david555 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 58 minutes ago, fforest1 said: Only a grade A fool.....Carries their passport with them at all times..... To replace a lost passport now would be a nightmare of the highest order... If a copy is not good enough and the Police want to see my passport they can come to my room to see it.... i guess more they would invite you to THEIR (crowded) room until some one bring your passport ….???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Weird Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 4 hours ago, BigStar said: Please avoid engaging in scaremongering about passports, visas, banks, targeting of farangs, victimism, etc. He didn't mention visas, banks, targeting of farangs, victimism, etc. neither was he "scaremongering", he simply asked a question/made a reasonable suggestion. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banglay Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 13 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said: How many times have you been asked for it in say the last year? just out and about not immigration or agents And how many times " say in the last years " has there been a COVID 19 virus ..bar closures ,Curfews and ever increasing checkpoints ect the list is getting bigger and changing on a daily basis... ..These are very different times and different expectation and protocols will be expected ... . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Estrada Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 5 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said: It would be prudent to carry your passport at all times even if you have a Thai driving licence. It is prudent never to carry your passport at all times, especially during the Songkran water festival, the high humidity, near pick pockets and you may drop it by mistake. I have been here since 1982, never had a problem. I just carry a photo copy and I have a Thai Drivers licence. The police never ask to see my passport, when I talk with them. I carry the passport when I fly domestically as it is now a requrement and also you are supposed to show your passport if you withdraw or change money at a bank or currency exchange. BTS and BEM require to see your driving licence or passport to top up travel cards. My bank accepts a photocopy because they have known me for 30 years at my branch. The authorities do not require you to carry your passport at all times, just I.D. although you can be required to bring your passport to a police station within a day or two, as per their request, if necessary. That is about except to say that so many people have complained on this forum about lost passports, passports washed in the washing machine by mistake (because they carry their passports with them most of the time and forget to remove them) and also about passports stolen by pickpockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom89 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 I live in Phayao. I only carry my Thai drivers license. So far the police have been happy with that. Though, like others I have photos of relevant pages of my passport on my phone, but have never needed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex8912 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 56 minutes ago, banglay said: And how many times " say in the last years " has there been a COVID 19 virus ..bar closures ,Curfews and ever increasing checkpoints ect the list is getting bigger and changing on a daily basis... ..These are very different times and different expectation and protocols will be expected ... . Says who?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilotman Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 2 hours ago, fforest1 said: Only a grade A fool.....Carries their passport with them at all times..... To replace a lost passport now would be a nightmare of the highest order... If a copy is not good enough and the Police want to see my passport they can come to my room to see it.... No, a grade A fool does not carry one right now. You are asking for trouble if you don't. The Authorities don't need much of an excuse to blame farangs for anything. so don't give them the ammunition. If you can't properly safeguard your own passport then God help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alien365 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 I just leave mine in the car. That way it's always close to where I am and I feel it's safer than at home. I don't know of others but I've never heard of anyone's car being broken into here. I've heard of countless houses being broken into though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dap Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 (edited) Nah, go for broke. What the heck Edited April 6, 2020 by Dap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 1 hour ago, banglay said: And how many times " say in the last years " has there been a COVID 19 virus ..bar closures ,Curfews and ever increasing checkpoints ect the list is getting bigger and changing on a daily basis... ..These are very different times and different expectation and protocols will be expected ... . Pointless carrying a passport now and risky. When authorities ask people to carry it then fair enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 6 hours ago, cooked said: As far as I know, it STILL is an obligation for non-Thais to carry their passports at all times. People have been held until their passport could be produced. Now? I certainly don't leave home without my passport. I never leave with my passport unless I am going to the bank or leaving the province, and they can stick their rules. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaiyen Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 6 hours ago, cooked said: As far as I know, it STILL is an obligation for non-Thais to carry their passports at all times. People have been held until their passport could be produced. Now? I certainly don't leave home without my passport. Immigration said a long time ago that carrying a good quality photocopy is sufficient Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Cake Monster said: It is not meerly an obligation to carry your Passport, Its a Legal requirement and always has been. Only members of the "Scared of your own shadow" brigade always carry their passports with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CM Dad Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 In 30+ years I have never been asked for my passport except at Immigration or when checking in to a hotel when traveling around Thailand. I have a Thai Driver's License and it has my passport number on it. These days, I am only leaving home every two or three days to grocery shop or get food. I do all of that within 10KMS of my home. I am well known at all the places I go. If I am stopped and asked for my passport by the Thai police then they are welcome to follow me home to see it. I will not risk losing it under any circumstances since it is difficult to replace under normal conditions. It also has my latest extension which is good until late February of 2021. I am able to speak Thai and I am sure that I would be able to express myself to any Thai official clearly and calmly. Why do so many who post on TV seem to want to create unneeded hysteria and spread rumors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee b Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 6 hours ago, Surelynot said: I carry a copy of relevant pages. yes, same here, not a chance am i carrying an original around.