Thai IDs for Foreigners and their beneifts

[Patriot]

I’m getting the reverse translated by Kroo Ooh as my Thai reading doesn’t stretch that far! I’ll post when I pick up on Friday. 

[Naroge]

On 6/5/2018 at 10:06 AM, Hans Rayong said:

Province - not Amphur (read the backside of the card).

I don't know what your card says, but mine says "Amphur". But it's valide outside the Amphur if I also bring the Alien Book.

 

But "Amphur" or "Province" doesn't matter when it comes to the main point of my comment.

[sjbrownderby]

I have had a pink card for two years and this year something has changed in the way I can use it.  I have acquired a benefit I did not have before in using the card. My wife is a government employee and so I am eligible for government healthcare. Prior to this year I had to register at individual hospitals just in case I might require treatment. Each hospital issued it's own card. It seems that now the data-base is centralised and I can now use the pink ID card instead and do not have to register at each individual hospital. I realise that the healthcare issue will not affect most people holding a pink card but it does show that the ways in which the pink ID card is accepted are changing. That coupled with the inconsistency of most things here in Thailand means that what is accepted in one place may not be accepted in another. In other words you really do not know until you try. 

[Hans Rayong]

13 hours ago, Naroge said:

I don't know what your card says, but mine says "Amphur". But it's valide outside the Amphur if I also bring the Alien Book.

 

But "Amphur" or "Province" doesn't matter when it comes to the main point of my comment.

I understand, that you are wrong doesn't matter...

I rest my case Mr Expert. 

[Michael Hare]

1 hour ago, Hans Rayong said:

I understand, that you are wrong doesn't matter...

I rest my case Mr Expert. 

You certainly can not rest your case Hans Rayong but I am beginning to suspect the ID card you have is completely different to what myself and others have.

 

On the back of my card there is absolutely NO mention of amphur or province. None whatsoever. What it does say in the 3rd point on the back of the card, is that this ID card is to be used in the area where it was issued. (When I moved to a new house in a different area, I returned my first card and got a new card for the new area).

 

However, under point 3 there is an over-riding statement which states very clearly that I can use this card throughout Thailand if I have permission to enter and reside in Thailand as an alien. This I have as a PR. It therefore over-rights the 3rd point on the back of the card.

[Naroge]

2 hours ago, Michael Hare said:

You certainly can not rest your case Hans Rayong but I am beginning to suspect the ID card you have is completely different to what myself and others have.

 

On the back of my card there is absolutely NO mention of amphur or province. None whatsoever. What it does say in the 3rd point on the back of the card, is that this ID card is to be used in the area where it was issued. (When I moved to a new house in a different area, I returned my first card and got a new card for the new area).

 

However, under point 3 there is an over-riding statement which states very clearly that I can use this card throughout Thailand if I have permission to enter and reside in Thailand as an alien. This I have as a PR. It therefore over-rights the 3rd point on the back of the card.

Your explanation is detailed and same writing as on my card (I just tried to write a shorter explanation). Thank you for your clarification.

[DepDavid]

New rules at Bangkokbank. After multiple calls to branches as well as head office today, Bangkokbank will no longer accept pink ID card to do banking. No surprise that about half the staff at the bank didn’t know that. I thought it was my branch making things up as I have used it extensively over the last year while building our home.


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[Hans Rayong]

2 hours ago, Naroge said:

Your explanation is detailed and same writing as on my card (I just tried to write a shorter explanation). Thank you for your clarification.

Apologize. I meant us 99.99% who do not have a PR.

[Tambs2020]

Because it was so painless to acquire, just wondered what benefits others had experienced. 
There again I didn’t think it’d be too long before a keyboard warrior? tucked away on deepest Isaan, would come out with exactly the same post as your good self

Could be in UK for all you know [emoji23]

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[Peterw42]

On 6/7/2018 at 4:46 PM, DepDavid said:

New rules at Bangkokbank. After multiple calls to branches as well as head office today, Bangkokbank will no longer accept pink ID card to do banking. No surprise that about half the staff at the bank didn’t know that. I thought it was my branch making things up as I have used it extensively over the last year while building our home.


