rwilem

Start all over again, from the beginning.

Right, they're all new, get an 'issued on' date, it expires ten years from that date. New numbers, new dates, you get a brand new you.

Yes, people get both passports back, the old passport usually has a hole punched through it, denoting it's no longer valid. In your case, your U.S. passport has now been expired for 20 years, if you last got one 30 years ago. I think you're going to have to start from scratch. BUT, check with the embassy, there is a contact form for passport-related issues.

Well, if I don't renew about a year ahead, for my next extension with immigration the permission to stay date will be shortened to the time the passport expires. And that date will become the new 'permitted to stay until' for subsequent extensions. So do I want to stay on the same long-held extension/OK stay until date? If yes, gotta get the new passport a year before it would expire.

Wow...one month after you sent it in, 'issued on'. Yeah, like those box of chocolates, I guess. Never know what you're gonna get.

Just a little over three weeks, and at the holidays no less, that's a good result! And a little over a week from when the embassy received it to an 'issued on' date. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the info. Seems like the passport issue date would be not that long from the time the renewal app gets received by the embassy. And yep, it's no race, the thing is staying on top of all the steps. One thing to consider about passport renewal timing is how you can affect the annual extension 'drop dead' date. Getting an extension on a 'lame duck' passport is going to change your long-held permission to stay date, shortened to the time the passport expires. (Day of, or day before, I'm not sure but close enough.) And then on a new passport you'd be dealing with immigration for your annual extension in a new time frame. Kind of playing with both scenarios now, even though just keeping it the same is easy enough.

Actually, with the variation in how long the process takes for the passport to be returned it's more or less a crap shoot, I suppose. Just gonna have to accept new 'issued on' and 'expires' dates. Hopeful they're not too far off from my 'target', haha.

For those U.S. folks doing the renewal-by-mail of their passports, just wondering about the 'issued on' date in the new passport, relative to when they actually have the new passport in hand The idea being Is there any pattern one can figure out, in relation to the new 'issued on' date (which also correlates to the expiry date), and the date/time frame the new passport has been received? Being as I'll do the renewal a year before the current one expires, I'd like for the new one's 'issued on' date (day/month) to be near the current one's. Just for convenience sake, really, and keep all these 'official date patterns' (PP, extension, licenses, etc.) the same, or near same, if possible. The passport renewal, all the changes from the embassy, etc., have been discussed ad nauseam. And with the varying time frames from submitting the renewal to getting the passports back (anywhere from 3-6 weeks it seems from recent reports) maybe there's no way to target an 'issued on' date. In the past, renewing passports at the embassy was rather simple, compared to the process in place now. Did it twice, and I'd pickup up the new passport which had an 'issued on' date just a few days prior to my pickup. Just wonder if those getting their new passports have picked up any 'lag time' from the 'issued on' date to getting the new puppy back.

I have not done the renewal, but need to in the near term so I've been following the topic. Monitoring the reports here the embassy has made changes in the process in the last 4-6 months or so, a key one regarding the requirements for the return envelope. Anyway, If from the embassy's website one sees a requirement is listed, best to go ahead and meet it. The renewal process has gotten a bit more drawn out. And the time to get the passports back has increased, maybe close to doubled. Folks in the earlier part of last year were reporting getting them back in under three weeks. That seems over now.

It's running, can confirm from a visit out there in early December. But I assume it's mostly for the benefit of employees, so its frequency might reflect that? Meaning more trips in the AM and later afternoon, when people are arriving to/leaving work, as opposed to mid-day. Just a guess. Did not get out there using the Pink Line in combo with the Green Line. But I returned that way, and even if it may be convenient the time it would take to get there, what with transferring and waiting for trains, is going to be longer than just taking road transpo from your favorite BTS or other station. Just an initial reaction. Nice to take it back, though, when time is not of the essence. Also, as of that time the Gov't Complex station could only be accessed from the opposite side of the street, after coming out from Soi 7, although the exit/entrance on the same side looked to be nearing completion.

