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PSA: My SIM card fight in Bangkok took 4 days and a fake address
I landed ready to work, needing a local number for bank codes. The airport kiosk sold me a tourist SIM that blocked business apps. The main AIS store said my passport visa wasn't enough, they needed a local address proof. I spent a whole day trying to use my hotel's address, but they wanted a utility bill or rental contract. A guy at a cafe told me to just make one up, so I did. I went to a smaller shop the next day, gave them the fake address, and it finally worked after showing my passport three times. Four full days of my trip gone just to get a phone line. Has anyone else had to lie to get basic services while moving around?
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alice8175mo ago
Was it one of those big pink AIS stores or a smaller one? I had a friend try to get a SIM near Khaosan Road last year and they made him go to THREE different shops because his passport photo page had a tiny crease in it. The whole system seems designed to make you give up. Honestly, after the second day I would have just bought a cheap phone with a number already in it from a market stall.
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the_spencer5mo ago
Heard they're super strict about passport condition lately.
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max_schmidt774mo ago
Did they really deny you over just a crease or was there something else wrong with it?
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wood.jana5mo ago
God, @alice817, that story about the passport crease is so real. The whole thing feels like a test of your willpower. Tried to get a SIM at a small booth in a mall once and the guy just kept shaking his head at my papers, wouldn't even tell me what was wrong. Ended up walking to one of the airport counters in the city center out of pure spite. Your friend's idea about the cheap market phone starts sounding better every minute you waste on it.
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