Hua Hin Immigration clampdown on ID and 24hr reporting

[dtaai-maai]

I can't remember the last time my passport left the house apart from going to Immigration or renewing my contract.

I've got no intention of carrying my passport with me everywhere, but I shall borrow BB's idea minus the passport and take my work permit everywhere, leaving it in the car. If that gets lost, the uni can sort it out! I know it's not what the rules say, but I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it...

[hhfarang]

^ Being the most important document (to me also) I think it is safest on my person. No one has ever been able to rob anything from my person, though I have had houses, cars, and wife's purses robbed.

I don't lose things unless I take them out of my pocket, which I don't do with my passport unless asked (so far only by banks and hotels). I consider my home/car/(motorbike if I had one) the least safest places in my life so I feel confident carrying anything valuable, including my passport on me. I've been wearing thousands of dollars worth of gold around my neck for over 30 years and I only take it off when asked to do so by an xray technician. It is safe on my neck as my passport is safest in my pocket.

[centermid7]

^ why don't you just staple it to your forehead and then everyone can see what a good boy you are being?

No chance of loss either.

I don't care what all rules and regs they come up in this regard, or however many "clarifications" they want to make, I am not carrying my PP with me.

[HHTel]

What the hell's going on here. A friend of mine was stopped tonight and was fined because he didn't have his passport with him. He had his Thai driver's licence (Photo ID) but it wasn't enough! Do the authorities have a mandate to destroy the input of 'foreignors'??

[HHTel]

Further to my post above, my son, some years back was carrying his PP and was mugged and his PP stolen. This further adds to this crime. If immigration enforce this law then the legal people open themselves up to the perpetuators. The 'bad guys' know that every foreignor is good for at least a passport!!!!!!

[STEVE G]

I must admit that before I went out tonight I got my passport out and had a moment deciding whether I should take it with me. Basically I couldn't find a pocket that would suffice and decided that 2000 BT would be far cheaper than losing it, ( loss of earnings while trying to get a new one) so I left it at home. I've no problem with carrying ID and I carry my UK driving license everywhere but a passport just isn't a practical thing to carry around with you.

[Brit Jim]

What the hell's going on here. A friend of mine was stopped tonight and was fined because he didn't have his passport with him. He had his Thai driver's licence (Photo ID) but it wasn't enough! Do the authorities have a mandate to destroy the input of 'foreignors'??

Did he get the 2k fine or was just it the standard 200 B Fine?

The old bill are going to make some serious money on these road traffic checks if they pursue this one!

I dont think the authorities care about the effect this will have on foreigners

Lets see how this pans out in the next few weeks!

[albaker]

Was always supposed to carry passport , never came across any one who did .
Wonder if my UK picture driving licence would pass muster if stopped by the police ?
Would they be able to read it ?
As for the Tourist Police have never seen one in Hua Hin except for some type of meeting , a couple of hundred at a rough guess , being addressed by senior officers at the clock tower when we were there in June , many different types of police , national , tourist , railway , immigration and others that I could not put a label on .
Any body know what this was all about ?

[buksida]

What the hell's going on here. A friend of mine was stopped tonight and was fined because he didn't have his passport with him.

Can confirm this, police are now hanging around golf courses to catch unsuspecting expats leaving after their round and nabbing them for not having passport to hand.

Be aware.

[pdm3547]

I got pulled over on the scooter last May. He asked for "passport" and I showed him a copy. Then "licence" and I showed him a copy of my uk licence. He said "no copy, only original, 200bt fine" which I duly paid, no receipt.

The next day, same policeman pulled me over again, recognised me, smiled and just asked for licence but this was an official roadblock and so I got a receipt this time.

At the desk, I asked whether copy passport was ok to carry round, and the guy said yes. I guess it's just clamping down on existing rules though.

I'll take a trip to immigration hen I get there and get a copy stamped. I'm not carrying round my original.

[PeteC]

All of this has to be part of their overstay crackdown. They've probably taught the cop on the street how to find the latest entry stamp and the expire date, and also assume the long term overstay won't have 2,000 Baht handy in lieu of passport. I'd give it about 3 months before it eases up again IMO. Pete

[Brit Jim]

I just went to 7/11 without my passport …..Scary Stuff.

What next…GPS Tracker on arrival ?

[centermid7]

One would think that within all of these various authoritative bodies here in Thailand - and in this case Immigration as that who we are ragging on this thread - that there would be a "voice of reason" and some sense of order would be brought to bear.

But there never is. Just one goofball idea after another.

I wish I could use harsher language in the post I just made!

And I'm still not going to carry my PP about.

Cheers

[Takiap]

Amazing Thailand


Next step will be to place policemen outside all the foreign embassies to stop and fine all the daft idiots who have surrendered their passports for the purpose of obtaining a visa for said countries. It shouldn't take too long before they've recovered the losses that resulted from the rice pledging scheme.


At the end of the day, it's their country and their rules, and if we don't like it, then we should leave.

[lomuamart]

I just went to 7/11 without my passport …..Scary Stuff.

What next…GPS Tracker on arrival ?

That made me laugh. If not a GPS tracker, then maybe one of those bracelets that people have to wear when on bail.
Sod it, I'm nor going to carry my passport when I go for a beach walk. Maybe that's what the authorities want by trying to clear the beach up? No people!!