passport

  • Phuket NewsSyrian woman and Afghan men nabbed in Phuket passport scam

    Syrian woman and Afghan men nabbed in Phuket passport scam

    Phuket International Airport turned into a hotspot for international intrigue on Monday as immigration officers caught three travellers attempting to pass through with forged passports. In the first bust, a 27 year old Syrian woman, whose name was withheld, was apprehended trying to enter Thailand with a fake Italian passport. The arrest occurred in the international arrivals hall at about…

  • Thailand NewsSyrians arrested at Phuket Airport with fake passports

    Syrians arrested at Phuket Airport with fake passports

    In a dramatic bust at Phuket International Airport yesterday, two Syrian men were arrested for attempting to enter Thailand with forged passports. The suspects, Abdulkarim and Mohamad, both aged 23, yesterday, September 30, travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket on Batik Air Malaysia, flight OD540. They presented what appeared to be United Arab Emirates (UAE) passports—but they didn’t fool the sharp-eyed…

  • TravelWhat to do when you lost your passport in Thailand

    What to do when you lost your passport in Thailand

    Losing your passport in Thailand can feel overwhelming, but don’t panic. With the right steps, you can manage the situation smoothly. Here’s a simple guide to help you through the process and get things back on track. 1. Stay calm and gather your info First things first, don’t freak out! Losing your passport can feel like the end of the…

  • Thailand NewsBorderline chaos: Malaysian tourists banned from entering Thailand

    Borderline chaos: Malaysian tourists banned from entering Thailand

    Border drama unfolded yesterday when 39 Malaysian tourists found themselves banned from entering Thailand, thanks to unresolved passport issues, outstanding tax debts, and past criminal records. Kedah Immigration Director Mohd Ridzzuan Mohd Zain spilled the details yesterday, September 16, revealing an array of reasons for the entry denials. “We had 10 cases of damaged passports, torn, waterlogged, missing pages, and…

  • Thailand NewsChinese passport sale billboard in Bangkok raises legal concerns

    Chinese passport sale billboard in Bangkok raises legal concerns

    Police and Thai government officials are investigating a puzzling billboard in Bangkok‘s Huai Kwang district advertising the sale of passports from different countries in Chinese. A Thai Facebook user shared a picture of the billboard with the caption, “This is at Huai Kwang Intersection. I guess it’s about passport sales. You’re committing a crime, obviously. In case you don’t know,…

  • Thailand NewsIndian man glues passport pages to hide Thailand trips from wife

    Indian man glues passport pages to hide Thailand trips from wife

    A 33 year old logistics operator from Satara, India, found himself in hot water at Mumbai International Airport. Immigration officials detained the Indian man just before he could board a flight to Thailand, uncovering his audacious attempt to conceal past trips from his wife. Tushar Pawar’s arrest followed the discovery that he had tampered with 12 pages of his passport, glueing…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s 60-day visa exemption unleashes unlimited entry by land

    Thailand’s 60-day visa exemption unleashes unlimited entry by land

    Three days into Thailand’s 60-day entry visa exemption, a tourist discovered there are no restrictions on the number of entries by land in a calendar year. Tod Daniels, ASEAN NOW‘s visa expert reported that the tourist did two free stamp land entries this year, left Thailand then entered the country again, and got a new 60-day entry with no issues.…

  • Thailand NewsPolice arrest Russian gang leader for sale of counterfeit passports

    Police arrest Russian gang leader for sale of counterfeit passports

    Thai immigration officials apprehended the leader of a Russian gang involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit passports. The operation, which caused damages exceeding 30 million baht, had its manufacturing hub in the Dominican Republic before smuggling the fake documents into Thailand. Today, July 10, the Immigration Bureau held a press conference to announce the arrest of 44 year…

  • Thailand NewsNew automatic passport control tested at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    New automatic passport control tested at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    The new Automatic Channel for passport control at Suvarnabhumi Airport was personally tested by Wisanu Prasarttong-Osoth, chairman of Airports of Thailand (AOT), before its official launch yesterday. This system aims to ease congestion at immigration checkpoints. Wisanu participated in a real-world test of the new automatic passport control system before heading to Malaysia on flight TG415. The new system is…

  • Thailand NewsSyrian nationals detained in Phuket for alleged forged passports

    Syrian nationals detained in Phuket for alleged forged passports

    A trio of Syrian nationals were detained by the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police in Phuket for allegedly carrying forged passports. Law enforcement officials first apprehended a suspect at the Phuket International Airport when he attempted to leave the country using a fraudulent United Arab Emirates passport. Subsequently, two other individuals were taken into custody on the island.…

