The military junta in charge of making Thailand a happy place recently announced a crackdown on foreigners running around the country without their passport in their pocket and the boys on the boards went ballistic. Because nothing instills terror in the hearts and minds of the masses – or at least in the hearts and minds of sex tourists – than the idea of having to carry ID. The rumor – which turns out to not be true – is that as of August 29, any foreigner caught paperless will face a 20,000 baht fine and up to two years in jail. What isn’t a rumor is that it has always been the law in Thailand that visitors carry their passport with them at all times. And despite some pundit’s claim that such an onerous burden will make people think twice about visiting Thailand, the fact is that in most countries the law is the same.

What also is not a rumor is the military-led government is cracking down on foreigners who remain in the country illegally, or by circumventing immigration laws. Steps have already been taken to put a stop to over-the-border visa runs that many have used in the past to extend their legally allotted time in the country. The latest effort is with dealing with those who overstay their visa more harshly, with a series of fines, jail time, and temporary and/or permanent banning from the country, all of which has been published on the government’s web-site. It was during an interview about those who overstay their visa that a senior Thai immigration official was misquoted regarding the fine and sentencing for those who fail to carry their passport with them.

Police Col. Voravat Amornviva has since corrected that error, noting that “Making all foreigners in Thailand carry their original passports with them would be very difficult.” Even if that is the requirement of the law. But rather than the large fine and accompanying prison sentence attributed to him, Voravat says those who are responsible for enforcing the law will use their best judgement. “It’s about being reasonable and using common sense,” he says. However, when it comes to the boys on the boards, common sense is often a foreign concept.

In Thailand, by law, all tourists and expats are required to carry their original passport with them at all times. No other forms of identification are acceptable. Other forms of photo ID, such as a Thai/foreign driving license or a photocopy of your passport are not acceptable. That’s the law. That doesn’t mean that in practice, depending on why and who asks for your papers, other forms of identification won’t be accepted. Especially if along with your papers you hand over a few with some 0s printed on them. But the law itself is quite clear. And there’s the rub. The ‘experts’ on the internet love nothing more than telling you how to circumvent the law. Even when their sage advice is faulty in its premise and worth every penny you paid for it.

Photo copies are big among those who hate the idea of carrying the genuine article. That usually means a copy of the front page of your passport with your photo, a copy of your TM-47 card (the white card you get at the airport when you clear immigration), and a copy of the page of your passport that shows your latest entry stamp. Preferably all encased in plastic, because . . . I haven’t a clue. But those who love playing with a photocopier seem to think their resulting efforts are worth protecting and even provide, in great detail, where you can buy the best plastic cases to store your not-legal-anyway documentation. Some claim an international drivers license is enough in case you get stopped by authorities. And at least one pundit claims for US citizens, a Passport Card is acceptable. Even though that card is only issued for crossing the border from Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. But then Americans are not generally known for their skills at geography.

I’m not sure why you would want to spend part of your holiday getting copies made of all the documents you already have in a handy little book, but many visitors seem to think that’s the only way to go. That’s one of the dangers of reading internet forums for travel advice. It’s probably a good thing lemmings can’t type. But then I’m not sure why there is such an aversion to carrying your passport with you either. The fear of having it stolen or losing it seems to be the biggest concern. But the chances of either happening are slim in the first place. And you are much more likely to run into problems by not producing it when asked to anyway.

Yes, losing your passport while on holiday would be traumatic. And, if you are an American, might even take you half a day of dealing with your closest embassy. Personally I’d be more concerned with having my credit cards stolen. Or my drivers license. I’d rather deal with the folks at immigration to replace my passport than with the DMV to replace my drivers license any day. And I’ve never heard of anyone carrying a photo copy of their drivers license instead of the real thing out of the fear of losing it. But then people do tend to do stupid things while on holiday that they would never think about doing back home.

When you travel internationally, a passport is a must. You can’t get to where you are going without one. In Thailand, you can’t register into a hotel without one either. There’s a good chance you won’t be allowed to fly to other destinations within the country without your passport too. And if there is a raid at the bar you happen to decide to visit, there’s a good chance you’ll spend your evening with the police instead of a bar boy if you do not produce your passport. When the authorities you are dealing with will accept nothing less, in strict accordance with the law, explaining that you only have copies because you read that was okay on a gay Thailand forum is not going to work. And despite Police Col. Voravat’s claim that common sense should rule, the fact is Thai officials are cracking down on foreigners these days; when they decide to stick to the letter of the law, no one should be surprised. But then maybe the cop you deal with will be so impressed with all the plastic you used to encase your photo copies that he’ll cut you some slack.

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