Thai Id Card

[bina]

Hubby's thai ID card has expired (?).... didnt know that id cards expire, cause ours are for life and only the appendix gets updated based on marital status, address change etc..

is he required to renew it? or is it something that stays in the system and when u have time, u can get it redone? he would have to do it here in israel anyway, he has an updated (new) passport , and he has his israeli ID card (infinitaely more important here), and an israeli driver's liscense as his thai one expired... easier to ask here on the board from those that have expat thai wives or husbands, then the consulate in tel aviv, trust me... and their site has little to no pertinent information for thais overseas. he wont be in thailand for a few years, so just wondering, i dont want him to get stuck with a beurocratic glitch (and my experience is that the consulate here never has the same info as back in thailand, ever, especially when it comes to labourers , not diplomats and industrialists (a class problem). one of the reasons why he doesnt want to call, or go there.

bina

ignore the spelling.. this keyboard sticks.....

[submaniac]

Hi Bina

I think to a 99% certainty that hubby shouldn't worry about it. I am not the "expert" but I can tell you what I know based off my own experience with the Thai ID card.

I guess the first thing that should be asked is when he last got his Thai ID card? Like if he was 12 years old, and it was before the common use of computers, then their might be a problem. I do know that now a days that all the Thai ID's are on the computer system with the photos taken when the ID was issued. Like they can go back and compare the current photos to the past photos (I have seen them do it with relatives). I know my ID is stored in some sort of national database system so that if it is lost or stolen or whatnot they can pull me up on their computer records. I think they have been doing that a while so if he has a Thai ID from the current century I don't think there is much of a problem.

I am also not aware of any law which would require him to have a Thai ID given his circumstances. From what I know Thais are supposed to have Thai ID's on them while in Thailand. But he isn't in Thailand. I am not aware of any rule that says if he is in trouble for not renewing the Thai ID. So I think you should be OK.

[Crossy]

I don't think he'll have any issues, he has a valid passport and (I assume) is still registered on a housebook somewhere.

Wifey's ID was 6 years out of date when we came to Thailand, she renewed it and changed her name in a few hours, got a new PP in a few days too. Seems to be one thing Thailand does well unlike the UK.

[asiaexpat]

My wife has let her ID expire twice over the last 43 years (first time was 10 tears expired.) The first time was a big problem and took weeks to sort out in Thailand. The second time it was only a few months expired and getting it renewed only took at trip to the District Office and few hours. I would not be concerned since it is already expired and from my experience, the ID can only be renewed in Thailand anyway. She could not renew the ID in the USA, Korea or Saudi Arabia (place we lived at various times) and had to do it at her District Office in Thailand