  • Thailand News2 Chinese men arrested at Bangkok airport for fake Canadian passports

    2 Chinese men arrested at Bangkok airport for fake Canadian passports

    Officers from the Immigration Bureau arrested two Chinese men at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok for attempting to travel to Taiwan on fake Canadian passports. EVA Air check-in staff reported to the immigration police that two Chinese nationals presented their Canadian passports at the counter for the flights to Taipei in Taiwan. According to the flight schedule, the two were…

  • Thailand NewsChaos outside passport office claims lives in Myanmar

    Chaos outside passport office claims lives in Myanmar

    In Myanmar’s Mandalay, a rush for escape turned fatal as two lives were lost in a stampede outside a passport office yesterday. According to an AFP report, the victims, two women aged 52 and 39, succumbed to the overwhelming surge of hundreds clamouring to secure their passage out of the country, amplifying the harrowing toll of Myanmar’s societal upheaval. A…

  • Thailand NewsUS Embassy sets up passport renewal service in Hua Hin

    US Embassy sets up passport renewal service in Hua Hin

    In a bid to make life easier for American citizens in Hua Hin and its environs, the US Embassy’s Citizen Services Unit is bringing its consular outreach programme to the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort on January 25 from 8am to 11am. This exclusive event boasts a trio of services, featuring passport renewals for adults via DS-82 forms, passport issuance for…

  • Thailand NewsThai Consular introduces electronic documents services including e-passports

    Thai Consular introduces electronic documents services including e-passports

    Thailand‘s Department of Consular Affairs has introduced biometric e-passports and AI-powered consular applications. Below is a list of the e-services that the Department of Consular Affairs have launched: E-passports. The star of the show is the e-passport, boasting biometrics galore – facial images, fingerprints, and iris scans, all in line with international standards. E-visa. With an online system already rocking…

  • Thailand NewsPM Srettha seeks extension to visa-free countries list for Thai passport

    PM Srettha seeks extension to visa-free countries list for Thai passport

    Currently boasting entry to 34 nations without a visa, the Thai government is seeking to extend this list for Thai passport holders. In a recent Cabinet meeting, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavasin announced his pursuit of a much more powerful Thai passport that will extend the list of visa-free countries. Applauding recent expansions, including visa-free access to China, Russia, and…

  • Thailand NewsThailand’s national park passports sold out, new supplies expected mid-January

    Thailand’s national park passports sold out, new supplies expected mid-January

    The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation announced that the National Park passports are currently out of stock, with new supplies expected around mid-January. Atthaphon Charoenchansa, the department’s director, revealed that the passports, which are used to record visits to various national parks across the country, are being continuously printed in collaboration with the National Park Association. Originally,…

  • Thailand NewsSuvarnabhumi Airport unveils speed passport checks: No more immigration queues

    Suvarnabhumi Airport unveils speed passport checks: No more immigration queues

    In a move set to transform the travel game, Suvarnabhumi International Airport unveiled an upgrade to its passport control system. In an exclusive revelation, Police Lieutenant General Itthipol Itthisarnronnachai, the visionary commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, disclosed that a groundbreaking shift is underway at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Effective from December 15, the airport will extend its automatic passport channels to include…

  • Crime NewsPassport pretender: Chinese woman’s Phuket Airport arrest sparks legal turbulence

    Passport pretender: Chinese woman’s Phuket Airport arrest sparks legal turbulence

    A Chinese woman was arrested last night for passport fraud at Phuket International Airport. The woman, identified as a 44 year old Chinese national, Jian Qi, attempted to bypass immigration control using a passport that did not belong to her, a crime that could lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht…

  • Visa InformationYour guide to a visa run in Thailand

    Your guide to a visa run in Thailand

    Visa run in Thailand refers to the practice of leaving the country temporarily in order to reset or renew one’s visa or extend their permitted stay in the country. This is often done by foreign tourists, ex-pats, or digital nomads who wish to stay in Thailand for a longer period than their visa or visa exemption allows. Typically, a visa…

  • Thailand NewsPassport rip leaves TikTok creator unable to fly to Thailand

    Passport rip leaves TikTok creator unable to fly to Thailand

    A passport rip left a TikTok creator unable to fly to Thailand. Arabella Leat’s holiday plans to Thailand with her mum were ruined due to the small rip on her passport, the UK tabloid Daily Star reported. The young woman was left disappointed and unable to board her flight after airport staff deemed her passport unfit for travel. Arabella posted a TikTok…

