Number of usable blank pages in the British passports

[sicky]

I noticed on renewal of a British passport that the number of pages, either 32 or 48, seems rather arbitrary, since the first several pages are occupied by feint grey notes (see attached).  The number of notes pages has increased slightly from earlier passports.

 

Is there any definitive information available which indicates we can use these pages, for the purposes of visas?  I have tried to find out online, but see nothing.  It isn't really important, but why waste the first few pages, if we travel so frequently?

[Maestro]

The gov.uk website does not appear to have an answer to your question. A website that appears to belong to a US visa agent has this information regarding US passports:

 

Quote

 

What are passport pages used for?

Standard passport books are currently issued with 28 pages.

Of those, 17 are blank to be used for visas and country entry/exit stamps.

 

Source: https://www.apviexpress.com/helpful-resources/passport-pages-faq.php

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, sicky said:

I noticed on renewal of a British passport that the number of pages, either 32 or 48, seems rather arbitrary, since the first several pages are occupied by feint grey notes (see attached).  The number of notes pages has increased slightly from earlier passports.

 

Is there any definitive information available which indicates we can use these pages, for the purposes of visas?  I have tried to find out online, but see nothing.  It isn't really important, but why waste the first few pages, if we travel so frequently?

Unfortunately, only the blank pages are available for visas. Indeed, older passports also had some pages reserved for endorsements which were also not supposed to be used for visas and entry/exit stamps.

 

It is really irritating that some pages in the passport are unusable. Why do it? Because some bureaucrats in their infinite wisdom decided it was a good idea. They were the same geniuses who decided to eliminate the extremely useful 96-page passports that were once available. Nothing us regular, logical souls can do about it.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

They were the same geniuses who decided to eliminate the extremely useful 96-page passports that were once available. Nothing us regular, logical souls can do about it.

And the same geniuses who 3.5 years ago rubbed salt into the wound by inflicting the crazy "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" on us with its requirement for 2 awkward physical trips to Bangkok from the back of beyond.

[lopezkoa]

If I apply for a new US Passport in US, will I get the 24 page version?

 

 

I read on here that if I applied for a US Passport in Thailand, I will get more pages.  Is this true? Or can i also get the same amount of pages if I wait to apply in US? Which is better?

[justaphase]

They're taking another extra page in the 48 page one at the back as well. Rip off.

[ubonjoe]

7 hours ago, lopezkoa said:

If I apply for a new US Passport in US, will I get the 24 page version?

I read on here that if I applied for a US Passport in Thailand, I will get more pages.  Is this true? Or can i also get the same amount of pages if I wait to apply in US? Which is better?

The passports are 28 and 52 pages now.

When you do the application there is box you can check to request a 52 page passport. In the past you had write a request for it when you sent in the application.

Here they will normally issue a 52 page passport without needing to ask for it.

If you apply here you will pay $110 for it and have the new passport within 2 weeks. To get expedited service in the states you have pay an additional fee of $60. Without paying extra in the states if can take about 6 weeks to get one.

Passport info is here on embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

[mikebell]

On 29/09/2017 at 4:06 AM, Maestro said:

The gov.uk website does not appear to have an answer to your question.

Rip-off Britain - pay for 28; get 17.

[OJAS]

30 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Passport info is here on embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

As a Brit I read the procedures for renewing American passports with considerable envy and anger!

 

It would appear that American citizens living in LOS are able to both submit renewal applications AND receive replacement passports by post. No need for 2 enforced physical trips from wherever they live in Thailand to the top floor of an office building with an extremely silly name tucked down some obscure soi in a dodgy part of Bangkok (Nana) in their case at passport renewal time, then!

 

And it is possible to make payments for renewing American passports in THB with bankers' drafts - unlike in the UK's case where payments can only be made with British credit or debit cards, thanks to HMPO intransigence and inflexibility.

 

In particular, it is interesting to note that, while HMPO's principal justification for the crazy "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" relates to the need for us Brits to retain our existing passports during the renewal process for local legal ID purposes, the State Department (or whoever is responsible for issuing American passports) do not appear to see a similar need for American citizens! 

