OJAS

Yes, see Article 19: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80bddc40f0b623026953eb/uk-thailand-dtc180281_-_in_force.pdf

Are you referring specifically to the likes of UK government occupational pensions (as distinct from the State Pension) which are solely taxable in the UK by HMRC under the UK/Thailand DTA - and are, hence, not deemed to be assessable income for TRD taxation purposes? If so, then what purpose would be served by being upfront about any remitted non-assessable income in TRD returns? Why would the TRD need to know about such income in any case? That said, if one were to receive a request out of the blue from the TRD for details of any non-assessable income remitted within their previous tax year (for whatever reason), it would probably not be a good idea to decline providing them with the necessary info. But I'm still waiting (with bated breath!) for any such request (principally in relation to my UK government occupational pension in my case in practice) to turn up following the 2024 tax return I filed with them in January!

Not sure whether you would gain much from complaining to VFS. It is their HMPO masters who are responsible for the whole bloody passport renewal shambles, and a face-to-face complaint to them would, of course, necessitate a trip back to the UK!

For which @kidneyw would need to obtain a police report of his fictitious passport loss, which he would then have to get translated into English in all probability! HMPO are clearly soaring to previously uncharted stratospheric heights of bungling incompetence and ineptitude even by their standards, when it comes to the passport renewal process from Thailand, I think.

Just beware, though, that HMPO's London office is now located in the East End: https://www.gov.uk/find-regional-passport-office#results

Assuming that it's Thai bureaucracy you're referring to, this pales into insignificance IMHO when compared to the cumbersome bureaucratic nonsense we Brits here in LOS are subject to at passport renewal time!

Most people actually make (perfectly legal) parking spots in their front gardens because free street parking is not permitted in front of their houses for most of the time!

IMHO the rot was already well established by the 70's & 80's, and for a more realistic starting point I think that you need to go back to the early 50's when Britain's relatively halcyon - but, alas, too short-lived - period in the aftermath of WW2 began to fade out.

Not my experience when I transferred stamps from old to new passports there a couple of years ago! Just old & new passports (+ copies of relevant pages) and a completed version of the form linked by @DrJack54 and @Upnotover above.

As is mine. But those claiming the new State Pension between now and 5 April 2026 will receive a weekly payment of £230.25*, which, by my reckoning, converts to around 525k THB per annum on the basis of current GBP:THB exchange rates. Since this is in excess of the various TRD allowances and exemptions which potentially total 500k THB in the case of those eligible for the State Pension, it follows that they might actually have to pay tax locally in respect of their State Pension income which was fully remitted on a calendar year basis - subject to prevailing GBP:THB exchange rates, of course. Strikes me that those who are already in receipt of a frozen new (as distinct from basic) State Pension and are clamouring for this to be increased to current triple-lock rates in their cases may need to be careful of what they wish for! * https://www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/what-youll-get

In what context is this "ongoing discussion" taking place? And between whom? If you are suggesting that the TRD may be seeking amendments to ALL existing DTA's aimed at ensuring that ALL pension income is deemed assessable for local taxation purposes regardless of its source, what evidence do you have for this?

What your local revenue office has told you is one thing. What others' revenue offices tell them can be different. You also need to bear in mind that someone else in your revenue office might tell you that you DO need to file. And even the individual who told you that there was no need to file is capable of subsequently changing their mind, depending on which side of the bed they got out of that morning.

TiUK actually. That's where HMPO, at whose behest you're having to jump through all these hoops, are based.

@Andycoops Neither UK company occupational pensions nor the State Pension are exempt from being taxable in Thailand as a result of the UK/Thailand Double Taxation Agreement. Only UK government occupational pensions (Civil Service, local authority, military, police, etc) are so exempt.

The fleet is made up of low- and zero-emission (at the tailpipe) buses, including electric, hydrogen, diesel and hybrid buses, all of which all meet Euro VI emission standards. https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/improving-buses?intcmp=42923#cleaner

The separate issue of HMRC tax-coding some on their perpetually-frozen state pensions as if they were in receipt of the triple-lock increases is IMHO clear evidence of a joined-up approach between HMRC and DWP on all relevant matters being, to all intents and purposes, non-existent!

Yes, you would have needed to have something drastic to affect your facial appearance (e.g. dyeing your hair a lurid shade of green) as to necessitate formal certification of new mugshots.

Highly unlikely that you were allowed to provide digital mugshots if you renewed from Thailand, I would have thought. The official guidance states: "You need 2 identical printed photos if you are applying for a passport using a paper form." https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports/photo-requirements

In my case the difference between August 2014 (when I became eligible) and April 2015 (when I claimed) was reflected in the weekly rate (with payments every 4 weeks). But you, of course, will be receiving the "New" State Pension, as distinct from the "Basic" pension in my case, so that may well be why DWP are giving you a lump sum instead.

So all in all, a storm in a teacup by the sounds of it.

Well, it takes me a good hour to get to my local immigration office (Rayong) from where I live! And I gather that others living out in the sticks have considerably longer travelling times to theirs.

If it's a new visa that you're after, you need to be heading to a Thai embassy or consulate in an adjoining country (eg Savannakhet), not the Bangkok Immigration Office!

In any event I believe that we Brits were always alone in being able to have the validity period of our new passports extended by a max of 9 months to cover unexpired periods on our old passports. I was informed by an American on here some years ago who renewed his passport way ahead of time that his new one wasn't extended beyond 10 years from the date of issue. @DrJack54 - also true of Aussie passports?

Fingers firmly crossed that you receive a reply from someone who actually knows what they (and, more importantly, you) are talking about - as opposed to HMPO's resident clueless idiot who has always seemed to reply to my complaints over the years about various aspects of the whole antiquated bureacratic nonsense we Brits are subject to when renewing our passports from Thailand.

Beats me as to why HMPO insist on proof of our Thai address in any event, given that they don't send our replacement passports to us direct. Typical pointless bureaucracy for purely typical pointless bureaucracy's sake, I think!