, for example, stay elsewhere in the country for a short holiday, that one must report this?
Is that also necessary if you have a yellow book?
What a hassle, whether or not to report if you do not spend the night in a hotel, also report a temporary stay in another province, the imposition of fines and immigration offices, which interpret and apply the same rule differently everywhere. The thought of a convict with an ankle bracelet comes to mind. The barrier to staying longer in Thailand seems to be getting bigger and bigger. The proverbial idea that you can feel as free as a bird in Thailand seems to be an illusion.
I have been traveling to Thailand a few times a year for many years and during my vacations I stay there alternately in hotels, resorts, rental condos and at private addresses. This is the first time I've heard that there is a duty to report. No one has ever said or asked about this.
If I understand correctly, every tourist who stays at a private address during his holiday (regardless of the duration) must report to the local police. What if you hop from hotel to resort to private address etc.? Going to find a police station every time and report there?
Where can I obtain or download that TM30 form please?
On this page you can view or download the form and you will find more information. It is (also) viewed here from the point of view of, for example, the landlord of a condo, who therefore has the obligation to report who is staying in his apartment and when, if I understand it correctly.
.
http://perfecthomes.co.th/tm030-registration-thailand/
.
Not the tourist has to report, but the home owner or manager of the house etc. is responsible. Despite many reports that the responders report and pay the fine ip,v, the home owner is simply the responsibility of the owner etc. and not the foreigner / tourist to comply with the requirements. People are frightened, for example, at an extension and that is not necessary: print the form TM30 and let the official read it and it really says what it is and what I write.
But sometimes : I once printed another form from the Immigration site and filled it out and handed it in. The civil servant asked where on earth I got this form from …. and then came up with the same form, only a bit more dated and could fill it in again manually on the spot, but the same data by the way. Nice officials.
I think it's all over exaggerated. With an annual visa, report to immigration every 90 days. if you leave the country in between and come back again, the 90 days will start again. This is what I have been doing for 30 years and what they have also explained to me in Udon Thani. Never had a fine or difficult questions. In Udon Thani, by the way, also a very helpful and friendly immigration service. What is being written now seems a bit mood-making to me.
It's all nothing new.
This is an obligation that has existed since at least 1979, but which was hardly monitored, with the result that it was hardly followed by anyone. Large hotels may be excepted because they are also better organized administratively.
Over the past two years, this has become a bit more controlled.
In some places it will be more strictly controlled than in others.
In the Thai Immigration Act of 1979 it is already written under Section 38.
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/doc/Immigration_Act.pdf
It has also always been on the immigration website.
According to section 38 of the 1979 immigration act, “House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time or arrival of the foreign national.” If there is no immigration office in the province or locality of the respective house or hotel, the notification is made to the local police station. In Bangkok the notification is made to the Immigration Bureau. The notification of residence of foreign nationals is made by the manager of licensed hotels according to the hotel act, owners of guesthouses, mansions, apartments and rented houses using the form TM. 30.
For more details go to http://www.immigration.go.th/
Click on “Notification of residence for foreigners” on the left
For forms TM 28 and 30, click on “Download Form”. You will also find all other forms.
P.S. It has always been stated that way in the “Thailand Visa” File, but well...
https://www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/TB-Dossier-Visum-2016-Definitief-18-februari-2016.pdf
See page 44 "Residence report on arrival"
Tara resort, Thai owner also knew nothing about online reporting, even a Thai landlord knows nothing, so you have to do it yourself with a rental contract, only then are you sure.
Just get the flyer with English text that can be found on the 2nd floor of immigration and what you need, nothing until 30 or 28.
Of course a Thai landlord or falang should do it, but they don't, so you are responsible. You will also receive a fine and the landlord will also receive a fine of 1600 baht if he does not report it.
I now have the flyers in stock at home for those who need it or tourist who is still coming.
Just 3 months to Thailand and back home.
Go wherever you want in this day and age and there is no problem anywhere if you don't look for it yourself with unnecessary chatter about anything and everything, as I notice here.
Last Saturday I was queuing up at the check-in desk at Zaventem, what kind of stories you hear there from the so-called 'Thailand connoisseurs', downright ridiculous!!
