Passport Due To Expire

[bucknaway]

My passport was due to expire this September which would have posed a problem for me if I chose to take a vacation again in October.

I had to go to Costco here and get my new passport photo taken. filled out the online passport application and printed it out, but this time I also asked for the passport card as pictured below. Since I refuse to carry my passport with me while I walk the streets of Thailand, I feel that maybe the passport card will come in handy. Especially after reading the story of how one person with a damaged passport was refused travel.

I think it may also come in handy for use as an ID when I do not want to present my drivers license.

Once I am in Thailand and I use the Passport ID, I will let you all know if it is useful to have or if it served no purpose at all.

[attachment=0:1oxel8gj]01passport.jpg[/attachment:1oxel8gj]

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_ca ... _3926.html (http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html)

[anonone]

bucknaway.
A good idea, but with one potential problem.
A significant reason you would be asked for your passport would be for checking your entry data / visa type to determine if you are overstaying your time in Thailand. I would imagine, if in a situation requiring significant interaction with the BIB, you will required to show your actual passport.
The card might be useful when exchanging money, or other more mundane tasks.

While it would be interesting to see what the reaction of the BIB would be, I do hope you never have occasion to test it out. :glasses7:

[Neal]

My thought on that is that being a card and in your wallet, it might be easier being pick pocketed and then you don't have it at all.
You mentioned it expired in September and if you wanted to travel in October.... remember, I think most countries require you to have at least six months left on your passport before it expires!

[colmx]

My thought on that is that being a card and in your wallet, it might be easier being pick pocketed and then you don't have it at all.
You mentioned it expired in September and if you wanted to travel in October.... remember, I think most countries require you to have at least six months left on your passport before it expires!\

And some countries (notably the US) need your passport to be 6 months old before you are actually permitted to use it to enter US soil!
(only applies to non US citizens - typical yanks -blocking non-nationals (AKA terrorists) entering their countty!)
Fucked up situation but apparently true!

[bucknaway]

My thoughts are that if I get pick-pocketed my actual passport will be safe in my room and all they would have gotten is my passport card and I would have robbed them from the chance to steal my valuable passport.

For now I am without a passport as I had to send my expiring one in with my renewal application and what I will get back is a new passport along with the passport card.

I imagine the card will come in handy on the plane when I have to copy down my passport number on legal documentation.

[bing]

HI Bucky-- look close, does your passport have the same number as the passport card? Mine have different numbers. I did notice the passport card comes with a foil lined little protector so it is not affected by electronic gizmos that steal information off the card. That is a nice way to carry the card on you.

[Dodger]

Bucknaway,

Looks like a good idea to me.

The BIB haven't got a clue what they're looking at half the time any way - and that passport card looks really official - that's all that counts.

Hell, if they'd just start printing Monopoly Money with a little more texture I'd use that at the roadblocks.

How much was the wig, where did you get it, and have you considered changing your name from "Happy Traveler"?

:occasion9:

[DCbob]

An American Passport Card:
"The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air."

In other words, it will not work for Thailand.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_ca ... _3926.html (http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html)

[bucknaway]

I'm not looking to cross the boarder into Thailand with it. I simply want to carry it when my passport is locked in my room safe. It may also come in handy to replace my passport if it ever gets lost or stolen or damaged. What better ID can I have to get a replacement Passport than having a Government issued Passport Card as ID?

[lukylok]

Your passport card looks very much like the identity card we have to carry always with us on Continental Europe.
Which gives free entry in all the Schengen countries and quite a few others.
It is also the same as the identity card the tha├пs have.
Nothing very new, apart from the fact that there is no visa.
And thus has no validity in the contries requiring one.
But I have used mine several times as proof of identity in Thailand for changing money or making heavy use of the credit card, without any problem.

[christianpfc]

My thoughts are that if I get pick-pocketed my actual passport will be safe in my room and all they would have gotten is my passport card and I would have robbed them from the chance to steal my valuable passport.
I keep my passport in a different pocket than my wallet and hope that potential thieves know the difference between a passport and wallet. (And I hope they don't read this: I have a 1000 Baht note in my passport, so if my wallet is stolen I still have my passport and 1000 Baht so I can get back to my hotel.)

[joe552]

why carry a wallet when you're going out at night? I just bring whatever cash I think I'll need, and leave my passport and other valuables in the hotel safe.

[bucknaway]

I have found that if I don't carry a wallet, money unknowingly falls from my pockets. Also the compartments of a wallet help me sort out the denominations in a dark taxi or bar and at a glance I can approximate how much money I have.

