seems nobody has mentioned that not just anyone can get a pink id card or a yellow book.
You need show ownership of ur condo / house to get the yellow book
Even when i owned a house here for 12 years, never bothered with trying to get one
so no reason to
how often do i need a cor?
once every 6 years to get my thai license, once every blue moon when i buy a car or bike
otherwise my thai license an passport are just fine for the past 40 years

Just for clarity, in case I missed a post, the Yellow House book is only issued if you own a condo or have a long term lease on a house and the owner of the land adds you to his/her blue book. Only then can you get a pink card - if you want one. Is that right? I'm not sure.

The reason why opinions are all over the place is probably that it's more useful in some places than in others, and it also depends on which other documents you have.

I can honestly say that having the pink ID card would have been entirely useless for me personally. I've lived in Thailand for 20 years and I can't recall a single situation where having a pink ID card would have been beneficial or not having one has proven to be an impediment. Again, just my personal experience.

I would get one if one of two things happens: Firstly, if I no longer qualify for a Thai driving license. Having SOME form of Thai ID with your address on it is important. Given the choice, a Thai DL is more useful to me. Secondly, if the pink ID card gets a chip and can be used for NDID just like the ID card Thai citizens get. At that point it would become beneficial or maybe even necessary to get one, but I know of no such plans.

34 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I would get one if one of two things happens: Firstly, if I no longer qualify for a Thai driving license. Having SOME form of Thai ID with your address on it is important.

Oh, that a good point, I been without a DL for a number of years because can't pass the vision test - just let it lapse.

I tried for the yellow book a long long time ago and hit a road block at my Ampur after getting all manner of translations and even MFA certifications. Had to drag some Thai friends along for the final step, an interview, and got rejected. I never tried again - still angry about it to be honest.

Thinking to reconsider now though, two forms of ID is beneficial - the old geezer that interviewed me is probably long gone, might have better luck this time.

Thanks

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Oh no... here we go...

Yes, no, maybe, its useless, its useful, its too much effort - you'll get all those answers.

Ultimately - only you can decid if its worth putting in the effort and leg work to obtain the yellow house book (which is required before you get a Pink ID which is very simple after that).

There are lots of threads on this, lots of debate.

I have found the Yellow house book & Pink ID useful - its saved me both time and money.

Its a convenience - but not a necessity.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1340768-pink-id-card-yellow-book

Lumo thought about this. I used a Chrome plugin to pull all the posts into a markdown file, which I pasted into a Lumo chat, having first asked it to "Can you summarise, listing Pros, Cons and any remarks that seem appropriate?"

Thailand Foreigner ID Card (Pink ID) & Yellow House Book - Summary

✅ PROS

Benefit	Details	Who Mentioned
Convenient ID	Avoids carrying passport daily; waterproof vs. paper passport	Kinnock, walailak, KhunLA
Bank Accounts	Can be used to open bank accounts (sometimes requires TIN)	BeastOfBodmin, walailak
Hospital Registration	Accepted at hospitals/clinics for patient registration	BeastOfBodmin, walailak
Hotel Check-ins	Some hotels accept it (though this is changing)	walailak, Kinnock, richard_smith237
Tax ID Number	13-digit number on card = Thai TIN for financial/tax purposes	BeastOfBodmin, richard_smith237
Motorbike Transactions	Required in some provinces (e.g., Chiang Mai) to sell/change ownership	roo860
Domestic Travel	Useful for flight check-ins and domestic travel	walailak
Thai Pricing	May qualify for "Thai Price" at dual-priced national parks	The Oracle
Address Proof	Can serve as proof of address for TDL renewal (in some areas)	walailak, richard_smith237

---

❌ CONS

Drawback	Details	Who Mentioned
Not Universally Accepted	Many hotels now require passports only; varies by establishment	The Oracle, richard_smith237
Location-Dependent	Acceptance varies by Amphur, DLT office, province	Andrew Dwyer, NE1, DrJack54
Bureaucratic Process	Can be a "nightmare" in some areas; requires witnesses, translations	Gecko123, Andrew Dwyer
Property Requirement	Need to own condo/house or have long-term lease with owner cooperation	zzzzz, ronnie50
Address Updates	Must update if you move; adds ongoing administrative burden	Gecko123
Not Required	Most expats live without one; passport + Thai DL usually sufficient	DrJack54, patman30, Caldera
Limited Utility	Some say it's a "novelty" with little practical use	novacova, patman30, Caldera
DLT Rejection	Some DLT offices won't accept it for TDL renewal (Chonburi, Ratchaburi)	NE1, richard_smith237
Passport Still Needed	Should still carry passport when traveling domestically	The Oracle, richard_smith237

