Carrying Passport With You

[ripstanley]

I have read today that it is a requirement that you have to carry your passport with you when you are out and about. I am guilty of not carrying my passport even when I was travelling back and for to Phuket. I have searched Google and found where the British government even advise tourists to Thailand to carry their passport at all times.

My query is is it only for those on tourist visas or 30 day exemptions that this is a requirement or is it for all non Thai citizens

[edwinclapham]

There are a couple of threads regarding this very subject http://www.thaivisa....wdoes-it-exist/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/510632-the-passport-rulebeing-enforced/

Edited June 29, 2012 by edwinclapham

[CBR250]

I think the issue is one of legitimate ID even though I have been told the law specifies passport for foreigners.

I have been able to use a photocopy of the passport front page (cut down to size and folded into my wallet) successfully when asked for ID by BIB. I now don't even bother with that, just a Thai drivers license. It has my passport number on it, and I hope it will be enough if stopped by BIB or I am hauled unconscious into Emergency.

[AzarovDmitriy]

There is another way. You can go to any Kodak Photo Studio and made a small coloured laminated copy of your passport and a page with visa. It will cost for you 100-200 baht.

[ripstanley]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

[villagefarang]

I don’t know the answer to your question but my guess is that is doesn’t matter which visa. In my experience it might be the rule but they have always preferred my driver’s license over a passport except at immigration. Police and others typically can’t make heads or tails of a passport and much prefer a Thai document which they can read.

[JUDAS]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

I can't imagine it depends on visa type. After all the official would still need to see your passport to ascertain visa type.... Edit: After 13 years here only ever been required to show my passport at Govt offices, never asked for it by police.

Edited June 29, 2012 by JUDAS

[thrilled]

I've been asked to show my passport.I have A printed copy.never had A problem.

[ripstanley]

I don’t know the answer to your question but my guess is that is doesn’t matter which visa. In my experience it might be the rule but they have always preferred my driver’s license over a passport except at immigration. Police and others typically can’t make heads or tails of a passport and much prefer a Thai document which they can read.

I have a Thai drivers licence but i found out today that they placed my family name as my first name. Jjust another challenge. I really enjoy living in Thailand. That is NOT a sarcastic comment. Living in a village in the north is great.

[Sateev]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

No, it doesn't. It says you have to produce it in a reasonable time.

But the law has little to do with it, and carrying valid ID, including a copy of your passport and latest visa or entry stamp will go a lot farther than trying to argue the finer points of Thai law with the BiB.

'kthxbye

[Maestro]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

What law is that, and what section of that law?

[ThaidDown]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

What law is that, and what section of that law?

This has been brought up before on TV, I cannot recall ever seeing a specific law being quoted that carrying of a Passport by foreigners was required. Certainly carrying of ID is needed, same as Thais having to carry their ID card, the question is does a Thai driving license or copy of Passport satisfy the need.

I would say that in all the time I have been here I have never been asked to show any form of identification randomly, but whilst a driving license has Photo, name/address and passport number that number may be out of date (passport renewal) especially with a 5 year license. Also the 'permitted to stay' date is not shown, so the person cannot show he is in the country legally. Copies, whether full size or laminated are alterable.

Personally, I will continue to only carry my driving license (legally required when driving anyway) and copy of passport. In my view, losing a passport will cause more problems than the consequences of failing to produce it at some random stop, providing other ID is carried, however your real Passport should be fairly readily available to show you are legally in the country if demanded.

[apetley]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

That is not what my local immigration office told me.

I was told that it was only a requirement to carry some form of id and that a driving licence was sufficient.

However this being Thailand one official will tell you one thing and another will tell you something else.

In 11 years here I have only been asked for my passport once whilst out and about. As I didn't have it on me I offered my driving license and was on my way.

Personally I think it's a good idea to carry a laminated copy. Must get around to getting one made up some time.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Colabamumbai]

Photocopy of front page is sufficient. If they want more they can follow me home.

[ripstanley]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

What law is that, and what section of that law?

When people get arrested for not carrying their passport I presume that it must be illegal not to. For an arrest to be made it must contravene a law.

[colinneil]

I have thai drivers licence never had a problem , have been asked for passport shown drivers licence it has been accepted as proof of i.d.

[KhunBENQ]

Honestly I don't "know" the law (can not cite), but from other readings I am quite sure, that a foreigner is obliged to carry his passport.

BUT: I would not do so, except where it is absolutely required (for official purposes at immi, amphoe etc.),

AND: I always carry a COPY of the relevant pages with me and a copy of the last residence certificate from immi.

SURE: the BIB at roadside never asked me for a passport, always happy to see my Thai drivers license.

BUT: when I check in at hotels in Bangkok/Pattaya I am always asked for my passport.

Never tried it wih a copy or with the drivers license.

They look for/note down details about visa/permisson to stay from the passport.

Can anyone comment on that?

I have an ongoing argument with a fellow who says: "checkin at hotel with drivers license", "no problem".

Subtle difference: he has a yellow tabien baan and so has a Thai person ID (or how to call that) in his drivers license, which at least makes sure he is properly identified.

