TM28: Thai immigration scraps requirement for foreigners to report when they stay away from home for 24 hours

[RichardColeman]

Oh well,their goes some low so policeman's revenue streams

[Ratt Thai]

9 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

Just more confusing news.... Tomorrow will bring a yet new and different update.... Then you still have the uneven enforcement and understanding on the individual IO to deal with

Indeed confusing as some people forget to read that 2.1 is still active and confirmed.
Must be a mistake ?
 

 

It looks that as of now, each alien have to report his whereabouts, within 24 hrs, each time if he stay's at another place then as known / registered at immigration. 

Or am i the only one who reads this ?

Edited February 20, 2020 by Ratt Thai

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Of course, don't forget the most important document of all.

Form: OU812

[Georgie65]

37 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

The hotel you stay in reports you to immigration.

I own my condo, I don't answer to anyone! I have not been back to the states in 8 years! I check in every 90 days, and immigration is lucky I even do that!!!!

Edited February 21, 2020 by Georgie65
second thought!

[Kinnock]

Just read all 7 pages of posts - but I'm no clearer.

 

House owned by partner, what reports do we need to make? TM30 still applies I think?

[cedel]

1 hour ago, Georgie65 said:

This is just another example of Thai Immigration Bureau causing confusion between TM28 and TM30 to benefit the commercial Immigration Service Providers.

 

The whole issue of address reporting by house-owners is a disgrace and is not required in any other country that I know of.

 

The worst aspect of this apart from the inconvenience to foreigners, is that Thai Immigration Bureau does nothing with the information and they accumulate piles of paper documents that nobody ever examines or analyses. The piles of paper documents are stored in warehouses and never applied for any useful purpose.

 

TM28, TM30, and 90 day reporting requirements should be scrapped.

 

The requirement to submit countless paper documents with visa extensions and 90-day reporting by mail should also be scrapped. Once Thai Immigration have received a paper document they should never require that document to be submitted again because they already have it.

As a condo owner at the same adress since 10 years  and previously having already been on a retirement visa, last year, I was again on a 60 days tourist visa and when I asked for a 30 days extention, they fined me 1600 (!) before to be able to pay 1900 for only 10 days or so that I really needed before to fly back home...I was really angry being taken for a fool and for an ATM, and felt that was unfair because they asked me my adress already when I made the tourist visa in Belgium 2 months before and also when I landed and passed immigration coming from the plane, on the TM6 , I said you know my adress already, I gave you already 2 times in the last 2 months and countless times before...and I complained that nobody ever told me, they said, "yes but it's not the same", and handed me a paper with the law saying that this law was not new...

Anyway, now they react...when the streets are empty...but a bit too late, they are always shooting a bullet in their own feet...

Edited February 21, 2020 by cedel

[kwak250]

Thats a shame i even thought about doing it on my last weekend away.

[Peterw42]

It appears the OP is being misunderstood.

 

TM28, foreigner reporting travel away from home, will no longer be required "BUT" TM28 was rarely, if ever , enforced.

 

TM30, the housemaster, owner or possessor reporting a foreigner staying or returning to a property, IS STILL REQUIRED",  and inconsistently enforced, depending on Immigration office.

 

 

[Georgie65]

48 minutes ago, Georgie65 said:

How would immigration ever know unless you told them? I've been living in Thailand for over 10 years, and I have traveled to every providence in Thailand many times, and never once did I ever think of reporting to immigration about having traveled outside of Chonburi... And never will!!! #MAGA2020

I own my condo, I don't answer to anyone! I have not been back to the states in 8 years! I check in every 90 days, and immigration is lucky I even do that!!!!

[berrec]

13 hours ago, Yadon Toploy said:

You are entered on arrival at the airport or border crossing.

 

This is good news.

Ok I know I should read the relevant sections myself and get a handle on them but again just clarification on traveling out and in of Thailand.

 

No TM28 or TM30 forms required to be submitted to Immigration for travel outside of Thailand.

 

The last thing I want to do is lob up at CW for my next 90 day reporting and get the big pushback, you leave Thailand and come back, where you're TM xx report!

[Kerryd]

13 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

This talks about TM28s which to my understanding were never enforced. 

Do the same exemptions apply to TM30s and 'landlord reporting' whose fines were in general passed on or collected from the occupier when ever  having any dealings with immigration. 

 

 

(TM30 often gets confused with TM28, with TM30 sometimes used as a kind of catch-all term to describe both but they are actually two separate requirements - and TM30 is still required.).

[Peterw42]

25 minutes ago, Georgie65 said:

I own my condo.....

That would make you still responsible for doing a TM30, upon arrival or return to your condo.

 

Its dependant on your local office, but if you travel to a hotel and they report you by doing a TM30, you need to do a TM30 when you return

[Peterw42]

14 minutes ago, berrec said:

Ok I know I should read the relevant sections myself and get a handle on them but again just clarification on traveling out and in of Thailand.

 

No TM28 or TM30 forms required to be submitted to Immigration for travel outside of Thailand.

 

The last thing I want to do is lob up at CW for my next 90 day reporting and get the big pushback, you leave Thailand and come back, where you're TM xx report!

