TM-6 form required of foreigner arrivals to go online May 1

[Gaybutton]

Online TM6 form for visitors to Thailand coming on May 1

by Narumon Kasemsuk

January 23, 2025




The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing to promote the online TM6 immigration form, which will be compulsory for all foreign arrivals entering Thailand as of May 1, though the government is reluctant to start collecting the 300-baht tourism fee this year.

TM6 immigration forms were temporarily suspended by the cabinet on April 15, 2024.

When the suspension period ends on April 30 this year, a digital version of the TM6 will replace the paper-based one, said Natthriya Thaweevong, the ministry’s permanent secretary.

She said the online form is expected to help track tourists while they are in Thailand, increasing confidence in safety as the country combats negative perceptions.

This week the ministry held an internal meeting and invited the Immigration Bureau to demonstrate the online system.

It will also hold a meeting on Jan 31 with all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, airlines, hotels and tour agencies, to learn more about the online form and help to publicise the process to foreigners.

Mongkon Wimonrat, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, said the government would prioritise the digital TM6 before adopting other types of entry screening planned earlier to prevent confusion among tourists.

He said the online TM6 applies only to foreign arrivals. The free online form will be compulsory for all arrivals by air, land and sea, said Mr Mongkon.

The cabinet is expected to approve the scheme next month to allow related parties to prepare, he said.

A source at the ministry who requested anonymity said that with the online TM6 form coming soon, there is a greater likelihood the 300-baht tourism fee will be postponed.

The government wants the TM6 process to operate without any problems, and it could take months or a even a year until the system runs smoothly, said the source.

As the country copes with news regarding illicit networks using Thailand as a transit hub to neighbouring countries, the government may believe now is an inappropriate time to start collecting the fee, added the source.

Implementing another pre-screening measure, such as an electronic travel authorisation, which some countries have used to enabled visa-free travellers to gain approval prior to arriving in the country, would also be delayed to pave the way for the online TM6 process to operate smoothly, said the source.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... g-on-may-1

[Gaybutton]

Huge change on May 1 2025 for foreigners visiting Thailand

By Barry Kenyon

January 25, 2025

What will happen?

All – yes all – foreigners hoping to enter Thailand by air, land or sea from the beginning of May will need to complete a digital “landing card” form in advance of making their journey. The online form, known as TM6, is not yet available. It will be free. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the only exceptions will be those travelling on a Thai passport.

What information will the TM6 require?

You will need the usual biographical details on your passport, together with a local telephone number and your initial Thai address. This information used to be collected on the manual TM6 form which was once handed out to tired passengers just before arrival. That pointless paper system was suspended in stages – first for air arrivals and then for land and sea – and is not currently in use. Immigration staff often could not read the scribbled details anyway written in haste after a long flight. The paper on-arrival TM6, in practice a waste of time as the information was not entered into the immigration system, is being replaced by an online version to be submitted prior to your journey to Thailand.

Does it matter whether I am visa-exempt for 60 days or have a visa?

No. The new rule applies to all non-Thais whether they are visa-exempt, visa on arrival, non-immigrant visa holders, Elite, Destination Thailand Visa, Long Term Residence etc etc. All must fill in the online TM6 form separately from any other embassy or immigration bureaucracy. Also irrelevant is whether or not you have a re-entry permit. None of it makes any difference. Tourists from 93 countries who currently obtain 60 days on arrival without any forms will need to complete the TM6 online. But nothing more.

So the online TM6 isn’t a visa?

It’s not a visa but an entry requirement irrespective of visa status. It is obvious that the key information is for the foreigners to give his or her address in Thailand. In theory, this information is available on a manual TM30 form submitted in paper form soon after arrival. But many tourists and expats do not regularly update their TM30, or have never heard of it, leading to enormous gaps in the immigration data base. The assumption is that the TM30 will disappear and replaced by the online TM6. If foreigners change their address whilst in Thailand, they will presumably be able to update the TM6 on their mobile device.