---

💬 REMARKS & OBSERVATIONS

Topic	Notes
Process	Yellow House Book first (property-based), then Pink ID card (15 min additional step at Amphur)
Cost	~70 baht for Pink ID card (plus potential costs for translations, certifications, witnesses)
Eligibility	Requires property ownership or long-term lease where owner adds you to Blue Book
Alternatives	Laminated passport/visa cards, Thai Driver's License, bank cards, hospital ID all work as ID
Trends	Hotels increasingly enforcing passport-only policy due to stricter immigration/TM30 enforcement
Future Potential	Some hope for chip-enabled card with NDID functionality like Thai citizen IDs (no confirmed plans)
Best For	Long-term residents, property owners, those wanting to minimize passport handling
Not Worth It For	Short-term residents, renters without owner cooperation, those who don't mind carrying passport
Regional Variation	Bangkok (Chatuchak DLT accepts it), Chiang Mai (motorbike transactions), rural areas (more bureaucracy)
Key Advice	Visit your local Amphur office directly to confirm requirements before starting process

---

📊 BOTTOM LINE

Decision Factor	Recommendation
Own property in Thailand?	Likely worth pursuing if you plan to stay long-term
Rent only?	Probably not worth the effort (owner cooperation required)
Travel frequently domestically?	Useful for convenience, but still carry passport
Want to avoid passport handling?	Good option if you qualify
Short-term expat?	Passport + Thai DL sufficient
Long-term resident (10+ years)?	Consider it for convenience, but not essential

---

Final Verdict: The Pink ID/Yellow House Book combination is a convenience tool, not a necessity. Its value depends heavily on your location, property status, and personal preferences regarding document handling. Most expats manage fine without it, but those who have it report time-saving benefits for routine admin tasks.

7 minutes ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

Lumo thought about this. I used a Chrome plugin to pull all the posts into a markdown file, which I pasted into a Lumo chat, having first asked it to "Can you summarise, listing Pros, Cons and any remarks that seem appropriate?"

Love the post. Had no idea that sort of summary could be produced.

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Love the post. Had no idea that sort of summary could be produced.

Thanks! The hardest part was scraping the thread for the data for which I used the (paid for) "Table Capture" Chrome plugin. The plugin has a feature to scan all the pages which works well on AN. It's fun to watch. Better than messing with XPath and/ or Beautiful Soup or whatever.

Then copy-as-markdown and paste into Lumo chat. Lumo automagically converted it into a text file and attached it to the chat.

Then I copy/ pasted the output from Lumo directly into a post - the AN forum software correctly rendered tables, etc. I did play with the column widths by hand.

5 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I use mine to check into hotels .... so no need to carry my passport. Also use it when a hospital or bank needs to see ID and when registering a Rabbit card for the BTS.

A passport could also be used for all these tasks, but I don't like to carry my passport all the time, especially during Songkran and when riding my motorbike. The pink card is waterproof, my passport is not.

I can also use my TDL for all those things, and my TDL is already in my car.
I do not carry my PP anywhere unless needed.

6 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I use mine to check into hotels .... so no need to carry my passport. Also use it when a hospital or bank needs to see ID and when registering a Rabbit card for the BTS.

A passport could also be used for all these tasks, but I don't like to carry my passport all the time, especially during Songkran and when riding my motorbike. The pink card is waterproof, my passport is not.

Have you actually used it out of province.

Others have failed

20 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

Have you actually used it out of province.

Others have failed

I have, for hotel ID checks, and works fine, out of province. Even for chain hotels, that are sometimes picky. Rarely am I asked for PP.

9 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Only correct thing to do is visit your Amphur and ask for the list of requirements, then decide for yourself if it is worth pursuing.

Asking on here you will receive varying information and opinions, visit your Amphur.

Absolutely correct. If the OP does acquire one, he can personally explore where and when it has proved to be beneficial for his unique requirements and ignore anyone else's experiences as they are irrelevant.

