Thai Alien Id Card.

[millionair]

Hello members

can anyone please how can get Thai Alien ID card.?

where should i go?what are the documents needed?how long this will take?also the fees.......

many thanks

millionair

[nullx8]

what's a Alien ID ?

[doctormann]

If by 'Alien ID Card' you mean an ID card for a foreigner visiting or living in Thailand, I don't think that there is such a thing.

Many people use a credit card size copy of their passport as an ID card. A Thai driving licence is also generally accepted for this purpose.

DM

[Mario2008]

No idea, but suspect the amphur is the place to start. For the rules on how to obtain Thai nationality by stateless people: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20999732/Birth-Registration-and-Citizenship-in-Thailand http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001621/162153tha.pdf (same, but in Thai)

[InterestedObserver]

Does the OP want one for himself, or for say, a Myanmar (Burmese) refugee?

[techno]

Never heard of a Thai alien card. A Thai driving license is accepted as a form of ID as it has your picture and other information that satisfies most authorities in LOS, Would also be useful if you had a credit card size copy of of the main page of your passport and current visa

[KamnanT]

Or is the OP referring to the Alien Registration Book ("Red Book") issued by the Royal Thai Police? These are only issued to Permanent Residents.

[NanLaew]

Or is the OP refering to the non-residents registration book/tibian bahn or Yellow Book which has it's very own sticky somewhere on this website?

[opalhort]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

[millionair]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

[tombkk]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

I had an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) when I lived in Taiwan. It's given to all foreigners living there (legally), and it shows that your visa status is OK up to date..., apart from all the usual details in an ID card.

I wish Thailand had such a system, but over here, the Driver's Licence is usually accpeted (even though it doesn't show whether your visa has expired, i.e. whether you are still legal). By law, we are supposed to carry our passports around so that any police officer can check whether we are legal.

[asiawatcher]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

I had an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) when I lived in Taiwan. It's given to all foreigners living there (legally), and it shows that your visa status is OK up to date..., apart from all the usual details in an ID card.

I wish Thailand had such a system, but over here, the Driver's Licence is usually accpeted (even though it doesn't show whether your visa has expired, i.e. whether you are still legal). By law, we are supposed to carry our passports around so that any police officer can check whether we are legal.

I have always advised any official document issued by another Government - never hand it over or risk its existence. Carry photo copies (if you want it certified or even go that far by all means do). As said, the Thai Drivers licence is all you need in Thailand. That should get you into or out of just about anywhere. Cheers

[markus]

Has Mr."millionar" not necessary to join HIS discussion and give some useful explanations?

[QED]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

I had an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) when I lived in Taiwan. It's given to all foreigners living there (legally), and it shows that your visa status is OK up to date..., apart from all the usual details in an ID card.

I wish Thailand had such a system, but over here, the Driver's Licence is usually accpeted (even though it doesn't show whether your visa has expired, i.e. whether you are still legal). By law, we are supposed to carry our passports around so that any police officer can check whether we are legal.

Popular myth that one. You are NOT required to carry your passport, the requirement is that you must be able to produce it in a 'reasonable time'.

Read into that what you will, but I would never advise anyone to carry their passport around with them, carry a copy if it makes you feel better but even that is unecessary.

[Mario2008]

Has Mr."millionar" not necessary to join HIS discussion and give some useful explanations?

Read post number 10.

[rbrick49]

you can apply for permanent residency but you have to live in Thailand for three years the window opens for that this month october I think and the cost is 190,000 baht plus quote me if I am wrong an application fee of 8000 baht

regards Ronnie

[Arkady]

Various colour coded alien ID cards are issued by district offices to alien migrant workers and their families, hill tribe people and other minorities such as Vietnamese who reside in Thailand under special dispensation but don't have permanent residence. Often the cards give the right to stay only in a certain district and permission has to requested to travel outside. Permanent residents get a large red book issued by police stations that starts falling to pieces almost immediately but lasts for the rest of their lives as permanent residents. The disintegrating book is supposed to be always carried on the resident's person as his official ID. Some countries do issue ID cards to all resident aliens and the UK started issuing them as part of the national ID card project that has been scrapped by the Con-Lib government. Various similar suggestions have been made in Thailand but none seem to have gained any traction. PRs would be happy to get an all purpose ID card in place of the red book, the certificate of residence and work permit.

