Asked To Show Boarding Pass

[tombkk]

I have one of those new chips in my passport. I'm sure if I used it for a border run it would show where I departed and where I'm entering. If done at the airport it may look strange that I was coming in a few minutes after I flew out. Not sure I'd want the hassle if caught.

As far as I know, these chips contain biometric data, such as your fingerprints, to double-check that you are really you. They do not get updated with your entry/departure dates.

The Thai immigration computer does. Notice how they scan your passport? The two lines at the bottom of the picture page are computer-readable, and the customs officer can be see your travel history on his screen, and the history will be automatically updated with this scan. He will key in your flight number manually.

[elgato]

sounds like a potential money maker...what is the fine for not having it?

No fine - just a little tea money

[Eff1n2ret]

The Thai immigration computer does. Notice how they scan your passport? The two lines at the bottom of the picture page are computer-readable, and the customs officer can be see your travel history on his screen, and the history will be automatically updated with this scan. He will key in your flight number manually.

The machine-readable lines at the bottom of the biodetails page are old technology which is being superceded by microchips. There is no way info could be added to those two lines of print electronically - whether or not the Thai IO records your entry/exit, that info could only be extracted on, say your arrival in the USA, if the Thai database was linked to the USA one, which is extremely unlikely. Likewise, the only way a Thai IO can see where a passenger has arrived from is by looking at the endorsements in the passport or asking to see a ticket or boarding card, hence the origin of this thread.

The machine-readable lines contain certain numbers based on information in the document. Unless a counterfeiter knows the correct way in which those numbers are displayed he can only guess, and scanning those lines of info shows up incorrect numbers. Also, databases of stolen passports do get circulated to immigration authorities around the world and scanning can pick these up.

That is all those machine-readable lines do. Having been out of the game for a little while, I am not in a position to know whether "chipped" passports collect information as well as giving it.

[tombkk]

The Thai immigration computer does. Notice how they scan your passport? The two lines at the bottom of the picture page are computer-readable, and the customs officer can be see your travel history on his screen, and the history will be automatically updated with this scan. He will key in your flight number manually.

The machine-readable lines at the bottom of the biodetails page are old technology which is being superceded by microchips. There is no way info could be added to those two lines of print electronically - whether or not the Thai IO records your entry/exit, that info could only be extracted on, say your arrival in the USA, if the Thai database was linked to the USA one, which is extremely unlikely. Likewise, the only way a Thai IO can see where a passenger has arrived from is by looking at the endorsements in the passport or asking to see a ticket or boarding card, hence the origin of this thread.

The machine-readable lines contain certain numbers based on information in the document. Unless a counterfeiter knows the correct way in which those numbers are displayed he can only guess, and scanning those lines of info shows up incorrect numbers. Also, databases of stolen passports do get circulated to immigration authorities around the world and scanning can pick these up.

That is all those machine-readable lines do. Having been out of the game for a little while, I am not in a position to know whether "chipped" passports collect information as well as giving it.

The current passport chips don't. They are ROMs containing the passport and biometrical data. At least that's what they tell us.

Thai and US computers are not connected, but each flight must submit their passenger data to the US immigration so many hours before arrival. And that's not only the names and passport numbers, but so much data that it caused a row between the US and the EU when this was introduced, as it violates EU privacy laws. I am not aware of any privacy laws in Thailand.

I can imagine that future passports will store everything in the chips, and they might also get much smaller as stamps won't be required any more. But we're not there yet.

[lopburi3]

Thai and US computers are not connected

Not sure about that as I recall it being reported at least a year ago that Thailand shares US system data base/software online as part of the anti terrorist system.

[tombkk]

Thai and US computers are not connected

Not sure about that as I recall it being reported at least a year ago that Thailand shares US system data base/software online as part of the anti terrorist system.

Interesting, I haven't heard that but would not be surprised. I would want to check whether it's immigration data (i.e. arrival and departure of each passenger), or lists of suspects.

[InterestedObserver]

Thai and US computers are not connected

Not sure about that as I recall it being reported at least a year ago that Thailand shares US system data base/software online as part of the anti terrorist system.

Interesting, I haven't heard that but would not be surprised. I would want to check whether it's immigration data (i.e. arrival and departure of each passenger), or lists of suspects.

Passenger manifest of all US bound flights are reported to Homeland Security and must receive clearance.

