Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing "a gap between the TM7 and the TM 30?" What are we talking about here? Well for those who don't understand, the TM7 was actually the old arrival/departure card that you got when you arrived in Thailand. As we discussed in prior videos, they implemented a biometric system upon arrival which basically phased out the arrival/departure card, so as a practical matter the TM7 is no longer out there. 

Next, the TM30. Well for those who are unaware, that is an address reporting form here at Thai immigration. We have discussed it at length over the past roughly 7 to 10 days because there have been a lot of protocols that have been changing with regard to TM30 most notably when you leave and come back into Thailand, it now appears that at least in the Pattaya Immigration Office, although effectively we see it up here in Bangkok as a practical matter as well, you have effectively got to re-file a new TM30 which may be causing some folks some consternation. I will leave that aside; I have already made those videos. 

But I thought of making this video after reading a recent comment on one of those videos. Quoting directly: "They dropped the TM7 so essentially there is no reporting of address or phone number for the first 90 days which I can see is a gap in the tracking process. What I don't understand is why “O Visa” holders don't just get a one-year reporting pass, verify your address once a year at Visa renewal and do the odd random check across the year. They don't get any revenue for TM 30, why keep doing a pointless labour consuming exercise three extra times a year? Also why can't they get a user group of customers and staff and beta test new processes under NDA to find out does this work? does it help solve the problem? does it cause unintended consequences?" 

All good questions but the point of that comment that I think is most pertinent is the fact that yeah, at the end of the day there is this gap now I guess, so I kind of get where this TM30 policy is changing because in the past when you would fill out your arrival/departure card you put all your address and everything in that document and so for the first 90 days of presence in Thailand minimum, they would  know something; they would at least have something to go on. They have an address in that card that would have been submitted. I think as a practical matter, I don't know how well that worked because it was analog and it was all paper, but I guess in theory it might have been beneficial. 

But yeah long story short, is yeah in a sense there is something of a gap between the way they were taking people into the Kingdom via the arrival/departure card and the way they are doing it now where they do it with biometrics, and there is this sort of 90 day period where nothing is being reported. That may be a reason for the change in TM30 policy.