Did my extension based on retirement a few weeks back, and a few weeks before that had made an appointment. The L1-35 desk is where the appointment notice directed me to appear. After the IO finished with the applicant who was at the desk, I was asked to go to that front L1 desk (27, is it?) for a 'document check'. OK, did that and returned to L1-35 and waited again while another applicant was being served. Tip: May as well get the 'documents check' done first before you appear/hang out at the front of the L1-35 desk.

OK, the site is back online in time to report the following. Submitted the 90-day report online to CW on Nov. 20. It was approved Nov. 22, a two-day turnaround. A pleasant surprise given the recent issues. Then I cancelled a 'just-in-case' online appointment for it I'd made, in the event it remained in 'pending limbo' into the grace period past the due date.

The system's broken. Maybe not that it's inoperable, but they way it's handled at CW, whatever the protocol the office uses to review submissions, ii's not working. Shortage of staff, who knows? But fixing it at CW doesn't seem to be much of a priortiy. Same thing as reported by others, when I mentioned the (still) pending status of my online submission when I finally went to do it in person, the IO was non-plussed. Just a wave of the hand, an a tired "It's not working,"

Yes, and if you want to do it online with the CW office, right now it's best to submit on the the first day you are allowed to, 15 days ahead of the due date. Things seem to have fallen by the wayside at CW for online 90 day reporting about a month, six weeks ago, after a couple of extended holidays. Anyway, submit 15 days ahead of the due date. That gives you about 20 days, which seems to be needed currently, to wait for approval before crunch time when you would have to get out there to do it in person. Wonder when, or even if, the system will get itself righted at some point. Stay tuned.

Just a thought, here. The last two extensions I've updated the bankbook at a bank branch next to the BTS station in town from where I start the journey out to CW. It's a good working MO for me. At the complex I just make a beeline to the copy shops and get my final copies made, then head over to Immigration. Skip having to do anything with the bank branch out there. (I get the the account balance letter the day before at a brach in town.)

Absolutely, let sleeping TM-6s lie, right where they are. I'll keep it stapled in the passport, just fine and dandy, and handy for who knows whatever. Thanks for your report, and the in-one-place links to the four extra documents!

I thought the Mae Sai-Tachikek border was open, but it seems it has been closed recently? Which is a drag for border runners up that way.

Just out of curiosity, I checked Lazada. The Note 12 G96 phone, 8GB/128GB model, is selling for 5000 baht. Infinix Thailand store, a LazMall seller. (I have no financial interest in the product, ha!)

I got an Infinix Note 11s about a year-and-a-half ago, for a good price (8 GB/128 GB, 6000 baht) on Lazada. Pretty popular item selling well at that time. Good phone, initial impression was good and that continued. And the phone looks great, too. XOS is not a bad skin, can just ignore/turn off some extras. The Note 12 series is out now, running at about the same cost or less, and as another post above noted the Zero 5G is out as well. Infinix may be flying under the radar but the phones are good, and are pretty good value in my opinion. I'm a satisfied customer. Oh, and I have not experienced overheating when charging. The recent models have fast-charging, and the battery drains at a slow rate, at least that's my experience with the Note 11s.

A 'block' can also be used in place of the word 'street' or 'avenue'. In the case above, the meaning might be, 'two streets away'. Distance not implied, rather proximity to the office.

Did you guys do the 'check status' of your accepted submission on the website? Sometimes the email telling one of its approval does not get sent (or ends up in the junk folder.) Do a 'check status'; you'll see whether it's still pending, or if it's been approved/rejected.

You did end up re-submitting and getting it approved, I take it? Even without the 'required' mark on the field, best to fill it in, it's kind of the key piece of info on one's status.

Yes, it's easy to do both, get the extension and then the re-entry permit the same day using the appointment system. This is at CW. Good rule of thumb is to make the re-entry appointment about an hour fifteen minutes after the extension appointnent. (Re-entry appointments are offered 15 minutes apart from each other.) Even if you get to the re-entry booth later than your appointed time---which I did one year when it took 50 minutes (a record!) for my passport to be returned to me at the extension section--with my appointnent booking in hand the re-entry staff just waved me in.

Pretty good flash price there, looks to be a great deal for that phone. Very popular model, selling well.