[Arkady]

you can apply for permanent residency but you have to live in Thailand for three years the window opens for that this month october I think and the cost is 190,000 baht plus qote me if I am wrong an application fee of 8000 baht

regards Ronnie

See thread Camerata's Guide to Permanent Residence for more information on how to apply but note that has been a logjam of applications sitting in the Interior Ministry since 2006. I think the window usually opens in December for two weeks but the regulations do allow it to be opened from October to December. These days a huge amount of notarized documents are required, so anyone interested should start preparing them early. Best to go in person to Immigration after doing basic research to double check what is required as they like to chop and change the regulations frequently and expect serious applicants to come and visit them beforehand.

[nithisa78]

Thank You, Siam Legal. Yes, there was a glitch, once or twice. However, Thank You, Khun Noina, Khun Ahmet, Khun Beer, Khun Tang & Tong & Meng, Jason, Jennifer, M, Martin & Martin2. Anyone overlooked and of course, Mr. Dennis Ramm.

They get the, VISA. They grow and learn from it and help you do the same. Thank God for life and Siam Legal for helping with his work. Ours was a K-3. The public servants and other bureaucrats all very helpful. All helping create a new and loving family. Yes, the good life costs money at times and is well worth it. Keep doing the right thing, show some gratitude and it gets easier, eventually.

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Edited October 10, 2010 by nithisa78

[bkkworker]

I don't know about the Alien ID Card

Isn't an alien ID card your ID from your country of citizenship or residence?

Fees for Residence

7,600

191,400

95,700 if married to a permanent resident or Thai National

http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_around_thailand.php?id=4455

[dighambara]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

I had an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) when I lived in Taiwan. It's given to all foreigners living there (legally), and it shows that your visa status is OK up to date..., apart from all the usual details in an ID card.

I wish Thailand had such a system, but over here, the Driver's Licence is usually accpeted (even though it doesn't show whether your visa has expired, i.e. whether you are still legal). By law, we are supposed to carry our passports around so that any police officer can check whether we are legal.

However, most embassies tell us to lock our passports up and not carry them with us. The US now has a 'Passport Card', which makes things easier, but the homemade 'Passport IDs' are cheaper.

As has been stated, I use my Thai DL and have no problems - my passport number is shown on my DL...

Also, I saw an American that the Embassy with a Permanent Resident ID card for Thailand...

[tombkk]

There is an Alien ID card. It is mostly issued to children born in Thailand to migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia. It provides the children with basic schooling and health care.

opalhort

yes you are right,i called my law firm they told me same.so i dont qualify for this.

I had an Alien Residence Certificate (ARC) when I lived in Taiwan. It's given to all foreigners living there (legally), and it shows that your visa status is OK up to date..., apart from all the usual details in an ID card.

I wish Thailand had such a system, but over here, the Driver's Licence is usually accpeted (even though it doesn't show whether your visa has expired, i.e. whether you are still legal). By law, we are supposed to carry our passports around so that any police officer can check whether we are legal.

Popular myth that one. You are NOT required to carry your passport, the requirement is that you must be able to produce it in a 'reasonable time'.

Read into that what you will, but I would never advise anyone to carry their passport around with them, carry a copy if it makes you feel better but even that is unecessary.

Well, I was advised many times that the law says we are required to carry the passport. In practical terms, the embassies advise against it, as Thai police will accept a photocopy (again, for practical reasons).

I will try to find the appropriate law requiring us to carry the original passport, but please also show me the law (or police regulation) that mentions the "reasonable time" to produce the passport.

The definition of a "reasonable time" is certainly up to lawyers, and if any lawyer reads this thread, I'd be interested in knowing whether that's a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days.

[lopburi3]

AFAIK there is no requirement to carry passport but like many countries there is a requirement to have photo ID available. Several times in the recent past high ranking police officers have said foreigners must have passport and have held a few without, on raids in Bangkok, but do not believe any legal action was taken once passport presented. In normal practice it has been passport should be available and you may be held until presented but normally police would go with you rather than hold. In the case of Hat Yai it is normal practice for hotels to hold the passport of guests (border near any many will skip without paying) so most people there would not have passport to show anyhow.

