Hi,

 

Like many others it coming to the time when I need to renew my UK passport. 

 

Currently I have about 1 and half pages left, so will looking to book an appointment at Trendy House.

 

I am currently here on visa exempt as a recent tourist visa expired, so my first question - is there any issues getting a new passport whilst on this type of visa?

 

And question 2) will they transfer the current visa onto the new one, or can I just leave the country with the new one and just receive the exit stamp? I would rather have the new passport as clean as possible.

 

And finally, anyone know any good agents operating in Phuket who can do this for me, as I'm not to keen on making two trips.

 

Many thanks,

 

Johnson81

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/renew/adult

 

Even if an agent is retained you will have to do most of the work.

You can apply for a new passport. The type of entry you have does not matter.

You can get your stamps transferred at the airport when you leave. You will need to show both passport when you leave the country.

 

Many thanks, just mulling the options.....However I will still need a new visa when this all done so I might more sense just to go home for a couple of weeks, get a new passport and tourist visa at the same time

23 hours ago, Johnson81 said:

Many thanks, just mulling the options.....However I will still need a new visa when this all done so I might more sense just to go home for a couple of weeks, get a new passport and tourist visa at the same time

Definitely the better course of action IMHO. Beats having to make 2 awkward trips from Phuket (where I assume you are currently staying) to the top floor of a particular office building with an exceedingly silly name in deepest darkest Bangkok!

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/renew/adult
 
Even if an agent is retained you will have to do most of the work.

In the link above it states that after you apply for a new passport it is not possible to travel on the existing one. Is this correct ?

If so is there any way around this as I travel most weeks out of Thailand.

Thanks

Mike


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

12 minutes ago, mikey99 said:

In the link above it states that after you apply for a new passport it is not possible to travel on the existing one. Is this correct ?

If so is there any way around this as I travel most weeks out of Thailand.

Thanks

Mike


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

It may may depend on where you travel to. I traveled to Cambodia on the ‘old’ Passport without problem.

 

I don’t believe it gets cancelled until the new one is issued and I don’t think the corner gets cut off until the new one is collected.

51 minutes ago, mikey99 said:

In the link above it states that after you apply for a new passport it is not possible to travel on the existing one. Is this correct ?

As soon as your passport application is processed in the UK your passport will be canceled in their records.

The only way I can see a problem with using it would be if your passport's authenticity was questioned somewhere and they checked with the UK to find out if it was a valid passport.

As soon as your passport application is processed in the UK your passport will be canceled in their records.
The only way I can see a problem with using it would be if your passport's authenticity was questioned somewhere and they checked with the UK to find out if it was a valid passport.

Ok , thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

On 4/30/2018 at 2:42 PM, OJAS said:

Definitely the better course of action IMHO. Beats having to make 2 awkward trips from Phuket (where I assume you are currently staying) to the top floor of a particular office building with an exceedingly silly name in deepest darkest Bangkok!

Oh dear you really do have a obsession with this place don't you?

22 hours ago, darrendsd said:

Oh dear you really do have a obsession with this place don't you?

Oh dear, you really do have an obsession with defending a flawed passport renewal process to the hilt, don't you?

15 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Oh dear, you really do have an obsession with defending a flawed passport renewal process to the hilt, don't you?

As explained to you by myself and numerous other posters there is nothing flawed about it

 

If you think that filing in a few forms, proving your ID and then going to a building virtually in the center of Bangkok to apply and pick up is "flawed" then there really is no hope for you

On 5/2/2018 at 3:41 PM, darrendsd said:

As explained to you by myself and numerous other posters there is nothing flawed about it

 

If you think that filing in a few forms, proving your ID and then going to a building virtually in the center of Bangkok to apply and pick up is "flawed" then there really is no hope for you

Many thanks for another sneeringly patronisingly arrogant lecture.

 

Yes, easy-peasy, of course, for you and your fellow ardent HMPO fans who live in Bangkok, isn't it? And never mind those awkward trips to Bangkok, eh, because you don't have to make them.

I used keyvisa (agent), they're based in patts but doesn't matter, just download print and fill out forms (they'll send you a link), post it to them with a couple of photos and your current passport and they'll post your new  passport as well as your old passport to you when it's ready. Could be a bit tight for time though if you're on 30 day visa exempt, turn around for me was nearly 3 weeks, maybe do another border hop and apply immediately. Using these guys saved me the expense and stress of travelling to BKK 2 times, ( I live in the deep south) 

The fee was 5,000 baht plus passport cost. If you're on visa exempt entry, no stamps need to be transferred, just show old passport when exiting the country. 

