Passport needed for travel around Thailand?

[richard_smith237]

13 minutes ago, Maejo Man said:

Not at all my dear chap. All I am saying is that in nearly 35 years of traveling the the length and breadth of Thailand I have never carried my passport. It's up to each individual what they choose to do. I can only speak from personal experience, and not advocating anything!

In 25 years I’ve never needed a seatbelt.... I can only speak from personal experience, and not advocating anything !!!...  

[Woof999]

Take your real passport on your 1 month trip? Absolutely yes.

 

Keep it on your person all the time when at a bar, the beach etc. Absolutely no.

 

If a cop isn't happy with a photo / colour photocopy of the relevant pages of your passport and wont allow you to go to your accommodation on demand to get it then he's in the mind to sting you for something anyway.

 

I'd rather pay a 1000 baht fine than lose / damage my real passport, regardless if the law says to carry it on my all the time or not.

[Mad mick]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

When I have travelled within Thailand I can use my Pink ID most of the time. 

But, I never travel without my Passport anyway (its usually in my bag and a DL or Pink ID easier to access from the wallet than getting the passport out of the bag). 

 

For flights the Pink ID has generally been fine. But for checking into a hotel I am sometimes asked for my Passport because the hotel want to file a TM30.

 

If I didn’t have my passport, I’m sure this wouldn’t be a show-stopper... but, IMO it would be foolish not to travel with your passport unless absolutely necessary. There are reports of police stopping people in Samui / Koh Phangan etc and checking their immigration status for overstay. IF your passport is not within reasonable reach (i.e. back at your hotel etc) then things could get awkward. 

 

 

What if ya tourist do not have what ? pink ID card ???? lm not sure how Thailand operates these days , maybe wants leave passport with friends at his her or whatever pronoun or gender they decide on the day wake up as . Personally myself l would take passport any day ! 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Mad mick

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Mad mick said:

What if ya tourist do not have what ? pink ID card ???? lm not sure how Thailand operates these days , maybe wants leave passport with friends at his her or whatever pronoun or gender they decide on the day wake up as . Personally myself l would take passport any day ! 

Agree...  tourists very unlikely to have any form of Thai issued ID (DL or Pink ID), but they are also unlikely to be travelling without a passport anyway (unless its lost and heading back to Embassy).

 

Thus: The topic seems specifically for someone living here who is thinking of leaving their passport in a safer place at home, rather than take the risk of loss by travelling with it. 

 

I leave my passport in the Safe (when in Bangkok) and never go out with it because of the risk of loss.

But when travelling its always in my bag which stays locked, there is a very minor risk of loss (theft), but there is also a minor risk of getting caught out without the passport when its needed and your are a few 100 kms away from it, which IMO the probability of which exceeds the risk of loss...

 

Hence, when undertaking interprovincial travelling brining the passport is a no-brainer. 

Leaving it locked away in the hotel, rather than risking loss when out and about, drinking, or swimming etc is also is a no-brainer. As is leaving it secure at your home in Thailand when staying at home. 

[Presnock]

On 3/23/2023 at 4:38 PM, ChomDo said:

15 years but things seem to have changed a lot. Some hotels don't care and others might not let you check in without it. Also, the weird stuff I'm hearing from Phuket made me wonder how can people actually go anywhere without a passport if they might be asked for it while sitting on the beach...just in case they can find had a few days overstay.

I was going to take it all along but I don't intend to keep it with me so just wanted to hear some opinions on how others who live here long-term do it while travelling.

if you have been here for 15 years, when you renewed your passport, didn't your embassy need that

old passport to process for the new one ? just asking as before I just went to the embassy to renew

it but now I understand that they want it done by email for form and then registered mail for the old

passport and form.  Just asking

 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The ‘implied advice’ from these anecdotal stories is preposterous.. 

Why imply that something is not necessary when there is no downside not to (or extremely little) ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What like advice that goes along the lines of "Zomg, you must carry your passport at all times" ?

 

The "little to no downside" is the pain of replacing a lost passport.... I'll bet that is a joyous task !!

[richard_smith237]

Just now, Ralf001 said:

What like advice that goes along the lines of "Zomg, you must carry your passport at all times" ?

No... I never said ‘must’...   

