Passport Control: Phuket police confirm will hold passports as they see fit

[LivinginKata]

So if tourists on holiday in Thailand only have a few days before flying back home and unfortunately gets involved in a minor traffic accident just before that, the police can hold on to their passports until the matter is settled. This in effect means the tourists would be held to ransom in Thailand until they pay up whether in the wrong or not and my guess is that most tourists would be demanded to pay way over the odds and would pay up in desperation rather then miss their flights.

<snip>

Great point and very true ..

NO. You will get a provisionary passport from your embassy to leave the country.

Best of luck obtaining a provisional passport in time to catch your flight home.

An the real joke is you need a police report that your passport has been lost or stolem to get a provisional passport ... best of luck with that ..

[clockman]

Britain, has become lickspittle to the third world. Do not expect any help.

[LivinginKata]

Britain, has become lickspittle to the third world. Do not expect any help.

Roger that ... useless in my opinion ..

[sawadee1947]

So if tourists on holiday in Thailand only have a few days before flying back home and unfortunately gets involved in a minor traffic accident just before that, the police can hold on to their passports until the matter is settled. This in effect means the tourists would be held to ransom in Thailand until they pay up whether in the wrong or not and my guess is that most tourists would be demanded to pay way over the odds and would pay up in desperation rather then miss their flights.

<snip>

Great point and very true ..

NO. You will get a provisionary passport from your embassy to leave the country.

Best of luck obtaining a provisional passport in time to catch your flight home.

An the real joke is you need a police report that your passport has been lost or stolem to get a provisional passport ... best of luck with that ..

oh dear, yes, that could be a problem.....you see, I never tried, otherwise I would know that there are obstacles

[Gutenberg]

NO. You will get a provisionary passport from your embassy to leave the country.

Best of luck obtaining a provisional passport in time to catch your flight home.

An the real joke is you need a police report that your passport has been lost or stolem to get a provisional passport ... best of luck with that ..

oh dear, yes, that could be a problem.....you see, I never tried, otherwise I would know that there are obstacles

Not sure why anyone would care so much about the passport. If it is held "hostage" and you need it, either ask how much you should pay or get a new one by the "I lost it" route. "lost passport" report can be done at every police station, temporary passports are given within hours.

[Kohlers]

First question would be - do the "boys" have the legal right to confiscate and hold a passport? I thought that they don't. My belief is that it would require an order from the court.

"Your" Passport is a property of the state that has issued it.

(Under the law of most countries, passports are government property.)

So to confiscate passport, you confiscate other states property.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport

[arrowsdawdle]

The fake passport printers are licking their chops and it wouldn't be surprising to learn that they are owned by influential Thais.

[freedom4life]

It is against International law to hold anyone's passport without justification...idiots abound.

[bbbbooboo]

It appears that a passport remains the property of the issuing country so this might place the cops in a perilous legal situation but given their usual lack of attention to detail who knows......lol

[louse1953]

It is not my property to hand over,it is my country of origins property,therefore you have to ask them.However you may have a copy.

[louse1953]

incredible and sad as it is a never ending list of more scary news for Expats and tourist in Thailand.

"A passport is the most important document that police can obtain as evidence when a foreigner is suspected or involved in a crime in the Kingdom, he said."

"Col Chaiwat declined to define how long his officers will hold onto a passport before charges are pressed.

We cannot put a time frame on it. It depends on each case, he said.

Do they hold Thais National ID cards and passports when they are involved in some legal dispute? Just wondering.

Plenty of high flyers leave the country when up on chargers,but maybe that's more about retaining the "bail."

[louse1953]

So, back to the original premise: Why to foreigners subject themselves to the scams in Phuket? I tell my friends to avoid it like the plague. Too many other places to go in Thailand that are 'farang friendly'. Phuket? I won't even go there any longer. Why would I suggest that armpit of The LOS to others?

But to paraphrase (and lampoon) Barry O: If you like your Phuket, you can keep your Phuket.

Your mileage may vary.

You can still go to Phuket,but just be aware and say no to scams.Most of them are obvious and blatant.All you have to do is stand your ground,hard i know when a gang of BIB,have you surrounded.

