Passport not enough for 7-11 SIM card from True?

[bkk7]

I went to 2 different 7-11s today and neither one would permit me to buy a True SIM card with my passport, which has a valid diplomatic visa. They said they could only accept Thai ID cards. What the hell is going on? Did I miss something? There aren't any mobile shops conveniently located and I really don't have time to go to a mall. This seems totally insane and unreasonable.

[lopburi3]

Suspect it is because all sim purchase must have valid bio data (fingerprint) since December 15.  Thai ID card would have fingerprint base on file - but your passport does not provide this information to a 7-11.  You likely must appear at a location that can scan your finger.

[Lamkyong]

just get any Thai person with  id card to register for you

[Kasset Tak]

You have to go to a True shop. I had to go 100km to get to an AIS store, AIS promised a 2-300 Baht bonus for registering but I have not seen anything since I registered already a month ago...

[dpdp]

Any motorbike taxi doing nothing all day long will register for you.

This is what all terrorists do.

 

 

[BritTim]

I think the reason is that all sim cards must be registered, and the 7-11 is only set up for registration by scanning a Thai id card. I suggest you call True and ask them to tell you the nearest location you can use.

[PhonThong]

Out of curiosity. How are tourist getting sim cards at the airports now? I got my first sim card for Thailand at one of the cellular vendors at the airport upon arrival. That was before there were any of the new requirements.  

 So, how do people upon arrival without an ID card, get a sim card now? 

[Langsuan Man]

3 hours ago, PhonThong said:

 So, how do people upon arrival without an ID card, get a sim card now? 

 

Probably by using their passports,  the people at the airport are used to seeing passports, where @ 7-11's it is a rarity, plus I am sure all the places at the airport have a copy machine for the passport.   At least TRUE did last October when I needed a temp SIM after leaving Customs at Swampy  

[mitsubishi]

Thai Drivers license?

[lopburi3]

As of December 15 bio data is a requirement for SIM card purchase in Thailand and for foreigners this requires below per newspaper reports last month:

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-to-roll-out-biometric-checks-for-sim-cards-nationwide-to-deter-electronic

Quote

Foreigners buying SIM cards in Thailand will have their faces scanned and matched against their passport photographs.

I seriously doubt 7-11 has any such ability.

[phuketrichard]

Airport show passport

any true, ais, dtac shop will take passport

[saminoz]

I just bought and registered a DTAC SIM at my local (small) 7-11 store.  They simply took a photo of my ID page in my UK passport and then a photo of the SIM details.

Could not have been easier.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

As of December 15 bio data is a requirement for SIM card purchase in Thailand and for foreigners this requires below per newspaper reports last month:

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailand-to-roll-out-biometric-checks-for-sim-cards-nationwide-to-deter-electronic

I seriously doubt 7-11 has any such ability.

From that article: "Foreigners buying SIM cards in Thailand will have their faces scanned and matched against their passport photographs." 

 

For foreigners with passports, 7-11 would just take a picture and submit it.  Facial-recognition is a possibility (your passport-pic is scanned on entry).

 

The idea that this would stop a terrorist from using a cell-phone as a detonator is ridiculous - they could always use another type of radio, even if they could not activate a sim - though it could help track "who talks to whom" as a part of terror-network investigations.

[MyFriend You]

8 hours ago, PhonThong said:

Out of curiosity. How are tourist getting sim cards at the airports now? I got my first sim card for Thailand at one of the cellular vendors at the airport upon arrival. That was before there were any of the new requirements.  

 So, how do people upon arrival without an ID card, get a sim card now? 

You can still get them at the actual Cell Provider stores in the airport  AIS, TRUE etc etc etc.

The Govt tightened up purchasing SIM cards outside the airport - go to the actual True or AIS store in any Mall, bring your passport and you will be sold a SIM card.

[xtrnuno41]

Buying True? i did last november, a card of 400 bath with 3 gb. It was on id card of my thai gf. I thought i t would be great.

Within some days card  didnt work anymore and why i dont know, we (well more she, as i dont speak Thai) complained at phoneshops. Reason not quite clear, as she has to translate back to me in english, doable for conversations but not always in technical terms. 

