Notification of alien residence for foreigners and householders

[bankruatsteve]

I went to Udon Thani immigration yesterday for my 90 day report and, while getting processed, I noticed a pamphlet with the "notification".  The officer saw me looking at it and said "I give to you!  It's free!".  I looked it over when I got home.  It is in Thai and translated (?) English with basically two sections: one for the foreigner and one for the "householder".  There is zero mention of TM-30 but the requirement is about as clear as it's ever been. 

 

Example from the first part labelled "Section 37":

 

 "2. Reside at the place notified to the competent official except where the reason for not residing at the place notified to the competent official is justifiable, change of residence shall be notified to the competent official within twenty four hours from the time of moving into the residence."

 

The section ends with the statement "** The alien who doesn't follow must be fined in five thousand baht. **"

 

BTW:  The oxymoron is repeated several times in the document.  ????

 

 

[rkidlad]

I've never done a TM30 and I got my last extension 2 weeks ago no problems. No mention of the TM30 at all.

 

In fact, a friend of mine went to do his WP a few days ago. He went with a company lawyer. Again, no mention of the TM30, nor did he ever do one, and he's just returned from overseas. 

 

Me thinks the TM30 has been put out to pasture. 

[Dan747]

"Me thinks the TM30 has been put out to pasture." 

 

The TM30 is alive and well in Ubon Ratchathani and me thinks we will be living with this for a "LONG TIME!!"

[ubonjoe]

Section 37 has nothing to do with TM30 reporting. The TM30 reporting is under section 38.

A TM28 form is used for section 37. You can basically ignore the TM28 reporting unless you change your address.

[bankruatsteve]

TM-30 is/was required from the "householder".  In the pamphlet I received, Section 38 did not mention TM-30.  Instead it says:

 

"Please inform the residence follows

 

1. Inform yourself at the office of immigration across the county

2. Notification by postal mail.

3. Notification via the website https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn24online/

"

And, "** The householder, the owner or the possessor of dwelling place or a hotel manager who doesn't follow must be fined in ten thousand Baht. **"

 

Edit: I just looked again.  TM30 isn't mentioned in the English translation, but it does appear in the Thai version.

 

Edit 2:  In English, under Section 38, it also says:  "The householder ... shall notify the competent official ... within twenty four hours ..."  I wonder how that works with notification by postal mail?

Edited November 8, 2019 by bankruatsteve

[rkidlad]

53 minutes ago, Dan747 said:

"Me thinks the TM30 has been put out to pasture." 

 

The TM30 is alive and well in Ubon Ratchathani and me thinks we will be living with this for a "LONG TIME!!"

Well, not in Bangkok. And if Bangkok have decided to let it die, I'm pretty sure all the other provinces' immigration will follow suit. 

[Ratt Thai]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Section 37 has nothing to do with TM30 reporting. The TM30 reporting is under section 38.

A TM28 form is used for section 37. You can basically ignore the TM28 reporting unless you change your address.

got this on the website from immigration:

https://immigration.go.th/content/notifyresidence?click=1

 

Meaning that retiree's and married's do have to do?

 

Edited November 8, 2019 by Ratt Thai

[ubonjoe]

37 minutes ago, Ratt Thai said:

Meaning that retiree's and married's do have to do?

Yes if you change your address.

 

[Ratt Thai]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes if you change your address.

 

Then I am the lucky one, all of above on the pamflet... including retired and married...

Since my visa is TE, i guess i am exempt of TM28 then ?

[bankruatsteve]

7 minutes ago, Ratt Thai said:

Then I am the lucky one, all of above on the pamflet... including retired and married...

Since my visa is TE, i guess i am exempt of TM28 then ?

What is a "TE" visa?

[jackdd]

30 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

What is a "TE" visa?

Thailand Elite

 

38 minutes ago, Ratt Thai said:

Since my visa is TE, i guess i am exempt of TM28 then ?

No

 

 

Immigration police doesn't understand the law themself, so many of these handouts are just wrong.

 

Immigration act section 37(2) says that if you can not (it says "can not" also in the Thai version, so it doesn't apply if you just don't want to stay there, no idea why it is written like this) stay at the place as indicated (this means the TM6 arrival card), you have to inform immigration police about this change. To do so you use form TM27. Try asking for form TM27 the next time you are at an immigration office, probably they never used it and it will take them a while to find it. This law has so far probably never been enforced.

 

Immigration act section 37 (3) and (4) says that if you stay at a new place you have to inform your local police station (not immigration police), that you stay in their area.

