Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesVisa & Immigration LawThailand Immigration LawThai Immigration's New TM27 Address Reporting Form

Thai Immigration's New TM27 Address Reporting Form

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the new TM27 form.  I am going to go ahead and throw that up on the screen. I am going to have a look at it myself here. Again, it is the TM27, the form for aliens to notify their change of address if different from that stated on their arrival card.  

So as we noted in a prior video, the TM28 has come to an end. It is no longer part of the overall framework of Immigration, so the TM28 form is a thing of the past and that is pursuant to and I am quoting from a translation that we have from the Immigration Department's official website. It is an English-language translation. The title is: Regulation of Royal Thai Police on notification of changing residence, moving, traveling to any province and staying there longer than 24 hours and notification of staying in the Kingdom longer than 90 days of an alien who has been granted a permission to temporarily stay in the Kingdom.

Moving forward and going to section 5 of this regulation, quoting directly: "The form of letter of notification and receipt of notification are prescribed as per the attachment in this regulation." and again we will go ahead and we will put that up; that is this attachment. So that is the new form and to be clear as we noted in our prior video, the TM28 is done; it is a thing of the past. You are not dealing with TM28 anymore. Now we have TM27, and more importantly we have a new regulatory framework associated with TM27 because the TM27 is a product of these new regulations.

Now this is interesting: Sub section 6 - notifications for 2.2 and 2.3 do not apply to an alien permitted to temporarily stay in the Kingdom for purposes as follows." So let's go back to 2.3 and 2.3.  They say “notification of moving residence shall be notified the police officer at the local police station where the alien stays within 24 hours from the time of moving out." There is more there but I am going to skip ahead because that is the relevant meat to that.  2.3. If traveling to any province and staying there longer than 24 hours such alien shall notify the Police Officer at the local police station within 48 hours from the time of arrival. 

So for purposes of TM 27, it is this 24 hour reporting requirement. However as noted, the form of letter of notification and receiving notification are prescribed as per the attachment in this regulation.

Notifications for 2.2 and 2.3 do not apply to an alien permitted to temporarily stay in the Kingdom on the purposes as follows." Let's go through this: 

6.1 Diplomatic or Consular mission 

6.2 Performing official duties 

6.3 Tourism; big deal there 

6.4 Sporting 

6.5 Business 

6.6 Investment under the concurrence of the relevant Ministry and Department 

6.7 Investment or activity relating to the Investments subject to the provision of Law and Investment Promotion; that is like BOI

6.8 Transit journey 

6.9 Being a person in charge of convenience or crew of conveyance entering through a port, station or locality in the Kingdom 

6.10 Study and observation; that is your ED Visas 

6.11 Mass media; that is Media Visa 

6.12 Missionary work under the concurrence of relevant Ministry and Department 

6.13 Scientific research or teaching practice in a research or an educational institute in the Kingdom 

6.14 Skilled craftsmen or specialist 

6.15 Parents, spouses or children under patronage, being part of a household of an alien who temporarily stays in the Kingdom for the purposes of all of the above; so basically the household of anybody related thereto. 

6.16 Alien who is a parent, spouse or child under patronage being part of a household of a Thai national or Thai Permanent resident stays in the Kingdom for supporting or receiving support  from the said Thai national or Thai Permanent Resident – so presumable Thai Marriage Visas that would apply to as well as those living with a parent who might be a Thai National or someone who may not have Thai nationality but their children are Thai Nationals. This new TM27 will not apply to them. 

6.17 Performing duty for State enterprise or public charitable organizations 

6.18 Elderly person entering for retirement purpose - so Retirement visas are specifically exempt under this provision. 

6.19 Person who used to have Thai nationality entering or visiting relatives or returning to stay in the Kingdom 

6.20 Alien entering or receiving medical treatment 

6.21 Trainer entering for training athlete as requested by the Government 

6.22 Litigant and witness entering for court proceeding.

So those folks are going to be exempted from this new TM27 form. Candidly, I cannot for the life of me figure out who exactly is going to have to comply with the TM27 form. It looks to me like TM28 has not only been destroyed but the new form which has been created, this TM27 form, doesn't seem to particularly apply to anybody. The list of exceptions seems to be quite a bit longer than anyone to him this might apply to. I guess strictly speaking you could argue that illegal entrants the  TM27 might be in violation stacked on top of an illegal entry; failure to notify of an address.

As noted, those who have Thai spouse, Thai children, those who are related to a Thai Permanent Resident living in Thailand, those who are retiring in Thailand, business people, education visas, sports visas, tourists, pretty much all of that is exempted or it seems from my reading of it under the TM27 form.  I think it is safe to say that this 24-hour address notification is effectively a thing of the past for virtually anybody who is here in the Kingdom in some sort of Non-immigrant status. We are not going to have to deal with this 24-hour address reporting any further.