It depends on the local immigration office enforcement of TM30, Some still require a TM30 for each and every arrival or return to a property. Others only for travel outside Thailand, others not at all.

TM28 was never really enforced, this OP now makes that official.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Peterw42

[cedel]

6.18 "Elderly..for retirement"...does it apply for all those above 50 years on non-o, non oa,...but not on a tourist visa ?

So if I'm "elderly"  but don't meet the requirements for non-o (/oa) and come only 2 or 3 months each time on a tourist visa , I still need to report myself if I go to visit a friend in another province for more than 24 hours ???

[Stargeezr]

Wow, a brain or two came to life in Immigration! Again, Amazing Thailand..

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, cedel said:

6.18 "Elderly..for retirement"...does it apply for all those above 50 years on non-o, non oa,...but not on a tourist visa ?

So if I'm "elderly"  but don't meet the requirements for non-o (/oa) and come only 2 or 3 months each time on a tourist visa , I still need to report myself if I go to visit a friend in another province for more than 24 hours ???

No, you dont need to do a TM28 reporting yourself, another province 24 hours etc. You may still need a TM30  (from the property housemaster, owner or possesor)reporting your return to where you live, dependant on local office enforcement.

[alanrchase]

I have never submitted a TM28 and have never been asked for one. When changing address at Immigration all they required was a TM30.

[jackdd]

26 minutes ago, cedel said:

6.18 "Elderly..for retirement"...does it apply for all those above 50 years on non-o, non oa,...but not on a tourist visa ?

So if I'm "elderly"  but don't meet the requirements for non-o (/oa) and come only 2 or 3 months each time on a tourist visa , I still need to report myself if I go to visit a friend in another province for more than 24 hours ???

Tourists have always been exempt from TM28.

[crickets]

What a coincidence this happens when there is a massive drop in tourism. 

[Magsg]

It also mentions 90 day reporting in the same decree.  Does that mean we don’t need to do 90 day reporting now?

[jackdd]

3 minutes ago, crickets said:

What a coincidence this happens when there is a massive drop in tourism. 

They exempt retirees and spouses from a law which hasn't been enforced anyway? I don't think this will have an impact.

 

Just now, Magsg said:

It also mentions 90 day reporting in the same decree.  Does that mean we don’t need to do 90 day reporting now?

No change done to 90 day reporting, they just repeat the existing law for whatever odd reason.

Edited February 21, 2020 by jackdd

[mikosan]

12 hours ago, docspinoff said:

so just recap ,,,,, do we still need slip of paper in our passport with our address on it .. if we don't have one will we get a fine ???

Yes, except it's now called a TM27 rather than a TM28 it seems and is required when you change the address you notified on arrival on the TM6.  It seems the 24/48 hour time limits have been waived for most, but the requirement to report a permanent change of address is still there.  There is no change to the TM30 reporting requirements.  Although I could be wrong, because, as usual, it's all as clear as mud.

[hottrader77]

14 hours ago, geronimo said:

The TM 99 will soon follow .. to be completed when you shop at Big C .......

thai immigration have added the exceptions instead of just scrapping them because it saves face , they dont want to look as stupid as they are , the 1st time i used to come to thailand in the 1990s i could get a 1 year multi entry tourist visa or a 1 year multi entry business visa , but then immigration got greedy and less and less time allowed to stay in thailand thats why we are at the 60 day visa and then pay for an extension of 30 days , the message is clear GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WE ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY NOT YOU ! so i will be going somewhere else and they will no longer have my hard earned money !

[newnative]

   Great.  Next up, the totally unnecessary 90 day reporting.

[mikosan]

31 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

I have never submitted a TM28 and have never been asked for one. When changing address at Immigration all they required was a TM30.

I have always had a slip of paper in my passport, the bottom of the TM28, which shows my PERMANENT address and I changed it whenever I moved PERMANENTLY.  As I understand it this form has now been replaced by a TM27, which must be completed when you PERMANENTLY change your address, from that recorded on your last entry TM6 or last TM28, whichever is current.

[mfd101]

And after that, the pain-in-the-butt health insurance nonsense. If they could backtrack on that in the next 2 or 3 months, I would feel much relieved.

 

All we need to do is get a petition together and some publicity in Western newspapers ... Now's the time for action, with help from coronaV.

[DLock]

I travel frequently and have never once done a TM30 (except for hotels that do one automatically) and have never once been pulled up for it, fined or even questioned.

 

I do have a yellow Tabien Baan and a pink ID card and they were always going to be my back up documents/excuse, but not once was I questioned.

 

This is a good thing...I guess.

 

[RBOP]

OK, so I have Retirement Non-O with my wife and daughter following me. I seem to qualify under section 6.18. However, Parent, spouse or child under patronage is not mentioned for 6.18. So seems my wife and child don't qualify and I will have to continue reporting them on a TM28. Another clear as mud notice. 

[Jimbo53]

15 hours ago, Chicken George said:

So.. No more reporting TM30. Which our local IO insisted I do even for one night away from my permanent address? 

Which part of the article did you not understand??...TM 28!!!!

[khunpa]

Good news.

 

Would not be surprised if we in the future will see other benefits for foreigners and expats.

 

An economy under pressure could mean changes and maybe even end up with the appreciation of expats.

 

We all have the right to hope and dream.