[louse1953]

Under customary international law, passports are the property of the state which issued them In the case of a British passport, for example, the document belongs to the British government and not to the passport holder. The international case-law is clear - the impounding of a foreigner's passport is impermissible interference with the jurisdiction of the issuing State

I am afraid your quoting international law to deaf ears here. Its the year of the Monkey. Its only going to get worse. I just replentished my bank account and now rather regret that I did. That is why I refuse to buy property own a car or motorbike. Never put yourself in a compromising position here. You just never know when the ground will open up and swallow you here even simple stupid things like the Bridge club bust can turn into a headache. Things here seem to be drifting more and more in the direction of the style of rule in China, Vietnam and surrounding countries. As Romping Ronnie said an axis of e..l. Total control of the masses seems to be their goal.

Paranoia and Henny Penny combined is not a good mix.

[mogo51]

First question would be - do the "boys" have the legal right to confiscate and hold a passport? I thought that they don't. My belief is that it would require an order from the court.

Whilst I suspect you are probably correct, at what point do you think tha t the Police give a toss about that???? As far as they are concerned, they are above the law.

[louse1953]

While it may be against international conventions and law for the police to confiscate your passport, they can ask that you 'voluntarily' give it up. If the alternative is an indefinite wait at the police station, or jail, I guess you will 'voluntarily' leave it with them.

It's all a game of bluff,and once you have called that bluff i don't think they will go the next step.All part of the game,bluff and counter bluff.

[louse1953]

Under customary international law, passports are the property of the state which issued them In the case of a British passport, for example, the document belongs to the British government and not to the passport holder. The international case-law is clear - the impounding of a foreigner's passport is impermissible interference with the jurisdiction of the issuing State

You are right sir, this was stated in a recent tv program where a

Thai wife blackmailed her Australian husband to give her money

then she would return his passport, the Aust, embassy got involved

and like you stated, the passport belongs to the Australian government.

Second Point;

We are a guest in this country, not a citizen, you have ABSOLUTELY

NO RIGHTS, so why do so many people act like they have rights?

You have none, that stamp or piece of paper in your passport says,,

''you are allowed to stay in my house until the date stated'' after that,

get the hell out,,,,

What are you on about of course you have rights,within the visa timeframe and then you have the right to leave.

I saw that tv program,the bloke was a love sick dill in Sin City,no fool like an old fool.

[captspectre]

incredible and sad as it is a never ending list of more scary news for Expats and tourist in Thailand.

"“A passport is the most important document that police can obtain as evidence when a foreigner is suspected or involved in a crime in the Kingdom,” he said."

"Col Chaiwat declined to define how long his officers will hold onto a passport before charges are pressed.

“We cannot put a time frame on it. It depends on each case,” he said.

Do they hold Thais National ID cards and passports when they are involved in some legal dispute? Just wondering.

In a word, NO!

[simon43]

In the case of no detention ordered, it is also a good idea to get a copy of the court order to show to immigration as often they can still see the black list in the system

Good advice, but perhaps it doesn't work in practice

Years ago, I was involved in a civil case where I was blacklisted from leaving the country. Despite settling the case and obtaining Court papers to that effect, my name remained on the blacklist database for months. Immigration refused to allow me to leave the country, despite having a copy of the Court oder.

It took many months after completion of the case for me to get my name removed from the blacklist database.

If they see you have an elite visa in your passport, they will let you "walk" for practically any petty offense, including rape, murder, hit-and-run, etc.

Have you tried this? I have an Elite visa and will perhaps test out your comment next week.

Which should I do? Murder is preferred, since I've fallen out with my ex

[stevenl]

incredible and sad as it is a never ending list of more scary news for Expats and tourist in Thailand.

"“A passport is the most important document that police can obtain as evidence when a foreigner is suspected or involved in a crime in the Kingdom,” he said."

"Col Chaiwat declined to define how long his officers will hold onto a passport before charges are pressed.

“We cannot put a time frame on it. It depends on each case,” he said.

Do they hold Thais National ID cards and passports when they are involved in some legal dispute? Just wondering.

In a word, NO!

In a word, YES. In 3 words, YES, THEY DO.

