File photo for reference only

 

Thais will no longer have to provide copies of their ID cards (bat prachachon) and house registration books (tabian baan) when doing business or applying for anything.

 

The announcement - mooted for three years and announced by the government recently - appeared in the official Government Gazette.

 

Daily News said that this means Thailand is being propelled closer to the so called "4.0 Digital Age".

 

It means more convenience and less costs for Thais. 

 

It remains to be seen if endless photocopying of documents for foreigners doing business or complying with immigration matters in Thailand follows, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

Many people complain of mountains of wasted paper, and associated costs, when dealing with Thai officialdom. 

 

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Wonder how long this takes to roll down to foreigners living here, or if it ever will, and who have to continually show and make copies of the passport for routine transactions at the bank.  Would be nice one day to just have to show your passport at the time of extension without all of the additional paperwork, except of course showing the financials, as everything is already in the system.

I wonder how many copies of your ID etc will you need to produce to be allowed to use the "Digital" no paper system?

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

It remains to be seen if endless photocopying of documents for foreigners doing business or complying with immigration matters in Thailand follows, notes ASEAN NOW.

This needed to change years ago.

Most of the important information they have on us is all held on computer and doesn't change from year to year.

The only photocopies you should have to submit evey year are for your financial requirements.

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

This needed to change years ago.

Most of the important information they have on us is all held on computer and doesn't change from year to year.

The only photocopies you should have to submit evey year are for your financial requirements.

 

 

 

it sounds promising but as with many digital things in Thailand .. many times the left hand doesn't know or accept what the right hand does.. 
top quote some 
1) for instance a digital work permit is not accept to renew your driving licence ( old blue book yes). 2) many banks have an issue with digital copies too

The paper factories and photocopy shops would not be happy with this news. 

2 minutes ago, shady86 said:

The paper factories and photocopy shops would not be happy with this news. 

I've often wondered if that whole thing was just a "welfare with honor" situation, like the person who so carefully checks your receipt when exiting Makro.

I'd hate to think how many times I filled in a form, only to see it was recycled and had someone's passport copy on the back.  With all details.

34 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I've often wondered if that whole thing was just a "welfare with honor" situation, like the person who so carefully checks your receipt when exiting Makro.

So glad you noticed this totally useless job; Makro also hire whistle-blowers in their car park to shred your nerves as you walk past them into the store.  It is my contention that of the 90+% in employment, only 10% work.

Think, I read that like 2 or 3 years ago.

57 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'd hate to think how many times I filled in a form, only to see it was recycled and had someone's passport copy on the back.  With all details.

Had a delivery from UPS that went thru customs  on the back of my copies they made was information for a Vasily from Phuket for his cap machine and all of his doctors paperwork.....yes they recycle......wonder whose gotten my info on the reverse of their paperwork....

Transforming to digital age however needs to to be well considered.

 

It would for example be a relief when banks don't need to copy one's passport for every personal transaction - pink ID-card with photo is not good enough - in SCB's attempt to enter the 4.0-age they began to hand me a tiny screen and digital pen to sign. It's difficult to make a signature with a rubber-tip pen on a tiny screen that looks like a real old-fashioned signature made by an ink-pen on paper - at least for me - so how will that compare with the signature in one's bank book when revealed  in the black light, yes the cashier still did that together with the having my passport to look at, which also holds my signature.

 

Now that's the least part of it, when I tried to tell the kind cashier that this will not work, when withdrawing some cash from my company-account, pointing on my mandatory rubber stamp for the company. She however insisted again and again, and finally I wrote my fake-looking signature on the screen, and took the company's rubber stamp to make the mandatory stamp on the screen... At this point she stoppe me, and ran away to find the branch manager. After some chat between them the cashier came back and removed the tiny screen, instead she found an old-fashioned paper-withdrawal slip in a drawer and handed it to me...????

 

This incident happened a couple of times - different cashiers and different branch managers on duty - about two month later everything is back to old-fashioned paper deposit- and withdrawal slips, and rubber stamps for company cases, for all cash transactions in the SCB branches that I visit...????

So how does the 4-00- new age stamp work. I’ll miss the many stamps on the desks with the signature and now sign here, here and here

No chance of happening, they love paperwork, it's never ending.

 

Recent marraige extension i'm estimating 30 pages x 2 copies.

 

Insane!

Progression is good. However, don’t expect it to trickle down to foreigners too quick. They don’t want us being too comfy. ????

5 hours ago, pvdb64 said:

it sounds promising but as with many digital things in Thailand .. many times the left hand doesn't know or accept what the right hand does.. 
top quote some 
1) for instance a digital work permit is not accept to renew your driving licence ( old blue book yes). 2) many banks have an issue with digital copies too

1) for instance a digital work permit is not accept to renew your driving licence.

 

An example for you.

 

Last Thursday I went to the DLT in Kamphaeng Phet to renew my 5 year driving licence. I took my passport, yellow house book, pink Thai ID card and old driving licence with me.

 

Two Thais who dealt with me turned it down because I didn't have a certificate from Immigration. They didn't have the right words to explain exactly what certificate they wanted. They also refused the doctors certificate because I used my pink Thai id card.

 

They wrote a note in Thai for me to give to Immigration. I showed it to my wife and she told me that I needed a certificate of registration of mt address. The fact that the address is on my yellow book, pink Thai ID card and driving licence was irrelevant to them. They MUST have the certificate from Immigration.