This law was supposed to be for illegals, stateless people, and some other groups like "media". Tourists, non-b and non-ed visa holders etc. are exempt.

But these groups were made exempt when the law was introduced back in 1979, at this time non-o visas didn't exist yet.

When they introduced non-o visas, nobody thought about this (not enforced) law, and they didn't add them to the exemption list.

So effectively people on non-o or TE visas have to do this reporting using form TM28 to your local police station every time you stay at another place.

 

Then at some point they updated all the forms, when they did this they made a mistake on form TM28. The form is now addressed to immigration police, which is actually wrong, it should be addressed to the regular police (that's what the law says, which was not changed). If you take this form to your regular police station they might refuse to accept it at first because it says immigration police. You can then show them the law which probably makes them accept your form. Or you could find the old TM28 form which is still correctly addressed to the regular police.

 

But effectively TM28 is not enforced, here was one guy on Thaivisa who claimed he was fined for not having done a TM28, but even this sounds strange to me, so you should just ignore the TM28 for now.

Edited November 8, 2019 by jackdd

[4MyEgo]

8 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

In English, under Section 38, it also says:  "The householder ... shall notify the competent official ... within twenty four hours ..."  I wonder how that works with notification by postal mail?

I suppose if the householder, e.g. a Thai wife "the landlord" doesn't have a vehicle to get to immigration, i.e. it's too far and doesn't own a computer in today's day and age, can probably send in the notification within 24 hours, and they would take the date that it was signed.

 

I think that's fair, who knows, maybe a few landlords have complained that they work, live too far, and don't have the means to get there within 24 hours so they will now accept the TM30 by mail as long as it's posted within the 24 hours.

[dode57k]

9 hours ago, rkidlad said:

I've never done a TM30 and I got my last extension 2 weeks ago no problems. No mention of the TM30 at all.

 

In fact, a friend of mine went to do his WP a few days ago. He went with a company lawyer. Again, no mention of the TM30, nor did he ever do one, and he's just returned from overseas. 

 

Me thinks the TM30 has been put out to pasture. 

1 year in BKK and 2 years in Jomtien. Leave the country 8 times per year and whilst here travel extensively. Never done a TM30

[NE1]

I posted this in the Ratchaburi Immi. section yesterday.

 

I went in to do my yearly ext. today . There are new faces behind the desks , no familiar old ones.

Took what I thought were all relevant docs. what I have used for the last few years.

Copy of all passport pages , front and relevant extension pages . TM7. plus photo . Bank letter and a copy of main and last page of the bank book ( covered 5 months ). 

In my passport I had my TM30 receipt for 2016 . The last Two years I have filled in a new TM30 but on submission was told " if you are at the same address , a new one is not needed " Today I was asked " why I had not filed a TM30 for the last 2 years and did I know it was a fineable offence " I asked them what I could do if an immigration officer refuses a document , i cannot tell him he is wrong to do so .

I had already prepared a new TM30 , but this time to go with the TM30 they wanted all my passport pages with yearly extensions on photocopied.

As luck would have it there is a photocopiers down the stairs, out the door , turn right and 4 shops down.

Went back , was given Two new forms to fill in that I have never seen before .

One is a declaration stating I am aware of the penalties that can incur should I overstay my extension , this I had to sign.

The other one is asking for permission ( cannot remember name ) to apply for an extension on my visa and for what purpose . ( I thought that was what the TM7 did ) but you live and learn. signed and returned to them.

They then give my Mrs. back the receipt for the TM30 that I have to keep in my passport , but they wanted a copy. so she had to trek back to the photocopy shop and return it to the I.O.

My 90 day is up late December , and I also have to return on the 4th Feb. 2020 with a bank letter and statement showing I have not dropped below the 800,000 baht mark from today till then.

On leaving they told me that next year I have to show a full years account statement along with the letter from the bank .

Regarding the TM30 rule , there is a sign in Thai saying  , " you do not have to report back to the office to register unless you leave Thailand " 

Edited November 8, 2019 by NE1

[bankruatsteve]

Again, the TM30 is not something the farang needs to file. It's for the wife (the householder). 

[Peter Denis]

16 hours ago, dode57k said:

1 year in BKK and 2 years in Jomtien. Leave the country 8 times per year and whilst here travel extensively. Never done a TM30

Because TM30 is ONLY checked when visiting a provincial IO for a service where your address is needed (e.g. extension of stay or residence permit).  And some provincial IO's don't even bother with TM30.

So when you never visit a provincial IO, you will never be questioned about TM30.