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I have a BKK bank account that I opened with Pink ID, account name in Thai. My local branch will only accept the pink ID (name in Thai) to operate that account, as they say passport name is in English and doesn't match the account name. The same branch wont let me use Pink ID to operate an English name account.

 

I haven't used it for a couple of months, so will be interested to see if the new rules are in use. I imagine that will mean any westerners with a "name in Thai" account (opened with Pink ID) will have to shut them down.

[chezy86]

Only use mine when picking up a parcel from post office and then one time they asked for my wife’s ID total waste of time.

[mercman24]

never carry my passport i have photo copies on my phone, i have shown that in the past, that remind me i just put a new sim card in, i will do that now lol

[Patriot]

Last week I used the Pink card for checking-in, pre-security boarding pass check, and boarding pass check at the gate at Ubon Ratchathani and Suvarnaphum airports with Thai Samile .. no issue. Also used it for checking into Dynasty Inn, again, no issue. It may be a different story with the larger, chain hotels

[Patriot]

The limitations on the reverse are ambiguous to say the least.

 

1/ This is not an Identification Card.

 

2/ Carry this card at all times in order to be checked.

 

3/ The named on this card is not allowed to leave the card's address area, except when having an alien ID document or having received written permission.

 

re #3: Does this mean that technically we SHOULD carry our passport at all time?

also re #3: what is the card's address area?? tambon, amphur, Jangwat, Country????

[Peterw42]

38 minutes ago, Patriot said:

The limitations on the reverse are ambiguous to say the least.

 

1/ This is not an Identification Card.

 

2/ Carry this card at all times in order to be checked.

 

3/ The named on this card is not allowed to leave the card's address area, except when having an alien ID document or having received written permission.

 

re #3: Does this mean that technically we SHOULD carry our passport at all time?

also re #3: what is the card's address area?? tambon, amphur, Jangwat, Country????

I covered this in an earlier post. When I received my Pink ID, I specifically asked about statement 3, the big boss came and explained that its a lost in translation thing, the statement means "not transferable", the person named on the card cannot move permanently to another area and keep using this card. If the person moves they get a new card from the new location. 

The big boss thought it was hilarious that it could be interpreted as meaning cannot leave or travel.

The big boss also explained something about a different interpretation if you are a Burmese condo builder as they do have some travel restrictions. At he end of the conversation the boss asked if I was a Burmese builder, I said no, she said mai pen rai, you can travel.

I have lived here for 5 years and never been asked for passport, let alone if pink ID would be acceptable. if its an immigration check I imagine they would want PP to check visa.

[Patriot]

Aaagh! Thanks for that “PETER”. I missed your previous post. Thanks for re- clarifying.

[PunkRockerGuy]

On 6/7/2018 at 8:32 AM, sjbrownderby said:

I have had a pink card for two years and this year something has changed in the way I can use it.  I have acquired a benefit I did not have before in using the card. My wife is a government employee and so I am eligible for government healthcare. Prior to this year I had to register at individual hospitals just in case I might require treatment. Each hospital issued it's own card. It seems that now the data-base is centralised and I can now use the pink ID card instead and do not have to register at each individual hospital. I realise that the healthcare issue will not affect most people holding a pink card but it does show that the ways in which the pink ID card is accepted are changing. That coupled with the inconsistency of most things here in Thailand means that what is accepted in one place may not be accepted in another. In other words you really do not know until you try. 

I don't know what your previous working situation was but I ran my own Law firm from 2003-2009 in Bkk, then went back to the States for about 8 months, came back to Thailand and worked as MD at 3 of my companies and paid the standard taxes required by Thailand.  Upon the advice from Immigration friend who knew I did not really require salary and my wife owns 3 companies here in Lopburi, I switched to a Retirement Visa and just switch my 650 baht/month "tax" premium to the Private Fund of the NSA here in Thailand.  I have had Thai National Health coverage since 2010 and get all my prescriptions and 14 post superbike accident surgeries paid for by Thai SS.  Even my referrals to Ramathibodi specialists are paid for as they were referrals from my main NSA hospital.    