PS Make sure your photos that you make for your new passport meet requirements; size, background colour etc.... you can find that info on the UK govt website

Edited May 4, 20188 yr by lemonjelly

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Many thanks for another sneeringly patronisingly arrogant lecture.

 

Yes, easy-peasy, of course, for you and your fellow ardent HMPO fans who live in Bangkok, isn't it? And never mind those awkward trips to Bangkok, eh, because you don't have to make them.

I don't live in Bangkok, I have to make 2 9 hour round trips, however I don't moan about it because I understand that it has to be done and I don't expect VFS to have a office in every town in Thailand

 

Please explain to me how filling in a few forms, proving your ID then attending the office twice (something you personally don't have to do if you don't want to, there are other ways to do this) is "flawed" because I and and I would suspect thousands of others really can't see any flaws in this, in fact the process could really not be any easier unless like some people you want everything to be done for you and don't see why you should have to put any effort into it

47 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

I used keyvisa (agent), they're based in patts but doesn't matter, just download print and fill out forms (they'll send you a link), post it to them with a couple of photos and your current passport and they'll post your new  passport as well as your old passport to you when it's ready. Could be a bit tight for time though if you're on 30 day visa exempt, turn around for me was nearly 3 weeks, maybe do another border hop and apply immediately. Using these guys saved me the expense and stress of travelling to BKK 2 times, ( I live in the deep south) 

The fee was 5,000 baht plus passport cost. If you're on visa exempt entry, no stamps need to be transferred, just show old passport when exiting the country. 

PS Make sure your photos that you make for your new passport meet requirements; size, background colour etc.... you can find that info on the UK govt website

 

 

Did you pay pay the credit card yourself - or did you pay an additional fee to the agent?

12 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Did you pay pay the credit card yourself - or did you pay an additional fee to the agent?

The 5,000 baht included using their card, I think the price is the same whether you use it or not. It was definitely cheaper and easier for me to use an agent when I took the price of 2 return trips to BKK plus hotel fees into account, not to mention the stress saved.

Edited May 4, 20188 yr by lemonjelly

11 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

I don't live in Bangkok, I have to make 2 9 hour round trips, however I don't moan about it because I understand that it has to be done and I don't expect VFS to have a office in every town in Thailand

 

Please explain to me how filling in a few forms, proving your ID then attending the office twice (something you personally don't have to do if you don't want to, there are other ways to do this) is "flawed" because I and and I would suspect thousands of others really can't see any flaws in this, in fact the process could really not be any easier unless like some people you want everything to be done for you and don't see why you should have to put any effort into it

 

I am not disagreeing with you; I also think it is a straightforward process.

 

However, you have to remember that many people here will benchmark the process against the previous postal service to Hong Kong. That is, of course, irrelevant as things change.

 

The one thing I would say is that I can’t see the necessity for a second visit to VfS. Once the Passport has been safely couriered to Bangkok I see no reason why EMS post could not be an option.

6 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

The 5,000 baht included using their card, I think the price is the same whether you use it or not. It was definitely cheaper and easier for me to use an agent when I took into the price of 2 return trips to BKK plus hotel fees.

 

I used to take the opportunity to have a short break in Bangkok - I don’t need two in a month though. ?

 

A friend’s experience with the card was different..... he said an additional fee was levied - all inclusive is fine.

4 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

I used to take the opportunity to have a short break in Bangkok - I don’t need two in a month though. ?

 

A friend’s experience with the card was different..... he said an additional fee was levied - all inclusive is fine.

I’d need a break in BKK just to recover from getting there,!!  options: 15 hour bus journey or 24 hours  train or 5-6 hours minivan+flight,  I'm barely in Thailand, lol

7 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

I am not disagreeing with you; I also think it is a straightforward process.

 

However, you have to remember that many people here will benchmark the process against the previous postal service to Hong Kong. That is, of course, irrelevant as things change.

 

The one thing I would say is that I can’t see the necessity for a second visit to VfS. Once the Passport has been safely couriered to Bangkok I see no reason why EMS post could not be an option.

I remember when they used to send then to HK and I remember I had to visit the Embassy once to apply, they sent it back by EMS

 

So all that is required using the VFS service is a extra trip to BKK, again as advised something that you don't not need yourself if you don't want to

 

As you said things change, unfortunately some people don't understand this and don't understand why they have to actually make some effort to attain a very important document and constantly complain about the process every time the subject of Passport renewal comes up on this forum

3 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

I remember when they used to send then to HK and I remember I had to visit the Embassy once to apply, they sent it back by EMS

 

So all that is required using the VFS service is a extra trip to BKK, again as advised something that you don't not need yourself if you don't want to

 

As you said things change, unfortunately some people don't understand this and don't understand why they have to actually make some effort to attain a very important document and constantly complain about the process every time the subject of Passport renewal comes up on this forum

Some of the UK expats in TH may be living far from BKK and aren't spring chickens any more and travelling to BKK (twice even!) can be quite difficult.

