Does my friend need a TM30 form for a tourist visa extension in Thailand?

Question

A friend of ours is here in Thailand on holiday. He is from the US. When he arrived he got a stamp in his passport for just 30 days. He went to Chaeng Wattana and tried to extend his stay for a bit longer by filling in the TM7 form. When he was finally called up to get the forms processed they noticed that the address he had given on the form of where he is staying was in Samut Prakan so they sent him to the correct office there.
When he got there, they took the TM7 form from him but then said he had to get a TM30 form filled out with the homeowner in Samutprakan giving their details as well as copy of house registration and a certified true copy of their passport.
The thing is, our friend is travelling around and not staying in just one place. When he stayed in Samutprakan it was only for a few nights. He is due to go to holiday in Samui in the next couple of days.
So - did the Samutprakan office make a mistake - does he really need a TM30 to be completed for a simple tourist extension?
I have looked on the www.immigration.go.th website and there is no mention of this for a tourist visa extension - just a fee to be paid along with the TM7.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ask Thailand · Answer

A traveler from the US is trying to extend his 30-day tourist stay in Thailand but is confused about the necessity of a TM30 form, which he was told to provide when applying for the extension at the immigration office in Samut Prakan. Many commenters emphasize that the TM30 is indeed required if registering at that locality, while others suggest that he can instead apply for the extension using a different address in Bangkok. There are varied experiences shared about dealing with immigration, with some recommending applying at the IT Square Laksi Plaza in Bangkok instead.

Ian ********* · Answer

I arrived back last Friday in Bangkok, I was told prior to leaving to ensure within 24 hours to have my wife complete the TM30. From what I have seen this is kingdom wide requirement. Better to do it an be safe otherwise your hotel will do it after you check in.

Nick ******* · Answer

I tried to do an extension on my visa exemption a few years back. It got absolutely ridiculous. They wanted receipts for 30 days, but like your friend I was travelling around. It became so stupid that I just got on a bus and went to Cambodia and got a thai visa there. From my experience I always advise getting a visa prior to arrival, making life much easier. I hope your friend gets it sorted.

Andrew ********* · Answer

Book in a cheap guesthouse

Robert ******* · Answer

Each and every foreigner needs to be registered at the local Immigration Office within 24 hours after arrival.

There is no difference depending on visa used, there is some leniency from different Immigration Officer.

TM30 is the number of the form used to register a foreigner at an address.

Tod ********* · Answer

Samut Prakan is totally hard core about people who use their immigration office (meaning they stay IN Samut Prakan province) having a TM30 filed. If that's the address where he's staying NOW he can't use IT Square Laksi Plaza for his extension 😕

SO

I'd say tell your friend to just go apply in Samui once they get down there using the address of the hotel where they're staying. Shouldn't have any issues applying for the 30 day extension for 1900baht

Ellie ******* · Answer

Sadly, that post seems to be full of the wrong moves.

But, first of all, he should go to the Bangkok immigration temporary office at IT Square Laksi Plaza, not Chaengwattana because he stamped for 30 days on the visa-exempt scheme, with an address in Bangkok.

Or if he needs to use an address in Samut Prakan, he has to go Samut Prakan Immigration office, not Bangkok in the first place.

If I remember right, Samutprakan (and maybe Samui, too) is among the immigration offices that require TM30 for tourism extension.

None of those IO didn't mistake (at least sounds like that to me).

Bangkok usually doesn't require a TM30 receipt for 30 days tourism extension.

So, for his 30 days tourism extension, maybe the easiest way is:

Go to IT Square Laksi Plaza to apply for 30 days tourism extension, filling the address part with yours or some other address IN Bangkok.

Here is general information for tourism extension.

Does my friend need a TM30 form for a tourist visa extension in Thailand?

Activity

Related

Resources