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Home » Reader question » Reader question: TM 30 form mandatory for expats?
Reader question: TM 30 form mandatory for expats?
Dear readers,
Has anyone had to show a TM 30 form at immigration? That is a form that is actually intended for a hotel or guest house to report that that person is staying there.
Today an acquaintance of mine came with the message that a friend of his had been fined 1600 baht because his wife had not registered him. The man has a yellow house booklet and a Thai farang card.
And it was said that the fine could be as high as 10.000 baht, depending on how long someone lived there without leaving the country.
Is this another way to bully us? Does anyone have experience with this or is this not true?
Regards,
Cees
Not registered what do you mean his wife has not been after Immigration. I find it strange when you come back to Thailand then you are obviously registered with the government and you get a stamp in your passport then wait 90 days and again after immigration.
I think it's an excuse but who am I.
I've never heard of it but I'm curious to see if it's true.
mzzl Pekasu
That again differs at which immigration office you have to go. After moving to Samui I went to the immigration office within 24 hours with a TM 28 and a TM 30 form (completed by my wife). The TM 30 form was looked at and it was returned, they did nothing with it. With the TM 28 form (change of address) I had to come back when I came to report my 90 days. At some immigration offices a slip of the TM 30 form is stapled in your passport. I believe that in Chiangmai they are quite difficult about the TM 30 form, and that quite a few fines are handed out there. I got this information from other logs. So it is best to inquire yourself at immigration what the rules are there.
A month ago, when I visited Immigration at Bueng Khan for the 90 days notice, I was asked the same thing (first time in 6 years)… a TM30 completed by my wife which she has to present in person..
We live “only” at 100 Km. from Bueng Khan so that was an extra trip of 200 Km.
To my question “when exactly” this TM30 should be completed, we received the answer: every time you re-enter Thailand & it must be submitted within 24 hours. (since we regularly make mini-trips within Thailand, it would otherwise be VERY complex if we had to report every homecoming)
The TM30 does state that you can also submit it to a local police station if immigration is too far away, but we have no experience with that yet.
We did not have to pay a fine.
mvg
pdc
TM 30 form must be reported to immigration or police post by anyone offering accommodation to persons within 24 hours. This is to gain more control over who is staying where.
More and more attention is being paid to ensuring that the report of a stay of foreign persons is reported to immigration.
For example, all hotel operators and guesthouse owners must report this under penalty of a fine in the event of a check, as well as persons who have shelter with their loved one, the home owner must report this to immigration or the police station.
When applying for an extension, this document TM 30 form must also be provided with the application completed by the homeowner, where afterwards if you get the approval of the immigration, the lower part of the form will be attached to your passport.
Georgio
A TM 30 form consists of 2 pages. These pages are completed by the 'Thai' home owner (could be your Thai wife for example)
There is a time limit by which you must be registered with immigration or police services using this document.
A strip is torn from the first sheet and this is stapled to his passport in the 'farang'.
As mentioned several times, there is no standardization with regard to immigration offices, however, if you come across a 'zealous officer' as is the case in Chiang Mai, then there is indeed a price tag of 1.600 Bath (or more) (to be honest add that you will sooner receive a price for a visa extension than a report of 90 days) And indeed then you can stand waving with your yellow household book or your Thai driver's license or your pink foreigner's identity card that does not help better than to remain very calm because the fine can be different go up a bit more. (there is also always discussion for who the fine is the owner or the farang - 100% of the cases it is the farang who will reach into his wallet)
For hotels and guesthouses they can complete the TM30 online.
A lot of ink has already been spilled about this TM30, but indeed it is in the legislation (and it is not from yesterday!)
So that knowledge has informed you correctly
I don't remember handing it in, but I do go out of the country every 90 days.
And I also have the yellow booklet and two Thai driving licenses (but that will have nothing to do with it)
1.600 to 10.000 Bhat is serious money.
Nico from Lak-Si
Nico,
Indeed, yellow book and Thai driver's license is irrelevant here.
You say you leave the country every 90 days, may I ask why?
I think you are going out of the country because of your visa…. correct?
That doesn't matter either, it's just the report that has to be made to immigration when you stay at a new address, and you don't have to report that but the house or hotel owner has to notify immigration or the police office.
Greetings Georgio
ah,
Indeed, 90 days is for the visa, (like to visit the neighboring countries)
Hopefully the homeowner did.
Otherwise, with the next visa application, take a TM 30 form with you just to be sure.
Thanks Georgio
I'm sorry but I'm not saying I'm going out of the country every 90 days. Here in Chiangmai, according to my knowledge, they require that even if you have been living at the same address for years. And you left the country once. Your partner must report you again to the local police within 24 hours. And I've lived here for 17 years and never had this. Read what Patric DC says about it.
The farang must fill in a TM 28 and the person in whose property you are staying a TM 30
The police are a bad choice, people don't know those forms and don't know what to do, not even on tesabaan or amphoe. just Immigration, in Chiang Mai in the old near the airport.
In practice it does not happen, but theoretically you have to submit a TM30 to the authorities every time. For the simple reason that the date stamp (in your passport) does not match the data in their system.
I am sure there are very few who do this, but it will only happen to you if you meet someone at immigration who does it by the book.
Fortunately, it is more or less known which immigration offices excel in following the procedure(s) à la lettre.
Again it is in fact the job of the homeowner (Thai) who has to do the registration
for expats (long-stayers will have a slip stapled to your pass and please do not confuse this with the 90-day slip)
in other words, they can see at a glance in their computer whether you are registered and when
This question has to do with TM30 but not with expats.
I don't know if I can post it here or create a new thread.
