Carrying Passport With You

[Maestro]

Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both.

This one would fit the offence plus there are others they could use.

My guess is that this is the offence for which you would be charged if you did not produce your proof (Passport). It also gives a reason to detain you until you do.

No, section 81 is not the penalty for failing to carry your passport with when a police officer asks you to show it. The Russian woman in Phuket did have a valid permission to stay and was able to prove it once her passport was brought to the police station.

[Dork]

Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both.

This one would fit the offence plus there are others they could use.

My guess is that this is the offence for which you would be charged if you did not produce your proof (Passport). It also gives a reason to detain you until you do.

No, section 81 is not the penalty for failing to carry your passport with when a police officer asks you to show it. The Russian woman in Phuket did have a valid permission to stay and was able to prove it once her passport was brought to the police station.

Just like any other case I can recall of the police making an issue of not being able to produce a passport on demand, this case concerning the Russian woman is one where the police had an ulterior motive for detaining her. Had she been carrying her passport, it is quite possible that she would have been detained on suspicion of having fake entry stamps or in order to ascertain that the passport was valid etc.

Carrying your passport wouldn't help much in this kind of situation.

[ubonjoe]

I think the biggest problem for the lady mentioned in the news article was that she did not have her work permit with her which is required by the Working Aliens act.

The article emphasized on the passport issue but the work permit was main issue.

They were looking for people working without a work permit.

[chiang mai]

This topic has been the subject of numerous threads over the years, mostly very long and inconclusive ones! What I believe is that there is no law requiring a person to carry their passport although there is a case to support that foriegners must be able to show proof they entered and remain in the country legally, such proof might be provided by holding a Thai drivers licence or similar - in practise over the past ten years I believe the DL satisfies the requirement.

[Maestro]

When it is a question of proving that a foreigner is staying legally in Thailand only the passport will do, nothing else. For a simple identity check it seems to up to the police officer what he is prepared to accept.

Sent from my Android tablet

[gmac]

All seems so simple to me. Whatever the law is why not just carry your passport? Saves all the hassle and if you're not in the habit of leaving your shorts/trousers unattended there shouldn't be too much risk of losing it.

[chiang mai]

All seems so simple to me. Whatever the law is why not just carry your passport? Saves all the hassle and if you're not in the habit of leaving your shorts/trousers unattended there shouldn't be too much risk of losing it.

It's one thing to carry a passport whilst on a two week vacation but it's something entirely different when a person lives here and needs to carry it 20/7/365, the risk of losing it or having it stolen under those circumstances increases hugely. In practise and in the absence of any alternates, a copy of the passport will serve most people well, a small laminated card kept in the wallet, a photocopy of the passport and visa kept in the glove box.

[gmac]

All seems so simple to me. Whatever the law is why not just carry your passport? Saves all the hassle and if you're not in the habit of leaving your shorts/trousers unattended there shouldn't be too much risk of losing it.

It's one thing to carry a passport whilst on a two week vacation but it's something entirely different when a person lives here and needs to carry it 20/7/365, the risk of losing it or having it stolen under those circumstances increases hugely. In practise and in the absence of any alternates, a copy of the passport will serve most people well, a small laminated card kept in the wallet, a photocopy of the passport and visa kept in the glove box.

I live here and have done for over ten years, never a problem for me. Although having just just got a new passport I do have to admit that the old one was looking a little jaded having spent its whole life in my trouser pocket!

[Tomtomtom69]

mca, on 30 Jun 2012 - 16:45, said:

'KhunBENQ', on 30 Jun 2012 - 08:45, said:

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.

Recently, I've only used my Thai driver's license for check-in even when a passport was initially requested. License is always accepted. I have noticed that even when passports are requested and handed to the staff by tourists, only the front page is scanned or copied not the immigration pages. In other countries visa stamps etc. are also copied but I have never seen hotels do it in Thailand before. If any hotels do, then they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Smaller hotels particularly in the provinces generally do not ask for any ID at all. Some might want you to fill out a form at check-in, others don't even require that.

[Mario2008]

That will probably change soon. Immigration is stepping up its activities to have hotels and such report their guests to them.

[ubonjoe]

It would be a very risky (insane is another word that comes to mind) venture to travel around Thailand without having your passport with you.

Can you imagine how long you could be locked up because you did not have your passport with you and it was locked up at home with nobody but you having access to it.

[Dork]

It's only my opinion of course but I believe the chance of being locked up solely for not carrying your passport is roughly nil.

[chiang mai]

We all have different experiences and of course, the emphasis and direction of the BIB can change over time hence I think it's right to advise tourists and short stay visitors to carry their passport with them at all times. My personal experience however is that in almost ten years here I have never carried my passport other than when I was leaving the country, for everything else, long road journeys, hotels check-in, domestic flights, bank counter transactions, motorway/road police checks, pedestrian identity checks in Bangkok, my Thai drivers license and a few words in Thai have always been adequate.

