New Passport Arriving and Current Visa Expiring - How To Handle it Best...?

[PJ33]

Hi everyone

I'm a UK citizen and I've been here on a work permit for the last couple of years. My visa expires in less than 2 weeks along with the work permit. Due to my passport pages being almost full I applied for a new passport last month and I'm still waiting for the new passport to arrive back with me.

 

I'm using a passport service to pick up the new passport from Bangkok and send to me in Phuket. The new passport just arrived back in Bangkok from the UK. I have flights booked to Malaysia next Saturday 28th April, so I'm a little tight for time but there should be no problems in receiving the new passport before I fly.

When I come back into Thailand I do not need the work permit or current visa any more, as the company I work for is about to close in the next few weeks. I plan to come back in on a standard 30-day visa-on-arrival in the new passport. I do not need a re-entry stamp as it does not matter if the last few days of my current visa are gone and I will not be working for the company again once I return to Thailand.

My simple "hope" is that I can turn up at the airport and get an exit stamp in my old passport against my last entry stamp. Then when I land in Malaysia and back in Thailand, I will be using only the new passport for entry.

Not wanting to rely on a random hope, I have a couple of quick questions for the experts:

1). Will I encounter any trouble with my "hope" plan above or do I need to visit an immigration office before I leave Thailand next Saturday to deal with my soon-to-expire visa being in the old passport? I assume the old passport is no longer valid for travel, right? 

2). If I do need to visit an immigration office in advance, how will airport immigration react if I don't get the new passport in time to transfer the visa..?

3). Is there anything else I did not think of which could trip me up or cause me problems...?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions and help.

 

[Swimman]

If you have a valid (obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate) Visa there will be no problem - Just present both passports to the IO on departure.

[ubonjoe]

I suspect you have an extension of stay based upon working issued by immigration not a valid visa issued by a embassy or consulate.

If you have an extension of stay you will need to either go to immigration to have your stamps transferred to your new passport or using a termination letter from your employer have your extension canceled. You can go to immigration prior to the date of termination and they will post date the cancellation to that day.

There is no 30 day visa on arrival. You will get a 30 day visa exempt entry when you re-enter the country.

[youreavinalaff]

Don't you need to transfer stamps anyway?

I was under the impression that immigration would not put a departure stamp in a blank passport, with the exception of a Thai passport of course.

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Don't you need to transfer stamps anyway?

I was under the impression that immigration would not put a departure stamp in a blank passport, with the exception of a Thai passport of course.

Dependent upon the type of permit to stay in the country you can do it on departure from the country by showing both passports. The officer will then transfer your current entry stamp to the new passport and stamp you out of the country in it.

[youreavinalaff]

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Dependent upon the type of permit to stay in the country you can do it on departure from the country by showing both passports. The officer will then transfer your current entry stamp to the new passport and stamp you out of the country in it.

Ok thanks. Could you inform, do you know, what type of permit permits this and which don't?

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Ok thanks. Could you inform, do you know, what type of permit permits this and which don't?

Any long term extension of stay requires the stamps to be transferred at a immigration office.

[PJ33]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

I originally got my non-B visa from the Thai consulate in Penang 2 years ago, based on an application I'd already initiated at the labour office for a work permit. I didn't need to leave the country since then, immigration in Phuket gave me another 1 year extension in May last year. So I'm not sure if my visa is currently classed as an extension based on work or something else. I no longer need that visa extension or the work permit so I do not "need" my current visa showing in my new passport but I understand if it is a requirement that it's transferred.

As time is a little tight, there's a possibility my new passport may arrive back with me on Friday but too late to go to immigration to transfer my visa to the new passport. In this case, what will airport immigration do...? Will they refuse to allow me to leave the country..?

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, PJ33 said:

As time is a little tight, there's a possibility my new passport may arrive back with me on Friday but too late to go to immigration to transfer my visa to the new passport. In this case, what will airport immigration do...? Will they refuse to allow me to leave the country..?

Your obviously on an extension of your permission to stay. 

Your Non B Visa expired a long time ago.

 

If you look at your extension it will have a permitted to stay until xxxx date.

If your passport arrives before this date you can leave and re-enter getting a 30 day Visa exempt (not a Visa on Arrival) entry.

If you new passport hasn't arrived by that date, you are officially staying illegally in Thailand, known as 'overstay'.