rwilem

Yep, one might/might not receive the '90-day due date approaching' email. Mostly they come in, but really a roll of the dice, and don't forget to check the spam folder. On the six days prior to the report deadline date, that was changed at least more than a year ago I believe to allow online submissions of the report up to the due date itself. BUT, with the length of time frames from the submission to the notice of approval from the CW office, I've found it best not to delay much. Yes, they seem to have corrected, or improved on the longer turnarounds, in recent months. Still, I submit it online 14 days prior to the due date. (Yep, turning it into an almost 75-day report, ha!) Gives enough time for a second, even a third time to submit online, as my experience is that rejections get back to you quicker than approvals. Some folks are reporting lately very short turnarounds from CW, which is good to hear. Still, my most recent approvals were 5-6 days. Lessons: Don't depend on the email, and earlier is better for submitting online at CW.

The online system with its stops and stutters at least seemed not to have the above issue. Just wondering, would the elimination of the required TM 6 card upon arrival at airports a few years back have anything to do with Immigration offices tracking or logging of entry dates? The TM 6 was nixed, then there were a couple of modifications in the online form, including arrival card number and flight info not being requested. (And then there was an overhaul during which the system was down several days, who knows what they were trying to do.) Immigration offices across the kingdom seem to have an issue about knowing or being updated on 'entry dates', and thus tracking when a fresh 90-day cycle should be coming into effect. Maybe enough of these piled up to a degree that now they want you to come in for your first 90-dayer after a trip abroad. Not a good development.

Update, I went to the Thai Postmart link for buying the Back Pass envelope, see if I could get it. On mobile, Android. Page is in Thai, but hit the 'auto translate' to English bar at bottom, I think that's a default google feature. OK, I'm in business, register, go to filling in the address to complete the purchase. Oh no, all the locales in the three drop down menus for city and districts show up in Thai. Well, struggled with it a bit, and back to the main page, and in the upper left, hit the menu bar and was able to locate a language 'EN' button. I missed that, didn't try to start looking there as I just went with default web translation feature that was working well. Issue solved, re-do the address, drop downs show the names in English. (Bangkok right on top of the city/province one.) U.S. credit card payment sailed through, and immediately received the payment confirmation email. Good to go on this part. (Though I think stopping in at a PO and being able to buy the thing there might have been faster, ha!)

This. And procedures have been changing over the past year, so unless you've done it in the past 6-8 months your experience is pretty much out-of-date. I mentioned earlier, once one gets the new passport they tend to 'tune-out' on renewal developments.

Not exactly lower Sukhumvit, but up Soi 23, right side, just near where it intersects with Cowboy, there's a sewing lady. Another one is down Soi 22, turn into the small alley on the corner where Buddy's is, right there on the right side.

Thanks for your detailed report. Lots of comments of course from people who've renewed their U.S. passports in previous years, last year, two years ago or longer, recounting their experiences. All offered in good faith, but kind of out-of-date now. The Embassy has made a few changes in the process, actually keeps making changes, especially in the return-by-post requirement. (That one one came in last August, I believe.) There are some good reports from since that time, including this one, which provide correct up-to-date info. (And understandable, after people get their new passports, not to stay up on what's happening re passport renewals.) What I have not seen and am asking about, has anyone ever tried buying or was able to purchase the Thai Post Courier Pass Back directly at a Post Office? Which would be a rather easy option for some (myself included, ha.)

Thanks. I don't have a real U.S. number, and the 'app- type' U.S. number that I have doesn't accept the 'code-type' or OTP calls. (Unless you upgrade, I think it's $10/month, and then you can receive the code calls. But I don't find and haven't found it necessary to do that.) Still wondering if a guy could just buy it 'over-the-counter' at a post office. Gee, you most likely will go to a PO to send the package, if using the Thai Post EMS. Just buy the Pass Back first, take a photo of the receipt, put the receipt in the package you are sending off by EMS. Should be simple enough, you would think.

May I ask, was your credit card U.S. one or a Thai one? Have seen another report where the Thai Postmart customer's U.S. card was not accepted, so he used a Thai card. Trying to find out if that was a one-off, or their policy is only to accept Thai credit cards. Has anyone used a U.S. card to buy the Courier Pass Bask? Even wondering, has anyone ever purchased a Courier Pass Back directly from a post office?

Seems just about all things regarding dates and immigration matters count the date listed (e.g., entry date or due date for 90-dayer) as 'day 1'. Thus, it's really six days that you have after the 90-day due date. That would make May 17th the deadline in your case.

