Horrors of TM30

Like a criminal on parole, I had to do a TM30 24-hour report. I am 76 and have lived here for 30 years in my own condo. Sick with the flu, I couldn’t face the arduous taxi journey from Ploenchit let alone the chamber of horrors known as the Chaengwatthana Immigration Bureau.

A Thai friend agreed to go for me. My stack of signed photocopies of documents included the completed TM30 form, previous Receipt of Residence Registration, passport photo page, Retirement Visa page, Multiple Re-entry page, arrival card TM6, 90-day report receipt, Blue Book page, Yellow Book pages, pink ID card, Title Deed, and condo sale transaction. Everything in excess, I thought.

Arriving at 7am which is well ahead of the 8.30am opening time, 100 TM30 reporting victims secured queue numbers ahead of him. Three hours later, he had edged to the head of the line. Now the twist of the knife came. Where’s the Power of Attorney? The documents are fine but a Power of Attorney was required, completed by the Assignor (with yet another signed photocopy of the passport photo page) and the Assignee (with a signed copy of his Thai ID card), before two witnesses, on the Immigration Department PoA form, with two five-baht duty stamps affixed.

Spirit broken, my Thai friend arrived back at Ploenchit mid-afternoon to process the PoA, too late to return to Chaengwatthana. The ordeal was repeated, with jubilant success the next day. Anyone can lodge a TM47 90-day Report for another person without a PoA, why not the TM30 24-hour Report? You will never know.

(SIGNED) DES PAIR