"Quality" of drivers license

First attempt last year: missing family name, only first names. Second attempt: first name spelled wrong. Giving up.

Now on my five year license: completely wrong address (and that after handing over certificate from immi). Giving up.

Edited June 30, 2012 by KhunBENQ

[harrry]

You may find that as with a Thai and and ID card the reasonable time condition refers to the period between ariving at the police station and someone bring your passport. If not a reasonable time you can be locked up till they do. THis means as long as you have someone reachable 24hrs with access to it you can get away without carrying it.

[Headgame]

I just have a pic of my passport and visa stamps on my iPhone which is always on me.

Hope that works if I ever get stopped.

[wpcoe]

This is probably the 10th online discussion I have seen on the topic. I'm one of the odd birds that carries his passport whenever I go out.

What *appears* to be the situation for carrying valid ID vs actual passport, is which type of police stops you and asks. The "BIB," the regular Royal Thai Police officers that issue traffic tickets, arrest burglars and murderers, and man the police offices and police boxes seem to be satisfied with a valid ID, such as a Thai drivers license. The Immigrations Police, however, want to see your actual passport -- they are trained and qualified to veriify compliance with immigrations laws. The recent article about folks being drug tested on Bangkok Sukhumvit Soi 3 was apparently conducted by Immigrations Police, hence some folks "arrested" for not carrying their passport. (I'm not sure they were arrested, or were just detained until their passport could be produced.)

The concept of Immigrations Police going out and administering random drug tests to foreigners seems to be a new practice. Traditionally, Immigrations Police accompany the "BIB" when they raid bars and the BIB administer drug testing while Immigrations merely tagged along to seize the opportunity to check for illegal foreigners.

[Soutpeel]

For an arrest to be made it must contravene a law.

you do know what country we are taking about here dont you ?...the BiB make it up as they are going along...

As others have stated there is no specific law which says you must carry a PP however believe it talks about being able to identify yourself/status within a resonable time...this could infer a PP is required to some people

I think were the "must carry PP" rule comes from is reading embassy websites as believe the BE recommends you carry your PP with you at all times and this may in fact be the "source" of this "law"

[mca]

BUT: when I check in at hotels in Bangkok/Pattaya I am always asked for my passport.

Never tried it wih a copy or with the drivers license.

They look for/note down details about visa/permisson to stay from the passport.

Can anyone comment on that?

They have to have a list of all foreigners staying in their property and send the list to immigration. Although once I'd left my passport at home and they accepted my Thai d/l which has my passport number on it anyhow.

Edited June 30, 2012 by mca

[Bangkokhatter]

Honestly I don't "know" the law (can not cite), but from other readings I am quite sure, that a foreigner is obliged to carry his passport.

BUT: I would not do so, except where it is absolutely required (for official purposes at immi, amphoe etc.),

AND: I always carry a COPY of the relevant pages with me and a copy of the last residence certificate from immi.

SURE: the BIB at roadside never asked me for a passport, always happy to see my Thai drivers license.

BUT: when I check in at hotels in Bangkok/Pattaya I am always asked for my passport.

Never tried it wih a copy or with the drivers license.

They look for/note down details about visa/permisson to stay from the passport.

Can anyone comment on that?

I have an ongoing argument with a fellow who says: "checkin at hotel with drivers license", "no problem".

Subtle difference: he has a yellow tabien baan and so has a Thai person ID (or how to call that) in his drivers license, which at least makes sure he is properly identified.

"Quality" of drivers license

First attempt last year: missing family name, only first names. Second attempt: first name spelled wrong. Giving up.

Now on my five year license: completely wrong address (and that after handing over certificate from immi). Giving up.

I always use my Thai driving license to check into hotels, one time a hotel said i had to show my passport, so I just said i will find another hotel,they soon decided the driving licence was enough.

As for the licence, mine is valid for 6 years and no police stop has ever noticed this mistake yet

[Soutpeel]

As for the licence, mine is valid for 6 years and no police stop has ever noticed this mistake yet

It may not be a mistake, depends when your birthday relative to when you renewed your DL...my most recent renewal is also good for nearly 6 years

Edited June 30, 2012 by Soutpeel

[partington]

In Bangkok, in the Asoke area of Sukhumvit, it has become increasingly common for anyone visibly foreign (ie non Thai) to be stopped and asked for passport.

It happened to me for the first time a couple of weeks ago ( though I've lived in the area a year or so). Luckily I had been told about this and have taken to carrying my passport when I walk in the Asoke direction.

I had also grown an ill-advised scraggly beard, who knows if this was the trigger. A single cop hanging aroung near the Terminal 21 stopped me and asked for my passport. He looked visibly irritated at my polite smile and immediate production of it. He asked me where I was going. He asked me to empty my pockets and searched them.

He then said something like "you smoking , uh? Smoking?" Me big grin: " no gave up years ago.." although I'm sure he was trying to imply illegal substances. He looked annoyed but was clearly unable to say or do anything so I was on my way.