[MadDog2020]

Passport Control: Phuket police confirm will hold passports as they see fit

Eventually, after several phone calls by The Phuket News, the claim was quickly settled, and the foreigner was allowed to conduct a “visa run” so that he may legally continue to stay in the country and work.

So why would this guy have to do a "visa run" so that he could legally continue to stay in the country and work?

Sounds fishy to me.

That would be the case if first year on non immigrant B visa.

You are stretching it. The OP says to "continue"

Besides, I did not have to do a visa run 5 years ago for that purpose and neither did my wife just last Dec.

Could there actually be more to this story than is being disclosed?

[stevenl]

Passport Control: Phuket police confirm will hold passports as they see fit

Eventually, after several phone calls by The Phuket News, the claim was quickly settled, and the foreigner was allowed to conduct a “visa run” so that he may legally continue to stay in the country and work.

So why would this guy have to do a "visa run" so that he could legally continue to stay in the country and work?

Sounds fishy to me.

That would be the case if first year on non immigrant B visa.

You are stretching it. The OP says to "continue"

Besides, I did not have to do a visa run 5 years ago for that purpose and neither did my wife just last Dec.

Could there actually be more to this story than is being disclosed?

With a valid non-immigrant B visa and workpermit one can legally work in the country. With that visa one has to make a visa run every 90 days, after the first year an extension of stay can be obtained, provided certain criteria are met, eliminating the need for visa runs.

That has been the case already for 15+ years, probably even a lot longer.

[MadDog2020]

Passport Control: Phuket police confirm will hold passports as they see fit

Eventually, after several phone calls by The Phuket News, the claim was quickly settled, and the foreigner was allowed to conduct a “visa run” so that he may legally continue to stay in the country and work.

So why would this guy have to do a "visa run" so that he could legally continue to stay in the country and work?

Sounds fishy to me.

That would be the case if first year on non immigrant B visa.

You are stretching it. The OP says to "continue"

Besides, I did not have to do a visa run 5 years ago for that purpose and neither did my wife just last Dec.

Could there actually be more to this story than is being disclosed?

With a valid non-immigrant B visa and workpermit one can legally work in the country. With that visa one has to make a visa run every 90 days, after the first year an extension of stay can be obtained, provided certain criteria are met, eliminating the need for visa runs.

That has been the case already for 15+ years, probably even a lot longer.

I don't know where you get your information but it is not correct.

I've worked here legally for 5 years and never have done a visa run. Each year I visit immigration and the grant me an extention for another year. My 1st Visa was for 90 days and was extended to 1 year by visiting immigration. My wife's visa exemption was changed to non immigrant B by visiting immigration with no visa run required AND no little brown envelope.

Just follow the written instructions that they give you if you ask nicely for them. They are a surly bunch and aggravate most of us. But most of us expect that it's the same as our country. It's not.

[Brer Fox]

Pattaya bridge club players have passports confiscated and forced to sign confessions of gambling. Military held up to International ridicule.

Makes the news in Australia.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/3711600/australian-bridge-champion-forced-to-sign-gambling-confession-in-thailand/?cs=12

[MeHere]

There are so many apparent international lawyers on this forum... it's a wonder how such seemingly simple threads last so long!

BTW, what does TiT mean?

[stevenl]

That would be the case if first year on non immigrant B visa.

You are stretching it. The OP says to "continue"

Besides, I did not have to do a visa run 5 years ago for that purpose and neither did my wife just last Dec.

Could there actually be more to this story than is being disclosed?

With a valid non-immigrant B visa and workpermit one can legally work in the country. With that visa one has to make a visa run every 90 days, after the first year an extension of stay can be obtained, provided certain criteria are met, eliminating the need for visa runs.

That has been the case already for 15+ years, probably even a lot longer.

I don't know where you get your information but it is not correct.

I've worked here legally for 5 years and never have done a visa run. Each year I visit immigration and the grant me an extention for another year. My 1st Visa was for 90 days and was extended to 1 year by visiting immigration. My wife's visa exemption was changed to non immigrant B by visiting immigration with no visa run required AND no little brown envelope.

Just follow the written instructions that they give you if you ask nicely for them. They are a surly bunch and aggravate most of us. But most of us expect that it's the same as our country. It's not.

