Yes, the Chiang Mai immigration office is enforcing the TM30 requirement rigorously. Several commenters shared experiences where individuals were denied services due to not having the TM30 form, which must be filed within 24 hours of moving into a residence. Fines of 1600 baht can be imposed for non-compliance. There are also concerns regarding some landlords not providing necessary documentation for tenants to file the TM30, creating a challenging situation for expats.
Good point. It's never a good idea to piss your landlord off. I was just thinking that if you stand to get fined by immigration for something they haven't done, it puts you in a difficult spot.
As for what you would lose, I guess that's a calculation you would have to make.
Chiang Mai is DEFINITELY one of the immigration offices that is hard core about people (or their thai land lords) filing a TM.30 within 24 hours of moving into a private residence (not a hotel or guest house).
They have no problem fining people 1600baht for failure to file that form when you go to the immigration office for something else and they see you never did one.
Today when I applied for my residency certificate they turned away a guy in front of me because he didn't have his TM30. I would say yes, it's pretty important :)
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