Interesting that at 2 min 15 secs, visitors are advised to image their passports and visas onto their phones. This seems to be good enough instead of having to carry passports with us all the time. Not sure where this "advice" comes from or whether it's authoritative.

 

19 minutes ago, macaroni21 said:

 Not sure where this "advice" comes from or whether it's authoritative.

 

I saw a video of a vlogger the other day and he didn't have his pasport with him while riding a mother bike. When he went to the police station they told him to always have a copy of his pasport including visa page or photos of it on his phone.

I get vicarious embarrassment watching this guy.

Also a photocopy of your passport's main page and visa page is almost always acceptable.  Of course you can carry your actual passport, but most people don't want to do that.  Still, technically by law you must always have your passport on your person.

I would say the risk of being checked at all as long as you are in whatever venue during legal operating hours, the odds are you won't be checked. 

It is your responsibility to know the legal opening and closing hours.  Keep yourself within legal limits and you should be fine.

Indeed, by the time the bars are supposed to close, I should be in bed, either slumbering or enjoying the company of someone. I am no party animal.

On 11/21/2022 at 8:51 PM, Gaybutton said:

It is your responsibility to know the legal opening and closing hours.

I thought the clubs that stay open after closing time are allowed to do so because they pay off the police?

Also, does anyone know what happened to that lawmaker's proposal to move closing time to 4am in certain nightlife districts?

Paying off the police doesn't make the extra hours legal.

8 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

Paying off the police doesn't make the extra hours legal.

Agreed, but isn’t it supposed to keep them away or phone ahead of a visit?

If not, what are bars “paying” for? 

1 hour ago, gerefan said:

Agreed, but isn’t it supposed to keep them away or phone ahead of a visit?

If not, what are bars “paying” for? 

With the activity of police in Jomtien Complex the last few days, a fair few bar owners seem to be asking the same questions. Just as they are getting back on their feet after 2 years off bullshit, the police want to kick them in the nuts 1 more time. 

20 hours ago, BiggusDikkus said:

I thought the clubs that stay open after closing time are allowed to do so because they pay off the police?

I doubt that, although there is still no shortage of corruption.  But even if that is true, apparently they're not paying enough to the right people because these raids are happening and people, including farang, are getting arrested.  That is in Pattaya.  I don't know about elsewhere in Thailand.

As for extending the opening hours, that is still in the proposal stage.  As of the time of this post, nothing has been decided.

In any case, if a bar is open during illegal hours, the customers - even farang customers - get arrested too. 

The police have been going around checking farang passports too.  Make sure you have a good copy of the main page and latest visa page with you or good photos of those on your smartphone.

I don't know the consequences if farang get caught up in any of these raids or passport checks.  My guess is that's at the whim of whoever is in charge.  I, for one, do not intend to find out the answer the hard way.  I don't want to end up on a police or immigration shit list, no matter how minor it may be.

I think the safest thing to do is, if you want to continue a good time beyond legal closing hours, take off a boy or two - or three - and continue in your hotel room or a short time room somewhere.  Neither of those have closing hours - and no restrictions on what they're wearing either.  Come to think of it, while it may be more expensive, that might beat hell out of sitting around in a bar in the first place . . .