I assume by "people"you mean us the applicants. Yes, I mean us, the people that have deal with it. And that people may differ, that some (how many?) would prefer an automatic 90-day reset at extension time. At least for CW, that doesn't exist, and makes it simple to just think extension and the 90-dayer are separate. And I prefer that myself, though others may differ on that, and that's what I meant, some people might prefer the auto-reset. Seems there is some confusion on it, with different offices handling it as they like. By the way, I have done a 90-day report a few weeks prior to extension time, which meant the next report date, 90 days forward, would have fallen well outside, well past, the permission to stay date of the current extension. No problem, approved. Just sharing the info, but of course, it's always case-by-case.

It's a case-by-case, or office-by-office policy, of whether people get their '90-day calender' reset to 'day one' at extension time. Confusing, yep. Best to find out how one's office plays it. At CW (Bangkok) the time frame of your 90-day report is entirely independent of anything to do with an extension; i.e., there is no reset of the 90 day time frame. Seems clearer that way, keep them separate, you won't have the 'thought my 90 day calendar reset when I did my extension' issue cropping up. But people may differ on that. The key, though, know how one's office handles that, among other items.

Yes, it opened sometime last November, I think. At least from December it was in regular service.

This thread has some informative responses about this dilemma. It started a few years back but has some relatively recent comments.

Yes, it seems beyond the model name, there are 'model-offshoot identifiers' (letters, numbers) that ID a particular phone model. Some of the specs vary from the offshoots by the regions and countries the phone is marketed for. As you describe it must be a factor in how updates are managed as well. Perhaps not a fix for Samsung phones, I don't know, but I read about owners of a Xiaomi phone model (Mi 10T lite) receiving updates after getting into the settings and changing 'phone region', or something to that effect. (Not location.)

Well, that phone is available in the market here. I imagine it's a European-specific offshoot of that model, with some different frequency bands. That's the only thing I can think of that makes it non-certified for here. But who knows? I think I'll drop the thought of buying a phone from Amazon. Too much risk of having a hassle. A earlier post suggested getting in touch with Amazon and have them compel UPS to get the phone shipped back. If that would work, maybe that's the easiest out in this case. Good luck.

Just wondering, I would assume the phone you ordered here is a model not marketed or available for purchase in Thailand? Been looking myself--just yesterday even--at some Moto phones on Amazon that are not sold here. The listings show an 'import duties deposit' in addition to the product price. That implies there should be no problem buying the phone and having it shipped, that everything will be OK. But not so it seems. Kind of a drag, for sure, with a phone stuck in 'customs limbo'. If you don't mind my asking, which Samsung model did you order from Amazon?

Certainly not automated in my case. Submitted to CW last Monday afternoon, waited it out and it was approved today, this Monday afternoon. Noted that approval time was just two minutes shy of matching the submitted time from a week ago. Seven days. Just seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

It can be done at the time of your next extension. You can also go in and have it done before then, either are OK.

Looks like you're in luck, the info is above, you can apply at the embassy. In person. That old passport is gonna come in handy!

I think what you are asking will the new passport and date of issue be closed to the old expiration date?. Not quite....I understand that the new 'issued on' date will not have any connection to the current one's expiration date. Just investigating the time frame of a renewal application and the new 'issued on' date that goes in the passport, and how best to proceed to possibly affect that. I'll be applying for a new one well in advance, just the timing of my annual extension's 'stay until date' and passport's expiration are coming into play next time around.

Good info. I wasn't looking all that closely about the several exceptions to renewal-by-mail, those categories not allowed to. I did see a sentence, highlighted I believe, that in some case the passport could only be acquired in the U.S. But good that the fella above will be able to get it here.

Yep, that seems to the pattern. The 'issued on' date correlates more with the time the package is received by the embassy than the time it's returned to sender. Next Gen style passport, you say. What's next gen about it? Just wonder about that.

Extension date, 'permitted to stay' date, is always Jan. 25. Current passport expires Nov. 13, 2025. Next year's extension, if done on current passport, would change the 'permitted to stay date' to match that passport's expiry date. If I want to just keep the same Jan. 25 'permitted to stay' date, then I will need a new passport, and most likely would apply for the renewal sometime in mid- October, give it a buffer so that I've got the new one by December. Even if I do the renewal later, (November, early December) that's still about a year ahead of the current one's expiration. The issue becomes what's the priority, sticking with a tried-and-true extension time frame, which I'm comfortable with, or getting max use of the current passport? The idea of targeting the new passport's 'issued on' date, a ballpark estimate for that, just doing a challenge, I guess See if I can affect that so that it's close to what I've got now. Since I'm gonna get one anyways. Just keep things close to the same, if possible

Look, on the website you're asked a few questions to determine whether one is eligible to renew by mail. If you're 15 years or more outside of a renewal, as is in your case, you are not able to continue with a renewal by mail. What happens? I don't know, didn't pursue it much but it seemed to suggest that in such a case one would be limited to getting a new passport only in the U.S. BUT, take a look, and ask them about it, there is a contact form at that juncture.