Thailand Lets Migrant Workers Register SIMs with Alternative IDs

Even without a passport, thousands of migrant workers in Thailand will soon secure their own phone numbers and cut reliance on middlemen, thanks to the NBTC’s relaxed ID rules and ongoing biometric controls.

Key Updates:

• Travel Document (TD) issued by Cambodia now valid

• Certificate of Identity (CI) from Myanmar accepted

• Pink cards and white cards included

• In-person registration with liveness detection remains mandatory

• Migrants still capped at 3 SIMs per operator

Rural Hubs Get New Access

Thousands of informal workers in border provinces like Mae Sot and Aranyaprathet can now register a SIM without a passport. Before, lacking a passport often pushed them to use someone else’s number or seek unlicensed vendors—practices linked to fraud rings in call centers. By embracing alternative papers, regulators aim to bring these users into the legitimate network while preserving law enforcement’s ability to trace suspicious activity.

Document Options Widen Dramatically

Under the refreshed guidelines, the NBTC now recognises a broader set of IDs for those without Thai nationality or civil registration. Among them are the Cambodian Travel Document (black booklet) and the Myanmar Certificate of Identity, both supplemented by a Thai work permit or a district office letter. Migrants holding a บัตรชมพู (pink card) or a บัตรขาว (white card) issued by the Department of Provincial Administration also qualify.

Streamlined Enrollment Steps

All applicants must visit an authorised shop or branch to complete registration. After presenting one of the newly approved documents and supporting Thai government paperwork, the individual undergoes a real-time facial scan that detects mask or photo spoofing. The three-SIM limit per carrier for non-Thai residents is unchanged, and walk-in kiosks remain off the menu to curb bot-based signups.

Operators Brace for Upgrades

Major carriers estimate that pulling an estimated 2 million unregistered or misregistered SIMs onto their platforms could boost revenues, but not without costs. AIS, True and DTAC anticipate spending roughly ฿400–500 million each on biometric cameras, secure storage vaults and staff retraining at over 55,000 retail outlets. Executives see the compliance burden as akin to banking-grade security for a ฿49 prepaid pack.

Data Rights Under Scrutiny

Civil society and digital-rights advocates welcome the move to include stateless persons but warn about the volume of facial data held by private firms. Under Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act 2019, carriers must outline clear retention periods and deletion protocols—yet enforcement remains untested. NGOs also argue that the three-SIM cap may unintentionally hamper migrant entrepreneurship and family communication.

Horizon Scanning

By mid-2026, regulators will review the impact of these changes and decide whether to extend similar flexibilities to Lao or Vietnamese documentation. For now, the NBTC insists the balance is right: broader connectivity for a vital workforce, paired with tighter safeguards against cybercrime.