 

I'm still a little lost on whether the Pink ID card would be of any benefit to me.  

[PunkRockerGuy]

On 6/2/2018 at 3:23 PM, Patriot said:

Michael, did you stay in the same tambon when you moved house. I seem to remember when I acquired my yellow book a few years ago I was advised ( by whom I can’t remember) that if one remains in the same tambon then renewing the yellow book is not essential????

 

Part of my answer is specific to me only, as I worked for Dr. Thaksin 2004-2006 and he "persuaded" the Bangkruai Land Dept to issue me a Blue Tabien Ban book and mine is not blank.  I also have a Yellow Tabien Ban from another house and ex-wife.  I no longer live in that house, but the Yellow book is good for life.  I still use it when I obtained my new Thai Driver's License, etc.  It is still the basis for my main Hospital pick for NSA, I've used it to quicky obtain numerous Thai perks that my other farang friends seem to take much longer to get.  I've never come into Thailand with a tourist visa in my 16-years here, so I don't have any experience with border renewals, etc. 

[PunkRockerGuy]

On 6/2/2018 at 9:35 AM, phetpeter said:

I used it to buy a car on credit, and he wrote up the agreement and stated it in my name only, wifey has no need to sign. IT'S MINE, my car, My named debt and my finance....Should I be happy?

 

Years ago, I financed a house in Bkk metro using my bank accounts, my company income/salary, etc.... that is how I obtained my first Tabien Ban.  Later, with another house, my salary was about 20x my ex-wife's salary in Bkk and I was the primary income for the house loan, and I obtained the Yellow book.  It's strange they allow me to keep 2 different books but I had a passport change, and perhaps it got lost in the system.  I, also, imported a sports car and didn't feel like paying for it upfront in full and was able to get a car loan and register the car in my name only.  There was no Pink Card back then, so I did not need to use it.

[PunkRockerGuy]

On 6/2/2018 at 6:31 AM, Rally123 said:

I've never been asked by the police for my passport in nearly 15 years. I have never carried it other than to show it to immigration or the bank. But now I have the 'Pink Card' I use that at the bank instead. As for the police looking to see when you 'entered the kingdom' etc etc, it doesn't happen. I'd bet yer average Thai policeman wouldn't know what the immigration rules are regarding overstay and visas. Not their job. As the Thais say 'Falang tink too mut.'

 

Same here.  In over 16 years in Thailand, I have been stopped by police perhaps, 20-25 times, at most.  Some were checkpoints out in the countryside, some were "drunk driving" (sorry, I do not subscribe to the English phrase 'drink driving' .... it just makes no sense grammar-wise) roadblocks and a couple of times on Sukhumvit during heightened terrorist alerts.  Even the "terrorist" stop when getting out of a taxi with a large camera bag, I was only asked if they could look in my bag.  Of course, I obliged.  No big deal and they send me on my way. 

 

At every road stop, while driving, either far too fast and I could technically not even stop correctly at the checkpoint and just random stops, a copy of my old International Drivers License or now, my 5-year renewable Thai drivers license is the most they have ever asked for.  Now that I live in Lopburi and tend to use the backroads to get to our Bkk condo for business in Bkk, most police don't speak English  or are shy and they often just try to motion to me to slow down or "Ok, go ...", etc., even though I understand Thai.  I play dumb so I do get passed on very quickly most times as they don't want to waste their time with a farang who is speaking to them in English when there is a perfectly good Thai driver right behind me they can interrogate. ?

[PunkRockerGuy]

On 6/1/2018 at 6:43 PM, Patriot said:

Because it was so painless to acquire, just wondered what benefits others had experienced. 