And refrain from posting what those unique benefits were in the next, inevitable pink ID card debate thread as they will still be irrelevant.

5 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Just for clarity, in case I missed a post, the Yellow House book is only issued ... or have a long term lease on a house and the owner of the land adds you to his/her blue book.

In Phuket, my Thai wife owns a house which she has rented for a long time to a foreigner who has a work permit for working out of Thailand (he works in the oil rig business, but he lives in Thailand) . My wife has a blue book for her house (that she rents to him). She went with him to the local district city hall and he was able to obtain a 'yellow book' (for the house he rents - not this is NOT a condo) and then obtain a pink-ID. It was for that office for my wife to accompany him. Possibly his having a work permit also made this possible.

To say I do not understand all of this would be an understatement. So for that Phuket office, one need not own the property to get a Yellow book. But one needs one landlord to support one.

For the OP ...one does one need a 'foreigner ID card' (pink-ID). Absolutely not needed.

I have one, but it is not necessary.

However it has come in handy on a few occasions to be used in lieu of a passport or other measures. Where was it useful?

(1) with Pink-ID I was able to get in a couple of Thai parks for free or pay the lower Thai rate. Some other parks would not accept the pink ID. YMMV

(2) I was once stopped at a road stop (in Pattaya area) and asked for driver's licence and ID. I passed my Thai driver's licence and Pink-ID to the police officer (and noted my passport was in my Hotel room). My pink-ID was accepted (or perhaps the police officer did not want to make me go fetch my passport). it was a routine road stop.

(3) To renew my driver's licence in Phuket, instead of getting a COR (certificate of residence) from immigration, I was able to use my Yellow Book and Pink ID (with my passport). Passport alone was inadequate. COR or Pink-ID/Yellow book was needed with passport.

(4) to open a bank account at SCB bank they accepted my pink-ID and Yellow book (in addition to my passport) and did not require a COR (certificate of residence) from immigration. Passport alone was inadequate. COR or Pink-ID/Yellow book was needed with passport.

(5) Financial institutes in Germany and Canada have accepted my pink-ID number as a (not yet activated) Thai tax-ID number - with the noted caveat to them that it was not yet activated as a tax-ID. I did prior, check with Phuket office of the Thai Revenue department, and they advised my pink-ID number 'could' potentially be my tax ID for Thailand, but they had not yet activated it as such (as i was not remitting income to Thailand).

I nominally do not carry my passport around with me in Thailand. Instead I carry my pink-ID and digital copies of my passport and my visa and my permission to stay stamp on my smartphone.

The pink-ID is a PIA to get (at least it was for me).

I nominally do not suggest that people go get such as pretty much one can get by without. It has (minimally) for me been useful at times.

6 hours ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

Thanks! The hardest part was scraping the thread for the data for which I used the (paid for) "Table Capture" Chrome plugin. The plugin has a feature to scan all the pages which works well on AN. It's fun to watch. Better than messing with XPath and/ or Beautiful Soup or whatever.

Then copy-as-markdown and paste into Lumo chat. Lumo automagically converted it into a text file and attached it to the chat.

Then I copy/ pasted the output from Lumo directly into a post - the AN forum software correctly rendered tables, etc. I did play with the column widths by hand.

Excellent summary... I do wonder if AI will now 'self reference' this table (posted into this thread) in future if the same question is asked.

2 hours ago, oldcpu said:

. My wife has a blue book for her house (that she rents to him). She went with him to the local district city hall and he was able to obtain a 'yellow book' (for the house he rents - not this is NOT a condo) and then obtain a pink-ID. It was for that office for my wife to accompany him. Possibly his having a work permit also made this possible.

To say I do not understand all of this would be an understatement. So for that Phuket office, one need not own the property to get a Yellow book. But one needs one landlord to support one.

Yes but that is my point isn't it? You either own the condo or lease the house and the landlord needs to take all of these extra steps. So not easy and why - what for? It doesn't make you anymore accepted in Thailand as a long term tennant right?

4 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Yes but that is my point isn't it? You either own the condo or lease the house and the landlord needs to take all of these extra steps. So not easy and why - what for? It doesn't make you anymore accepted in Thailand as a long term tennant right?

You're right. If the foreigner doesn't own the property and the landlord doesn't cooperate, that's it right there, no yellow book no pink ID card.