Edited September 30, 2017 by OJAS

[jeab1980]

Reminds me of a trip to Turkey some years ago. Walked into immigration control at airport in Istanbul with  shiny new notes for my Visa (if i remember correctly it was £20 but they liked 2 £10 notes). Anyway gave him the pasdport with said money inside. He opened the face page very quick look then opened the very back page with the nok blurb on it put the stamp right iver the phone number of NOK. Asked if that was legal shouldnt it be in the actual visa pages. Shruged his shoulders gave me passport back and pointed the way out?. Came to leave IO thumbed through to fing entey stamp twice shook his head i pointed to the page it was on he laughed and stamped me out on same page. Still makes me laugh when i dig out old passports and look at it.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

In particular, it is interesting to note that, while HMPO's principal justification for the crazy "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" relates to the need for us Brits to retain our existing passports during the renewal process for local legal ID purposes, the State Department (or whoever is responsible for issuing American passports) do not appear to see a similar need for American citizens! 

The big difference is that your old passport is still at the embassy in Bangkok or the consulate in Chiang Mai. They keep the old one so they can cancel it when the new one is received.

The UK requires both passport to be sent to the UK now when applying online.

The mail in application is fairly new. Before when you did the application in person they would hold the old passport it you wanted it mailed to you.

[OJAS]

48 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The big difference is that your old passport is still at the embassy in Bangkok or the consulate in Chiang Mai.

But what if the embassy or consulate was closed at the time a particular request for passport ID was made?

 

And would a local police officer really be willing in any event to hang on for the 6 hours it takes for a round trip to Bangkok from my part of the world, for example, in order to retrieve the existing passport?

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, OJAS said:

But what if the embassy or consulate was closed at the time a particular request for passport ID was made?

 

And would a local police officer really be willing in any event to hang on for the 6 hours it takes for a round trip to Bangkok from my part of the world, for example, in order to retrieve the existing passport?

The embassy and consulate can be contacted 24/7 if you have an emergency.

You would have a receipt for the passport application. I have heard of the police holding a person 24 hours until the passport was presented. But I suspect a phone call from the embassy or a faxed copy sent by them might satisfy the police.

[BritTim]

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

But what if the embassy or consulate was closed at the time a particular request for passport ID was made?

 

And would a local police officer really be willing in any event to hang on for the 6 hours it takes for a round trip to Bangkok from my part of the world, for example, in order to retrieve the existing passport?

Really, that is no different from the situation where you have your passport at a consulate while applying for a visa. Regardless what the written law might say, the police must be required to show some commonsense in such cases.

[OJAS]

5 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Really, that is no different from the situation where you have your passport at a consulate while applying for a visa. Regardless what the written law might say, the police must be required to show some commonsense in such cases.

In which case that begs the IMHO fundamental question as to whether it really is reasonable for the geniuses to which you have referred in this thread to expect us to make 2 awkward physical trips to Bangkok at passport renewal time, solely so that we can provide copies (instead of the originals) of our existing passports with our applications. Certainly there was no such requirement when I last renewed my passport (via Hong Kong) in 2013!

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

In which case that begs the IMHO fundamental question as to whether it really is reasonable for the geniuses to which you have referred in this thread to expect us to make 2 awkward physical trips to Bangkok at passport renewal time,

If you want something , its quite reasonable to be expected to go to the place to where they have the thing that you want .

   Having to go to BKK once every ten years is hardly asking too much

[BritTim]

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Having to go to BKK once every ten years is hardly asking too much

I do not want to overstate the case, but

• It is two visits to Bangkok for each passport application
• Since, as mentioned earlier in this thread, the jumbo 96-page passports are a distant memory, and several of the pages they do give you are covered in stupid reminder notes, people who enjoy traveling are unlikely to get 10-years use out of a UK passport

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

I do not want to overstate the case, but

• It is two visits to Bangkok for each passport application
• Since, as mentioned earlier in this thread, the jumbo 96-page passports are a distant memory, and several of the pages they do give you are covered in stupid reminder notes, people who enjoy traveling are unlikely to get 10-years use out of a UK passport

But you ARE overstating the once-in-ten-years passport renewal.

 

If you love to travel so much, then take the opportunity to renew the bloody thing in the UK. Book a same-day service renewal, walk-in around 8 AM and leave before 11 AM with a shiny new passport.

[NanLaew]

56 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

Anyway, people are happily renewing passports without even going once these days.......Maybe They Are, But it's Costing them to " Hire An Agent " to do it & They DON'T Come Cheap....