[tombkk]

AFAIK there is no requirement to carry passport but like many countries there is a requirement to have photo ID available. Several times in the recent past high ranking police officers have said foreigners must have passport and have held a few without, on raids in Bangkok, but do not believe any legal action was taken once passport presented. In normal practice it has been passport should be available and you may be held until presented but normally police would go with you rather than hold. In the case of Hat Yai it is normal practice for hotels to hold the passport of guests (border near any many will skip without paying) so most people there would not have passport to show anyhow.

Quote from http://www.THE NEWSPAPER THAT MUST NOT BE NAMED.com/news/investigation/33287/ about the new head of the Immigration Bureau (21/02/2010)

Lt Gen Wuthi said manpower needed to be increased to cope with the new workload. "We have the number of personnel fixed at nearly 4,000, but with the increase in numbers of tourists, investors and illegal aliens, we need more."

But there were be no let up on the requirement for all foreigners to carry their passport with them all times, he said. "This is for identification purposes. It is a law. Every Thai national must carry their ID card with them at all times, so why should foreigners be exempt? To carry a copy is not acceptable because it is impossible to see whether it is counterfeit or altered. Carrying a passport is not something we thought up in Thailand, but a normal regulation in many countries. I have been to many countries and carried my passport with me all the time."

Unquote

Quote from http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/View/Advice/Thailand (Australian government site)

Your passport is a valuable document that is attractive to criminals who may try to use your identity to commit crimes. It should always be kept in a safe place.

Unquote

Quote from http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=290000 (Canadian government site)

Foreigners are required to carry identification at all times. Great care should be taken if you carry your passport, especially in entertainment venues. You may wish to carry a photocopy of your passport; however, police may require that you produce the original.

Unquote

I am still trying to find the appropriate law as published on a Thai government site."Produce the original" doesn't sound like you have to actually have it with you, as opposed to the newspaper article.

[Mario2008]

That subject has been discussed some time ago and the conclusion then was that there is indeed no such requirement to carry it with you, but yu must be able to produce it within a reasonable time.

Now, of course immirgation can detain you till they can establish who you are and if you are staying legally in Thailand. So they can detain you till you show your passport and if that takes too long they can also fine you.

[Khon Baan Nok]

With regard to the original question, there is indeed a document that seems to correspond to the OP's question, though it is not apparent that the OP would qualify for it. A picture and explanation are here:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2496

S.

[lopburi3]

The original question was an ID card. You have linked to a travel document to replace a passport.

[opalhort]

With regard to the original question, there is indeed a document that seems to correspond to the OP's question, though it is not apparent that the OP would qualify for it. A picture and explanation are here:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2496

S.

I don't think this is what the OP had in mind, but yes there is an alien ID card which looks like the normal Thai ID card in a different color and number sequence.

Probably some of you may recall the saga of earlier this year when a little Burmese boy (a son of Burmese migrant workers) wanted to participate in a paper plane cpetition in Japan.

The boy did have an alien ID card but the local administration department initially refused to issue the alien travel document mentioned in your post. The BKK government had to intervene and he finally got the document. More recently the local admin department even wanted to revoke his alien ID card which would have deprived the boy of free schooling and health care. This caused strong protests from some NGOs and again the BKK government had to intervene.

opalhort

[PatLogan]

That subject has been discussed some time ago and the conclusion then was that there is indeed no such requirement to carry it with you, but yu must be able to produce it within a reasonable time.

Now, of course immirgation can detain you till they can establish who you are and if you are staying legally in Thailand. So they can detain you till you show your passport and if that takes too long they can also fine you.

I was referred to this thread since I was mentioning what happened to one of my friend visiting Bangkok last week. His taxi was arrested on Saturday on his way to our place by what he said was "the police" and since he had left his passport at the hotel, he was asked to follow them to the station until the hotel staff he contacted brought him his passport to prove he was not illegal here.

According to him he was far from being the only one there, all brought there for the same reason.

[lopburi3]

He must have been very unlucky as in 30 years of traveling Bangkok I have never been asked for ID (although taxi drivers have been stopped and tickets issued about 10 times).

I have never heard of a taxi being arrested but suspect that is a language issue. Although if a serious incident it might be the reason for the check.