House registration questions

[Goosood]

I hope someone can explain to me the following questions I have.

1) I understand your Thai ID card gives as your place or origin the place where your name is registered together with a house (most likely the family home). Even if you live for say 5 years in Bangkok, but you still are registered in the house of your parents in Buriram, then the ID card you will receive in Bangkok will still give as your place Buriram? Is that correct?

2) If so, I assume that house can be a house you rent? Because there must be many Thai (in cities for example) who do not own a house, but rent a room. So can the house/room you are registered with in the house registration be a house/room which you rent?

3) When a guy turns 21 he has to go to the army. A Thai guy told me he had to travel back to Buriram for going to the army because his father lived there. He himself was working in another part of Thailand. Can someone explain this to me? Why did he have to travel all the way to Buriram for the army? Is it because his father lived there (as he claims) or can it be that he is registered in that family house still and that for the government he lives there (the government having no idea he lived somewhere else)?

4) So if he had registered his rented room in the place he lives now then he would not have had to travel all the way to Buriram?

Thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

1. Correct

2. A Thai can be registered in any house book with the permission of the head of household shown on the house book.

3. A Thai must return to the Amphoe (district) where they are registered to participate in the draw for the draft.

4. If registered at another location they would report to where they are registered at that time.

[Goosood]

Thank you! Clearly answered.

One more: why do many guys in their early twenties who work in say Bangkok or Pattaya and live there already for a few years, not change their house registration to their new house/room?

In my country you will be violating the law if you not tell the government where you live. If you move to another place, you will need to register at your new location. The government needs to know your new address. For various reasons: to send your vote card when there are elections, to send your invoices for the local taxes.

So say you live in Bangkok for 10 years but you still are registered in the family house then this means the government has no idea you live in Bangkok. Does this mean you escape this way from paying local taxes? Strange there is no law that you must register in place you live in.

[ubonjoe]

It is basically because unless a person buys their own residence and gets a house book for it or gets permission from a head of household they will remain on their original house book. A Thai cannot change their registered residence any other way.

Thai's can register to vote in national elections where they are living and do advanced voting. For local elections many Thais return home to vote.

There is no local taxes a Thai has to pay unless they own property.

In my home country their is no law that would require me to register my address.

[Goosood]

In my home country their is no law that would require me to register my address.

I assume you live in a country that does have local taxes? Taxes for paying for waste removal, for street repair, etc?

So in your country you can easily escape paying for it, because your local government has no idea you live in their jurisdiction?

I live in the Netherlands and by law you MUST register in the place you live in.

[ubonjoe]

In my home country their is no law that would require me to register my address.

I assume you live in a country that does have local taxes? Taxes for paying for waste removal, for street repair, etc?

So in your country you can easily escape paying for it, because your local government has no idea you live in their jurisdiction?

I live in the Netherlands and by law you MUST register in the place you live in.

Where I have lived in my home country only property owners pays such taxes. If renting you pay for it indirectly as part of your rent. If you have a car you pay taxes for registration of it that goes for road works. You also pay tax on fuel for your vehicle which exclusively goes for highways and roads.

If you have a drivers license or a vehicle registered you are expect to keep your address current.

In my country it depends upon on what state you live in as far as taxes and etc. In mine there is no state or local income tax. You only pay the national income tax,

[Goosood]

A Thai cannot change their registered residence any other way.

Ok, so if you rent a room and the owner of the room does not approve that you register your name on that room in the house registration, then that Thai citizen is unable to get an ID card, unable to vote? Because as you say if the owner does not give permission, there is no other way?

(Unless that Thai is lucky and still registered somewhere else at a house he lived in 20 years ago and the owner has not removed him.)

[nzexpat]

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A Thai cannot change their registered residence any other way.

Ok, so if you rent a room and the owner of the room does not approve that you register your name on that room in the house registration, then that Thai citizen is unable to get an ID card, unable to vote? Because as you say if the owner does not give permission, there is no other way?

(Unless that Thai is lucky and still registered somewhere else at a house he lived in 20 years ago and the owner has not removed him.)

Go and ask a Thai person to explain the "system" to you !

Thais have no problems Voting , obtaining ID cards , Passports ,Driving licences etc. because unlike some dense "farang's" they understand their society and its "rules"

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Goosood

"3) When a guy turns 21 he has to go to the army."

It's not mandatory that a guy "has to go to the army" at 21, but it is mandatory that he show up for the annual military draft when he hit's 21. There's a drawing and only the "lucky" guys have the opportunity to serve in the military for two years. In some districts, there's sufficient volunteers so on one is drafted, don't think this happens too often, tho.

The reason your friend had to go back to Buri Ram wasn't because that's where his father lives, it was because that's where your friend was registered on his father's blue tambien ban. If he had been registered elsewhere, for example on another relatives tambien ban, or that of a friend who would allow him to register, he would have attended the annual military draft in that particular district.

