Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

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Gaybutton
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Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Gaybutton »

Today I renewed my retirement visa. My 90-day address report isn't due yet, but I did take a couple moments to have a look to see what was going on.

There have been reports that some sort of ridiculous questionnaire, asking for things such your bank account numbers, which restaurants you frequent, which web sites you visit, etc. Supposedly this was some sort of anti terrorist move. How that would impede a terrorist, I don't know, but supposedly that was the reason for it nevertheless.

In any case, nothing was out of the ordinary. I brought the usual documents to renew my retirement visa and was in and out in less than 10 minutes. I went to take a look at what people were being asked to produce when submitting their 90-day address report.

No such questionnaire was asked for at either renewing the visa or submitting the report. People submitting their address reports still were only giving their bar code or their TM. 47 form if they didn't have a bar code.

Maybe the questionnaire is being required at other immigration offices, but not Pattaya.
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by pong »

Yes, very recent reports are that Phuket now wants them to be filled out-and threatens with punishment in case of false writing, and thorough suspicion if not done at all. Some other reports say, that all the well-known main havens of retired farang are due to follow in this year.
Looks to me some childish trial to collect data in case a farang has to be sought after some mishap of whatever kind.
But then I do not live permanently in LOS-only spend the cold wintertime there.
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Gaybutton »

pong wrote:Yes, very recent reports are that Phuket now wants them to be filled out-and threatens with punishment in case of false writing
Gee, the thought of getting punished for lying must be scaring terrorists half to death.

Unless I'm missing something, this questionnaire idea is just the latest on the list of things that simply were not well thought through. No surprise there. Maybe, at least in Pattaya, it was nothing more than media hype. I was not asked to fill out a questionnaire. I didn't see anyone being asked to fill out a questionnaire. And I don't know anyone who has actually been asked to fill out a questionnaire.

What's next? Lie detector tests for everyone?
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by catawampuscat »

I recently did my 90 day reporting at Jomtien Immigration . I moved a few months ago and was concerned that it
might be a problem not having reported my change of address several months earlier.
I decided to go to the adjacent copy shop first, where they had the correct form, they made the required copies even having
me sign each copy, they filled out the form and I only needed to sign my name. All for 25 baht. I left a tip as well.
I waited for about ten people ahead of me inside Immigration and everything was accepted without comment.
Some farangs were discussing doing 90 day reporting on line, instead of coming to Immigration office. The consensus was
that 'on line' 90 day reporting wasn't available in Pattaya. It would be nice..
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Trongpai »

Gaybutton wrote: Maybe the questionnaire is being required at other immigration offices, but not Pattaya.
Not in Bangkok either. I renewed last week and did a 90 day, no questionnaire.

I tried the on-line 90 day report and have yet to get it to work.

Once I had to sign something promising that I would not jump off a tall building or commit suicide by any means during my stay in Thailand. :lol:
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Gaybutton »

Trongpai wrote:Not in Bangkok either. I renewed last week and did a 90 day, no questionnaire.
I think a lot of people reading this board will be greatly relieved to know that.

Phuket is another story. Between forbidding umbrellas on the beach, restricting the kinds of food allowable on the beach, etc, it's been quite strange there. If this questionnaire is really going to be forced on people, it won't come as any surprise to me if Phuket is where it's going to happen. I just hope it doesn't happen anywhere else. As I said, unless I'm missing something the whole idea seems ridiculously absurd to me.

Ok, now we know the questionnaire is not being done in Bangkok and Pattaya, at least for the time being. What about other areas? Can anyone who goes to other immigration offices tell us?
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Jogger »

cat writes:

"Some farangs were discussing doing 90 day reporting on line, instead of coming to Immigration office. The consensus was
that 'on line' 90 day reporting wasn't available in Pattaya. It would be nice."

With respect, on line reporting is available for Pattaya. I have done it myself successfully 4 times in the last year!

If u need any assistance how to do it, ask here or check out the thread on the Thai Visa Forum.
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Re: Retirement visa and 90-day address reports

Post by Trongpai »

I've read that thread on Thai Visa. Some get it to work and many others don't. First, I understand you have to use explorer as your browser. I don't know if some versions work and others don't. Would your OS make any difference?

Once you have successfully navigated through the maze of windows and menus that Thai Immigration has laid out like a minefield you arrive at a fill in the blank form, basically the 90 day report form. I got this far and I was not able to get characters to appear in the fields.

I tried again latter and did slowly manage tho get all the blanks (and there's a lot) filled in. Hit submit and it went someplace, no acknowledgment or anything to say I did it correctly. I did this 14 days before the 90 day due date as stated in the instructions. I guess I was suppose to receive the acknowledgement in my email. I received nothing and yes I checked the junk mail folder. I went down to Immigration and did my 90 day and mentioned to the lady that I tried to use on-line reporting and had problems. She just knowing nodded.

It's really not an on-line reporting system. I think it just prints out or displays what you filled out and someone then has to manually send you the receipt via email just like if you had mailed it in.

Many Bangkok expats I know use the mail in method and no one has told me they have had a problem. I've never used it as it's just as easy for me to go to Immigration in Bangkok as my local post office and might even be less wait time. Also, my local post office has no parking and Immigration has big parking lots.

I probably give it another try. Perhaps the bugs will be, might be, should be fixed someday. I bet Moses could fix it in short order if they would ask him nicely.
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