 

The advice I offer is that ‘a foreigner may need their passport when travelling, it is therefore a sensible option to have it within reasonable reach’.

 

 

Just now, Ralf001 said:

The "little to no downside" is the pain of replacing a lost passport.... I'll bet that is a joyous task !!

 

Do you lose your passport when you travel internationally?

 

Obviously this depends on the individual, in my opinion the risk of a person losing their passport is significantly less than the risk of it being needed when travelling domestically within Thailand.

 

 

I have been in such a situation.

I was on an Island and needed to be medivacced (internationally)...  the inconvenience of not having a passport nearby would have been significant to life threatening

 

Yes, a very extreme case, so lets examine something more realistic - Walking down the road in Chaweng, the BiB stop us and ask us for our Passport - Its at the hotel... going back to the hotel with them and proving our Immigration status is inconvenient, but we can carry on with our holiday. 

Now.. what if your Passport is back at your house / apartment in Bangkok ?

... Doesn’t happen ? read the news of overstayers getting caught recently ???... in some area’s such as Samui the BiB are targeting and cracking down on foreigners looking for overstayers.

 

IMO it would be extremely stupid not to have your passport within reasonable reach when travelling to a different province. 

 

And... IF you’re the sort of person that could be so careless with their passport they consider that an excessive risk even if leaving it secure in their bags (hand-carry), then fair enough, leave the passport in the safe at home, but, they should then be made aware they are potentially be opening themselves up to other hassles and inconvenience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

34 minutes ago, Presnock said:

if you have been here for 15 years, when you renewed your passport, didn't your embassy need that

old passport to process for the new one ? just asking as before I just went to the embassy to renew

it but now I understand that they want it done by email for form and then registered mail for the old

passport and form.  Just asking

 

Most Embassies, Consulates and Passport application (renewal) centres such as VFS do not take your passport when you submit an application for a replacement.

 

The passport stays with you and the corner of your passport is clipped and it becomes invalid upon receipt of your new passport. 

 

[TaoNow]

There is another reason to carry your passport when you travel up-country:

 

If you happen to lose your ATM card (with a Thai bank), getting a replacement up-country will probably require showing your passport.

 

Thus, I carry mine (plus my bank book for the ATM card) whenever traveling overnight in Thailand.

 

[patman30]

You are required to carry ID by law here
if you do not have a pink ID card or drivers license
then only your passport will be accepted.
Simples.

[Rastaputin]

About a week ago my wife dropped me at Udon Thani Airport for my (Solo) flight to Bangkok. At check In I realized I forgot my Passport at home ... Not enough time for going back to pick it up.
But I had no problem checking in for the flight with my Pink ID. 

At the Hotel in Bangkok (4 or 5*) I am a regular, they already prepared the Check In form using a Passport Copy they had scanned on a former trip.

No problem, also no problem checking in at Suvarnabumhi for the return.

Still will keep carrying my Passport on all domestic Flights in the future, just in case.

[Phulublub]

6 hours ago, Mad mick said:

if you want stay hotel or guest house & buy local train tickets may need !! Deffinity domestic Airlines etc,

Definitely NOT domestic airlines!
 

PH

[Phulublub]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Is your advice that 100% of the time 100% of foreigners in Thailand will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ???

 

 

 

Totally missing the point and not at all what the OP said. 

 

Not ALL foreginers will have (for example) a Thai Driving Licence.  I do, and have used that innumerable times when asked for "passport".  It has NEVER been unnacceptable.  Only times I need (and therefore carry my passport are for foreign travel and to renew my extension.  Lives in the safe otherwise.

 

PH

[tuktuktuk]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

All of these anecdotal responses mean nothing... some people have had experiences where they did not need their passport, thats all. 

Yet, there are lots of other experiences where people have needed to show their passport. 

 

So... what is the intelligent advice ????... 

- Don’t take your passport when you travel because a few people said they didn’t need it ?

- Take your passport with you even if you may not need it, as you may need to show it ?

 

 

The stupidity of some of the responses on this forum really highlights the questionable intelligence of some...   I’ve never needed the seatbelt or my motorcycle helmet, ergo, they are not needed !!! 

The ‘implied advice’ from these anecdotal stories is preposterous.. 

