Pink ID Card. Benefits?

[leeedwards]

I have a Thai driving license and a yellow book. Any reason to obtain a pink ID card? If so, how do I get one? 

[Puccini]

1. The pink ID card for foreigners is a nice souvenir.
2. A copy of it makes for a nice illustration in your memoirs, if and when you decide to write them.
3. Some employees or officials of private or public institutions may accept it as proof of photo identity in situations where evidence of a valid permission to stay in Thailand is not required.
4. At places where the entry fee is higher for foreigners than for Thais, an employee or official may mistakenly or good-heartedly charge you the fee applicable for Thais.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Puccini

[elviajero]

Good to get one if you can, but they have little benefit other than ID.

 

You need to apply at your local Amphoe (district office).

[Peterw42]

OP, there are 3-4 threads about pink ID running at the moment so you may not get much response in this one.

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1040906-thai-ids-for-foreigners-and-their-beneifts/?page=9&tab=comments#comment-13059459

Edited June 9, 2018 by Peterw42

[overherebc]

A couple of my friends got them a while ago and both agree the biggest benefit is when they open their wallets now they have 3 cards on each side so the wallet looks balanced.

[ubonjoe]

Some people write they are very useful and others that they have not found any use for them. It seems to be just a matter of opinion.

[rimmae2]

I always use the card for checking in for domestic flights, checking in at hotels in Thailand and as ID when going to the bank (which is very rare now that Banking can be done on mobile phone). I have never had any problems using the card for above and other purposes. 

Considering that it took about 15 minutes to obtain the card and above benefits, I think it is useful.

 

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Some people write they are very useful and others that they have not found any use for them. It seems to be just a matter of opinion.

Weren't they really meant to be for workers from neighbouring countries who were registered legally to work in Thailand and I believe there is a rule somewhere saying the holder must report if he/she leaves the registered area and moves to another area?

Quite a few expats around my way got them because they were told/believed it was a short cut to residency status and some paid 'lawyers' 5000 baht for them.

[Damrongsak]

I had one back in 1977 when I worked at the Land Development Dept. as a Peace Corps volunteer.  Never carried a passport.

[Big Guns]

Its better to hsve the blue Thai National ID card like I have. You have to get Thai citizenship first though.

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, overherebc said:

Weren't they really meant to be for workers from neighbouring countries who were registered legally to work in Thailand and I believe there is a rule somewhere saying the holder must report if he/she leaves the registered area and moves to another area?

They were first issued to stateless people. They have only been issued to migrant workers for the last few years. The registration act of 2OO8 allows them to be issued to anybody that qualifies.

For stateless people there is a restriction on their movement. For others there is none.

10 hours ago, overherebc said:

Quite a few expats around my way got them because they were told/believed it was a short cut to residency status and some paid 'lawyers' 5000 baht for them.

The were conned and fell for it.

[asiaexpat]

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Some people write they are very useful and others that they have not found any use for them. It seems to be just a matter of opinion.

Must be a matter of location also. On recent trip through Isaan I attempted to use my Pink Card to check in to hotels and car rental, was refused, passport required. However in Chiang Rai I got Thai prices at several attraction using it. In Bangkok my Pink ID is not accepted by any bank or government office. 

[Boon Mee]

Chief benefit is the Thai price on National Park fees.

Side benefits are you don't need to lug your Yellow Book around. 

Also, registering at hotels is even faster and easier than using your Thai Driver's License. 

[NE1]

I've never been to a hotel in Thailand that hasn't wanted to see my passport.

[fifelad55]

13 minutes ago, NE1 said:

I've never been to a hotel in Thailand that hasn't wanted to see my passport.

I've stayed at several hotels using my Thai driving licence as ID without a problem

 

Alan

[watcharacters]

5 hours ago, Big Guns said:

Its better to hsve the blue Thai National ID card like I have. You have to get Thai citizenship first though.

 

 

What benefits have you derived from "the blue Thai National ID card"?