 

A simple question is where does Immigration get my address from? My yellow book, pink Thai ID card and driving licence is what I show and tell Immigration, 3 things I showed the DLT.

 

So this Thursday I need a new letter from the surgery, this time with my passport number on it, 100 baht (again) thank you very much. Passport and the letter from Immigration, plus I will also take my yellow book and pink Thai ID card.

 

I will ask them the same question.

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

So glad you noticed this totally useless job; Makro also hire whistle-blowers in their car park to shred your nerves as you walk past them into the store.  It is my contention that of the 90+% in employment, only 10% work.

And most of that 10% are too busy playing with their Phone's to be bothered with work !

34 minutes ago, billd766 said:

1) for instance a digital work permit is not accept to renew your driving licence.

 

An example for you.

 

Last Thursday I went to the DLT in Kamphaeng Phet to renew my 5 year driving licence. I took my passport, yellow house book, pink Thai ID card and old driving licence with me.

 

Two Thais who dealt with me turned it down because I didn't have a certificate from Immigration. They didn't have the right words to explain exactly what certificate they wanted. They also refused the doctors certificate because I used my pink Thai id card.

 

They wrote a note in Thai for me to give to Immigration. I showed it to my wife and she told me that I needed a certificate of registration of mt address. The fact that the address is on my yellow book, pink Thai ID card and driving licence was irrelevant to them. They MUST have the certificate from Immigration.

 

A simple question is where does Immigration get my address from? My yellow book, pink Thai ID card and driving licence is what I show and tell Immigration, 3 things I showed the DLT.

 

So this Thursday I need a new letter from the surgery, this time with my passport number on it, 100 baht (again) thank you very much. Passport and the letter from Immigration, plus I will also take my yellow book and pink Thai ID card.

 

I will ask them the same question.

Total ignorance at your DLT; in Chiang Mai they have been accepting Yellow Book for more than 10 years, beggars belief !

 

However; another small story.....this morning Wife wanted to redeem her Big C Points and they wanted her ID Card before they would do it....Crazy Country !

39 minutes ago, billd766 said:

A simple question is where does Immigration get my address from? My yellow book, pink Thai ID card and driving licence is what I show and tell Immigration, 3 things I showed the DLT.

Exactly this, it's like a merry go round.

 

For marraige extension IMO if you're married to the same woman and living at the same address, the only relevant docs you should have to supply are KR 2 and letter from bank. But no no no, cannot - pls photo copy every document known to mankind - again. The map drawing as well is a joke, one can clearly print out from google maps from immigration to you exact home location but they prefer a hand drawn mess.......the mind boggles.

 

3 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Total ignorance at your DLT; in Chiang Mai they have been accepting Yellow Book for more than 10 years, beggars belief !

 

However; another small story.....this morning Wife wanted to redeem her Big C Points and they wanted her ID Card before they would do it....Crazy Country !

Big C points?

 

Is this like Makro where you spend 100's of thousands of baht to get 1 x M150? lol.

3 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Big C points?

 

Is this like Makro where you spend 100's of thousands of baht to get 1 x M150? lol.

Similar to Tesco Points i think; 10 Baht for every Thousand but i'm not in charge of it !

The foto in the OP corresponds exactly to the pile of paper that I have to produce in duplicate every year. Insane.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Daily News said that this means Thailand is being propelled closer to the so called "4.0 Digital Age"

Considering it took 3 years to get this little taster of a digital age closer, "propelled" isn't a term I would use.

The biggest problem is the 

abstinence from an uniform data networking between the individual authorities. Each office also has its own rules and, in some cases, its own forms. Organizationally, a single mess with countless paper copies of one and the same document.

It will probably be another 10 years before the authorities in Thailand will have a far-reaching and networked (functioning) digitalization.

6 hours ago, shady86 said:

The paper factories and photocopy shops would not be happy with this news. 

I suspect a senior official has a paper recycling plant somewhere and is earning a golden nose. I cannot imagine that all the paper copies will be kept somewhere.

I started musing on this some time ago. I asked myself what information the Thai government has on me.

What do you have access to and already know?

Dates on entry and exit for Thailand

Surname, first, middle name

Passport number

Passport nationality

Date of birth

Passport Issued date

Passport Expiration date

Passport issued office

All countries visited on current Passport

Visa status

90 Day Report current

™ 30 address current

Immigration photo

Immigration rental contract

Immigration income to Thailand record

Immigration signature

 

Previous Occupation

Current employment status

Last flight

Address in Thailand

Mobile number

Email address

Disembarkation

Yearly income bracket

 

Bank has information

AIS has information

Thai Driver’s License has information

Hospitals have information

 

Various businesses =

Credit Card information

Air travel

Lodging

Restaurants

...Double A will be trembling.

7 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Most of the important information they have on us is all held on computer and doesn't change from year to year.

Thailand always does things backwards. The 90-day reporting is a perfect example. In the real world you have to notify whoever if your circumstances change. In Thailand you have to notify them that nothing has changed. Madness.

7 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I've often wondered if that whole thing was just a "welfare with honor" situation, like the person who so carefully checks your receipt when exiting Makro.

This describes 90% of Immigration and 80% of all Thai government workers.

 

Not voting for red-shirts either!!

On last marriage renewal or new visa, although might expect in expect in 2021 a tick box exercise and date change as NOTHING had changed but alas,  Immigration managed to create 32 pages .. I know '32' as they then 'requested' a copy which I had to leave immigration and GO down to road to have copied ..so in real terms 64 pages !!

There must be a better word than .. ridiculous !