Yellow House Book and Pink Card

[Hocus Pocus]

I will be completing 9 years of employment in Thailand. In order to retain my Thai Social Security under Section 39, I need to obtain a Yellow House Book and Pink ID Card. I live in an apartment building in Bangkok and I am asking if the owners can add me into the Blue Book of whoever is the house master for my unit. That is my Plan A and probably the most straightforward if the apartment management agree to treat me as part of the family.

 

Plan B is that I own a condo in Pattaya under foreign ownership, for which I have the Blue Book. I am not married to a Thai nor to I intend to be. The Blue Book for my Pattaya condo is blank since only Thai citizens can be listed there. Question I have is: "Can I obtain a Yellow Tabien Baan and Pink ID Card using the Blue Book from my Pattaya condo"? If so, what is the process? I tried Googling on this question and the answer that came had conflicting information that "you must be married to a Thai citizen" but also "provide the marriage certificate IF you are married". Confusing.

 

Plan C. Is it possible to use an agent to bypass these limitations and just pay my way to getting these documents? Honestly even if I am told Plan B is possible, it will be a lot of hassle as I will probably have to go to Pattaya and deal with things there, so best if I can just get it through a little payola.

 

Appreciate any guidance in advance.

[bkkniko]

Such a pain in ass this whole procedure, I am married and submitted all the documents you stated above, they accepted them and told me there is a queue so you might need to wait 2-3 months. I am waiting 8 months already, nothing from them.

 

Called them once, they said they will call me back within a hour, no one called..

 

Sorry for my useless comment, just saying for me it is a real pain in ass obtaining these documents.

[newbee2022]

18 hours ago, bkkniko said:

Such a pain in ass this whole procedure, I am married and submitted all the documents you stated above, they accepted them and told me there is a queue so you might need to wait 2-3 months. I am waiting 8 months already, nothing from them.

 

Called them once, they said they will call me back within a hour, no one called..

 

Sorry for my useless comment, just saying for me it is a real pain in ass obtaining these documents.

I did it within 1 day (yellow Book) and 1 week for the pink card 

[hereforgood]

I have lived here on a long-term visa for 21 years. I own my own condo I inquired about a yellow book and a pink ID card and the solicitor that I do my business with told me while it may benefit some people most people it really doesn't. Many people think that the ID card while it has your passport number on it it doesn't have your extension to stay date on it which makes it virtually useless. I travel a lot around Thailand with a friend who every time tries to use his pink ID card when he checks into the hotel and while they're supposed to accept it they always want to see his passport. Regarding the Thailand Social Security I worked for 15 years and I was told the same thing about needing the yellow book to continue. The key is to go to more than one Social Security office I went to the Social Security Office in sriracha and was told I needed the yellow book to continue my medical coverage after I retire on the Social Security scheme. I went to Rayong Social Security office a week later. I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes they copied my bank book so they could send my pension directly to my bank. Also informed me that every 16th of the month they would be deducting 432 baht from my bank account for my continued medical coverage. There was no mention whatsoever about a yellow book at the office in Rayong but Sriracha claimed it was needed. This is my experience your mileage may vary this is Thailand things Change Daily

[MadAtMatrix]

13 minutes ago, hereforgood said:

I have lived here on a long-term visa for 21 years. I own my own condo I inquired about a yellow book and a pink ID card and the solicitor that I do my business with told me while it may benefit some people most people it really doesn't. Many people think that the ID card while it has your passport number on it it doesn't have your extension to stay date on it which makes it virtually useless. I travel a lot around Thailand with a friend who every time tries to use his pink ID card when he checks into the hotel and while they're supposed to accept it they always want to see his passport. Regarding the Thailand Social Security I worked for 15 years and I was told the same thing about needing the yellow book to continue. The key is to go to more than one Social Security office I went to the Social Security Office in sriracha and was told I needed the yellow book to continue my medical coverage after I retire on the Social Security scheme. I went to Rayong Social Security office a week later. I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes they copied my bank book so they could send my pension directly to my bank. Also informed me that every 16th of the month they would be deducting 432 baht from my bank account for my continued medical coverage. There was no mention whatsoever about a yellow book at the office in Rayong but Sriracha claimed it was needed. This is my experience your mileage may vary this is Thailand things Change Daily

Your passport number is NOT on the pink ID, it is however on your drivers license. 