[anonone]

Nice idea christian, with keeping a 1000 baht note with the passport. I will start doing this as well.

[newalaan]

why carry a wallet when you're going out at night? I just bring whatever cash I think I'll need
I keep my passport in a different pocket than my wallet and hope that potential thieves know the difference between a passport and wallet.
Nice idea christian. Bt1000 note in passport. I will start doing this as well
Some guys here actually carry their passports around with them EVERYWHERE? I think taking a passport out on the town or carrying around with you everywhere is asking for one huge disappointment on holiday, If you lose it with the immigration slip it will be a real headache you can do without in Thailand on holiday. I would never risk it. The only time i have my passport with me is in the car between hotels (and their safes) or changing money (for which i very rarely need it). I agree with joe552 regarding wallets but surely some kind of ID is crucial! what if you get in an accident?

In more than a dozen years of multiple trips to Thailand i have NEVER ONCE had an immediate demand for my passport from any official outside the airport and only once in a road traffic stop. So in my opinion the chances of being required to have your passport on your person at a specific time versus the chance of losing it by whatever means, is simply not worth all the potential hassle. Just as a matter of interest has anyone here ever had an immediate demand to see their passport by a policeman or official where not having it on ones person has lead to a problem?

I just keep what is necessary for a night out in my pockets. Right pocket=small notes...Left=large notes Bt1000/500. I have a laminated copy of the photo/ID passport page folded in half to credit card size, on the back has my Health Insure details & UK Tel#, two contact #'s in case of emergency (one uk, one thai friend who both have my Health Ins details) with UK consulate contact details. I also printed a credit-card sized tourist police logo with tel# from their website, these copies fit together inbetween the middle of the large notes so very unobtrusive in pocket.

The Tourist Police logo with tel # has come in handy on a couple of situations, where we have had to threaten to call the police to diffuse a potential problem, when they see the police logo they always back-down before i have to call it (twice i can remember when a thai bumped the back of my car claiming it was my fault and when a bar tried to cheat us with a ridiculously false overcharge, and there have been a couple of very minor ones). Having it just lets con-artists know you are not going to be taken for a fool and will seek a second opinion.


The BIB haven't got a clue what they're looking at half the time any way - and that passport card looks really official - that's all that counts.

That is so true. I only ever come into contact with police on the road stops. I just give them the first official-looking document or card which comes to hand in the dash comp. Now i only give passport if they demand it, i give my Uk drivers license card for virtually everything, it is the size of Thai ID card. I always used to take and re-new an International drivers license annually, it is just bigger than a passport, has a 'start' date and even though it's only valid for a year has no actual expiry date, so i have just kept the same one for years, many traffic police have looked at it and none have commented. Anyway stopping you for coffee-money they are only interested in the Bt100 note you stuff into their open, grubby, grasping mit.

[christianpfc]

Some guys here actually carry their passports around with them EVERYWHERE?
I do so. But no need to discuss again, we had threads about this subject.

[martin911]

In the 10 odd years going to Thailand i have only been asked once for my passport outside of the airports -- it was at a bkk police checkpoint --I had my drivers license on me and it satisifed the police officer at the time!!

i never carry my passport (lost one years ago in Paris and will never forget the way i was treated at CDG trying to go home )-- too much hassle if you lose it !!

[colmx]

i never carry my passport (lost one years ago in Paris and will never forget the way i was treated at CDG trying to go home )-- too much hassle if you lose it !!

Same thing happened me - followed advice on this bord to ensure i took my passport if i was going to any thai:thai venues and took mine to rachada soi 8/G-star

Somewhere between the disco and the next morning it went missing

That happened on a Friday night and i was due to fly home on the sunday... as it was an Irish bank holiday on the monday the Irish consulate was closed...

Didn't get a temp passport issied until the thursday and eventully got back to work 5 days late === not a very happy boss!

Now my passport never leaves my room when i am in LOS...

[newalaan]

I do so. But no need to discuss again, we had threads about this subject.

Yes we know you 'do so' you mentioned it in your post already, which means you have just 'discussed again' this subject against your own advice. Just because you have discussed or have seen threads, that doesn't mean everybody has seen threads, and if any interested party has not, clearly there a need to discuss again if we feel like it. Please feel free not to contribute again to the subject.

