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June 18, 2020

Thailand to Relax Rules on T.M.30 Immigration Requirements

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The Royal Thai Police has issued a notification which relaxes the requirement for property owners or hotel managers in Thailand to notify an immigration office every time a foreign national stays in their property. Titled “The Royal Thai Police Notification on Residence of Heads of Household, House Owners, Landlords, or Managers of Hotels, Who Accommodate Foreign Nationals on a Temporary Basis,” the notification was published in the Government Gazette on June 16, 2020, and will take effect on June 30, 2020.

Under the notification, there will still be a duty for landlords or hotel owners to submit a T.M.30 form to an immigration office within 24 hours of a foreign national staying at their premises. However, they are no longer required to resubmit a T.M.30 form every time a foreign national returns to stay at the same place, which was an onerous requirement under the previous version of notification, issued in 1979.

Under the new notification, when the head of a household, property owner, landlord, or hotel manager submits a new T.M.30 form to the immigration office, they will also be required to indicate the period that each foreign national will stay at their premises, i.e., the arrival and expected departure dates.

In the event that a foreign national travels and stays in another place on an occasional basis, and then returns to stay at the same premises within the period of stay specified in the T.M.30, then a new T.M.30 will need not be submitted each time they arrive. The new rules are applicable to all foreign nationals who stay in Thailand on any type of visa, including holders of multiple-entry visas and re-entry permits which enable the holders to leave and return to Thailand within their visa validity period.

Where to Submit the T.M.30

The T.M.30 must be submitted at the local immigration office where the residence or hotel is located, or to the Immigration Office Headquarters for residences and hotels in Bangkok. It can be submitted in person, by post, online at www.immigration.go.th, or via the Section38 Android or iOS application (subject to the requirements of the immigration office).

For more information on immigration and work permit matters in Thailand, please contact Penrurk Phetmani at [email protected] or +66 2056 5509.

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