Why imply that something is not necessary when there is no downside not to (or extremely little) ?

 

This is the same as the fools who suggest that a foreigner arriving in Thailand doesn’t need to carry 20,000 baht (currency equivalent in cash) - how hard is it just carry the cash ?

 

Or, a that visitor (visa exempt) can get away without an onward ticket, slightly more inconvenient, but why risk it ?

 

Why risk any of it when there is virtually no downside whatsoever in simply making sure you have your bases adequately covered ????.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s all in how we assess the risks. I’m more concerned about losing my passport than I am about being forced to produce it. 
 

I never book a return flight. It’s pointless. I don’t know when I’m returning home and there’s generally a cost to change it. It’s not required when applying for a non immigrant O visa. 
 

I never carry cash when traveling by air and tell visitors not to either. ATM’s work just fine and all the essentials can be procured with a credit card. Cash is too easily stolen or confiscated. 

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, TaoNow said:

There is another reason to carry your passport when you travel up-country:

 

If you happen to lose your ATM card (with a Thai bank), getting a replacement up-country will probably require showing your passport.

 

Thus, I carry mine (plus my bank book for the ATM card) whenever traveling overnight in Thailand.

 

Losing an ATM card is no biggie these days now that they've got Cardless Cash.

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

Losing an ATM card is no biggie these days now that they've got Cardless Cash.

That is a reason to not require a passport on a one month trip to an island that is also a road trip.

Many reasons why pp may be required.

Hilarious. 

[richard_smith237]

34 minutes ago, tuktuktuk said:

It’s all in how we assess the risks. I’m more concerned about losing my passport than I am about being forced to produce it. 
 

I never book a return flight. It’s pointless. I don’t know when I’m returning home and there’s generally a cost to change it. It’s not required when applying for a non immigrant O visa. 
 

I never carry cash when traveling by air and tell visitors not to either. ATM’s work just fine and all the essentials can be procured with a credit card. Cash is too easily stolen or confiscated. 

So all you are really doing is taking chances that you’ll not need your passport, its worked so far.... You’ve calculated that those chances are within your tolerance for potential hassle, thats fair enough from an individual perspective.

... but to advise others of the same is careless when there plenty of information and stories which contradict your advice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lemsta69]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That is a reason to not require a passport on a one month trip to an island that is also a road trip.

Many reasons why pp may be required.

Hilarious. 

Easy tiger, I a just letting the guy know about Cardless Cash. Some people are unaware of it's existence let alone it's usefulness. A la a buddy of mine who had his BBL card swallowed by a Krungsri ATM and was all at sea until I showed him got to use the new option.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Phulublub said:

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Is your advice that 100% of the time 100% of foreigners in Thailand will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ???

Totally missing the point and not at all what the OP said. 

 

Not ALL foreginers will have (for example) a Thai Driving Licence.  I do, and have used that innumerable times when asked for "passport".  It has NEVER been unnacceptable.  Only times I need (and therefore carry my passport are for foreign travel and to renew my extension.  Lives in the safe otherwise.

Its not missing the point at all...  the question I asked is the very essence of the thread... 

 

Are those advocating not to travel domestically with their passport 100% sure that 100% of the time 100% of the foreigners will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ?

 

No one can answer yes... because there are enough stories of foreigners needing their passports !!!! 

[Kalasin Jo]

At hotels and if with my wife I often get her to check us in. Only her ID card needed and that's not always either. Even so I carry my passport other than for very local trips.

[Phulublub]

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Are those advocating not to travel domestically with their passport 100% sure that 100% of the time 100% of the foreigners will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ?

No-one is saying that.  Stop with the strawman.

 

Several here have travelled domestically for many years without their passports so clearly not 100% of the time and not 100% of foreigners.

 

PH

[richard_smith237]

29 minutes ago, Phulublub said:

50 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Are those advocating not to travel domestically with their passport 100% sure that 100% of the time 100% of the foreigners will not need their passport at all when in or moving around the country ?

No-one is saying that.  Stop with the strawman.

 

Several here have travelled domestically for many years without their passports so clearly not 100% of the time and not 100% of foreigners.

 

PH

...And several others are reporting their passport has been requested when travelling, or found they needed their passport.... Thus, anyone offering advice to a stranger that they do not need their passport are wrong. 

