sandyf

Or as some would say,"starting all over again" In Sept I decided to return to the UK for passport renewal rather than here in Thailand and when I attended the appointment I was a bit surprised to be told the old passport would be returned 10-14 days after the new passport.This would have been after my return flightso I applied for e-visa,no problem there, got it in 48 hours and then my old passport turned up the day after the visa. Although I had an extension and re-entry permit in the interests of simplicity I decided to return on the e-visa and deal with any fallout later. This morning I went to immigrationt to do marriage extension a little bit unsure of what may arise. I handed over both passports and she immediately handed the old one back, not interested. Looked in the new passport and asked where was the visa and I said in the docs, ok. About 15 minutes to go through the docs, sign the bits of paper, pay the fee and take a seat. Another 10 minutes to get passport back with under consideration stamp, all in all a lot quicker and easier than previous renewals. I had a TM30 in my old passport dated 2015 and had moved that to the new passport, IO looked at it and never batted an eyelid. I checked on 90 day and she said not required, said will get new date when return for 12 month stamp. My wife was given a phone number to arrange the home visit and a phone number was put in passport to check for approval before returning. All very efficient, but obviously a subjective office variable. The only niggle was that proceedings in the office effectively came to a standstill for about half an hour as a company dropped off about 50 Christmas hampers for the immigration staff.

I would think it is when pushing up daisies.

Nothing like changing the context, My comment was about availability and the links you posted do not relate to availability. All very simple,if you cannot book an appointment, you cannot use the service.

It is not that black and white, everything that passes through VFS has something to do with VFS. I have had to threaten VFS with the embassy on more than one occasion to get a positive outcome. They will push the boundaries and some will accept what is said. As far as passport renewal is concerned when I did my previous renewal I didn't see any need for a countersignature and the girl looked at the photo several times before calling a manager who gave it the nod. As you are aware I didn't take any chances with the VFS arrangement this last time and went back to the UK. At the end of the day if VFS refuse to accept the application for whatever reason, it is a problem you have to resolve one way or another.

When I left the country a couple of months ago by air I had a TM6 in my passport. He removed it, stamped it and put it in a tray. The OP should just hand over both passports, as they will want to see an entry stamp and permission to stay. They may say something but not going to deny exit.

He would have to attend unless the photo had been countersigned. If no countersignature the VFS staff have to confirm appearance has not changed.

As said, better off flying and I would suggest getting an e-visa for Cambodia rather than risking a long wait at the VOA desk. I was quite lucky, one of the first off the a/c but by the time I got my passport back there was quite a queue. Stay in Siem Reap and get tuk tuk early morning, by mid morning quite a queue waiting to get in. It is an exhausting day at Ankor so do not waste energy on the journey.

Obvious the point was over your head, my apologies.

The links mean nothing, have always been the same. When I went to book appointment a few weeks ago there was a message that the service had been suspended, and it was still that way very recently. Just checked again and there are appointments showing at some offices so looks like it is coming back online. https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/urgent/online-premium?

I did this for a few years and you need to be a bit careful about people who have never done it and repeating what they think they read elsewhere. A lot will depend on the office you use but basically you need to show a transfer into the account once every month for 12 months, try and avoid transfers close together such as end of one month and start of another. You need to be able to prove the source of the funds, whether they ask for it can be a variable, my office always did. I never had a problem with the source but it is seen as an "income" method and I believe that includes unearned income, but could be another variable as in some situations unearned income can be a bit complicated. When it comes to immigration simplicity can be major factor. For me it was fairly straightforward although a bit tedious. I use HSBC and when I did a transfer a remittance advice was posted to my account and I just printed them off and attach them to a 12 month statement from the Thai bank. I have seen immigration go through and check them off against the statement. I believe that Wise, no longer called Transferwise, will also supply remittance advice if required. Some will go on about codes in bankbooks but in all the time I did income method immigration never asked to see the bankbook, annotations on statements are a bit different to bankbooks and with the income method the 12 month statement is the key document. Your Thai bank can be anywhere as you can get the bank account confirmation letter and the statement from any branch. I am going to immigration on Wed and will pick up the necessary docs from a branch near immigration. I use TTB and can get a 12 month statement over the counter, have heard of some banks requiring 7 days notice. You are right to come to Thailand on a Non O visa, should be a bit easier to open the account. Good luck.