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 8 minutes ago, jaiyen said: Immigration said a long time ago that carrying a good quality photocopy is sufficient How many IOs are there in Thailand with different interpretations of rules? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkok Barry Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 It's yet more officialdom that is as clear as mud. It was said that you had you carry your passport, then a top honcho said it wasn't necessary and a photocopy would do, but it can still be demanded by those who either don't know or don't care what the law says. If the uniform says jump, then you jump. Whether they say jump is up to them. The only reason I can see that they would want to check you is to see whether you are in the country lawfully. The police, who are part of immigration in Thailand, can check that simply via your passport number I would imagine. Assuming they can access the data base and know how to. The latter is questionable, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_smith237 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, possum1931 said: 13 minutes ago, jaiyen said: Immigration said a long time ago that carrying a good quality photocopy is sufficient How many IOs are there in Thailand with different interpretations of rules? All of them... Especially when the Head of Immigration for one province makes an announcement and we all think its relevant to the whole country. Then he is replaced the following year in the re-shuffle and his announcement no longer stands. The waters remain muddied, especially when we colour outside of the lines, then even the supervisors are unsure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambotte Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 Unless you are just on hollidays (not the case now), if you are a traveller or a expat, keep Passport safe ! Copies with you, passport in your logement. A rogue police officer and you may have to pay some bahts, no big deal. And a driver licence is enough usually. If you lose your passport or get stolen, you are in such potential trouble... It's just the ONE thing you don't want to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiggo Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 Carry a copy of your passport, or if you are a resident/work visa holder and you have Thai driving licence use that for id. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said: I keep copies of the relevant pages in my iPhone ... I use my drivers license for ID, and the above for back up. Although some given me some static, I have always been able to use this at banks. Immigration is the only place I have encountered requiring the real deal. Maybe I'm just lucky ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimHuaHin Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 6 hours ago, Lacessit said: I carry paper copies of the relevant pages of my passport, plus images on my smartphone. That is all one is legally obliged to do. Any official apart from Immigration says different, they are looking for a bribe. Correct. I do the same. Over the past few years I have asked a few senior immigration officers in Hua Hin whether it was acceptable for me to carry photocopies and have images on my iPhone of the main pages or my passport, and I was told that such action was acceptable. But, I would be required to produce the original passport within 24 hours if asked by a police officer or an immigration official. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooked Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Jip99 said: Wrong. As you are every time you repeat it. Pardon? So why do people get arrested for not having their passport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooked Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 51 minutes ago, jaiyen said: Immigration said a long time ago that carrying a good quality photocopy is sufficient Which immigration? A long time ago? You may have noticed that times have changed just recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambotte Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 19 minutes ago, Curt1591 said: I use my drivers license for ID, and the above for back up. Although some given me some static, I have always been able to use this at banks. Immigration is the only place I have encountered requiring the real deal. Maybe I'm just lucky ... Actually Bank is the only place (and immig of course) where i bring it. Banks should absolutely NOT allow someone to do something with a account without original proof of ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puchooay Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 11 minutes ago, cooked said: Pardon? So why do people get arrested for not having their passport? Where? When? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AhFarangJa Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 7 hours ago, cooked said: As far as I know, it STILL is an obligation for non-Thais to carry their passports at all times. People have been held until their passport could be produced. Now? I certainly don't leave home without my passport. Absolute Tosh.....it was stated a couple of years ago by a high rank official in Bangkok that we DO NOT need to carry passports, but do need to produce them within a reasonable time frame. Sorry I cannot remember the name of the official, but a quick search of Thaivisa should bring it up. I carry a copy of all relevant pages, and this has been accepted several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 4 minutes ago, Sambotte said: Actually Bank is the only place (and immig of course) where i bring it. Banks should absolutely NOT allow someone to do something with a account without original proof of ID. I have my drivers license. It is a valid, legal ID. It also has my passport number printed on it, which I can verify with the scan of my passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeyore Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 In 25+ years of travel in 33+ countries, I have and never will carry my passport, visas, and associated official docs on day-to-day activities. Simply ludicrous to do so. However, I always carry copies of relevant documents. If a street officer absolutely demands the originals, fine. Let's go to my residence. Happy to produce them. It's that simple. No deviations in 25+ years. And by the way. I've never been asked, ever. Despite living in some pretty dodgey places. Finally, even Thai Superrich will accept a copy for currency exchange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted April 6, 2020 Share Posted April 6, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Cake Monster said: It is not meerly an obligation to carry your Passport, Its a Legal requirement and always has been. It's a lie and trolls keep repeating it. Show me the regulation, or shut up. Edited April 6, 2020 by Lacessit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts