US Embassy Bangkok Rules

[EVENKEEL]

I took my kid and her mother to get the kid her US passport renewed, I know cels get kept at the desk but never thought about the kid having an Ipad. It's appointment time and we're told the ipad cannot enter the building. There's a place nearby that will store bags we were told. 25 minutes later we're able to enter. My gripe is the fact that the ipad in a small bag couldn't be kept there the same as cel phones. Man I really dislike that forking place. Wanding my little kid like a terrorist really got me.

[BritTim]

I appreciate your annoyance, and some of the precautions do amount to security theatre, rather than dealing with real threats. That said, the fact that you are accompanied by a kid should not make it easier to circumvent security precautions. It would not be good if taking a bomb into the embassy relied only on planting it on a kid going in with you.

[ubonjoe]

Not visa or extension related. Moved to the the US & UK subforum of the home country forum.

[John Drake]

7 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Man I really dislike that forking place.

It was just 12 years ago when I first got here. You could walk into the embassy any time, without an appointment. Make a mistake and you could dash outside to get whatever you needed and come back a bit later. Also preferred to submit documents for a new passport in person and pick up the passport in person. Won't go into the income letter for retirement and how we were contemptuously discarded.

[EVENKEEL]

28 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I appreciate your annoyance, and some of the precautions do amount to security theatre, rather than dealing with real threats. That said, the fact that you are accompanied by a kid should not make it easier to circumvent security precautions. It would not be good if taking a bomb into the embassy relied only on planting it on a kid going in with you.

It was the ipad not being allowed to be stored in front office that got me. Anyway, just a head's up for anyone else that has anything besides a cel phone on hand.

[HappyExpat57]

Any more they make you feel like a criminal. YEARS ago, I had a little keychain fob that held a tiny scuba tank where I kept spare o-rings for real scuba cylinders. One of the Thai guards looked at it, opened it, and said "I think there's cocaine in here." He was just kidding, but my heart stopped. They don't even joke around any more. Another time I was five minutes late for an appointment and they denied me entrance.  No wiggle room or humanity, just mindless automatons.

[bamnutsak]

https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/prohibited-items.jpg

 

 

I don't bring anything other than paperwork.

 

 

[NancyL]

5 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/prohibited-items.jpg

 

 

I don't bring anything other than paperwork.

 

 

Wow, when did this change and does it apply for the U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai?  I routinely carry two mobile phone and leave them at security without a problem.

 

Once the Consulate security people had a problem with my handbag and kept running it thru the xray machine and manually checking for something until finally they found an errant USB drive.  I thanked them profusely.  I had "lost" that USB drive and it had driven me crazy not be able to find it.  It had slipped into the lining of my handbag and been undetected despite several airline trips.  Well, I guess the airlines don't care if you bring a USB drive onto a flight, but the Consulate doesn't want you bringing one into their office.

[John Drake]

BTW, looks like there is a new bruiser at the embassy. Heath is leaving.