The Royal Thai Police has recently issued the new Regulation which provides some Expats’ relief on the requirement of TM30 reporting, as well as for property owners (i.e., house-master, owners or lessors of a residence) and hotel managers in Thailand. The new Regulation was published in the Government Gazette on 16 June 2020 and it has been effective from 30 June 2020 onwards.
According to the new Regulation, property owners and hotel managers are required to submit TM30 report only for the first time when the foreigner arrives at their premises. It is no longer required to repeatedly submit TM30 reports every time when a foreigner travels out of the country or temporary stays in other premises (i.e., no need to re-report upon returns to stay in the same premises within the check-in period, rental period, or within the period of their re-entry permit).
Prior to this new Regulation, when a foreigner left Thailand or temporarily stayed overnight in another place, a TM30 report needed to be re-submitted every time, within 24 hours as from the foreigner’s return from a trip back to stay in the same premises.
Furthermore, according to our discussion with the Immigration Officers in Bangkok, it is also no longer required for foreigners to show their TM30 acceptance slip when they extend or renew their visas or submit 90-day report. However, we still suggested that foreigners should request the house owner or the lessor of their residence to provide the official TM30 acceptance slip for a foreigner to keep as personal evidence in their passport.
These changes are consistent with the Thai law places the responsibility for reporting the stay of a foreigner on the shoulders of the house owner, landlord of a property, or the hotel; thus, not shouldering the responsibility on foreigners.
Currently, the TM30 Online System as well as the Mobile Application are fully activated. House owners and hotel managers can register and obtain their username and password in order to login to the system.
TM30 notification can still be submitted by registered post, or filing directly at the Immigration Bureau, Chaengwattana Road in Bangkok, or local Immigration Office located in the area of their residence.
Failure to comply with TM30 notification or any delayed notification will be subject to a fine of not exceeding THB 2,000 if the violator is a property owner, or a fine between THB 2,000 and THB 10,000 if the violator is a hotel manager.