At the end of this year I will be visiting acquaintances near Prakhon Chai (a hamlet about 30 kilometers away) and will probably be able to spend the night there with relatives. Sister has a bigger house.
I guess I am the first foreigner to spend the night there. They have probably never heard of a TM30 form.
What should I do then?
To be sure first go to Immigration in Prakhon Chai (if there is one at all)?
Definitely takes a lot of time.
Or just leave everything as it is?
If you are not 'caught' when you spend the night somewhere without being registered, there is nothing wrong, right?
Or can you or the hostess get into trouble afterwards.
I will continue to search the Internet, but have already dropped this here.
Rene, Prakon Chai is certainly not a hamlet, but a nice town and has no immigration office. Since Prakon Chai is located in Buriram province, you will have to go to the office in Buriram, which has recently been opened.
No, Prakhon Chai is not a hamlet, but my acquaintance lives about 20 km. from the centre.
Thank you for reporting that Prakhon Chai has no immigration office. I did not know that yet.
But to have to go to Buriram especially for those few days and given all the reactions, I think I'll just let it run its course.
I will inform my knowledge about it.
Just do nothing, no one will make a fuss.
The TM30 is mandatory, but almost only has consequences for an extension of stay or 90 days report, because then immigration can see whether or not TM30 has been done.
Incidentally, TM30 has been mandatory for years, but for some time now, almost everywhere, this has been used more actively.
Yes I will do that.
So do nothing.
Thanks.
Just for the record: TM30 must be completed and handed in by the home owner (or usufructuary, leaser, holder).
It has nothing to do with an extension or a visa or the 90-day notification. The latter must be done by the immigrant / visa holder
Correct in theory.
In practice, however, immigration does not know whether or not a TM30 notification is made until the 90-day notification is made or an extension is applied for. And if it turns out that this report has not yet been made, the foreigner will be called to account.
If you come by plane from outside Thailand, you must always fill in a sheet on the plane, on which you must also state your address. Doesn't the immigration officer automatically put this address into the system?
I am going to Kuala Lumpur from 16 to 20 January to see this city and the towers.
Then I will ask Don Muang right away if they put my address in the system,
My Thai driver's license also has my home address in Thai, which I can show.
To be continued.
Greetings Nico
Unfortunately that is not the case. What you fill in on the plane is for everyone who arrives in Thailand and is just your arrival card. I have been living with my wife for 16 years. Of which for 12 years at the same address. We have bungalows for rent, and we report foreigners to the local police. But now I have to be logged in myself and stay. But as someone rightly stated, it is not with every immigration. But if there is money to be made, it might end up everywhere.
“If you are not caught spending the night somewhere without being registered, there is nothing to worry about” …
This is a wrong premise. That means as much as: you drive around in a car drunk, but there is nothing wrong because you were not caught….
For the sake of clarity: the TM30 is indeed mandatory and must be completed by the homeowner. It's not hard work to do this, unless it's for someone who can't read or write. The statement in the article that the "form is only for a hotel or guest house" is also completely wrong.
That you have to renew it every time you leave the country is also wrong. You only have to do this when you change residence.
At many immigration offices, it is now, in contrast to the past, requested to complete your immigration file. The statement that it is another way to bully people is a very weak argument and only shows that you do not take or acquire the necessary administrative knowledge of your own file. It has been in immigration law for years.
In an above response from me you can read that I received the TM 30 form completed by my wife on Koh Samui, they did nothing with it. A TM 28 form was sufficient, and not even within 24 hours, but together with the 90-day notification.
It would be a noble task for the ambassadors of the various countries to point out to the government that the rules applied everywhere else mean that people do not know what to do.
A uniform policy would be appropriate, which also makes corruption, which is of paramount importance to the prime minister, more difficult.
I think it is neat to report within 24 hours what was not possible on Samui. I have no proof of this, so a fine may result later due to not reporting within 24 hours.
In this context, I have already complained to the embassy about the various rules that enforce immigration, one officer does not see it so closely and the other there everything has to be down to the last detail, and that not only one office is the other not.
The embassy replied to me…. You understand that the functioning of the Thai immigration offices does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Belgian embassy and that we can only recommend that you consult the website of the Thai immigration services to look up the legislation regarding a visa and 90-day notification.
Georgio
Hi I am going to say it again it is the duty of every home hotel or guesthous owner to report to immigration that he is hosting foreigners normally within 24 hours
One immigration office against another has its own rules, and every officer is also different, have experienced this myself. You better be warned
Georgio
I've been living with my mourner for 16 years. They know that because she is of course going to im.igration for a new married visa. They never asked for that form. But now they've raised another cash cow. It is well known that you have to fill in the bet in a hotel. But in your own home ??
I have one and one civil servant wants a new one every year and another says 'you already have it, never mind'. But it is in my passport and in a hotel I fill in their 'card' and the police (not) pick it up. For example, the rules are not followed at every Immigration, but I'm not going to talk about that.
I got such a slip in my passport.
At first I lived with my brother-in-law and he then had to fill in a TM30. Afterwards I moved and my wife (home owner) filled out that form! All without any problems in Immigration Sirrindhorn (Ubon Ratchathani).
But now I do have a question. Suppose we let someone stay with us for a few days. And then he leaves again to stay in Thailand. Should my wife also report this?
regards,
Officially, your wife must indeed report this.
Basically yes. Normally they stay in a hotel, and the guests report it. But your wife should actually report it. I don't know if the local police are involved.
Live and work in Thailand for 10 years now and rent a condo in Bangkok, only in my name.
I have never had to hand over a TM90 form at 30 days of notification or extension of my visa or at the extension of my work permit. Not even a month and a half ago.