19 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

I’d need a break in BKK just to recover from getting there,!!  options: 15 hour bus journey or 24 hours  train or 5-6 hours minivan+flight,  I'm barely in Thailand, lol

 

Ha ha.

 

The irony is that you must have posted your passport to the agent so no one has actually physically interacted with you in the process.

 

I am sure that is not what the Home Office intended ?

On 5/4/2018 at 7:03 PM, Jip99 said:

However, you have to remember that many people here will benchmark the process against the previous postal service to Hong Kong. That is, of course, irrelevant as things change.

 

The one thing I would say is that I can’t see the necessity for a second visit to VfS. Once the Passport has been safely couriered to Bangkok I see no reason why EMS post could not be an option.

Things may well change, but what I, for one, would have welcomed was some explanation of the requirement for 2 trips to Bangkok after the changes had been implemented in March 2014. This was sadly lacking in the announcement made by the then Ambassador at the time:-

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-british-passport-services-in-thailand-2

 

Since then, 2 possible reasons have been put forward in support of the changes:-

 

(1) The legal requirement here in Thailand for foreigners to carry their passports on them at all times. However this particular requirement had been in force since long before March 2014 - so no change there, then.

 

(2) Incidences of passport abuse/misuse in Thailand. But where is the specific evidence for this? I would have thought that HMPO would have based their case for change upon a risk assessment setting out the number of passport abuse/misuse incidents in Thailand over a given period when compared to the number of passport applications submitted from Thailand over the same period, together with comparable figures for another country in this region (e.g. Malaysia) where submission of applications in person was not planned. However, an FOI request which I made to HMPO following the introduction of the current procedures failed to yield anything closely resembling any such risk assessment – which has led me to wonder whether the changes were based purely on HMPO gut feelings and perceptions rather than actual tangible evidence of a problem.

 

Nevertheless, on the basis that 2 trips to VFS are still required, I can personally see a stronger case for the second since this is where the final physical cancellation of our existing passports takes place – plus where we collect the misleadingly-titled Embassy “visa transfer” letter for Immigration purposes. I can see no earthly good reason why we cannot send our applications, together with required supporting documents, direct to the UK – which might then make it possible for us to use the online facility which HMPO are now encouraging the use of in the UK, and which, as I understand it, still entails completed forms being printed off and physically signed before being sent to HMPO by snail mail.
 

Edited May 6, 20188 yr by OJAS

I just got my appointment letter at Trendy House for the 27th August.

 

My visa will finish on the 19th September (23 days after the appointment). I have asked the (hmp email) how long the process will take and I've been quoted 4 weeks. 

 

Is the 4 weeks just a standard response? Im reading online many people getting their back after 13/15 days from application.

 

I'm just a little concerned about getting it back within 23 days as I don't want to overstay my visa.

 

Is there any way to fast track the service or is it more than likely I'll get it back in time?

 

Thanks,

 

Johnson81

 

37 minutes ago, Johnson81 said:

Is the 4 weeks just a standard response? Im reading online many people getting their back after 13/15 days from application.

It is a standard response. At the most I would say 3 weeks as long as there is not a problem with your application.

If it was late arriving you could a apply for another extension pay 1900 baht and get 7 days to leave the country when it is denied.

Just renewed my passport recently.

 

Processing began at Trendy on 16th. July and I got a message saying it was ready for collection on 31st., so 15 days including  one 'normal' weekend and one long 4-day weekend.

 

I used an agent in Chonburi so there were return postage times to consider on top of that.

When I got a new passport a few years ago the embassy processed my application within 2 weeks (I'm American, so the processing times might be different).    Once you get it, bring it along with the letter your embassy gives you to your local immigration office and they'll stamp the new passport with your last entry date, along with a full page stamp that indicates the details of whatever visa you entered on. 

Thanks UbonJoe, I will have already extended by visa by 30 days by the 19th Sep so I'm not sure they can issue a further 7 days?

 

Plus I literally have no space left in my passport, after my next 30 day extension, so fingers crossed I get it back within 23 days

Sorry one last question.

 

When making the application at Trendy House, they ask for proof of address, I take it they are after proof of Thailand address, not UK?