[perconrad]

I got my first yellow book in Thalang, Phuket renting a house and I was not married. They wanted the names of my mother and father, passport copy and the owner and poyai baan accompanied me.

 

Later I got the second yellow book in Sisaket with the moving paper from Thalang .

 

When foreigners could get pink ID cards I got one by showing my Yellow book.

[Rinrada]

As a " Bonus" the ID on your Pink Card is also your TIN ..Got mine a few years ago..Technically it only applies in your address location..hence mine being CM...and does not expire. 

[TigerandDog]

I obtained both on the same day as application. However, items 3 & 4 under Eligibility were not requirements at my Amphur. In saying that I do realise that different Amphurs have different eligibility requirements.

[Jaggg88]

There is an old thread on here about obtaining a yellow book with a post from a man and his Thai girlfriend going to get his yellow book. They told him he had to be married but his GF rang the ombudsman in Bangkok and they said he did not need to be married. The ombudsman rang his local office and he was duly issued a yellow book. The number to call was in his post. I went to inquire what was needed to get a yellow book and I was told I needed to be married but I didn't bother arguing as I am married.

[statman78]

1 hour ago, Rinrada said:

As a " Bonus" the ID on your Pink Card is also your TIN ..Got mine a few years ago..Technically it only applies in your address location..hence mine being CM...and does not expire. 

I also have my pink card and it is also my TIN.  I received it about 6 months ago.  Mine also does not expire and was told it was because of my age.  I’m not sure if it is something new because of the new tax laws but I was required to also apply for my TIN.  Getting a pink card did not automatically register me for my TIN even though the numbers are the same.

[The Old Bull]

I seem to remember having to get my birth certificate translated for which one I don't remember.

[tubber]

9 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

I seem to remember having to get my birth certificate translated for which one I don't remember.

I had to do that for the Yellow Book.

[Will B Good]

 

 

Are there any (significant) benefits to obtaining these?

[tubber]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

Are there any (significant) benefits to obtaining these?

None that I have found. There is a slight benefit with things like banks but nothing significant. It wasn't worth the effort.

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, tubber said:

None that I have found. There is a slight benefit with things like banks but nothing significant. It wasn't worth the effort.

 

Oh good. Thanks for that.

 

 Just about to launch into it….but can’t face anymore Thai bureaucracy this year

[soi3eddie]

This topic has been done to death over multiple threads over recent years. 

 

The main thing to bear in mind is that each amphur office has different requirements. Some say must be married, some don't. Some say it cannot be done unless you own a condo, some don't. Some take months to issue, some do it immediately. Some just refuse point blank to issue a yellow book (pink ID card is a simple addition once yellow book issued).

 

I got my yellow book and pink ID card in 2019. It has been useful, especially for extensions of stay and with the DLT for driving licence and vehicle registration. I do find more hotels are happy to accept it these days (always have a picture of passport and entry stamp on phone just in case). 

 

 

[dinsdale]

35 minutes ago, tubber said:

None that I have found. There is a slight benefit with things like banks but nothing significant. It wasn't worth the effort.

Pink card saves having to keep showing your passport for domestic flights and generally serves as Thai ID. Got mine same day but it took all day most of that waiting to get served and the 1hr lunch break. Once the paper finally got into someone's hands it was done in an 1hr or so.

[statman78]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

Are there any (significant) benefits to obtaining these?

I took some American friends to some tourist sites around Chiang Rai and I was able to only pay the Thai price for admission instead of the foreigners price.  Also when I sent packages from Bangkok to my home in Chiang Rai I always needed to show my passport but now they accept my pink card.