 

The implication that because someone has not needed their passport in the past, any prospective traveller doesn’t need to take their passport with this is also wrong.

 

The implication that because someone has not needed their passport in the past those same people will not need their passport the next time they go travelling is also wrong. 

 

 

There... straw removed from the man for you... 

 

 

[BTB1977]

I never travel with it . I make copies of the visa page and front page. And use my driver's license when checking into a hotel. If they ask, I say no have .

Edited March 25, 2023 by BTB1977

[Lemsta69]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Skip the ATM nonsense.

I made one quick post in reply to a chap who mentioned that lack of passport could be an issue with lost ATM card. 

 

Perhaps he doesn't know about Cardless Cash yet, or like me totally ignored it until I found out how awesome it is. 

 

I'm providing him and other readers with useful, practical information that wasn't too wordy and certainly hasn't derailed the thread like you're suggesting. If my post is so objectionable then report it to the mods ????

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

I made one quick post in reply to a chap who mentioned that lack of passport could be an issue with lost ATM card. 

 

Perhaps he doesn't know about Cardless Cash yet, or like me totally ignored it until I found out how awesome it is. 

 

I'm providing him and other readers with useful, practical information that wasn't too wordy and certainly hasn't derailed the thread like you're suggesting. If my post is so objectionable then report it to the mods ????

So full of it .

Do you recommend the OP take a one month road trip to an island with OR without his passport.

That's a yes or no. 

[novacova]

On 3/22/2023 at 11:20 PM, ChomDo said:

That's one of the things I thought of when hearing that there's some immi police checkups going on in Phuket to try and bust overstayers. So I wonder what would happen if you're requested to show a passport and you don't have one? Sad to hear they're harassing tourists in Samui too. Really would prefer to just carry my Thai DL as I always do. Maybe I'll take the passport anyway just in case of hotels requiring it and then keep it locked up in the room.

Just do what you’re most comfortable with. Whether you carry it with you or not, always keep photos of the front page and the current relative stamps on your phone. Personally I never carry it with me unless I’m going to the IO or airport. Showing the photos has always been suffice for me up to this point, though rarely ever asked, at the hospital, and recently at a touristy hotel. Photos were suffice in both cases. I’m sure if you’re questioned by IO police on the street and show them the photos on the phone, they can easily verify in the system. 
But then again there are stupid people calling others stupid for not carrying it with them. It’s probably more of a catch 22 situation, stupid if you bring and it gets lost or stolen. Stupid if you leave it and find yourself in a jammed with an IO with a wild hair up their yingyang 

Edited March 25, 2023 by novacova

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, novacova said:

. Showing the photos has always been suffice for me up to this point, though rarely ever asked, at the hospital, and recently at a touristy hotel

When were you last admitted to hospital and what did you provide for admission. 

Find your post inaccurate. 

 

 

[novacova]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

When were you last admitted to hospital and what did you provide for admission. 

Find your post inaccurate. 

 

 

A photo of the front page of my pp and dl at cm ram hospital.
Djack what is inaccurate is your silly little mission to contradict, though you do give good advice and insight, your spite to save your pride makes you look incredible and foolish at times. Just stick to what you for sure know of and leave the presumptions behind. Admit it when you’re wrong and the credibility will go much further 

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, novacova said:

A photo of the front page of my pp and dl at cm ram hospital.
Djack what is inaccurate is your silly little mission to contradict, though you do give good advice and insight, your spite to save your pride makes you look incredible and foolish at times. Just stick to what you for sure know of and leave the presumptions behind. Admit it when you’re wrong and the credibility will go much further 

So do you suggest OP goes on a one month road trip to an island driving a car Yes Or No without his passport .

Simple question. .

Let's see your level of awareness. 

To state pp not necessary is madness. 

Necessary meaning sensible option 

Edited March 25, 2023 by DrJack54

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

Up to him, This is Thailand after all. If he doesn't take it and gets into trouble, no biggie. He can just use Cardless Cash to get the money to pay off the BiB.

Again with the access to money reference. 

That's minor. 

Geez ..

Many other reasons to have your pp with you on one month road trip. 

Clearly on ignore for good reason. 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by DrJack54