  • Visa InformationOverstay crackdown uses facial recognition tech

    Overstay crackdown uses facial recognition tech

    Immigration offices around the country have been cracking down on foreigners overstaying their stamps or visas. A ten-day campaign from December 1 to December 10 is aggressively seeking out tourists who have remained in the kingdom long past the date stamped in their passports. And some provinces are using some creepy Big Brother technology to do it. In Surat Thani,…

  • ExpatsPayPal to lock out Thai users at end of month

    PayPal to lock out Thai users at end of month

    Most PayPal users in Thailand will be locked out of the service next month unless they jump through a series of complex and quite silly hoops that are intelligible only to Thai citizens. After a year of nothing but statements, PayPal told customers this morning that they cannot use the service after December 15 unless they take “certain actions” that,…

  • Hot NewsFormer Miss Grand Myanmar denied entry to Thailand, not arrested

    Former Miss Grand Myanmar denied entry to Thailand, not arrested

    In an update to a previous story, Miss Grand Myanmar 2020 was not arrested but was denied entrance to Thailand after returning from Vietnam. Previously, it was reported that she was arrested by the Royal Thai Police but authorities are now saying she was not arrested, only denied entry based on irregularities in her passport. Han Lay, the 23-year-old beauty…

  • Tourism NewsSaturday passport offices in Bangkok see a huge demand

    Saturday passport offices in Bangkok see a huge demand

    The Covid-19 pandemic is winding down, or at least the travel restrictions that came with it are, and for Thai people, this means it’s time to get the heck out of the country, according to passport office statistics this weekend. Two Bangkok-area passport offices were open on Saturday and reported a huge demand for processing passports on the weekend. As…

  • World NewsBurmese authorities confiscate OnlyFans star’s passport, cancels trip to Bangkok

    Burmese authorities confiscate OnlyFans star’s passport, cancels trip to Bangkok

    A Burmese woman said she lost her job as a doctor for posing in bikini photos online, and has now had her right to travel taken away by Burmese authorities. Yangon Passport Office reportedly confiscated the OnlyFans star’s documents, causing her to cancel her planned trip to Bangkok. The 33 year old OnlyFans star Nang Mwe San qualified as a…

  • Thailand NewsCertificates of vaccination can now be submitted through Mor Prom app from today

    Certificates of vaccination can now be submitted through Mor Prom app from today

    From today, those who have been fully vaccinated can now submit an application through the Mor Prom mobile app to receive a certificate of vaccination online. The move by the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute was made to help reduce long queue lines over applying for the certificates. The institute’s director, Kitpong Sunchatawirul, says the previous time-consuming lines were not ideal, so the institute decided to…

  • Tourism NewsWorld’s most travel-friendly passport list – 2021

    World’s most travel-friendly passport list – 2021

    The Henley Passport Index, which rates which passports are the most travel-friendly, has just released the list for 2021, with Japan once again at the top of the list. But the Index noted that this year’s international travel freedom comparison is mostly theoretical as the current Covid-19 situation continues to limit most international travel. With a Japanese passport, travellers can…

  • Phuket NewsForeigners seeking 60 day tourist visa extensions crowd Phuket Immigration

    Foreigners seeking 60 day tourist visa extensions crowd Phuket Immigration

    Many foreigners seeking to extend what some are calling the “Covid visa” crowded Phuket Immigration this morning. The queue stretched from the second floor, out the door and down the stairs at the front of the building. One man told the Phuket News that many were waiting to file a 60 day tourist visa extension. The visa extensions are intended…

  • Covid-19 NewsWorld Tourism hotspots re-opening – success or failure? | VIDEO

    World Tourism hotspots re-opening – success or failure? | VIDEO

    The world of tourism has been turned upside down, not just in Thailand but around the world. Globally, it’s certainly the hardest hit industry from the coronavirus pandemic, shutting down hotels, tour companies, grounding aeroplanes and putting millions out of work. Before we look at the latest situation, and predictions for Thailand, let’s take a quick tour of some of…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | Thai surrogacy ring, vaccine-passport | February 8

    Thailand News Today | Thai surrogacy ring, vaccine-passport | February 8

    An alleged illegal transnational surrogacy ring, posing as a cleaning company, has busted by Thailand’s cybercrime police after surrogate mothers were unable to deliver the children to buyers overseas due to the current travel restrictions. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau raided 10 locations suspected of being involved in the underground transnational surrogacy network, arresting 3 alleged agents and…