There again I didn’t think it’d be too long before a keyboard warrior? tucked away on deepest Isaan, would come out with exactly the same post as your good self

I truly don't see why worry about fingerprints being on record.  I've had them taken so many times for various non-criminal reasons I am sure they have been passed around to every law enforcement agency in the world ?

 

I had to give fingerprints many times for various US government clearances in the 80's.  When I obtained my "Koseki" in Japan when living there with my company and ex-wife, you must have your fingerprints taken to obtain house ownership.  However, other than that reason, they never ask for fingerprints in Japan unless you commit a crime while there. Upon entering South Korea to work within their government in 2000, that day, for some unknown reason, they decided to fingerprint even Americans who were on the deferred list and Korean Immigration never took fingerprints for Work Visas, but that day they surprised me.  I remember the Immigration officer asking me why I knew how to hold my hands, which fingers to start with, etc... we laughed while he fingerprinted me.  On numerous occasions, but mostly for work within law enforcement or government here in Thailand, I needed DSI or Special Branch, Royal Thai Police clearance to work.  I have a number of nice little fancy Police Certificates claiming I "pose no threat .... " and are kinda cool to have. ?

 

To me, I agree, the more ID's, the better when abroad.  However, I am still not sold yet on changing my Tabien Ban to another Province/Amphur  and then providing all the documents required to get the Pink ID. 

[Peterw42]

58 minutes ago, PunkRockerGuy said:

 

Part of my answer is specific to me only, as I worked for Dr. Thaksin 2004-2006 and he "persuaded" the Bangkruai Land Dept to issue me a Blue Tabien Ban book and mine is not blank.  I also have a Yellow Tabien Ban from another house and ex-wife.  I no longer live in that house, but the Yellow book is good for life.  I still use it when I obtained my new Thai Driver's License, etc.  It is still the basis for my main Hospital pick for NSA, I've used it to quicky obtain numerous Thai perks that my other farang friends seem to take much longer to get.  I've never come into Thailand with a tourist visa in my 16-years here, so I don't have any experience with border renewals, etc. 

What would be the advantage of a non-thai person being listed in a blue book, your not Thai.

Blue books and yellow books belong to properties not people and the simply list who lives there, if you are in more than one book, one of them would be invalid.

it appears you have inadvertantly ended up in a blue book without a blue Thai ID or a thai citizen number that starts with the digit 3, and then gone in a yellow book with a foreigner ID number, digit 6, again what would be the advantage ?

You dont move a house book to another location, the new location has its own house book that belongs to the property and you go in it. 

[PunkRockerGuy]

Just now, Peterw42 said:

What would be the advantage of a non-thai person being listed in a blue book, your not Thai.

Blue books and yellow books belong to properties not people and the simply list who lives there, if you are in more than one book, one of them would be invalid.

it appears you have inadvertantly ended up in a blue book without a blue Thai ID or a thai citizen number that starts with the digit 3, and then gone in a yellow book with a foreigner ID number, digit 6, again what would be the advantage ?

As I stated, one part of my answer is unique to my situation back in 2006 and what Dr. Thaksin offered me before he was ousted.  I don't want to get into details, as it would appear to arrogant.  I DO have a Blue Book correct ID number and I have a Yellow book with the foreigner designation.  

 

As near as I know, there is only a handful of farang right now in this position.  Technically, you are correct in that one of them should be invalid.  It has confused government agencies for 10+ years now but they allowed it.  

[Peterw42]

25 minutes ago, PunkRockerGuy said:

As I stated, one part of my answer is unique to my situation back in 2006 and what Dr. Thaksin offered me before he was ousted.  I don't want to get into details, as it would appear to arrogant.  I DO have a Blue Book correct ID number and I have a Yellow book with the foreigner designation.  

 

As near as I know, there is only a handful of farang right now in this position.  Technically, you are correct in that one of them should be invalid.  It has confused government agencies for 10+ years now but they allowed it.  

If you have a Thai national citizen ID number you are Thai, not sure why you would bother with a yellow book or foreigner ID etc . Go and get a blue Thai ID card, passport, vote, buy land, hope they dont call you up for military service.