Mac

[jphasia]

Can a Thai be registered in 2 different blue book? For example, my son is registered a main household in Phuket. In few years, he will go study in Bangkok and will probably rent or purchase another house there. Can he then register in Bangkok and keep his registration in Phuket. He is actually the owner of the house in Phuket

[Mario2008]

Can a Thai be registered in 2 different blue book? For example, my son is registered a main household in Phuket. In few years, he will go study in Bangkok and will probably rent or purchase another house there. Can he then register in Bangkok and keep his registration in Phuket. He is actually the owner of the house in Phuket

No, simply because the blue book registers where a person officially resides and that is not a t two places at the same time.

That does not mean he will not be the owner of the house in Phuket, but as far as the government is concerned he will live in BKK. (Think about things as the draft, government mail, elections).

[jphasia]

ok, I understand. So, in the case of he need to register in any other blue book in Bangkok (you might know that to be eligible to access some university, you must be register in the university district), then he will be "de-register" from Phuket house. As he is the main household in Phuket, and no-one else is register in this blue book (I am foreigner), then there will be no-one anymore on this blue book? Is that affect the ownership of this house? His name is also on the tittle deed (chanote?) of this house.

[Mario2008]

It will not effect the ownership of the house.

As a foreigner you can be registered at that address, in a yellow book.

[ubonjoe]

It is possible to have more than one house book as head of household but they can only be registered as living in one.

[jphasia]

Thanks a lot Mario for your time. I have no idea about yellow book but I might find out. However, few week ago, I was asked by one of my credit card company (Amex Thailand to be precise) to provide them a certificate of residence. I used to this type of certificate before from the immigration office to buy motorbike for example. So, I went to the immigration office in Phuket town and requested this certificate. Then, they told me that first, I need to be officially registered in my address and asked me to provide a copy of the blue book + a copy of the ID card of the owner. I then came back with my son (15 years old), and a copy of the blue book and his ID card. They, then attached a paper in my passport, explaining that was the document showing that I was officially register in that address and then issued a certificate of residence which I believe is valid for 3 months. They said that, from now on, if I need such certificate, i will just present my passport with this attached paper. FYI, I am on 1 year multiple entries non o visa based on child. So, do I still need to get this yellow book?

[Mario2008]

There is no need to get a yellow book. You can get one if you want to be officially registered at your address. (But the requirement differ from district office to district office. Some make it smooth as silk, at others it is next to impossible to get one).

[Goosood]

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A Thai cannot change their registered residence any other way.

Ok, so if you rent a room and the owner of the room does not approve that you register your name on that room in the house registration, then that Thai citizen is unable to get an ID card, unable to vote? Because as you say if the owner does not give permission, there is no other way?

(Unless that Thai is lucky and still registered somewhere else at a house he lived in 20 years ago and the owner has not removed him.)

Go and ask a Thai person to explain the "system" to you !

Thais have no problems Voting , obtaining ID cards , Passports ,Driving licences etc. because unlike some dense "farang's" they understand their society and its "rules"

But it was said if you RENT than you need PERMISSION from owner to be registered on that house. So is it than really so strange to wonder: "But if the owner doesn't give permission, then how can that Thai vote and get ID card?". And I can imagine the owner doesn't like to give permission. Because it appears to me many Thai are registered at houses they do not live in at all anymore. Like sons living from age 18 in Pattaya and 3 years later still registered with their parents house. Maybe a guy who owns rooms doesn't want his tenants to register on his house because he thinks these tenants will not remove themselves when they rent at another place and then he has all kind of former renters at his house registration. So he refuses permission, just to prevent that. But then you are unable to get as tenant an ID card.

[nzexpat]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

A Thai cannot change their registered residence any other way.

Ok, so if you rent a room and the owner of the room does not approve that you register your name on that room in the house registration, then that Thai citizen is unable to get an ID card, unable to vote? Because as you say if the owner does not give permission, there is no other way?

(Unless that Thai is lucky and still registered somewhere else at a house he lived in 20 years ago and the owner has not removed him.)

Go and ask a Thai person to explain the "system" to you !

Thais have no problems Voting , obtaining ID cards , Passports ,Driving licences etc. because unlike some dense "farang's" they understand their society and its "rules"

But it was said if you RENT than you need PERMISSION from owner to be registered on that house. So is it than really so strange to wonder: "But if the owner doesn't give permission, then how can that Thai vote and get ID card?". And I can imagine the owner doesn't like to give permission. Because it appears to me many Thai are registered at houses they do not live in at all anymore. Like sons living from age 18 in Pattaya and 3 years later still registered with their parents house. Maybe a guy who owns rooms doesn't want his tenants to register on his house because he thinks these tenants will not remove themselves when they rent at another place and then he has all kind of former renters at his house registration. So he refuses permission, just to prevent that. But then you are unable to get as tenant an ID card.

I am married to a Thai ! My wife's "housbook" relates to a property which is a very long way from where we live . She appears in only the one housebook !

How would you imagine that my wife since we have been living here has , renewed her passport , opened bank accounts, got a driving licence, has voted in National and local elections ect . (Answer ............ She understands how the "system" works" ! )

As I suggested before stop ranting and ask a well Educated Thai person to assist in providing real answers to questions which only affect (in the main) Thai people .