13 hours ago, MikeWill said:

I was talking to some other expats recently and it was suggested I should get a foreigner ID card? I think its also called the Pink ID card.

So, does anyone here have one, do you find it handy to have?

Thanks

Yes, very handy.

Thai banks need foreigners to update the passport number every time you get a new passport.

For some bank transactions an expired passport is a problem.

If/when you get the pink ID card (not difficult to get) you then give the bank your pink ID card number to replace your passport number, and you never need to update your passport number in the bank records.

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Which area's ?

I know Chonburi does not accept the Pink ID card and the Yellow House Book as proof of address for some obscure reason.... which others ?

I know of a fact - DLT Area 3 (Bangchak) Bangkok - does accept it.

It would be useful info - for some that might the deciding factor concerning whether its worth it or not.

---

I'm not sure if its the case any more - but a number of years back I could not get a Certificate of Address from Immigration in Chaeng Wattana because I'd never submitted at 90 day report ( I think it may have changed since then )

The Brit Embassy charged ~2xxx baht for an Affirmation of Residence letter, then stopped issuing them all together if we didn't have a Non-Imm O Visa.

The only way to 'get a proof of address' for the Thai Drivers license was using the Yellow House Book.

"Chonburi WHAT does not accept the pink card?

7 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Yes, very handy.

Thai banks need foreigners to update the passport number every time you get a new passport

Just attend bank with both passports and its updated in couple of minutes

14 hours ago, BeastOfBodmin said:

The number on it can be used as a Thai TIN. TINs are sometimes demanded by non-Thai financial institutions.

Yes, you can do that if foreign banks want to know because the number will be the same as the one as if you really had a Thai TIN.You would probably get way with it but you just stand a chance of not doing so.In which case the consequences could be serious because you would in effect have found to be lying to your bank.I personally wouldn't risk it.In case the point isn't clear you need to obtain a TIN from a Thai tax office.Yes, the number will be the same as the one on your Pink Card.

43 minutes ago, scorecard said:

"Chonburi WHAT does not accept the pink card?

The context clue is literally in the post you quoted. DLT.

10 hours ago, The Oracle said:

There have been a few comments suggesting that one can use the Pink ID Card to register in hotels.
I literally finished a driving tour of both the NNW (CM, CR and Sukhothai) and the NE/E (Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, and Nakon Phathom) yesterday (26 03 26) and just drove home after getting him get on a bus to go to Bangkok before flying home Sunday.
We stayed in seven different hotels.With the exception of the first hotel I stayed in Chiang Mai, all the hotels had similar signage saying that they will no longer accept Pink Cards or Drivers Licences as ID and will only accept a foreigner's passport to check-in.

I always use the Pink Card to check in at hotels and have never seen any "signage" suggesting it would not be accepted.Perhaps it depends on what type of hotel one stays at.

46 minutes ago, jayboy said:

I always use the Pink Card to check in at hotels and have never seen any "signage" suggesting it would not be accepted.Perhaps it depends on what type of hotel one stays at.

And people could always open Thai bank accounts with little effort a year ago, until they couldn't. Thinks change, and I've seen more and more people commenting similar things both here and on Facebook.

If it works, that's great. But I saw a person on Facebook say they were completely refused at a hotel because they did not have their passport with them and normally checked in using Thai DL, but this hotel would only accept passport.

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

15 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Which area's ?

I know Chonburi does not accept the Pink ID card and the Yellow House Book as proof of address for some obscure reason.... which others ?

I know of a fact - DLT Area 3 (Bangchak) Bangkok - does accept it.

It would be useful info - for some that might the deciding factor concerning whether its worth it or not.

---

I'm not sure if its the case any more - but a number of years back I could not get a Certificate of Address from Immigration in Chaeng Wattana because I'd never submitted at 90 day report ( I think it may have changed since then )

The Brit Embassy charged ~2xxx baht for an Affirmation of Residence letter, then stopped issuing them all together if we didn't have a Non-Imm O Visa.

The only way to 'get a proof of address' for the Thai Drivers license was using the Yellow House Book.

"Chonburi WHAT does not accept the pink card?

Is it really that hard ???

3 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

3 hours ago, scorecard said:

"Chonburi WHAT does not accept the pink card?

The context clue is literally in the post you quoted. DLT.

Got to wonder with some people - are they just itching that badly to pull the trigger on a post without so much as an intelligent thought ?

