Immigration: Foreigners must now carry valid ID at all times, report within 24 hours

[barryofthailand]

Everyone is required to carry valid photo I.D. in Thailand Thai people as well as foreigners. This is nothing new.

[DinoSabanovic]

I like to go run about 1 hour every day near police station. It is across the street from my house. Should I worry ? :)

[paz]

Don't tell me, let me guess ... they will make the Hua Hin stamp to fill an entire page.  I mean, if they are going to ram it in... why stop half way.  I am a huge fan of Thailand ... but sometimes I have to shake my head and just wrap it around the fact "You can not fix stupid."

 

Man, they will stamp the copy... Not the passport. Making it the copy a quasi-official ID. Not a bad thing.

[fabianfred]

reporting every 48 hours away from home is ridiculous... so now we aren't able to go anywhere!!

[Suradit69]

 

 

is it just me or do others detect a "trend" here?

 

 

If you mean the trend of Thai Visa posters producing an ear-splitting whining noise relentlessly, yes ... very noticeable, but hardly new.

 

                    

 

You should carry ID.   Pretty much always has been the case.

 

If you change address you should notify immigrations.  How often do people resident here change their address? If you're forever shifting your place of residence that may be a burden, but maybe people who constantly shift residences require greater checking on by the authorities.

 

Travel outside your province. If you live in Hua Hin and you go to Chiang Mai for a few days, your hotel or wherever you stay ought to have checked your passport and reported to Immigrations anyway as they have always been supposed to do. If you stay with the extended family for a few days, maybe more problematical, but also a good excuse to not visit that often.

[Chazchallenger]

Ok So I use to live on Soi 88 in Hua Hun, and on a regular basis would throw on some shorts , walk down to the beach and have a swim. Now you have to carry ya passport down to the beach for a swim. Get real. I now live in Goa , India. Thank god.

[BKKBrit]

[attachment=277116:Sky Falling.jpg]

[paz]

reporting every 48 hours away from home is ridiculous... so now we aren't able to go anywhere!!

 

It's happening already.. without you knowing.

[Squeegee]

Great news for the cops down between Sukhumvit 22 and Asoke. Now they are no longer limited to smokers, they can pretty much bother any foreigner.

[Johnnie99]

 Great. They're starting to enforce the laws written before the dawn of ages. And those rules are actually in the act, so they're not going anywhere soon. Enjoy filling a form every day, oh happiness. 

 

You might consider that Thais, the occupants of the country which you have chosen to call 'home', have to carry their cards all the time.

[londonthai]

the fine for not reporting by the landlord is up to 2k baht. There is no penalty for the travelling foreigner. Might as well ignore the whole circus and once in a long time pay a few hundred fine.

 

[MJCM]

They have been doing this in Indonesia eversince i have been here 17 years
they call it S.M.P. Surat Melaporkan. its for tax purposes!

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

I doubt it is only for Tax Purposes, as (If I am not mistaken) only people who are more then 180 days in a Year in Thailand would have to pay tax.

 

IMHO it has more to do of keeping track like, who is entering and especially where they are staying so in case of overstaying they are easily picked up.

[Guest]

can they have a photocopy machine at immigration at the airport ?

charge us 100 baht for a " official photocopy" on Thai Immigration letterhead and stamp it with the date ?

 

opps too easy.....

 

Give that man a cigar ... and I mean a Havana.

 

However ... sadly ... WAY too easy at the airport (embassy and immigration stations)

 

Note to my (US)  Embassy.  Please pull your head out of your ass and spend less time criticizing Thailand and work for the people who PAY you!  Us, the F'ing tax payers! 

Is it Rocket Science for you to issue something that the Thai Government will honor?

 

No thinking person is going to carry their original passport complete with valid visa and travel stamps to prove border crossings and reporting ... for this lame ass reason.

And for what the embassy charges for extra pages ... not going to fill it with ridiculous "Local" stamps either.
 

[Deli]

And what about car and motorbike rentals who ask for passport deposit? Is this now illegal?

 

It always was, like many other things...

[casualbiker]

reporting every 48 hours away from home is ridiculous... so now we aren't able to go anywhere!!

I always thought that ruling was for the Burmese and Cambodians on migrant cards.. interesting times!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[MaxYakov]

As with any announcement from Immgration, I am always left with more questions than I have answers...

