THAI IMMIGRATION NEWS The information below is based on reports from Expats using the Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration Office (Jomtien Soi 5) unless otherwise noted.
LATEST INFORMATION ON 10 YEAR VISA FOR RETIREES A poster to ThaiVisa.com message board announced on June 17, 2017 that the Prime Minister had approved the new Visa which should become available in August 2017. No source was shown for the information, but the poster indicated that an official announcement was pending. To review the article, click here. We will post more information upon receipt of an authoritative announcement.
BANK LETTER SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 3 DAYS OLD If you use funds on deposit in a Thai bank for all or part of your financial requirements, a recent report (March 9, 2017) is that Immigration is not accepting the Bank Letter if it is more than 3 days old.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONLINE 90 DAY ADDRESS REPORTING One of our members who recently completed his 90-day reporting online has provided us with detailed instructions – click here to see the instructions. You may receive a warning that it is an unsecured site; thus, there could be some risk if you want to use online reporting.
CHONBURI (PATTAYA) IMMIGRATION NOW ENFORCING CHANGE OF ADDRESS REPORTING WITHIN 24 HOURS (UPDATED 6/7/17) Pattaya radio Fabulous FM 103 has prepared a video and text based on information they received from Chonburi Immigration regarding the filing of Form 30 to report an alien (foreigner) residing in your residence and/or property. To view the text with link to the video, visit: http://fabulous103.com/immigration-thailand-visitorshome/. To view just the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tStMlfgVu8Y. The information indicates that the report can be sent in by email, but doesn’t mention whether the required documents (see below) need to also be scanned and emailed or whether Immigration will return the “receipt” showing next reporting date by email. If anyone uses this method, please let us know the results and what was required. Also, please note the following: The information is silent regarding whether you must report your address if you are returning from a trip inside of Thailand. We also received a report in mid-April 2017 that a member went to Immigration to renew their retirement extension – all was fine, but later they received a call to return to Immigration and were informed that since they didn’t report to Immigration within 24 hours of their previous return several weeks earlier, they received a hefty fine (they did not indicate how long they were out of Thailand). Latest Update: June 19, 2017 One of our members, returning to Thailand on Friday, April 21, went to Immigration to report their address on Monday, April 24. They report that the Immigration Officer confirmed that they were required to make the report within 24 hours. A portion of the TM.30 form was detached and placed in his passport as evidence of reporting. BUT, another who just returned to Thailand announced at the April 30 meeting that they were told it was unnecessary if they were out of Thailand less than 30 days. Recent reports, May 21, 2017 – from two persons: One was late, but fine was waived based their going in to report and advising Immigration Officer they had just learned of the requirement – they specifically asked the Officer about not being required to report if trip outside Thailand is less than 30 days; they were told no, they must report address within 24 hours. It continues to be an inconsistent policy and it all depends on the Immigration Officer on duty. Latest report, June 7, 2017 – A member returned on Friday, June 2, 2017, and was not aware of the requirement until the following week. They went to Immigration on June 7. They were told they were required to file the TM.30 as they were the condo owner, but they were not fined even though they were a few days late. If you have traveled outside Thailand, we suggest going to Immigration to make the report (the desk is in the room to your left when facing the information counter at the entrance); otherwise it appears you do run the risk of being fined. You can download the Form TM.30, complete the information, and email it to Immigration at immchonburi.report@gmail.com. Although not mentioned, hopefully Immigration will email back the receipt (If anyone uses this option, please let us know if that is the case). Not mentioned is whether you need to have supporting documents as required if you report in person (see below). If you regularly rent out property that you own, you can go to Immigration to get sign up for using online reporting.
Sources
http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/download/pdf/tm30.pdf
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