Owner of apt building asking for passport copies to show to police?

[happysanook]

I wasn't there, my gf was, but apparently the owner of the building asking for more page copies from my passport to bring to police for some sort of check? She took copies of my gf's (who is Filipino) as well.

She specifically said police, not immigration. Anyone know what this is about or had it happen to them?

[NancyL]

Immigration is a police function, i.e. "immigration police". The office of your building is suppose to have copies of the passports of their foreign residents on file. Perhaps they got raided today.

[happysanook]

I see... according to her she wanted them so she could bring them to "police", but you're probably right, likely the standard "needs to register us with immigration and/or have them on file". My gf's Thai not fluent. Owner has about half the rooms just recently filled with Filipino / Chinese / Burmese teachers, so probably just keeping up with the standard regulations. Thanks for your answer Nancy.

[MadMac]

Besides any police or immigration, if you would want to rent from me a passport copy is one of the basic things you'd have to provide besides the deposit. That does not even touch all the BS that is going on with tracking of aliens, next thing is chipping us.

[Michael8511]

It's very common that you need to give a copy of your passport and receive a copy of the landlords passport if they are foreigner. I have given mine and received theirs every time I have rented in Thailand. And yes they have to report to immigration that you are renting.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yup, we report tenants all the time. It's a requirement to do so within 24 hours of their check-in. Takes 5 minutes to do.

Edited May 24, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[MadMac]

Yup, we report tenants all the time. It's a requirement to do so within 24 hours of their check-in. Takes 5 minutes to do.

So you have that web access, any idea how to get that on a non-commercial basis (no hotel/guesthouse)?

[ukrules]

They probably want this for a TM30 form submission.

[bazza40]

Besides any police or immigration, if you would want to rent from me a passport copy is one of the basic things you'd have to provide besides the deposit. That does not even touch all the BS that is going on with tracking of aliens, next thing is chipping us.

Your post seems a bit contradictory. Your tenants have to provide you with a copy of their passport, the next sentence says tracking of aliens is BS.

What do you want?

[thecyclist]

This is standard procedure and has been so for a long time.Nothing to worry about unless you're on overstay or the.most wanted list.

[Monkeyrobot]

Nothing to worry about standard procedure and a good idea really , if something happens to you at least the owner or manager has a copy to give to police so they can notify your embassy.

[BarnicaleBob]

Any foreigner who stays in a hotel, motel, apartment, house or any other dwelling must be reported to the Royal Thai Immigration Police within 24 hours of their arrival at that address. It is required that the owner of said property must fill out a TM-30 with the foreigners information along with copies of the foreigners passport and visa pages. Just so you know.

[Merylhighground]

Welcome to the world of 'Good Guys In' especially to those prats who frothed out at 'criminal overstayers' thinking themselves some superior type of being, now getting treated like a criminal, and not a 'good guy'. Expect things to get far, far worse in the coming months and beyond.....far worse....This is just the tip of the iceberg. Reports like this will be coming in daily soon from all over the country....

It's all quite hilarious...you all should get your leg muscles in full working order because the authorities are going to be making you all jump through some pretty severe hoops in the coming months and a lot of you won't have the muscles to reach these hoops, let alone get through them....

[siam2007]

Welcome to the world of 'Good Guys In' especially to those prats who frothed out at 'criminal overstayers' thinking themselves some superior type of being, now getting treated like a criminal, and not a 'good guy'. Expect things to get far, far worse in the coming months and beyond.....far worse....This is just the tip of the iceberg. Reports like this will be coming in daily soon from all over the country....

It's all quite hilarious...you all should get your leg muscles in full working order because the authorities are going to be making you all jump through some pretty severe hoops in the coming months and a lot of you won't have the muscles to reach these hoops, let alone get through them....

very cryptic.....

mind to elaborate further ?

[Merylhighground]

Welcome to the world of 'Good Guys In' especially to those prats who frothed out at 'criminal overstayers' thinking themselves some superior type of being, now getting treated like a criminal, and not a 'good guy'. Expect things to get far, far worse in the coming months and beyond.....far worse....This is just the tip of the iceberg. Reports like this will be coming in daily soon from all over the country....

It's all quite hilarious...you all should get your leg muscles in full working order because the authorities are going to be making you all jump through some pretty severe hoops in the coming months and a lot of you won't have the muscles to reach these hoops, let alone get through them....

very cryptic.....

mind to elaborate further ?

Cryptic?

Did you think that once they got shot of all the 'Bad Guys' they were going to let it be 'carte blanche' immigration- wise for the so called 'good guys'?

Soon the only 'long term foreigners' in Thailand will be those with skills to be of 'benefit to whoever is running the Nation', NGO workers, Multinational employees, the super rich.

The days of the 'long term 'expat' in Thailand are numbered.

These 'checks' and 'crackdowns' are already increasing in frequency and shall do so until they have got rid of all who do not fit into the above categories. The requirements have been changed at will over the last decade by each subsequent regime, targeting almost every category of 'expat' from teachers to retirees....

[scorecard]

Let's be honest, for decades it was all pretty loose and lots of dubious lowlife undesirable foreigners just walked in and stayed.

So now they are trying to be more professional and more careful who gets in and where people are.

Nothing wrong with that IMHO.

[MadMac]

Besides any police or immigration, if you would want to rent from me a passport copy is one of the basic things you'd have to provide besides the deposit. That does not even touch all the BS that is going on with tracking of aliens, next thing is chipping us.

Your post seems a bit contradictory. Your tenants have to provide you with a copy of their passport, the next sentence says tracking of aliens is BS.

What do you want?

Why contrary? If you give something away to someone else for a certain time frame like renting out a room or an apartment, you want to be sure that you get it back or some compensation for any damages done. How would you do that without a form of identification of the tenant?

Has nothing to do with the now supposedly enforced tracking of "aliens" through government agencies and their aligned data sources, that is guesthouses and hotels.

Two different things, two different purposes/causes. But same symptoms.

[happysanook]

Let's be honest, for decades it was all pretty loose and lots of dubious lowlife undesirable foreigners just walked in and stayed.

So now they are trying to be more professional and more careful who gets in and where people are.

Nothing wrong with that IMHO.

Possibly it's you they come for next. And as things tighten up, could be sooner than later.

I've nothing to hide, so it's fine.. I just don't have the highest opinion of police... Regardless of country. Nothing against Thai in particular...