 

So are tourists here for two weeks now meant to take their passports to the beach, trekking through the jungle or in a soapy massage??

 

It sounds like only taking into to a soapy massage is to be optional. Although, there are zip-lock bags for the paranoid/insecure.

[dagobert]

Hotels and some larger guest houses pay tax on their guests this is a cash grab
for the common people example "private housing"

Sent from my GT-P3100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[featography]

As with any announcement from Immgration, I am always left with more questions than I have answers...

 

So are tourists here for two weeks now meant to take their passports to the beach, trekking through the jungle or in a soapy massage??

 

the answer to your question is in the article. Read slower

[casualbiker]

And what about car and motorbike rentals who ask for passport deposit? Is this now illegal?

 
It always was, like many other things...

Is it illegal to ask for a passport as surety .. I think. No.

Is it illegal to keep, modify or otherwise deface a passport .. yes

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DrTuner]

 

 Great. They're starting to enforce the laws written before the dawn of ages. And those rules are actually in the act, so they're not going anywhere soon. Enjoy filling a form every day, oh happiness. 

 

You might consider that Thais, the occupants of the country which you have chosen to call 'home', have to carry their cards all the time.

 

It's not the card/passport. It's the reporting while in another province. I spend some time at my MIL's house in Isaan, f.ex. Buggered if I'm going to drive to the police station to fill some forms. Luckily one of wife's cousins is a copper so he'll sort it out if for some strange reason they start pestering the only farang visitor in the village. 

[Deli]

Talked to a hotel owner about it today. She said: Wait 6 months, sabai sabai again.

Just hope she's right 

[sprq]

 

 

 

is it just me or do others detect a "trend" here?

 

 

Yes the trend is that many offices do something to look good to their superiors. Of course, the laws have always been in place.

 

At least that confirms that unlike some parrot has been claiming, keeping the original passport all the time, it NOT the law.

 

 

I think paz means, in his understated way, that there is an obvious sea change going on in Thailand in which foreigners are being scrutinised and subjected to new rules -- or old rules that never used to be applied -- with increasing intensity. If it gets much worse, paranoia will be a normal condition for foreigners in Thailand.

[JLCrab]

Is there anyone on here whose wife's brother-in-law's uncle is not assistant chief at the tambon sub-district station?

[featography]

As with any announcement from Immgration, I am always left with more questions than I have answers...

 

So are tourists here for two weeks now meant to take their passports to the beach, trekking through the jungle or in a soapy massage??

 

the answer to your question is in the article. Read slower

[max72]

 

 

"Hua Hin Immigration is from today also enforcing the requirements that you and your landlord (condominium owner, house owner etc) must report to Immigration within 24 hours of moving in to a new address. On your arrival card you already reported your place of stay, and if that changes you need to visit Immigration and report your new address."

 

 

......kind of a hassle for those on a tour of Thailand?

 

 

 

It is basically the end of the tour and most tourism.

If you touring around Thailand and sleep every night in a different location your holiday will be spending almost all your time in inmigration offices.

[Guest]

Great news for the cops down between Sukhumvit 22 and Asoke. Now they are no longer limited to smokers, they can pretty much bother any foreigner.

 

Oh yes, I just paid the "smoking fine" last week.

 

Of course ... I did not pay the entire fine ... I paid the reduced fine for "processing" the complaint. 555.  Now, at least that was a cause and effect event ... I did , in fact, throw it in the street.

This one is SO much better.

 

Are you a Foreigner?

Yes.

Passport please.

No have.

Give money.

OK

 

But for Pickpockets everywhere, rejoice!  Your day has come because on of the most marketable items around, that does not fit in a wallet ... is yours for the taking!

 

Happy days for you!

[lovinglife]

UK driving licence has a photo, surely this can be used as photo ID?

[mrdome]

Thieves specializing in passports will be so thankful. No 'normal' tourist will trek to immigration to have their copy notarized, they wouldn't even know where immigration is located, so all these passports are stuffed into shorts pockets, handbags, etc. just waiting for a rip off.

 

And what for? The risk to Thailand from the standard short time visitor is nil. What an overreaction! And how many not aware of this rule will get fleeced? ...

[asean]

There is no discrimination here. Thais have to carry their ID card at all times too or face a fine. They also have to report travel to other province and change of residence. Don't see why expats should be allowed special rules.

[AGareth2]

agree with post 60