[Mario2008]

And that is in advance. If a person aboard is not allowed to fly to the US, they can deny entry into US airspace.

[tombkk]

And that is in advance. If a person aboard is not allowed to fly to the US, they can deny entry into US airspace.

If one person on the aircraft is denied entry into US airspace, does that mean he has to be thrown out of the window?

[tombkk]

Thai and US computers are not connected

Not sure about that as I recall it being reported at least a year ago that Thailand shares US system data base/software online as part of the anti terrorist system.

Interesting, I haven't heard that but would not be surprised. I would want to check whether it's immigration data (i.e. arrival and departure of each passenger), or lists of suspects.

Passenger manifest of all US bound flights are reported to Homeland Security and must receive clearance.

I know, I commented on that earlier (and that it didn't conform with EU privacy laws).

But that doesn't mean that US Immigration has access to Thai Emigration databases.

[Mario2008]

And that is in advance. If a person aboard is not allowed to fly to the US, they can deny entry into US airspace.

If one person on the aircraft is denied entry into US airspace, does that mean he has to be thrown out of the window?

The airport has to return to point of origin or another country. It has happen that a plane had to return to London midway flight, the person in question being taken off board and questioned, released and the plane took off again for the US (without the person on the watch list).

If there is a fuel emergency and there is no other option, they will of course allow the plane to land in the US (with fighter escort all the way in US airspace).

But procedure should now be so that it doesn't happen and people on the watch list are simply being denied boarding.

[tombkk]

And that is in advance. If a person aboard is not allowed to fly to the US, they can deny entry into US airspace.

If one person on the aircraft is denied entry into US airspace, does that mean he has to be thrown out of the window?

The airport has to return to point of origin or another country. It has happen that a plane had to return to London midway flight, the person in question being taken off board and questioned, released and the plane took off again for the US (without the person on the watch list).

If there is a fuel emergency and there is no other option, they will of course allow the plane to land in the US (with fighter escort all the way in US airspace).

But procedure should now be so that it doesn't happen and people on the watch list are simply being denied boarding.

Everybody needs a visa for the US now. It is called ESTA and modelled after the Australian simplified procedure for online-visas, but nobody will be boarded on a flight to the US unless he has an ESTA or an old-fashioned manual visa. (The US insist that an ESTA is not a visa, but it is, for all intents and purposes.)

It is ridiculous to detour an entire flight because of one passenger. I still have to see a report on that, please post an URL to that London flight you mention.

[Mario2008]

Can't find it right now, but here is a similair incident with a person on the no-fly list:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5217186/US-authorites-divert-Air-France-flight-carrying-no-fly-journalist-to-Mexico.html

[tombkk]

Can't find it right now, but here is a similair incident with a person on the no-fly list:

http://www.telegraph...-to-Mexico.html

I'm shaking my head in disbelief.

[TAWP]

wouldn't have thought it was rocket science to work it out.

Dirt cheap ticket one way to anywhere outside of Thailand, check in with no bags. Get boarding pass, proceed through immigration. Head downstairs via the transit level, and back through arrivals immigtration.

Yes, but any Immigration Officer worth his/her salt would notice that you "had left" Thailand minutes before you had arrived back.

Your passport would be stamped as departed, you may have cleared immigration but you haven't departed Thailand, there would be no corresponding entry and exit stamps from your destination. All the information would be on the the immigration computer system, as you say, it's hardly rocket science to work it out.

I'm sure that Air Asia would be a bit miffed if they were waiting, albeit not for too long, for a passenger who had checked in and was now trying to clear immigration.

The stamps has no time-notations.

The destination might be a destination that doesn't do stamps - see returning to some EU nations etc.

Edited October 1, 2011 by TAWP

[TAWP]

*Haha, always wanted to learn rocket science!

Rocket surgery is cooler.

[Satcommlee]

Probably a simple security check.

It's easy to switch passports just before immigration and enter on another one, A boarding pass check is a quick way to confirm this. Hence why people were told to show boarding passes coming off a Qatar flight., (Qatar Airlines is a favourite of the Iranian Meth smugglers).

Alternatively, there may be a lot of flights from Africa in and they want to check you didn't arrive from a yellow fever destination without getting your stamp at health control.

The only time I have ever been asked to show boarding pass was after arriving on a Flight from Addis Ababa.