Why all this fuss about knowing your address in Thailand?

There are lots of reasons: to help track down criminals and unsavory characters, to streamline entry procedures, to reduce manual form filling etc. Embassies for their part are keen that immigration offices know the address of foreigners in Thailand in case of an emergency, eg a relative has died. If foreigners fail to update their Thai address details, and are found out, there will presumably be penalties but that’s another wait and see issue.

Is TM6 different from Entry Travel Authorization?

ETA, a forthcoming pre arrival form for visa exempt categories, has been postponed. They and all other foreigners must use the TM6. Also postponed is the 300 baht entry tax which has been debated for eight years and is still not in operation and won’t be any time soon. TM6 is free. It should be noted that most countries now have some kind of computerized bureaucracy which details the foreigner and his or her local address shortly before arrival.

Will there be more details published by the government?

Yes there are ambiguities, some highlighted in the above paragraphs. The final details hopefully will be announced next month after a briefing meeting for stakeholders on January 31. The immigration bureau has already reviewed the upcoming online system. Eventually the government hopes to integrate the TM6 bureaucracy with other immigration screening procedures. Eventually!

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... and-488282
____________________________________________

The following is a Pattaya Mail EDITORIAL, not by Barry Kenyon, but on the same issue:

There must be easier ways to admit foreigners into Thailand

By Pattaya Mail

January 25, 2025

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has announced that all foreign passport holders will need to fill in a pre-departure online TM6 form starting in May. The main reason is likely the introduction of 60 days visa exempt for umpteen millions of tourists which began last July. They can just turn up at the airport or border post without any documentation, a move which critics say is an open invitation to wannabe criminals (notably Chinese) of one sort or another. Presumably the computerized form, not yet available, will ask for Thai address details as well as passport-related information.

The Ministry says that the online TM6 – a replacement for the old manual landing card which was suspended years ago because of the impossible-to-read scribbled writing, is not a visa but just an information card. Immigration officials at airports and borders can still access via their installed computers an individual’s travel history, and whether he or she is banned and/or has a previous conviction or is wanted by Interpol. The new part is a statement by the traveller of his or her local address in Thailand. How all this affects other address-related bureaucracies post-arrival, such as TM30 (in theory completed by the hotel or house master) and TM47 (the 90 days report) still remains up in the air.

But the Ministry wants all foreigners, not just the visa exempts, to complete the TM6 computerized form prior to arrival. This is likely to produce some head scratching. Many expats have already provided details of their Thai address to local immigration, including documentary proof such as rental contracts or condominium unit ownership or a blue/yellow house book. But they now find themselves having to duplicate that information if they leave the country and return. A separate issue are the Destination Thailand Visa holders who are in the digital nomad category: many frequently change their address as they are neither retired and settled, nor workers earning money within Thailand.

Apparently, there are further entry procedures under review. An ETA or Electronic Travel Authorization as well as a form to collect 300 baht tourist tax are still being mulled over, even though government publicity last year claimed they would be in force, or at any rate on pilot, by January 2025. It is small wonder that many visitors to Thailand are befuddled by the ongoing confusion, mostly created by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in charge of embassies and entry rules) and not by the Immigration Bureau (in charge of processing and monitoring arrivals).

Whilst neighboring Cambodia has about a quarter of the number of visitors to Thailand, she has an entry system which appears simpler and more comprehensive. Most arrivals have applied online for an e-visa and/or be required to obtain one at the airport or border. The required details include a Cambodian address and phone number. If an individual stays longer than 30 days, to apply for an extension or to take advantage of a variety of longstay permits, he or she must ensure inclusion on the computerized data base Foreigner Present in Cambodia System or FPCS. The app must be updated every time the visitor moves home internally. Not a perfect system by any means, but at least it doesn’t spread confusion and disenchantment about the host country. Those concerns are all too obvious in the Land of Smiles.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... and-488385

[Dodger]

The more genius's write about this stupid form the more humorous it gets.