 

When I did my retirement extensions I needed a copy of the blue book and my wife’s ID card.  Now I just use a copy of my yellow book.

[khunPer]

On 1/15/2025 at 11:41 AM, Hocus Pocus said:

Plan B is that I own a condo in Pattaya under foreign ownership, for which I have the Blue Book. I am not married to a Thai nor to I intend to be. The Blue Book for my Pattaya condo is blank since only Thai citizens can be listed there. Question I have is: "Can I obtain a Yellow Tabien Baan and Pink ID Card using the Blue Book from my Pattaya condo"? If so, what is the process? I tried Googling on this question and the answer that came had conflicting information that "you must be married to a Thai citizen" but also "provide the marriage certificate IF you are married". Confusing.

If you own the condo in your name, you should be "host" and the person that can allow others to be registered in the house book, including yourself, who as foreigner will be listed in a separte yellow house book for aliens.

 

You shall contact the local tessa ban-office and ask if your name is registered as host, and what they require of documentation for register you in a house book. The requirement are slightly different from province to province, but you normally need a certified translation of your passport's name page and two witnesses.

[Hocus Pocus]

Thanks @khunPer for a constructive reply. I appreciate that some members may find this discussion not useful, however it potentially serves a specific useful purpose for me in retaining my Thai Social Security, hence the thread.

 

Regarding my Plan C (agent) : I went to an agent today in central Bangkok and her first question was "do you have a Thai wife". Telling her I didn't, then she asked if I own property. I told her I have a condo, but it is in Pattaya. She called her contact and I was informed that I could get a Yellow Book, but it would have to be done in Pattaya. 

I also asked if there were any "$informal$" approaches to getting it done in Bangkok, but unfortunately seems NONE.

So will keep to Plan A and Plan B and see what develops for the Yellow Book. In parallel, I will be working with my company HR to see if they can work around the Yellow Book requirement with Social Security. Thanks.

[hereforgood]

20 hours ago, MadAtMatrix said:

Your passport number is NOT on the pink ID, it is however on your drivers license. 

Thank you very much for correcting me which shows why it's even more useless for some to have the pink card. Now I understand when my friend tries to check into a hotel while they won't accept the paint card they need your information and it seems that pink card doesn't hold it thank you again

[lordgrinz]

20 hours ago, MadAtMatrix said:

Your passport number is NOT on the pink ID, it is however on your drivers license. 

 

For some, my Pink ID number is on my License, not my passport number.

[MadAtMatrix]

2 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

For some, my Pink ID number is on my License, not my passport number.

That may be. But your passport number will NOT be on your pink ID card. For anyone without a pink ID card, their passport number will be on their driver's license. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[MadAtMatrix]

3 hours ago, hereforgood said:

Thank you very much for correcting me which shows why it's even more useless for some to have the pink card. Now I understand when my friend tries to check into a hotel while they won't accept the paint card they need your information and it seems that pink card doesn't hold it thank you again

I check in to hotels all the time with my pink ID, that way I am not at risk of having my TM30 "broken" by them, and having to go to immigration to "reset" it back to my house.

I also use it with my bank, my phone provider, my M-Pass, that way my passport stays in the safe as it will cost me 6000% more to replace my lost passport than my pink ID card. 
My vehicle finance was done with my pink ID and yellow book as I am retired and do not have a work permit. I did not need a guarantor with it. Hospitals will accept it as well, and then they will not have their hands on my passport to "hold it hostage", I carry a small copy of it with my info page on one side and my 10 year visa on the other side. 

[lordgrinz]

31 minutes ago, MadAtMatrix said:

That may be. But your passport number will NOT be on your pink ID card. For anyone without a pink ID card, their passport number will be on their driver's license. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

 

Yup, just wanted to make sure I corrected you, Ted. 😉

[oldcpu]

On 1/16/2025 at 5:10 PM, Will B Good said:

Are there any (significant) benefits to obtaining these?

 

I have had some VERY minor benefits.

