Checking into a Hotel without my Passport

[Danderman123]

I am sending off my passport for renewal, a process that will take weeks.

 

So, if I should want to check in at a hotel, what are my options?

 

I will have photocopies of my non-O visa, my entry stamp, and the photo page of the passport, is that enough?

 

Any other ideas?

[flyingtlger]

If you have a Thai DL, that should suffice.

Depending on the hotel, I've never had any problems with just a photo copy of my PP....

[gargamon]

I went through this in Vietnam while my passport was waiting at the Chinese embassy for a visa. No problem getting rooms with photocopies.

 

Some touts which we were ignoring killed a couple of hotels by saying we had no passports but when going to a hotel cold no issues at all. We were moving almost daily doing halong bay, etc while the passports were in Hanoi. 

[jacko45k]

I managed to check in by sending an email with  PP copy attached when I forgot the original once. 

[BigStar]

I always use my utterly useless pink card.

[ChipButty]

No problem, I have done it in the past with a photo copy 

[PJ71]

1 hour ago, BigStar said:

I always use my utterly useless pink card.

You don't have Thai driving license?

 

[Mbaki]

20 hours ago, BigStar said:

I always use my utterly useless pink card.

If your using your pink card, then it’s not utterly useless is it 😉

[Hummin]

Photo copy works every time, but pink card is 50/50. 

 

Never works on 5 star hotels, or the bigger chains

[KhunBENQ]

Copies of passport main page and latest extension/admitted stamp should do it.

Should: never tried but that is what the hotels need to identify and report. 

As we are in Thailand some hotels don't take it too serious.

[KhunBENQ]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Photo copy works every time, but pink card is 50/50. 

 

Never works on 5 star hotels, or the bigger chains

Correct.

And even a 3 star always searches for the extension stamp.

Sometimes have to point to.

[AAArdvark]

21 hours ago, BigStar said:

I always use my utterly useless pink card.

Then it isn't useless

[Red Forever]

Will you not have your expired passport?

This worked for me in Bangkok.

[DrJack54]

22 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

I am sending off my passport for renewal, a process that will take weeks.

Which country has you send in your passport for renewal purposes. 

[newbee2022]

23 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

I am sending off my passport for renewal, a process that will take weeks.

 

So, if I should want to check in at a hotel, what are my options?

 

I will have photocopies of my non-O visa, my entry stamp, and the photo page of the passport, is that enough?

 

Any other ideas?

Take your pink Thai Id card

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, Mbaki said:

If your using your pink card, then it’s not utterly useless is it 😉

He was being sarcastic. 

some people always argue  that the pink card is 'Useless".

and here is an example , were it is useful. 

[sirineou]

Your drivers class is acceptable as it has all the nessacery information, including your passport number 

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Mbaki said:

If your using your pink card, then it’s not utterly useless is it 😉

You missed the irony I think!

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Your drivers class is acceptable as it has all the nessacery information, including your passport number 

Mine usually worked, but keep in mind his DL will no longer have his current PP number if he has sent the PP off for a renewal.  I don't know if that affects anything, but it's worth knowing. 

 

Edit: You never know when they may upgrade the system to flag a bad PP number upon check in.

 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

Mine usually worked, but keep in mind his DL will no longer have his current PP number if he has sent the PP off for a renewal.  I don't know if that affects anything, but it's worth knowing.

The hotel may want to check you do have a current permission of stay, which is not apparent on a driving licence. They also should be submitting a TM30 for you, which may too require some details not on the driving licence.

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Mbaki said:

If your using your pink card, then it’s not utterly useless is it 😉

A few got there before me. Sarcasm.

 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

The hotel may want to check you do have a current permission of stay, which is not apparent on a driving licence. They also should be submitting a TM30 for you, which may too require some details not on the driving licence.

All possibly true.  That said, my DL worked most of the time anyway.  It shouldn't have, but it did.

 

Edit I wonder if the hotels are penalized if they have guests on overstay.  Are they really responsible for checking, just curious, or wannabe Kojaks?

 

 

[Andycoops]

I just show my pink ID card.

 

Haven't shown a passport checking into a hotel in years here.

 

[jacko45k]

4 minutes ago, impulse said:

Edit I wonder if the hotels are penalized if they have guests on overstay.  Are they really responsible for checking, just curious, or wannabe Kojaks?

I was more cynical perhaps thinking hotel staff could get a kickback from reporting overstayers to immigration!

[brianthainess]

I also use that utterly useless pink card, and guess what my DL also has the pink card number not my PP number.  

[mancub]

7 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I was more cynical perhaps thinking hotel staff could get a kickback from reporting overstayers to immigration!

Coming to a town near you soon !

[impulse]

16 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I was more cynical perhaps thinking hotel staff could get a kickback from reporting overstayers to immigration!

 

That was one of my thoughts, too.  If I was the czar of Thai immigration, I'd offer a reward to alert hoteliers.  Maybe a percentage of the overstay fine...

 

[sirineou]

44 minutes ago, impulse said:

Mine usually worked, but keep in mind his DL will no longer have his current PP number if he has sent the PP off for a renewal.  I don't know if that affects anything, but it's worth knowing. 

 

Edit: You never know when they may upgrade the system to flag a bad PP number upon check in.

 

Yea , that's a good, point. and good to  keep in mind

We drive around Thailand all the time, and stay in places overnight, most of the time my wife makes the reservations and they don't even ask for nothing. We just came back from CM where we stayed at a very nice place a couple of days. I showed them nothing. 

But I always keep  pictures of my passport in my phone, and i think my wife might have a couple of pictures in her wallet .

[CMBob]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Which country has you send in your passport for renewal purposes. 

The USA for one (you get back the new passport and expired "punched" passport).

[Hummin]

41 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

I just show my pink ID card.

 

Haven't shown a passport checking into a hotel in years here.

 

That depending on the hotel being serious about doing their duty registrering foreigners who check in. Many guesthouses and resorts only bothering checking in wife if she is with me. Also travelling countryside they really do not care much