I was pissed, but we bought new card from AIS for just 80 bath, working just great !!!

So ripped by True, next time in THailand, will buy AIS instantly and not an "expensive" True which will stop working 

in no time. But wouldnt know if i could get one without Thai id.

[ujayujay]

Go to a True Agency. They give you a Sim Card without Problem.

[Buzzboy05]

When you get your sim card do your top ups BT10 at a time with  Bt100 and it will last for 10 months, or how er ever many  BT10 you do, when you come back you still have phone and important the same number, when you get off the plane you can use your phone, very convenient.

[SantiSuk]

I registered my SIM with AIS during that period when everyone had to do so. Have just been SMSd 2 weeks ago by AIS to tell me that my passport details were not clear (it's taken them 2+ years to realise that?). When I phoned up for further details their English speaking auto-answer service said I needed to provide a scan of my certified passport.

 

As it happens I got a certified copy at my (UK) embassy a couple of weeks ago (for application to open a brokerage account in Luxembourg), otherwise I would be pretty peed off with their own systems failures costing me additional money - 1,500 baht plus a special round trip of 1200km to Bangkok.

[Maestro]

3 hours ago, Buzzboy05 said:

When you get your sim card do your top ups BT10 at a time with  Bt100 and it will last for 10 months, or how er ever many  BT10 you do, when you come back you still have phone and important the same number, when you get off the plane you can use your phone, very convenient.

 

Different providers have different requirements. To what provider do your comments refer?

[gk10002000]

On 12/26/2017 at 2:02 AM, lopburi3 said:

Suspect it is because all sim purchase must have valid bio data (fingerprint) since December 15.  Thai ID card would have fingerprint base on file - but your passport does not provide this information to a 7-11.  You likely must appear at a location that can scan your finger.

hmmm. I got my USA passport in 2011and it is good until 2021.  I don't know what biometric data is on it, but I doubt fingerprints are.  Do newer USA passports have fingerprint data on them? And even if they do, I don't see many stores with machines capable of reading your actual as you stand there finger prints to compare with the digital data. 

[lopburi3]

41 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

hmmm. I got my USA passport in 2011and it is good until 2021.  I don't know what biometric data is on it, but I doubt fingerprints are.  Do newer USA passports have fingerprint data on them? And even if they do, I don't see many stores with machines capable of reading your actual as you stand there finger prints to compare with the digital data. 

For foreigners another newspaper is reporting facial recognition is the method - so perhaps link to passport photo on arrival data base at some point and the passport you present.  Often there are rules but actual practice is different so, with the current lack of real news here, we are walking in the blind feeling for pointers.  

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

When I phoned up for further details their English speaking auto-answer service said I needed to provide a scan of my certified passport.

I think the certified means a signed copy of your passport. That is what is normally what certified means here.

[SantiSuk]

Oh - ok.

 

I didn't countersign the copy I scanned and sent off so no doubt I'll be asked to do it again!

[OJAS]

10 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

I didn't countersign the copy I scanned and sent off so no doubt I'll be asked to do it again!

In another 2+ years time in all probability!

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 2:31 PM, saminoz said:

I just bought and registered a DTAC SIM at my local (small) 7-11 store.  They simply took a photo of my ID page in my UK passport and then a photo of the SIM details.

Could not have been easier.

How long ago? Only since the 15th, or perhaps they hadn't all got the message.

[gk10002000]

the problem with all this is, now a person's passport basic information is now spread across many databases that are not secure, photos are stored where?  Disposed or controlled how? 

[JackThompson]

59 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

the problem with all this is, now a person's passport basic information is now spread across many databases that are not secure, photos are stored where?  Disposed or controlled how? 

Not to worry - the bad-guys already pilfered the info from the "recycled" paperwork at immigration offices.  

[saminoz]

23 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

How long ago? Only since the 15th, or perhaps they hadn't all got the message.

Hi TBL, I bought it on the 22nd, in Pak Kret.

[kurtmartens]

I just watched 2 tourists gets SIM at Family Mart - maybe they are more liberal than 7/11.

[JackThompson]

It's possible a new policy was rolled-out in some locations for testing and/or tried and suspended when found unworkable.