Here's a recent article from the Dodger Morning Post:

The TM6 arrival form, which has always been a manual form, will become electronic in May. There is no change in the type of information the form captures and there is no fee at this time. Travelers must complete the form prior to entering Thailand which will include the address where they will be staying.

End of article.

[Gaybutton]

The more genius's write about this stupid form the more humorous it gets.

Especially the part about where foreigners are. First, the accommodation where the person is staying is supposed to report daily. Second, obviously criminals will lie about where they're staying. Third, even a traveler telling the truth upon arrival at the airport might arrive at his hotel, and then for some reason end up staying somewhere else.

In those types of cases, what use is the form? Maybe somehow it's useful between the airport and arrival at his accommodation, but after that . . . ?

My paper form is still in my passport and I potentially can have a problem if it isn't there whenever I have to go to immigration or if I'm going to go outside of Thailand, but it's showing wear. It's been in my passport since the last time I entered Thailand from outside of the country. That was in 2013 . . .

Wouldn't it be nice if before wasting time and money on papers or online fill-in-the-blanks, they would at least sit down and thoroughly think through and evaluate their true usefulness in the first place? Why does everyone except the authorities see that?

[Dodger]

Wouldn't it be nice if before wasting time and money on papers or online fill-in-the-blanks, they would at least sit down and thoroughly think through and evaluate their true usefulness in the first place? Why does everyone except the authorities see that?

My opinion on this hasn't changed since first experiencing Thailand:

The people who are in "decision-making positions" in the various government ministries simply don't have the skills, experience, or expertise needed to develop and implement policies like this. Many, if not most of the high-ranking decision-makers acquired their positions by other means which don't require them to be qualified for the position. I know this sounds absurd, but that's the way I see it.

This has also resulted in the data they need to support these types of policies being totally unreliable - mostly due to corruption within the respective ministries. A prime example of this is Immigration who can't even report the number of tourists that are in the country at any given time accurately resulting from the corrupt reporting processes which we all know about.

As you noted, this TM-6 reporting process is a total waste of time...not only for tourists, but for their own internal resources as well who are already strained. The only reason I can see for them wasting everyone's time with this is to lay the foundation for gaining more revenue from foreign tourists. If I'm right that 300 baht fee they say is on hold, won't be on hold for very long. Thailand welcomed 35 million visitors in 2024. Just do the math. There's your answer.

[Jun]

The people who are in "decision-making positions" in the various government ministries simply don't have the skills, experience, or expertise needed to develop and implement policies like this. Many, if not most of the high-ranking decision-makers acquired their positions by other means which don't require them to be qualified for the position. I know this sounds absurd, but that's the way I see it.

The majority of western politicians also don't have a clue. In the case of the UK, they typically study something useless like Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Then following a short career in some non value adding position, they get elected to government. Without an appropriate track record of management.
You wouldn't elect unqualified and unproven people to be the CEOs of companies like Microsoft, but when if comes to running an entire country, that seems OK.

I suppose it's worse in Thailand, as you have to factor in corruption and an even worse education system.

[Dodger]

You wouldn't elect unqualified and unproven people to be the CEOs of companies like Microsoft, but when if comes to running an entire country, that seems OK.

The worst mistake that all countries make is allowing politicians to run it.

[Gaybutton]

Many, if not most of the high-ranking decision-makers acquired their positions by other means which don't require them to be qualified for the position. I know this sounds absurd, but that's the way I see it.

Unfortunately that is by no means limited to Thailand. Just look at the people Trump is busy appointing. I can hardly wait to see what's next. I won't even be surprised if he nominates Marjorie Taylor Greene to the Supreme Court (She hasn't been appointed to anything else yet and she's one of Trump's biggest ass kissers, so I think he's saving her for something).

Back to Thailand - At the moment it appears to me that Thailand is being de facto run by Thaksin. I haven't decided yet whether I think that's good or bad.