This seemed a totally motiveless, pointless stop: it was around 3pm and I was on my way to the dentists.

Probably fairly unique to BKK, and this area of BKK...but if you're there..probably better to have the passport on you...I got the strong impression that failure to produce it would have led to a problem. As others have pointed out, what the actual law is is not really relevant when someone decides to give you a hard time.

[philw]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

What law is that, and what section of that law?

When people get arrested for not carrying their passport I presume that it must be illegal not to. For an arrest to be made it must contravene a law.

Who has ever been arrested for not carrying a passport ??

Do you have any evidence for this.

Any.............?

[partington]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

What law is that, and what section of that law?

When people get arrested for not carrying their passport I presume that it must be illegal not to. For an arrest to be made it must contravene a law.

Who has ever been arrested for not carrying a passport ??

Do you have any evidence for this.

Any.............?

Extracted from UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website advisory on travel in Thailand:

"By law, you must carry your passport with you at all times in Thailand. Tourists have been arrested because they were unable to produce their passport upon request. Ensure you complete the next of kin details section in the back of your passport. "

Link:

http://www.fco.gov.u...nd/#lawsCustoms

This site is an official government site and therefore very unlikely to contain untrue or hearsay information. (They would be legally liable).

[NomadJoe]

Honestly I don't "know" the law (can not cite), but from other readings I am quite sure, that a foreigner is obliged to carry his passport.

BUT: I would not do so, except where it is absolutely required (for official purposes at immi, amphoe etc.),

AND: I always carry a COPY of the relevant pages with me and a copy of the last residence certificate from immi.

SURE: the BIB at roadside never asked me for a passport, always happy to see my Thai drivers license.

Yes, if you aren't going to carry your passport with you at least keeping a copy including current stamp/visa is advisable and usually enough for the BIB .

BUT: when I check in at hotels in Bangkok/Pattaya I am always asked for my passport.

Never tried it wih a copy or with the drivers license.

They look for/note down details about visa/permisson to stay from the passport.

Can anyone comment on that?

I have an ongoing argument with a fellow who says: "checkin at hotel with drivers license", "no problem".

Subtle difference: he has a yellow tabien baan and so has a Thai person ID (or how to call that) in his drivers license, which at least makes sure he is properly identified.

Every hotel in Thailand is required by law to report daily every foreigner that is staying in their hotel. That is why they take and copy your passport. As is every landlord that rents to a foreigner.

I'm one of the odd birds that carries his passport whenever I go out.

Me too, but mostly because If I don't I invariably need it for something, not really because of the law. When I fly domestically I always present my Thai DL just to see if I will ever be asked for my passport. Never have.

[NomadJoe]

The law says you have to carry your passport. My question is does this depend on which visa you hold?

As already mentioned, no it does not.

I think the issue is one of legitimate ID even though I have been told the law specifies passport for foreigners.

It is partly. There are actually 2 relevant laws on this, one is called the Identity Card Act and the other from the Immigration Act. According the the Identity Card Act everyone in Thailand must carry Thai recognized ID at all times regardless of nationality (your passport is Thai recognized). A separate immigration law states foreigners must carry their passport at all times, although the wording is more analogous to "must be able to present" vs "carry at all times". The following is a response from a law firm in Bangkok when they asked this on another forum which I am not allowed to link to due to ThaiVisa rules:

"The Thai Police will tell you that the law actually states that everybody in Thailand needs to carry an official document proving their identity. The law doesn't specify a passport for foreign nationals or, as a matter of fact, the Thai National ID Card for Thai citizens so in theory a Thai Driving license, a work permit or a National Identity card should all be considered valid (although you could always be asked to produce your passport later to a Thai Immigration officer). Copies of passports, despite what you may be told, are not official documents and while they are not technically acceptable, in practice they are generally accepted in most instances involving routine checks by the Thai Police. During the institution of Martial Law during and after the 2010 “Red Shirt riots” there were numerous announcements from the Thai Government stating that foreign nationals needed to carry their passports with them for identification."

Photocopy of front page is sufficient. If they want more they can follow me home.

No, it's not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the law it isn't enough. (but if you are going to do this, you should also copy of the current visa/visa exempt stamp) After they follow you home you may be told to follow them home where you will be cited for not carrying legal ID or your passport. Unlikely, but possible. Generally though, the police have interpreted the immigration law to mean as long as a passport can be presented in a reasonable amount of time. It is customary to detain you during that time though.

[NomadJoe]

I have a Thai drivers licence but i found out today that they placed my family name as my first name.

The name inversion should not be a problem, especially considering the Thai propensity to inverse them. Thai ID cards held by family members often have different English spellings for the same surname. (If they have the more recent ID cards that have English and Thai on them.)

I really enjoy living in Thailand.

Me too.

Sources for my last 3 posts.

http://www.thailawfo...aw-mejesty.html

http://www.kodmhai.c.../H10/m1-23.html

http://www.ratchakit...54/A/034/64.PDF

http://www.fco.gov.u...ceania/thailand

http://thailaws.com/...ws/tlaw0127.pdf