Proposed by the Cabinet and a Bhumjaithai Party MP, the amendment aims to streamline the notification process for stakeholders required to report foreign guests residing temporarily in Thailand, reports the Bangkok Post.
The responsibility for reporting a foreigner’s stay primarily falls on the householder, owner of a dwelling or hotel manager, who must notify authorities within 24 hours via electronic channels. Foreigners are no longer required to make duplicate notifications themselves, except in cases deemed necessary for national security or public safety.
However, opposition parties argued that the definitions of the three groups required to report foreign guests remain unclear, as they do not cover all types of accommodation in the market, particularly unregistered properties.
Records indicate of the 20,000 legally registered accommodation providers, only 50-60% have submitted information on their foreign guests to the Immigration Bureau.
Therefore, opposition parties and some members of the governing coalition have urged the government to expedite consideration of amendments to the Hotel Act. Several drafts have been prepared to address loopholes by expanding the law to cover a wider range of property types.
Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, President of the Thai Hotels Association, said the draft that was debated would apply only to licensed hotels, leaving illegal properties outside scrutiny.
Licensed hotels are already required to submit records of foreign guests to the Immigration Bureau, whereas many other types of accommodation are not subject to the same obligation, he said.
As a result, it can be more difficult for authorities to trace the whereabouts of foreign nationals in Thailand when they are staying in non-hotel properties.
While the amendment would facilitate business operations and law enforcement by reducing administrative duplication, if the government’s objective is to improve the monitoring of foreign nationals and strengthen security oversight, it should address illegal accommodation providers and their reporting obligations, bringing more of these operators into the regulatory system, said Mr Thienprasit.
The parliamentary debate also raised concerns over the definitions of a householder and the owner of a dwelling. In practice, many property owners no longer manage guest bookings themselves, outsourcing these responsibilities to management companies or intermediary platforms.
Lawmakers have argued the amended regulations should clearly specify which party is responsible for reporting guest registrations to the Immigration Bureau.