[PunkRockerGuy]

30 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

If you have a Thai national citizen ID number you are Thai, not sure why you would bother with a yellow book or foreigner ID etc . Go and get a blue Thai ID card, passport, vote, buy land, hope they dont call you up for military service.

As I said, I don't see any added value of me getting a Pink ID and I do have a national ID card.  Just a perk of working for the PM back then.  I was asked if I wanted a passport, but declined, as I was still under contract with the US government in an agency capacity and I would have had to register as a foreign agent.  

 

The Yellow book was easy for me to get in 2007 and I wanted to be connected to my "at that time" wife's Tabien Ban, also.  It was quite a while ago and that ex now lives illegally in the US for 9+ years, so I don't like to remember a lot of pain that crazy girl caused me with Mrs. Clinton and the State Dept.  

 

As I stated before, I already do own land and can vote if I wanted to, but it would cause an uproar with some intergovernmental agencies if they saw me at a voting station with a Thai ID.  Anyway, I never got along with Abhisit and certainly, my and the current General PM's views are quite different.  I don't intend to stir up any problems with my current living situation in Thailand.  Not interested in voting in American elections lately, so I surely don't see the point here.  As for military service, I am just a wee bit old for that.  I do consult for the military on occasions during joint military readiness sessions, but I think they prefer me as a civilian. ?  My only reason for keeping ties with the military is it helps keep my stepson who wants to finish university and then go to graduate school in the US out of Thai military service.  My consulting affords me a bit of influence over military call-ups.

 

In general, using my Yellow Tabien Ban is easier for Thais to accept, thus my usage and desire to obtain one back in 2007.    

[Rally123]

2 hours ago, PunkRockerGuy said:

"drunk driving" (sorry, I do not subscribe to the English phrase 'drink driving' .... it just makes no sense grammar-wise)

It's used because you don’t actually have to be drunk to fail the test. All it takes is to be over the blood alcohol limit. Simple innit?  ☺️

[PunkRockerGuy]

2 minutes ago, Rally123 said:

It's used because you don’t actually have to be drunk to fail the test. All it takes is to be over the blood alcohol limit. Simple innit?  ☺️

Ummm, nope.  In the U.S., Canada, and last I remember, Mexico, your are labeled as "Drunk" when you exceed the limit.  A country such as Japan, where the limit is ZERO (0.0), then I would accept the term "drink and drive".  No such correct grammar as, "Whoops, I was drink driving".  At least not with all the schooling I went through, and not on any Medical Journals I have read researching the topic, but then again, I don't get out much ... ?

 

The average farang with a decent amount of liver enzymes can drink a 300cc of most craft beers per hour and then have their blood alcohol tested and it will be below 50 in Thailand.  I have personally watched corrupt police checkpoints start the test with the analyzer at 20 and try to declare me drunk when I hit 53 or 54, until I threatened to call Police Lt. Generals I have worked for over the years.  

 

Anyway, if the Queen's English wants to call it that, so be it.  I am not in charge of the National Grammar Institute .. LoL.  Try driving in Japan or Korea (I lived in Japan for 10 years and drove and S. Korea for 4 years and drove every day), and if they use English, it is called "drunk driving", or when you translate back from the 2 languages (of which I speak both), it literally is "to drive drunk" in both Nihon-go and Hangul. 

[Rally123]

3 hours ago, PunkRockerGuy said:

In the U.S., Canada, and last I remember, Mexico, your are labeled as "Drunk" when you exceed the limit.

I thought we were talking about the UK?

[Rally123]

5 hours ago, PunkRockerGuy said:

I do not subscribe to the English phrase 'drink driving' .... it just makes no sense grammar-wise)

And 'American English' grammar does?    ?  

[PunkRockerGuy]

49 minutes ago, Rally123 said:

I thought we were talking about the UK?

No, Thailand.  They have recently taken to this poorly phrased classification regarding road safety.