Living in North America now and have quite a few foreigners in my little town. In the middle of nowhere really. Oil town. The Filipinos, Jamaicans, Mexicans all have been routinely checked out by immigration and believe me what they put them thru is a lot worse than what I experienced in Thailand.

So to say it does not happen in Western countries is a lie.

In fact before my coworker received her PR status she lived in fear for 4 years because any little incident could set of another round of inspections. Some locals would get upset about something claim there was some illegal workers etc and the next thing you know immigration was around asking for papers, ID, status, taking photos and videos.

I have seen in both Canada and the US. To tell the truth I would much rather deal with Thai Immigration officers than an American or Canadian border agents.

What the hell? seriously this is normal here? I am on my second year extension and never had this. So in future I really have to be aware that some Special Police unit will come by and interrogate me?

Okay imagine they never do these visits. As soon as something goes wrong there would be out cries of people criticizing the police for not checking people out. I don't think it is that unreasonable that they want to check out foreigners who move to Thailand. Some of the questions such as scars etc. are a bit much but over all it seems okay. Remember it is a privilege to live in a foreign country not a right.

The scar question isn't that unusual if you look at it from an identification perspective. In medical exam reports (investigation class, i.e. dead body discovered) there is a section for tattoos, piercings,moles, birthmarks and scars. These can help identify a body, or in the case of a police investigation a person. If you have a quick look at a police description sheet, there is a section like this;

Scars, Marks, and Tattoos: Type Location Description TATTOO LEFT CHEST STAR

Nothing sinister either as every year, we see a number of unidentified bodies and the info helps to identify them. This is an acute problem in the beach resorts where inebriated folks go out for a swim and drown. It has also occurred a couple of times over the years with older Europeans and Russians who went out for an afternoon swim and died in the water. The bodies washed up some distance away.

Any of you guys getting visits have a yellow book and Thai ID card?

Because of my job, now retired, i was subject to a security check every 5 years back in the real world???????????????. So no big deal

Same and if you have done nothing wrong and nothing to hide then who cares. I would actually appreciate a visit. At least I would know they know where I live in case of problem

It seems most of the information they ask you for is the same information you provide when applying for a visa or an extension of same.

I am about to complete my fifth year here and have yet to get a visit from police or immigration ( except for one occasion when local police came to my home to ask me to teach officers to speak English).

I am aware that I could get a visit from either at any time.

Nothing to hide, nothing to fear.

If they call ahead, I will prepare a nice lunch before they arrive.

We recently had a visit by the local cops (Lampang). First time in many years of living here. They had some paperwork from CM Immigration. Said they were instructed to confirm that I am actually living where I stated I was. Wanted to talk with my partner (owns the house I live in). Asked if we owned any weapons, had any enemies, my occupation, and what I like to do in my free time. Checked the entry stamp in my passport. Took our photographs. Suggested we install a video surveillance system on the property. They also recommended, if I am home alone, to not allow anyone claiming to be the police onto the property. They said I should have a friend come over before allowing anyone claiming to be the police onto the property. Also, don't allow any low ranking police officers onto the property. He gave us his phone number, in case we had any problems, and left.

Sounds like a lot of "friendly" advice but I can't help finding this a bit suspicious. Hope that's not the first stage of some kind of setup to offer you some extra "protection" from fake or corrupt "low ranking police officers" at a price.

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

Sounds like a lot of "friendly" advice but I can't help finding this a bit suspicious. Hope that's not the first stage of some kind of setup to offer you some extra "protection" from fake or corrupt "low ranking police officers" at a price.

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

He was a Captain. Have a photograph of his ID. The questions sound similar to what others have been asked.

For a start asking a few questions is hardly an 'interrogation' (if you want to be interrogated I can always pay you a visit!).

Local cops were round our place a couple of months back with a list prepared by Immigration. All they were doing was confirming that we lived in the place. Dealt with the office, didn't even knock on my door. I had noticed an increase in them knocking on doors around the village and this is what it was down to- immigration initiated.

Hardly an oppressive experience and its good to see them actually doing their job for a change.

These visits are nothing new and hardly unique to Thailand. It seems more common up country than the cities. You can expect the list of questions to be comprehensive to justify sending someone out in the first place. Questions about scars etc may seem invasive but could prove to be important if the worst were to happen. A big part of these visits is to know who and where the Farangs are for their own safety. Not all Thais hate Farangs believe it or not. The local cops are often aware that you are a potential target for the bad guys in your area. It helps if they can identify you and where you belong if something happened to you.

All farangs known to local police got this form a week ago in ChiangDao, ChiangMai province. I do not like it.

We will be in a data base for criminals even before commiting a crime !? Nice !

Been here 6 years and had the immigration visit for the first time this year. Also a while back got checked out while sitting in a coffee shop by the local police. They wanted the usual info about where we lived and what visa we had (neither of us had our passports with us) then had us look at some photos of other farangs living local and if we knew any of them. Filled out a form, took some photos and left. Very polite, near Phi Mai.