See e.g. this thread, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/890762-whats-involved-in-converting-b-visa-to-retirement/?p=10365398&hl=non-b, one year non B with 90 days permission to stay.Or this one, one year non-B, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891187-visa-report-penang-non-b-1year-success/?hl=non-b

Many years ago I started with a non-immigrant B and workpermit application, visa run every 90 days. Since that first year I have received an extension of stay every year. But I know quite a few others who don't meet the extension of stay requirements, so apply for a non-immigrant B visa year after year, and have to do visaruns every 90 days to activate the next entry.

I think though for teachers the rules are a bit different, do you happen to be a teacher?

But were getting off topic here, it is easily possible to need a 90 day visa run with workpermit.

Edited February 7, 2016 by stevenl

[MadDog2020]

That would be the case if first year on non immigrant B visa.

You are stretching it. The OP says to "continue"

Besides, I did not have to do a visa run 5 years ago for that purpose and neither did my wife just last Dec.

Could there actually be more to this story than is being disclosed?

With a valid non-immigrant B visa and workpermit one can legally work in the country. With that visa one has to make a visa run every 90 days, after the first year an extension of stay can be obtained, provided certain criteria are met, eliminating the need for visa runs.

That has been the case already for 15+ years, probably even a lot longer.

I don't know where you get your information but it is not correct.

I've worked here legally for 5 years and never have done a visa run. Each year I visit immigration and the grant me an extention for another year. My 1st Visa was for 90 days and was extended to 1 year by visiting immigration. My wife's visa exemption was changed to non immigrant B by visiting immigration with no visa run required AND no little brown envelope.

Just follow the written instructions that they give you if you ask nicely for them. They are a surly bunch and aggravate most of us. But most of us expect that it's the same as our country. It's not.

See e.g. this thread, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/890762-whats-involved-in-converting-b-visa-to-retirement/?p=10365398&hl=non-b, one year non B with 90 days permission to stay.Or this one, one year non-B, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/891187-visa-report-penang-non-b-1year-success/?hl=non-b

Many years ago I started with a non-immigrant B and workpermit application, visa run every 90 days. Since that first year I have received an extension of stay every year. But I know quite a few others who don't meet the extension of stay requirements, so apply for a non-immigrant B visa year after year, and have to do visaruns every 90 days to activate the next entry.

I think though for teachers the rules are a bit different, do you happen to be a teacher?

But were getting off topic here, it is easily possible to need a 90 day visa run with workpermit.

Not a teacher, work for a Thai company. And never had to do a visa run, it is not required by Immigration.

[sawadee1947]

NO. You will get a provisionary passport from your embassy to leave the country.

Best of luck obtaining a provisional passport in time to catch your flight home.

An the real joke is you need a police report that your passport has been lost or stolem to get a provisional passport ... best of luck with that ..

oh dear, yes, that could be a problem.....you see, I never tried, otherwise I would know that there are obstacles

Not sure why anyone would care so much about the passport. If it is held "hostage" and you need it, either ask how much you should pay or get a new one by the "I lost it" route. "lost passport" report can be done at every police station, temporary passports are given within hours.

you are right. I checked this with my embassy (EU): "Lost passport" report and if possible Copies of your passport (incl. departure card and visa) and you will get a temporary passport to leave the country. Will take only a few hours (or you can wait for it) and it's free (my embassy) With this "passport" you can pass immigration. So....no sweat at all.

[lvr181]

It appears that a passport remains the property of the issuing country so this might place the cops in a perilous legal situation but given their usual lack of attention to detail who knows......lol

The Police/military probably do not know and certainly do not care! Unfortunately

[Old Croc]

Phuket seems to attract so much negative publicity I'm wondering why anyone would want to go there.

it's a scamming s****hole but some seem attracted to that!

I guess you didn't get that cheap taxi fare from the airport to Karon that you started a thread about a couple of months ago.

[AlQaholic]

I think the dilemma of controlling a suspect person is the same for every country. It might be so that the passport belongs to the issuing state, but who gives a shit when you'r the police who is trying to curtail a suspects movements or resolve a dispute between two parties. I think Governments see mildly on such temporary confiscation of passports.

I think this sort of things happen in Europe as well. Albeit under more controlled and regulated forms....

Edited February 7, 2016 by AlQaholic