josephbloggs

Wow, you inspected both sides of the length of the train!! Amazing, did you get access to the depot? How does it look? And the West Coast Main Line services Scotland as well, so why would you expect a St George's Cross? Just looking for something to be upset about?

The government one has been available for weeks.

He is a foreigner. Plus "netizens" get upset with things that happen online - you know, on the internet, hence "netizens". This was not. How big is the chip on your shoulder exactly?

On no, the "goons" have come up with something that is free and takes you 2-3 minutes and makes your arrival better (eventually leading to e-gates in future). Were the same "goons" responsible for bringing in electronic pre-arrival forms in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Israel, Belize, The UK, The EU, Jamaica etc etc. You lot don't half make mountains out of tiny tiny molehills.

Pretty sure they are targetting people who don't know you don't have to pay.

Oh no, you had to deal with brown people - eeeeeeeeew, poor you.

As an update I got the same email today saying I owe £129. I just called them and had a very nice Indian fellow. I explained the problem, and he checked and said they could only take £14.51 and I owe £129. I explained my credit card has a pending amount of £143.51 and there is no charge of £14.51 to be seen, only £143.51 and it was impossible not for them to take the full amount. We went round and round for a while and then I just agreed to pay £129 over the phone. I am sending my daughter to the UK for the summer so I can't be bothered faffing around on this, I just need the passport. So £129 has just been charged on my card. I'll reconcile everything at the end and if I have paid too much I'll deal with the credit card company, but I will report back when all the charges have fully gone through. Even if it does somehow only end up being £143.51 in the end the system is still pathetic and embarrassing in 2025.

Yes, I was agreeing with you in a roundabout way. When I went to India a few years ago I (stupidly) got tricked in to using a site that looked exactly like the real government site. And looking online tons of other people also did. However I still got my visa, I just paid a little too much for it.

And if you go to the FAQ section of the site it even gives you the link to the real immigration TDAC site and says it is free. Weird.

Yeah, it has always been in my name but as she is 16 it is an adult passport so needed to be in her name. My wife got a letter from the district office which is based on our tabien bahn. She said it took five minutes and cost 10 baht. It's basically a letter certifying (in English) my daughter's details, the date she moved to this house, the address, then signed by the registrar. They are very familiar with it, my wife just said she needed it for a UK passport renewal and they knew what to do. It's called a Thor Ror 14/1 and looks like this (but obviously they fill it out). Very good question. And yes, it is a security risk although they do seal the payment form in an envelope in front of you, tape it closed and have you and the VFS person sign over the join. Still that is very weak but I guess the best they can do (VFS). No idea why it can't be done online and you've shown it actually can be. It's actually pretty pathetic in 2025. On my first visit they said it was likely to be rejected as I had not had it countersigned, but they would go ahead anyway if I wanted to risk it. I had previously emailed to ask if countersigning was necessary and they said no if the person was still recognisable. To me she still is but then to a stranger I guess not. Anyway that was on me, I should have done it anyway to be safe, but it would have been moot anyway as I still had to make another appointment after getting proof of address.

Yes, too late for me, but good advice. I do have the receipt that shows I agreed to a payment of £143.51 but a copy of the actual payment form would have been handy. I have probably done 10 renewals through VFS for me and my kids over the years and never had an issue other than some long processing times. Ah, remember the good old days when the passports were actually made at the embassy.... There is no charge of £14.51 on my card (the amount they say I have paid), but I have a pending payment of £143.51. It is just monumental incompetence from HMPO. I will be calling them today and will report back, but reading that other thread doesn't fill me with confidence. How embarrassing as a Brit. I have to say the whole VFS experience was pretty good - very efficient and the staff were very helpful. Still a massive PITA to trundle to Rama 9 but it's close to the MRT so not too bad.

He said it isn't difficult. And going to immigration once every five years to get a CoR isn't difficult is it. He didn't say he loves doing it. I didn't love doing it either but it wasn't difficult.

Er......what have they got to do with this?

Thank you. Just read the whole thing, what a shambles.

Ah, no I hadn't read that.

Last year I left my job after many years of having non B extensions based on employment (29 years of them!). I moved money here but it hadn't been with me for two months. I just flew to Laos, got a single entry 90 day non-O, then did a 12 month extension in Bangkok by which time my funds were seasoned. I know things have changed and Laos probably isn't the best option now they don't allow in-person applications, but maybe a route to consider if there's somewhere you can visit for a few days to apply for a non-O. The funds don't need to be seasoned for that initial application, only for the extension.

How did they extort you?

Ha ha, fair enough.

Brilliant, that says it all! Nick has decided without watching it!! No need for further discussion on this topic - you are blinkered, closed minded, and are not willing to look at the other side. Case closed. Bravo Nick, Bravo! Even if it was available legally to watch and they had a free screening in your garden you know you still wouldn't watch it.

Hi folks, So I was at VFS last week to submit an application to renew my daughter's UK passport. I had to do it twice as the first time they rejected it as proof of address was in my name and it needed to be her name even though she is 16 and doesn't have bills in her name. Anyway, got that sorted. Filled out the credit card paper form (super high tech, well done UK!) for the full amount, VFS checked it and we sealed it together and signed it. Now I just got this email. I had written the correct amount as I double checked and VFS checked everything. My credit card says £143.51 is pending. No idea why they say only £14.51 is paid as my credit card says £143.51. I will call them tomorrow - AT MY EXPENSE - but has anyone had a similar issue? So frustrating and pretty rubbish really.

By how long? And surely an "MSM conspiracy" is an MSM conspiracy, no? Or it's only a conspiracy for a couple of hours until it gets published. Surely an MSM conspiracy would mean it gets buried by the woke, loony left, agenda wielding press? Well, it didn't get buried did it. Ergo the conspiracy is all in the posters mind, just like every other bit of anti MSM propaganda you read.

No they didn't.

Yawn. You guys are so predictable. And "woke" is soooooo boring now. Are these not "MSM"? Surely the Guardian is lefty lefty wokey wokey, no? Just try to think for yourself instead of parroting childish terms automatically without even looking for yourself.

The QR code will suffice. It would be great if you can report back after entry. I'm curious to know if they ask to see it or if it's all on their system once they scan your passport.

Just put the number of the last flight, that is all they need. If you fly London to Bangkok on Emirates for example you just enter the flight number of the last leg: Dubai to Bangkok. No need to overthink things, just use the flight number of the flight you arrived in Thailand on.