Once again my Passport is getting full of stamps. After a new Non O Multi in Savannakhet next month it will be almost time for another visit to the Trendy Building and a new Passport.

 

My last application there took around 16 days to receive my Passport. Has anyone renewed their UK Passport lately and how quickly are they being returned? I work on a 28/28 rota overseas so really need it back in approx 3wks.

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

did mine at Trendy in March 2016 and had it back in less than 2 weeks

**i reckon you can be sure to have it back in less than 3 weeks. Most friends that have done it recently have all said about 2 weeks but see what others say who've done it more recently themselves to be sure

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by Happy enough
**

My wife applied in person at the end of September. From submitting the application at Trendy to notification that the passport was available for collection from there took 15 days. That seems to be about par for the course judging by other posts in recent months.

Have you considered the possibility of renewing your passport from the country where you work? Might be more convenient if this can be accomplished online from there without the need for 2 physical trips to an office building with an exceedingly silly name (or otherwise)!

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by OJAS

Do they/can they post it to you when it's finished,

or have you got to go and collect it?not easy when

you live in Chiang Mai.

Or could this be possible,send it to my daughter in

UK, use her address and get her to post it to Liverpool

or where ever they are doing them now ?

regards worgeordie

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

an office building with an exceedingly silly name (or otherwise)!

Please excuse my ignorance but what is the "Trendy Building",  sounds like a clothes shop using visa credit cards?

Seriously what is it?

7 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Please excuse my ignorance but what is the "Trendy Building",  sounds like a clothes shop using visa credit cards?

Seriously what is it?

It is an office building where the VFS visa center is located. http://www.thetrendyoffice.com/

I

41 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It is an office building where the VFS visa center is located. http://www.thetrendyoffice.com/

Sorry "ubonjoe" but I have looked at the link but do not see what this has to do with Passports/visas, it seems to be an office building offering rental accommodation nor do I understand what "VFS visa center" is. 

 

I am obviously missing something (apart from a brain cell or two!).

It may have nothing to do with me, I am just intrigued as to what it all means.

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by scottiejohn

The UK government rent space in the building, they deal with UK passports and visas, I think they share the space with the Australian government.

25 minutes ago, seeyoujimmy said:

The UK government rent space in the building, they deal with UK passports and visas, I think they share the space with the Australian government.

"The UK government rent space in the building..."

 

It doesn't.   VFS Global Group is a private company contracted to process passport applications (among other things) for the UK government and others.

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

I

Sorry "ubonjoe" but I have looked at the link but do not see what this has to do with Passports/visas, it seems to be an office building offering rental accommodation nor do I understand what "VFS visa center" is. 

 

I am obviously missing something (apart from a brain cell or two!).

It may have nothing to do with me, I am just intrigued as to what it all means.

The UK authorities have long used VFS in various countries to handle visa applications and passport renewals. A few years ago, they added passport applications in Thailand to their subcontracted services. VFS now uses offices in Trendy to handle UK passport applications.

30 minutes ago, seeyoujimmy said:

The UK government rent space in the building, they deal with UK passports and visas, I think they share the space with the Australian government.

VFS rent the space, they are a global agency 

** was slightly late on that, as BT says above basically

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by Happy enough
**

1 hour ago, scottiejohn said:

I

Sorry "ubonjoe" but I have looked at the link but do not see what this has to do with Passports/visas, it seems to be an office building offering rental accommodation nor do I understand what "VFS visa center" is. 

 

I am obviously missing something (apart from a brain cell or two!).

It may have nothing to do with me, I am just intrigued as to what it all means.

The Trendy is an office and condo building.  VFS is a private company that has an office there.  It processes passport applications from there for the UK and other countries as the British Embassy in Bangkok no longer provides that service

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Do they/can they post it to you when it's finished,

or have you got to go and collect it?not easy when

you live in Chiang Mai.

Or could this be possible,send it to my daughter in

UK, use her address and get her to post it to Liverpool

or where ever they are doing them now ?

regards worgeordie

i am fairly sure that it has to be picked up in person but hopefully someone can confirm that

i do believe that at one time the UK did have a fully functional embassy   at the prime real estate  site on Wireless road  where they did issue passports to their citizens

oh  dear that site now is just for  posh functions for the so called  liberal elite

2 hours ago, Lamkyong said:

i do believe that at one time the UK did have a fully functional embassy   at the prime real estate  site on Wireless road  where they did issue passports to their citizens

oh  dear that site now is just for  posh functions for the so called  liberal elite

that's correct, i have had a passport from the embassy here many moons ago, but now everything is agency. to be fair VFS do a decent job in BKK so no complaints from me on that. anyway. that site is going to be or has been sold. they'll end up in an office block somewhere i suspect

**another thing about that. the passport that i got from the embassy said issued by british embassy bangkok. that gave me a few problems especially going into JFK once. VFS just says HMPO so i prefer it the new way to be fair

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by Happy enough

Apparently there hasn't BEEN a British Embassy in Bangkok for nearly a year now. I'd like to know if we Brits actually have any consular representation in Thailand at all.