[wpcoe]

My personal experience however is that in almost ten years here I have never carried my passport other than when I was leaving the country, for everything else, long road journeys, hotels check-in, domestic flights, bank counter transactions, motorway/road police checks, pedestrian identity checks in Bangkok, my Thai drivers license and a few words in Thai have always been adequate.

Hotels are required to report passport details to Immigrations on a regular basis (daily?). How does the hotel comply, if they saw only your drivers license, I wonder.

[pmarlin]

gmac, on 15 Apr 2013 - 10:19, said:

chiang mai, on 14 Apr 2013 - 17:15, said:

gmac, on 14 Apr 2013 - 17:05, said:

All seems so simple to me. Whatever the law is why not just carry your passport? Saves all the hassle and if you're not in the habit of leaving your shorts/trousers unattended there shouldn't be too much risk of losing it.

It's one thing to carry a passport whilst on a two week vacation but it's something entirely different when a person lives here and needs to carry it 20/7/365, the risk of losing it or having it stolen under those circumstances increases hugely. In practise and in the absence of any alternates, a copy of the passport will serve most people well, a small laminated card kept in the wallet, a photocopy of the passport and visa kept in the glove box.

I live here and have done for over ten years, never a problem for me. Although having just just got a new passport I do have to admit that the old one was looking a little jaded having spent its whole life in my trouser pocket!

Use a passport wallet or case, I use a leather one that has lasted for several years. Fits in may back pocket real nice.

[pmarlin]

Dork, on 15 Apr 2013 - 13:05, said:

It's only my opinion of course but I believe the chance of being locked up solely for not carrying your passport is roughly nil.

It only takes one time to make you a believer,

[Tomtomtom69]

We all have different experiences and of course, the emphasis and direction of the BIB can change over time hence I think it's right to advise tourists and short stay visitors to carry their passport with them at all times. My personal experience however is that in almost ten years here I have never carried my passport other than when I was leaving the country, for everything else, long road journeys, hotels check-in, domestic flights, bank counter transactions, motorway/road police checks, pedestrian identity checks in Bangkok, my Thai drivers license and a few words in Thai have always been adequate.

Exactly. Thailand is not Myanmar - no passport on you, no problem - your average police officer doesn't bother legitimate tourists or expats to check documentation. Just never overstay that's all; not even by one day.

[Tomtomtom69]

It would be a very risky (insane is another word that comes to mind) venture to travel around Thailand without having your passport with you.

Can you imagine how long you could be locked up because you did not have your passport with you and it was locked up at home with nobody but you having access to it.

Another example of scaremongering. There is no risk at all - period. Myanmar is a different story, but Thailand? Ha!

[lopburi3]

Actually there most surely is a risk (although relatively small in terms of percentage/number of people) of being held until passport can be shown while in Thailand - that is why there is a special consideration made for passport issue to those in this country by the UK Embassy. I would always advise and do carry passport when going outside of normal city location - I do not carry with me in normal shopping trips and such.

[ubonjoe]

It would be a very risky (insane is another word that comes to mind) venture to travel around Thailand without having your passport with you.

Can you imagine how long you could be locked up because you did not have your passport with you and it was locked up at home with nobody but you having access to it.

Another example of scaremongering. There is no risk at all - period. Myanmar is a different story, but Thailand? Ha!

There is a risk. If asked to see your passport by the police or an immigration officer they can detain you if you do not have it.

There is a clause of the immigration act that has been discussed earlier in this topic that states that if you do not have proof of legal entry into the country you are in violation of the act.

[Dork]

I see no point in arguing this point anymore when it seems clear that no one is able to prove or disprove whether it is a requirement under Thai law to have ones passport on hand at all times. What I can remind myself though is that in 8,122 days of not carrying my passport, I have never had the slightest problem. That at least, is a fact.

[david555]

It would be a very risky (insane is another word that comes to mind) venture to travel around Thailand without having your passport with you.

Can you imagine how long you could be locked up because you did not have your passport with you and it was locked up at home with nobody but you having access to it.

Another example of scaremongering. There is no risk at all - period. Myanmar is a different story, but Thailand? Ha!

There is a risk. If asked to see your passport by the police or an immigration officer they can detain you if you do not have it.

There is a clause of the immigration act that has been discussed earlier in this topic that states that if you do not have proof of legal entry into the country you are in violation of the act.

no timetable about the moment to bring proof......! Detention highest untill passport brought in station..., proof can be delivered by the number on your entry/ departure card by entering it in comp. system or contacting Suvharnabumi immigration , they are day & night 365 days / year present ..... ofcourse this is depending of the goodwill from the controling officers at moment