 

The one big benefit was there were a number of occasions where I was required to provide a Thai Tax ID Number (TIN). 

 

One case was where I needed to buy Thai government bonds (which I needed to do in order to get the last bit of my investment in Thailand for an LTR visa) the Bangkok Bank branch manager advised he would only permit such if I had a yellow book or pink-ID.  Then when the bank teller was entering the information in the computer (at the bank) for me to buy bonds, the system required a TIN.  Without that the teller could not progress.  I provide my pink-ID #. The computer happily accepted that. I did get my bonds, and I did get my LTR visa. I consider that significant.

 

I had two bank accounts frozen on me (trading account and registered savings account) in Canada, when the Canadian bank discovered I was now a Thailand resident. To unfreeze they insisted on receiving a Thai TIN (or visit Canada in person).  I provided them my pink-ID # as the tax ID#, and they unfroze my account.  Unfreezing was significant - however that is not the full story.

 

Although unfrozen they would only let me sell stocks and stay in cash (because I was a non-resident to Canada). So I transferred my accounts to a different Canadian organisation that would let me have a trading account and trade stocks.  However they also wanted a Thai TIN.    I provided them my pink-ID # as the tax ID#, and they allowed me to open the new accounts. That was significant (it was partly timely as I subsequently did well in the markets with that new account).

 

Now I actually tried to get a Thai TIN, but I failed as Phuket Revenue Department (RD) would not provide me one.  However the Phuket RD did note that my pink-ID could be my tax ID, but that they would not yet activate it (as I did not meet their requirements for having a tax ID).

 

I should note as well, that in the above noted cases of Canadian Financial Institutions, where I used my pink-ID as a tax-ID, I also added a caveat that the number I provided was from a Thai-ID card and that it was not yet activated as a tax-ID.

 

Regardless - for me this was all very significant (involving 6-figure sums of money that I would not have made  on the market had I not succeeded in trading again).

 

All other cases where the ID came in handy were trivial in comparison, but there were some.

[Rob Browder]

On 1/16/2025 at 12:01 PM, hereforgood said:

I went to Rayong Social Security office a week later. I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes they copied my bank book so they could send my pension directly to my bank.

How long ago did you do this at Rayong?  I know it varied by office initially, but the main-office in Bangkok (area) said it was required when I applied (successfully) 2+ years ago.

 

On 1/16/2025 at 5:10 PM, Will B Good said:

Are there any (significant) benefits to obtaining these?

Yes - if you wish to apply to get into the Thai SS-Health plan, after quitting a job, it is required.  (caveat Rayong, if above report is current-year - but I think is not possible any more without it)

 

For others, many opinions on whether "worth the trouble" or not - but the OP has that specific case/need.  

 

IMO, the delay at some amphoes is to "time you out" on getting into the SS-system.  Some in officialdom seem to resent our doing this. 

[BrandonJT]

4 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

IMO, the delay at some amphoes is to "time you out" on getting into the SS-system.  Some in officialdom seem to resent our doing this. 

Don't think it has anything to do with this.  There are just some amphur that make it impossible for any foreigners to get a yellow book and pink ID card. It doesn't matter the reason they want it, they just don't do it at all.  While other offices are happy to do it with minimal paperwork. TiT where each office of anything is its own kingdom and can make its own rules.

[hereforgood]

6 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

How long ago did you do this at Rayong?  I know it varied by office initially, but the main-office in Bangkok (area) said it was required when I applied (successfully) 2+ years ago.

 

Yes - if you wish to apply to get into the Thai SS-Health plan, after quitting a job, it is required.  (caveat Rayong, if above report is current-year - but I think is not possible any more without it)

 

For others, many opinions on whether "worth the trouble" or not - but the OP has that specific case/need.  

 

IMO, the delay at some amphoes is to "time you out" on getting into the SS-system.  Some in officialdom seem to resent our doing this. 

I personally did it a couple of years ago but had an acquaintance that I recommended do it just months ago