Immigration Bureau of Thailand Suspends Use of TM6 Form for Foreigners

The Immigration Bureau of Thailand has temporary suspended foreigners completing TM6 immigration forms when entering Thailand by land or water from April 15 to October 15.

Thailand’s lawmakers accepted the suspension on April 9 in response to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s recommendation, ministry spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said during a press briefing on Friday.

Suspending the immigration TM6 form, which requires foreign visitors to provide required details for authorities to trace them, will reduce congestion at immigration checkpoints and promote tourism, she said. International guests coming by air do not need to complete the TM6 form.

The TM 6 suspension will apply to land entries at eight immigration checkpoints: Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo, Muang district in Mukdahan, Muang district in Nong Khai, Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai, Padang Besar and Sadao in Songkhla, Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat, and Betong in Yala.

Sea access sites include Pattaya, Sri Racha, and Sichang in Chon Buri, Map Ta Phut in Rayong, Samui in Surat Thani, and immigration checkpoints in Phuket, Krabi, and Surat Thani.

“The ministry is confident that the measure will help alleviate congestion at immigration checkpoints and spur tourism and the economy,” according to Ms. Traisuree. “The government will also monitor various facets of the impact and will come up with proper measures later.”

In a similar incident, Pol Col Naphatpong Suphaporn, administrator of the Sa Kaeo provincial immigration office, said that over 10,000 Cambodian migrant workers have returned to their hometowns for the long Songkran holiday.

He stated that immigration police officers manned every counter at the Sa Kaeo checkpoint and were able to clear all waits in three hours.

Many Lao migrant laborers returned home for the long holiday in Nakhon Phanom, located in the northeast. One Lao worker stated that her workplace was closed for two weeks, so she chose to purchase several products from Thailand to bring back to Laos.

However, due to the ongoing turmoil in Myanmar, many workers do not want to return home during Songkran, and many are frightened of being drafted, according to local sources.

From April 1 to May 15, the Ministry of Labour will eliminate re-entry costs for migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

The initiative is meant to raise morale among migrant workers who want to reunite with their families and celebrate Songkran without paying additional costs.

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