[ceejay]

I'd always keep my passport locked up in the safe. It's a world of grief for UK citizens who lose them in Thailand - the replacement has to come from Hong Kong because the Bangkok Embassy doesn't issue them.


IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT UK PASSPORT LOST OR DAMAGED IN THAILAND

Firstly please note that under Thai law all foreigners must carry their passport with them at all times

Losing or damaging your passport in Thailand is something you must protect against. Please ensure you take care of your passport at all times and keep a copy of the pages with your details and any valid visas which you may have in a safe place.

If you loose your passport while in Thailand it will be necessary for you to report the loss to the police.

It is no longer possible to obtain a new UK passport in Thailand. For information about applying for a new UK passport when in Thailand please visit the following website.:-http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/how-to-apply/thailand/

When you receive your new passport you may need to obtain a replacement visa. If you obtained your visa from the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull (UK) we may be able to assist you to obtain a replacement visa through the Thai Immigration Service.

If your passport and/or visa becomes damaged you may encounter difficulties with Thai Immigration which could lead to your stay in Thailand being terminated.

By keeping the information requested below in a safe place away from your passport it may save you a lot of heartache. If your visa was issued by the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull (UK) we will be able to e-mail or fax to you in Thailand a letter certifying details of the visa which we issued to you. You will then need to take this certificate to the Thai Immigration Office local to where you are staying together with:-

a) your passport which you entered Thailand with (if available).
or
b) your new passport (if your have lost your original passport)

The local Thai Immigration Bureau should then be able to assist you by:-

i) re-instating your visa (there are no guarantees that they will do so.
or
ii) assisting you to apply for a new visa.


So that we can provide you with certified details of the visa which we issued you will need to complete page 2/2 and send it to us by e-mail or fax. Please note there is a charge of ┬г15 for issuing this certificate so you will need to provide us with your credit/debit card details.
The Thai Consulate in Hull has a very useful page of visa related downloads for UK citizens:
http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/downloads-and-visas.aspx
(Note; the downloads don't seem to work properly in Firefox. Use Internet Explorer)

[Jellybean]

I thought my one and only brush with the Thai police (dtam-r├╣at-thai) would dovetail nicely on to this thread. I always carry my passport in my rucksack when I am out during the day but, although I know itтАЩs a legal requirement to carry it at all times, I only carry a copy when I am out at night, but on occasions I forget to do so. IтАЩve never been asked to produce it apart from at hotel receptions and at immigration check points. I always carry it when I am driving.

I was heading up north early last Wednesday morning and I was going to drive for the first 2 hours. I needed to do a u-turn on the road outside my apartment. They closed off the most convenient turn sometime last year so I headed to the next one, but that was also closed off. The only option was to carry on to the next turning point. So I drove farther down the road until I came to a 4-way intersection and started to do a u-turn, as I did so I realised that u-turns were not permitted, but I could not reverse, we were in heavy rush hour traffic. I saw a couple of police officers waving and whistling at me on the far side of the intersection, but I felt I had no alternative but to carry on.

Once the lights changed I completed my manoeuvre and carried on, but I had a dark feeling of dread that I had not got away with my illegal turn. And, sure enough, 2 minutes down the road at the u-turn I normally use I was pulled over. I got out of the car and produced my passport, driving license and international driving permit. The police officer ignored my passport and asked for my driving license (bai-kap-kii). He looked at it blankly and passed it back to me. Then he looked at the international driving permit (bai-kap-kii s─Гa-gon) and appeared not to know what to do with it. I turned it to the inside back page and showed him my photo. He asked which country I was from. After answering I said I was sorry, I had simply made a mistake in making a u-turn (l├нao-gl├аp). He then pointed to my ex-boyfriend sitting in the front passenger seat and beckoned on him to come over. There was an exchange of words and my boyfriend told him where we were heading.

I was listening for any mention of money (ng╔Щn) or тАЬpay moneyтАЭ (j├аai ng╔Щn) and fully expected to pay over a few hundred Baht. But nothing further was said and he indicated that we should move off. He stopped the traffic to enable me to pull out and off we went with me visibly shaking тАУ what a start to a 6 hour journey on Bangkok roads/expressways I had never driven on before!

My ex told me to calm down and said the police officer wanted money, but did not actually say so, it was just expected. We had a lucky escape! So my experience confirms what Dodger and newalaan have said about the police apparently not seeming to know what they are looking at. WhatтАЩs probably more important is their тАЬtea moneyтАЭ, which I would have happily passed over because I fully accepted that I was in the wrong.