PM Prayut Chan-o-cha briefed media yesterday after the cabinet’s weekly meeting and revealed the government has agreed to temporarily scrap the Tor Mor 6 immigration form.
The TM6 form is the arrival/departure card foreigners fill in providing passport details, name and address, etc., on their entry and exit from Thailand.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul says scrapping the TM6 would facilitate immigration checks and reduce congestion at airport immigration checkpoints.
The government didn’t provide a timeframe of when the measure will come into effect but it is expected to take around a week.
Traisuree says the temporary measure will be introduced because the number of foreign arrivals has increased significantly over the past 2 months and completing the TM6 form and Covid-19 screenings has resulted in bottlenecks.
In response to how the government will collect the data of incoming foreign travellers, Traisuree replied the government can collect the data through the biometric system and information from airlines and tour agencies.
Losing your TM6 causes a number of problems as one member of The Thaiger staff recently discovered.
He couldn’t extend his visa without the misplaced TM6 and had to visit a police station with his passport to notify officers of his lost form.
The police had to acknowledge the loss of the TM6 card on a signed document. The document then had to be taken to the immigration services who would then process a new TM6 card. But immigration won’t renew your visa on the same day you get your new TM6. They insist you come back the following day to renew your visa or the day before your current visa runs out.
As you see, scrapping the card will not only help to ease congestion in airports it will save absent-minded foreigners a lot of hassle too.
There has been a mixed reaction to the news by netizens.
“What queues? Sailed through yesterday. Scrap Thailand Pass, there were 2 checks between the aircraft and immigration.”
Another welcomed the new development to scrap the TM6.
“Maybe they will make it permanent for foreigners as well as Thais. To be honest I’m not really sure just how much delay stamping the TM6 and filing the arrival half really adds.”
Others made fun of the potential new TM6 rule.
“Filling out my TM6 on the plane was always the highlight of my plane journey.”
And finally, the cynic among those commenting…
“I worry about their motives!”
SOURCE: Thai TBS