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by VBF

Just now, VBF said:

 

that's right, i thought it was central. i think it's a shame as even though it's a hell of alot of money it's a pittance of money to the UK in reality. i really think they will end up in an office block somewhere like the canadian embassy is. but hey, who cares, i don't work there and don't get any services there so they can work in a bloody shared office space as far as i am concerned haha. i just think it's a poor effort from the UK to sell it out. maybe that's just nostalgic

"Apparently there hasn't BEEN a British Embassy in Bangkok for nearly a year now. I'd like to know if we Brits actually have any consular representation in Thailand at all"

 

yes there has, it's still there. but will be somewhere else in time

**maybe a floor in a new development built by central in wittaya 555

Edited January 7, 20188 yr by Happy enough
**

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

"The UK government rent space in the building..."

 

It doesn't.   VFS Global Group is a private company contracted to process passport applications (among other things) for the UK government and others.

Yes, and Thai visas cannot be extended .

Only the permission to stay can be extended .

(I just love telling people that , I have joined some facebook groups for the sole purpose of telling people that )

2 weeks seems to be the norm, I actually got mine back in 10 days

Have you considered the possibility of renewing your passport from the country where you work? Might be more convenient if this can be accomplished online from there without the need for 2 physical trips to an office building with an exceedingly silly name (or otherwise)!

I work offshore in Angola so I couldnt do it. I need the PP for transit to the rig. Im only 1.5hrs from BKK so not too difficult. It also gives me an oppertunity for a beer in the big city. Good idea though.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Do they/can they post it to you when it's finished,
or have you got to go and collect it?not easy when
you live in Chiang Mai.
Or could this be possible,send it to my daughter in
UK, use her address and get her to post it to Liverpool
or where ever they are doing them now ?
regards worgeordie

I beleive you can do it in Chiang Mai.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I
Sorry "ubonjoe" but I have looked at the link but do not see what this has to do with Passports/visas, it seems to be an office building offering rental accommodation nor do I understand what "VFS visa center" is. 
 
I am obviously missing something (apart from a brain cell or two!).
It may have nothing to do with me, I am just intrigued as to what it all means.

Its where you do your Passport Application.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

On 1/7/2018 at 5:51 PM, worgeordie said:

Do they/can they post it to you when it's finished,

or have you got to go and collect it?not easy when

you live in Chiang Mai.

Or could this be possible,send it to my daughter in

UK, use her address and get her to post it to Liverpool

or where ever they are doing them now ?

regards worgeordie

I have just renewed mine from Perth Australia and it was all done online. You can even take your own photo to submit. Photo must be good though. Application went to Liverpool, posted old passport.  Went through in 3 weeks and old and new ones were posted to me seperately. Very easy to do. When i got it back I did my Australian re entry Visa online and that took 3 days. All very easy now and no stickers in passport

I have just renewed mine from Perth Australia and it was all done online. You can even take your own photo to submit. Photo must be good though. Application went to Liverpool, posted old passport.  Went through in 3 weeks and old and new ones were posted to me seperately. Very easy to do. When i got it back I did my Australian re entry Visa online and that took 3 days. All very easy now and no stickers in passport

There must be a different procedure in OZ compared to over here I think?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

36 minutes ago, baneko said:

I beleive you can do it in Chiang Mai.

The only place to do the application is in Bangkok.

There are some agents that can do it for you for a fee of about 5000 baht.

You have to collect it, taking you old passport in to be cancelled.

1 hour ago, baneko said:

 

I work offshore in Angola so I couldnt do it. I need the PP for transit to the rig. Im only 1.5hrs from BKK so not too difficult. It also gives me an oppertunity for a beer in the big city. Good idea though.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

When you renew your Passport in Thailand, you keep your old one until new one arrives as it is the Law to carry it at all times. Then you cut the corner off the old one.

Last time was renewal of my son's passport in 2017, which took slightly less than two weeks, from application to collection.