A couple of years ago I went to Siem Reap and did VOA, fairly sure I saw people with e-visa going straight to IO but not definitive. I tried to point out how one person can say they got a sticker with e-visa where another may not. Where there is conflicting information you need something else to establish probability. The whole idea of the e-visa was to reduce queues at VOA desks.ie the "sticker" desk. I spent 6 years going in and out of Cambodia every 90 days, filled my passport in 3 years. Oh to have had the e-visa option,would have saved me a great deal of grief.

I would be very surprised if that were the case, neither Lao or Vietnam do that. You have to be a bit careful over what people post as it may not be what should have happened. A few years ago I went with a visiting friend to Vietnam and as he was on an Irish passport I got him an e-visa. When we arrived at the IO desks he went first and the IO sent him to another office. I looked over and it was VOA office so I said to him go straight to the front of the queue and just hand over the e-visa. He did that, the guy just put a stamp on the back of the e-visa, went back to the same IO desk and got straight through. Was told he must keep the e-visa in his passport. Had my friend joined the queue and handed over his passport like everyone else, may well have ended up with a sticker.

Quite. I was one of the first to use VFS back in 2014 and after about 10 weeks got the embassy to intervene. Never going to chance it again, but I suspect I have just obtained my last passport.

A few years back we got a lift to the airport and took the Bell Travel bus from there. Bit more than a normal bus but being a 24 seater a lot more comfortable. Think they also do direct coach(RRC) from Pattaya to HH but only once a day.

No, your visa expired when you entered the country, not invalid, and you were granted visa status based on that visa. You then extended that visa status for a 12 month period, you now wish to change that visa status from Non O retirement to Non O marriage and extend the new status for 12 months. People planning to enter Thailand require a visa, or visa waiver, and that is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once inside Thailand, visa status is managed by the Ministry of the Interior.

I think you were a bit hasty on calling the rumour BS. The cruise ship that docked there didn't have an easy time. However your points on the ferry are more than valid, in particular the piers. A couple of years ago we drove over to HH with a friend who was staying in Pattaya and he decided to come back on the ferry. The day before leaving we went looking for the pier whch according to Google was near the centre, only to find it was about 5 miles out of town. Following day we took him out to the ferry before leaving and once there it was ok. He just parked himself in the bar and waited for it to go. Could see it as quite an uncomfortable cab ride and too much hassle for those unfamiliar with local ways.

There is always an argument against offensive comments - your words I believe. "Just pissed she,s out of the loop! "

It was obvious there was little chance of keeping the extension before you posted, but that would have required some understanding of the UK passport system. BTW, there is no 14 week, or even 14 day holiday, I only went for 2 weeks to renew my passport as I am fully aware of how it works here.

The RULES are set by the governing body(BOT), managers interpret how the rules will be applied. Part of an email I received a few years back.

Are you trying to say that people don't need to get an extension at the office of their residence, they should be able to pay under the counter and get it at any office.

The re-entry permit and new passport are not related. It is the old passport that is related to the re-entry permit. When I applied for a new passport at Liverpool in Sept I was told the old passport would be returned 7-10 days after the new passport. It actually came 2 days after the new passport but not something that could be relied upon.

Indeed. A suggestion that also takes away the possibility of extension recovery.

Why is it when when immigration officers do their job, they are at fault. Obviously nothing hypocritical in complaining about corruption and then using it to your advantage.

You missed the point. They do make plans and schemes that work, but never in the eyes of this forum. I think it was back in 2013 when TAT said they would be moving away from western tourists because of the bad behavior, nobody ever mentions that.

I have been back to UK a couple of times in recent years and come back on a new visa. It is not much different doing an extension with a new visa to a renewal. It is very unlikely you can get back to UK and back again before end of the month. The same day service for passport renewal is suspended so the quickest option is the one week service but you have to bear in mind the old passport comes back sometime later. The E-visa can be quite quick but you need the new passport before application and with the holiday could be a challenge.