A group of foreign expats living in Thailand is currently petitioning Thai immigration authorities to scrap the much-hated TM30 Form.
According to immigration attorneys in Thailand, the TM30 form is a nuisance for expats living in Thailand because it requires them to report to immigration if they visit a new province for more than 24 hours.
In Thailand, there are 77 provinces, which means that foreigners residing in the country often go between provinces often.
For those that work in Thailand, reporting every time they go to another province not only wastes time, but it also affects their job.
On top of that, all long-term expats must already provide their permanent address in Thailand to immigration via a TM47 Form.
Until recently, Thai immigration authorities rarely–if ever–enforced TM30 requirements.
Now though, stories are cropping up about expats being fined by police upon returning from weekend trips to other provinces without reporting.
For those living with Thai wives or Thai landlords, the burden is on the Thai to report the foreigner to authorities.
The law also applies to tourists in Thailand but, in those cases, the duty falls on accommodation owners to report the tourist’s current address.
Read the full story here.
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