Passport control at Bangkok ( confirmed report )

[thaibreaker]

No need to carry your pp around. Either police nor immigration officers demand that. I know that first hand.

It is sufficient showing a copy, either in paper, or pictures in your phone, showing pp-numbers, picture and status.

In my case, they called in my name to the immigration database at the scene, as I could not provide either. I had overstay at the time, and gave them insufficient names, hoping they eventually would let me go if my name didn`t turn up on the screen.

They couldn`t find me in their base, so I was taken to the IDC.

It is very unusual they will let anyone go before status has been checked, and if they cannot confirm you have a valid pp, you will be taken in to sort it out at IDC. If your name and visa checks out, you are free to go from there. No charge.

My checkpoint was also at Ladprao in Bangkok.

And yes, I speak thai, and presented myself in a polite way.

I wouldn't say it's very unusual, I'd say its actually reasonably common to be let go before one's status is checked.

I remember your overstay thread and it was van of IOs, not police, actively out looking for overstayers, that pulled up beside you on the street with a van full of Africans. They were probably doing a targeted crackdown on a part of the city with a certain group of ethnic minorities.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/780211-my-experience-at-idc-for-overstaying/

At a random Sukhumvit checkpoint, or just bumping into police on the street, they're probably be lazier to do proper police work and accept a tea money payment to let you go.

As said the tourists recently rounded up in Pattaya just walked out of the station (lol) and there's a huge Facebook group of Bangkok expats reporting all the stop and searches, it's quite common for police to prefer tea money to actually checking visa statuses, or for them to nervously back down if you pretend to call a lawyer.

Agreed. Police and immigration officers are two different things. Just saying, since the OP was let go that easily. If he was stopped by the same officers that I was, he shouldnt be.

Anywho, It`s not necessary to carry the pp around with you all the time. Police chiefs have confirmed that in threads already, and also the IO`s I was involved with. Copies will do

Edited April 2, 2016 by thaibreaker

[sandyf]

I never carry passport, ever....and I never will.

Back in the old days before computers, mobile phones and the EU, if you traveled around Europe you were required to leave your passport at reception where you were staying.

One time we were at a campsite in France for an overnight stop and as we had paid when we arrived, the following morning just got up and left, completely forgetting about the passports.

As we approached the Belgian border we were already in the funnel by the time we had realised where they were. The border guards just waved us through and we suddenly found ourselves in Belgium with the passports in France.

The return journey was a bit nerve racking but got waved through again without a problem. Been a bit more careful over the last 47 years.

[bbi1]

A Thai news program aired a story of the police and tourist police checking hotels and bars..

Showed one clip, inside a bar of those dedicated noon time drinkers and checked their passports..

Surprisingly, the guys they asked had their passports on them..

Anyway...

What are tourist police doing checking passports? They're meant to be there to help foreigners who are in need of them

[OMGImInPattaya]

How is your stop evidence of the seriousness of the overstay crackdown when you infer they didn't even examine your passport to check your visa status?

[D3030]

Not sure it was passport control, but all buses going in the direction of Chaing Mai were being stopped today..

(11 April)...

[jacksam]

Not sure it was passport control, but all buses going in the direction of Chaing Mai were being stopped today..

(11 April)...

Stopped for what?? Unless passport check why post that? Where you on the bus/ Edited April 11, 2016 by jacksam