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

What benefits have you derived from "the blue Thai National ID card"?

All the benefits that all Thai citizens have that you don't have.

[thurien]

17 hours ago, rimmae2 said:

I always use the card for checking in for domestic flights, checking in at hotels in Thailand and as ID when going to the bank (which is very rare now that Banking can be done on mobile phone). I have never had any problems using the card for above and other purposes. 

Considering that it took about 15 minutes to obtain the card and above benefits, I think it is useful.

 

same for me - positive. The non-plus-ultra would be a magnetic strip or else to the card to make it machine- readable

[Jeffrey346]

Last week I went for my 3 month Cardiology checkup. My bill is paid by the Government. I was told that I now need the Pink ID Card or will have to pay full rate next time.

My bill is B22,000 and I pay B280.  Guess I need to get the card.

[elviajero]

4 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Last week I went for my 3 month Cardiology checkup. My bill is paid by the Government. I was told that I now need the Pink ID Card or will have to pay full rate next time.

My bill is B22,000 and I pay B280.  Guess I need to get the card.

Why? The ID card doesn't change your immigration or residency status, or your nationality.

[Preacher]

28 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Last week I went for my 3 month Cardiology checkup. My bill is paid by the Government. I was told that I now need the Pink ID Card or will have to pay full rate next time.

My bill is B22,000 and I pay B280.  Guess I need to get the card.

Since last month people have to show their ID-card for free healthcare. Not sure if you are under the Thai Civil Servant healthcare scheme. If so, if you are registered with them under your Thai ID-number you should use that. If you are are not registered under that you should have a B00000000XXXX number. That is the number you provide them and then it is business as usual. 

[PunkRockerGuy]

2 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Last week I went for my 3 month Cardiology checkup. My bill is paid by the Government. I was told that I now need the Pink ID Card or will have to pay full rate next time.

My bill is B22,000 and I pay B280.  Guess I need to get the card.

Doesn't make any sense to me and certainly NOT my experience.  Due to a near-fatal Ninja Z-14R crash through a rebarred concrete wall 5-years ago that put me in an almost month-long coma and 14-16 surgeries after that so that I could gradually relearn to walk again from 2013-2016, I have to go to Ramathibodi Hospital every 2 months to see 3 different specialists and I had some experimental surgery and therapy done to my broken and dislocated right shoulder left without any soft tissue, and my Ortho doc at Kasemard (which is my SS Hospital of record) referred me to his professor surgeon at Rama when he told me he could not fix my left leg shattered tibia so that I would walk normally.  From that ONE doctor at Rama, he referred me to the other specialists in other departments, etc.  All bills get sent to Kasemrad, although I do see the totals of what it would have cost me.  I pay nothing for my meds/prescriptions but would run me 100,000 - 175,000 baht/2 months if I paid privately and there is no private insurance plan here or even worse, my home country (US) that would cover those prescriptions + doctor's fees.  Upon receiving an appointment slip from Rama, I scan it and send it to Kasemard Transfer Dept., and they advise Rama (or whatever hospital I need to be referred to) that Thai Social Security is footing the bill.  I only need to show my passport as ID at a hospital I am referred to.  At Kasemrad, I show them my Thai SS Card.  Was just there on Thursday with an ear infection from an injury.  Gave me Augmentin, Antihistamines, Pseudoephedrine, and antibiotic ear drops.  I paid nothing at the pharmacy or anywhere in the hospital.  Easily would have cost me $200 for the doctor and $150+ in the US.  Simply outrageous what the Republicans have done to the US healthcare system over the years, and I used to be a Republican when I was in my 20's.  

 

I had just been to Ramathibodi earlier in the morning for about a 30-minute visit with the doctor and what would have been 34,xxx baht of prescriptions.  The meds are new and my guess is they would cost around $2,500 if I paid for 1-months worth plus 2 refills, which is what this doctor gave to me.   Again, I paid nothing for the visitor or the meds.  All billed to Kasemrad.  