5000 baht will cover pretty much anyone's double round-trip to Bangkok... unless they need to fly front of the THAI bus and park their sad <deleted> in a 5-star digs and have a steak dinner at Vertigo restaurant on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel.

 

or

 

5000 baht will pretty much cover the one-off agents fees.

 

I mean if one cannot budget for a whopping 5000 baht expense once every ten years, how on earth do the day-to-day finances get done?

Edited September 30, 2017 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

Getting back ON TOPIC, as a frequent flier/passport renewer, I am all in agreement that 48 pages should mean 48 usable pages.

 

Looking at the pictures in the OP, compared with my last renewal in 2015, it appears that 'notes' and 'security information' has mandated a further 2 pages be lost to BS which in 99% of instances, has absolutely no relevance or worth to the average traveler. It is bad enough having 2 pages of irrelevant translations due to being an EU-sanctioned travel document. Maybe Brexit means getting at least 2 pages back!

 

I also agree that in the same way as frequent flier/passport renewers can obtain a second passport, they should offer a 96 page passport for people who qualify. If someone had legitimately replaced their 10 year passport twice within that period because they were full, they should automatically qualify for a 96 page one.

 

Time to write to your MP's! List appended.

Edited September 30, 2017 by NanLaew

[ubonjoe]

 A inflammatory post that was part of a ongoing bickering session has been removed. Time to end it.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

If you want something , its quite reasonable to be expected to go to the place to where they have the thing that you want .

   Having to go to BKK once every ten years is hardly asking too much

I am not expected to go to the Embassy for my income confirmation letters - on the contrary I am not able to!

 

And since I didn't have to go to BKK to renew my passport in 2013, why should I have to do so if I were renewing my passport now?

[sanemax]

32 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

 

And since I didn't have to go to BKK to renew my passport in 2013, why should I have to do so if I were renewing my passport now?

Because the rules have changed .

[ubonjoe]

A inflammatory rant post has been removed that had a profanity in it as well.

[sanemax]

3 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Getting back ON TOPIC, as a frequent flier/passport renewer, I am all in agreement that 48 pages should mean 48 usable pages.

 

Looking at the pictures in the OP, compared with my last renewal in 2015, it appears that 'notes' and 'security information' has mandated a further 2 pages be lost to BS which in 99% of instances, has absolutely no relevance or worth to the average traveler. It is bad enough having 2 pages of irrelevant translations due to being an EU-sanctioned travel document. Maybe Brexit means getting at least 2 pages back!

 

Although there are two new pages of info in the UK PP, they have also added an extra two pages , so, the two new pages of info do not mean any less pages for visas

[jeab1980]

8 hours ago, sanemax said:

If you want something , its quite reasonable to be expected to go to the place to where they have the thing that you want .

   Having to go to BKK once every ten years is hardly asking too much

It is for me had enough of the rat race down there and it would be 2 x every 10 years or less by the way. Which is why my upcoming UK passport renewal will be done by an agent. Yes i wont have a passport for x amount of days. Will photo copy all pages before handing it over to agent and will get a full recipt for it in thai just in case it the first time ever i get stopped and asked for it.

Edited September 30, 2017 by jeab1980

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, sanemax said:

Although there are two new pages of info in the UK PP, they have also added an extra two pages , so, the two new pages of info do not mean any less pages for visas

Thanks for that correction. So NO CHANGE in the number of usable pages. Excellent work by the passport office.

[anon789561]

"to the top floor of an office building with an extremely silly name tucked down some obscure soi in a dodgy part of Bangkok (Nana)". "with it tower"

ahh this forum makes me laugh 555

[blackcab]

17 hours ago, OJAS said:

And since I didn't have to go to BKK to renew my passport in 2013, why should I have to do so if I were renewing my passport now?

 

Because if you:

 

Don't use the provided service;

Don't use an agent; and

Don't renew in the UK or a third country

 

Then you won't receive a new passport. Up to you.

[NanLaew]

14 hours ago, Happy enough said:

"to the top floor of an office building with an extremely silly name tucked down some obscure soi in a dodgy part of Bangkok (Nana)". "with it tower"

ahh this forum makes me laugh 555

OJAS is a hoot isn't he?

 

Bit of a one trick pony but.