2 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

If it works, that's great. But I saw a person on Facebook say they were completely refused at a hotel because they did not have their passport with them and normally checked in using Thai DL, but this hotel would only accept passport.

My experience recently while not directly related to Pink ID card...

I visited Pattaya and related to another thread tried to check in with my TDL.

No way. She wanted my pp.

The interesting bit.... She was looking through my pp.

Me: what are you looking for

Her: stamp to stay Thailand.

I pointed her to reentry permit stamp.

3 star hotel in LK metro.

10 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

And people could always open Thai bank accounts with little effort a year ago, until they couldn't. Thinks change, and I've seen more and more people commenting similar things both here and on Facebook.

If it works, that's great. But I saw a person on Facebook say they were completely refused at a hotel because they did not have their passport with them and normally checked in using Thai DL, but this hotel would only accept passport.

I can only speak from personal experience and as previously noted probably also relates to type of hotel and (ahem) how one presents oneself. I would never attempt to use Thai DL but Pink Card will usually do it - though probably sensible to have PP or photocopy PP in back pocket.It would be interesting to know whether anyone has had PP photocopy rejected.

I’ve had the pink card for about 8 years. It’s been very useful for checking into hotels, and when I was stopped by the police a few times they have been happy to accept the pink card instead of my passport. However, Ive found banks will not accept it as a replacement for a passport. So its got limited use but better than carrying a passport everywhere..

On 3/27/2026 at 7:03 AM, BeastOfBodmin said:

I have one. It is handy, especially in conjunction with a yellow family book.

You can use it as ID in some cases in Thailand. I think in hospitals, clinics etc.

The number on it can be used as a Thai TIN. TINs are sometimes demanded by non-Thai financial institutions.

I am sure there are more, this is just a brain dump from my increasingly faulty memory.

Been here more than 20 years continuously and never saw any reason to have a local ID card, though I did have a Thai driver's license. Used hospitals and never had any problems using that facility. I don't have any Thai taxes due to income and DTA and if I didn't have the DTA then visa would exempt me so no taxes either. I realize everyone is different but i sure wouldn't do extra paperwork for anything here unless it was absolutely necessary. Though those people that have said they have the Pink id, etc seem to think it opens doors for them that I have never found closed. I have participated in car buying, house buying through wife and have dealt with banks without any problem whatsoever when it comes to ID.

23 hours ago, The Oracle said:

There have been a few comments suggesting that one can use the Pink ID Card to register in hotels.
I literally finished a driving tour of both the NNW (CM, CR and Sukhothai) and the NE/E (Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, and Nakon Phathom) yesterday (26 03 26) and just drove home after getting him get on a bus to go to Bangkok before flying home Sunday.
We stayed in seven different hotels. With the exception of the first hotel I stayed in Chiang Mai, all the hotels had similar signage saying that they will no longer accept Pink Cards or Drivers Licences as ID and will only accept a foreigner's passport to check-in.
I assume - obviously I don't know for sure - this is due to people overstaying visas or entering illegally.
My TDL, not due to expire until mid-2027 has my old passport number on it which I had to replace in 2023. I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one with that issue.

For those that were here: "some time ago" some Immigration Minister decided to rabidly enforce the law that every time you left your house for more than 24 hours and you stayed at a hotel or someone else's house, you had to get re-registered as an alien (TM30) when you got back to your rental accommodation. [I think even foreigners returning to their own owned condos had to fill in an equivalent form, not the TM30] This caused so much backlash, it didn't last long. It smothered domestic tourism, and made lessors ropable - especially if they didn't live near the rental accommodation, or didn't use the online system, necessitating them (the lessor) to queue up at Immigration to register their long-term lessee after each and every time they came home from a holiday - and it also increased in the workload experienced by IOs incredibly, especially in big districts like Chon Buri, Phuket, CW, and CM). Some rental property owners, of course, don't even live in the same province, let alone the same city. Around that time, I overheard men (hundreds of miles from where I live) discussing how they got counterfeit Pink IDs made so they can't be tracked when the TM30 is uploaded by the hotel, thereby skirting the requirement for their landlord/partner/whomever from then also having to do a TM30 when they got home.

Still, some places will allow the Pink ID to give you the "Thai Price" at dual-priced national parks.

I occasionally get the Thai price but don't have a pink ID card but do get the senior discount etc with just my Thai and pp