Hereby an explanation (in English) about the law TM30
TM30 Explained! You Must Register Any Non Thai National Living In Your Property!
The law in question is called TM30. It is a section of the Thai Immigration laws that refers to accommodations of foreigners residing on Thai soil.This law was originally designed to increase the amount of monitoring and surveillance that Thai authorities can exercise on foreigners residing in their country, whether they're on holiday or here on a permanent, residential basis.
The law states that all properties that have non-Thai nationals living on their premises must register them with the immigration department.
1. The easiest thing to do is to apply online. The property owner will apply for a username and password that will allow them to login easily and register any guests or tenants that are staying on the property. The biggest drawback is that the online system is still very temperamental and it's often the case that once applied they will not receive their login credentials. If you're using the online system, it's important that you receive a confirmation of the registration.
2. Another way is to simply register in person. There is a form called the TM30 form that you can download here. The home owner or property manager has the tenant or guest fill out the form then they file the form in-person with the immigration office. Download ( Tm30 Form Part 1) (TM30 Form Part 2) –Microsoft Word Format
3. The in-person registration can also be done by the tenants of guests in person at the immigration office. The tenants/guests on the property submitting the TM30 document at the immigration office will also need a signed proxy from the owner stating that he/she gives permission for the tenants/guests to act on their behalf. Download (TM30 Proxy Form) Microsoft Word Format
Please note that every individual staying on the property needs to be registered, not one per household. Basically, anyone that needed a visa to stay in Thailand needs to be registered.
Once I Have Registered, Is That It?
That's it unless you like to travel. If you don't travel around and just stay at the premises you are registered at then you won't have any issues. Your registration does not expire. As soon as you leave the country, even for a few days, you must re-register on your return.
If you stay in a hotel/guest house within Thailand, then you've re-registered in a different location. Once you return to your primary location in Thailand you have to re-register in that location again.
If you are a frequent travel and you're living in accommodation that does not have access or does not use the online system, then it would be highly advisable to ask the owner for pre-signed proxies for the property for yourself and anyone else staying with you.
to 030 Do I need to register everyone staying at the property? Yes. Everyone staying at the property must register, there is the second form for adding multiple people to the property if you are doing it at immigration.
tm030 Do I need to register if I am living in my own home? Yes. If you are a foreign national and own your home in Thailand, you must register your occupation.
tm030 Do I need to re-register if I have been out of the country for a couple of days? Whenever you leave the country, you must re-register upon your return.
tm030 Do I need to register if I have been on holiday and stayed at another hotel/guest house? Yes. The owner of the hotel/guest house will have registered you as a guest of the hotel/guest house. Once you return to your primary place of residence in Thailand, you must re-register.
Having trouble explaining the TM30 regulations to a Thai person. This is the Thai Version of this TM30 article here.
Henry, do you also have the link to the relevant Thai text?
http://chiangmaibaan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/tm30.png
In English
http://perfecthomes.co.th/tm030-registration-thailand/
In Thai
http://chiangmaibaan.com/tm30/
In English (immigration website)
http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=alienstay
In Thai (immigration website)
http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/base.php?page=alienstay
When my husband and I go to Thailand, we discuss different hotels, but not for all days because we do not know where we will end up while touring with the motorbike. The last holiday we had 9 different accommodations and a domestic flight to Nakhon si Thammarat. . Our journey never exceeds 23 days. Do we also have to go to immigration for this? In September 2016 when I passed Customs, the officer wanted to know exactly where I had been and kept asking and only then a stamp. Other years before that I didn't have that.
Dear Fenje,
No, you don't have to do anything at all, and you don't have to go to immigration for that reason either.
It is the duty of the hotels to report this for you.
The ordinary tourist does not have to worry about this.
It is not uncommon for the immigration officer at the airport to ask you some questions about your stay. That is no different with me. Don't worry about it.
No, you don't have to go to immigration, the hotels will do the reporting for you.
The accommodations where you are staying must notify you via Tm30 that you are staying there, so you do not have to go to immigration yourself. When you enter the country, you do not go through customs when you leave the country. So that question is not clear to me.