 

Just the other day, I received a statement from Social Security in Thailand telling me how much I could collect if I decided to stop paying 650 baht/month into the private fund of Thailand SSA and although I could no longer benefit from the National Healthcare, I could basically get back all the taxes I have paid since I have been paying taxes in Thailand.  It was a decent chunk of money/baht. 

 

My wife was the one who asked around about me keeping my NSA benefits when I changed my visa from Non-B to Non-O Retirement and was given good and easy to follow information about how to transfer over to the private fund but obtain benefits from the national fund.  

 

My wife was a godsend gift to me.  Came from a super poor family of farmers and has stories of doing homework by candlelight, since her village had no electricity in Lopburi.  Her parents taught the 3 children to work hard, while still in school have jobs to pay for university and they all have undergraduate and Master's Degrees.  The parents are hard workers and now have the biggest and nicest house in that Amphur of Lopburi and all 3 kids are successful.  My wife owns 4 companies in Thailand, most of them working with Japanese companies (where my expertise comes in, I guess) and DOES NOT send money to her parents, etc.  Doesn't care about fancy clothes and useless gold/diamond jewelry, etc.  We moved from Bkk to Lopburi to have a more relaxed lifestyle but we can still run our companies and I work for a few Charity Foundations pro bono here, and we built a custom house on 2 rai of beautiful land facing the mountains, and love our 2 dogs.  

 

Life in Thailand can be quite good if you do it right. ?

[sjbrownderby]

3 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Last week I went for my 3 month Cardiology checkup. My bill is paid by the Government. I was told that I now need the Pink ID Card or will have to pay full rate next time.

My bill is B22,000 and I pay B280.  Guess I need to get the card.

It seems that the healthcare database is now centralised meaning that separate registration cards are no longer accepted  or required at hospitals. Last year when I registered at Suranaree University Hospital I was not issued with a card as at other hospitals but I was told to use my pink ID card should I seek medical treatment there. Of course, not everyone will benefit in this way but it is one way that the pink card has become more useful, to me anyway.

[a6patch]

8 hours ago, NE1 said:

I've never been to a hotel in Thailand that hasn't wanted to see my passport.

Of course they ask for a passport, that’s what 99% of foreigners have. But if you hand them a Thai driver license or a pink ID card, it works just fine. 

[lungbing]

Except it has not got your arrival card number on it.

[PunkRockerGuy]

14 hours ago, Big Guns said:

Its better to hsve the blue Thai National ID card like I have. You have to get Thai citizenship first though.

Depends upon who you know. TIT.

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, a6patch said:

Of course they ask for a passport, that’s what 99% of foreigners have. But if you hand them a Thai driver license or a pink ID card, it works just fine. 

 

This means that the hotel either does not notify immigration of your arrival or transmits to immigration only part of the information required by the apposite form.

[Russell17au]

1 hour ago, Maestro said:

 

This means that the hotel either does not notify immigration of your arrival or transmits to immigration only part of the information required by the apposite form.

Maybe hotels don't use the same TM30 form to notify immigration maybe they use a different form because of the number of foreign hotel guests each day. The information that goes on page 1 can be obtained from a Thai drivers license or a Pink ID card. It cannot be obtained from your passport because your passport does not have your address written in it. That information you normally write on the hotel check in slip

[Damrongsak]

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

For stateless people there is a restriction on their movement. For others there is none.

My MIL was one.  Restricted to Nong Khai.  Moved to Loei.  After many brown envelopes over the years, she was finally picked up and spent quite a bit of time in an internment camp circa 1981. She probably came into Thailand in the early 1950's.  They didn't/don't like Vietnamese.

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Russell17au said:

Maybe hotels don't use the same TM30 form to notify immigration maybe they use a different form because of the number of foreign hotel guests each day.

 

Hotels do the notification of the arrival of foreigners online.