British Passport Renewal - Proof of address

[Mattd]

32 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Why would a genuine Tourist apply for a new passport in Thailand.

The point is more that they can if required, there is nothing in the rules that state that they cannot.

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Then were back to the old argument of the 'definition' of a Tourist.

Lost or stolen passports I can accept.

Someone who can stay in Thailand on Tourist Visas to the extent he fills his passport, is not in the eyes of many a genuine tourist, but is circumventing the system to stay here indefinitely.

Tourist - a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure.

There are people that travel the world on a long vacation (or retired) that could be staying here for a couple of months that could need a new passport. Not everybody leaves their home country visits one country and then returns home.

[Tanoshi]

21 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There are people that travel the world on a long vacation (or retired) that could be staying here for a couple of months that could need a new passport. Not everybody leaves their home country visits one country and then returns home.

Then it would be poor planning on their part not to get a new 10 year UK passport, with extra pages, before departing the UK if that was their intention. You are never denied entry back to your home Country, even on an expired Passport.

 

Most problems expats encounter in Thailand are the result of their own bad planning.

The friend I mentioned, who has now received his new passport, was back in the UK last year for 3 months.

He could have easily renewed in then and had 9 months validity from his old passport transferred onto the validity of his new passport.

 

Instead within 2 months of returning and having to renew his extension,  he realised his new extension would only be granted for 4 months due to the validity of his passport. 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Mattd]

6 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Most problems expats encounter in Thailand are the result of their own bad planning.

Totally agree and it is not isolated to just Thailand, some folks are just not organised, unobservant, just don't bother to check or try to understand.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Then it would be poor planning on their part not to get a new 10 year UK passport, with extra pages, before departing the UK if that was their intention. You are never denied entry back to your home Country, even on an expired Passport.

I was not writing about the UK only. Some countries only issue passports valid for 5 years and only have 24 or 25 pages (for example Thailand).

I think you might find there are few people that travel like I mentioned that travel for a long time without returning to their home country.

[Mark1066]

15 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

We don't all have rental contracts.

 

Personally I'd use a Thai driving licence as it's photo ID, name, passport number and easy to translate the Thai address from the rear.

No, I didn't have one either but, like you said, it's very easy to fill one in.

[OJAS]

6 hours ago, Mattd said:

Yes, it would be a requirement to provide an address, but not to prove that address, you could use any address.

 

Edit: So to clarify, to apply for a British passport whilst in Thailand, then the only things that 'should' be required are a full colour copy of the existing British passport and a Thai address (not proof of such). and apologies, as my use of the word 'show' in a previous post was an incorrect use, really it should have said 'prove'.

The passport technically covers both of the requirement for photo ID and residency status.

So to sum up:-

 

(1) An applicant should provide their (Thai, as you subsequently confirmed) address simply by entering it where indicated in the application form.

 

(2) The required name and address and/or residency evidence would, in the case of an application from Thailand, take the form of the latest Thai Immigration stamp(s)* in the applicant's existing passport - of which they are required to submit a complete copy with their application in any event.

 

* i.e. the nearest equivalent to the initial "visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)" option stated in the HMPO supporting documents guidance to which you referred, in the case of an application from Thailand.

Edited July 20, 2018 by OJAS

[torrow]

I've done this. All they wanted to see was my Thai driving licence and visa. No proof of address was required.

[Tanoshi]

4 hours ago, torrow said:

I've done this. All they wanted to see was my Thai driving licence and visa. No proof of address was required.

That has your Thai address on it.

[xtinabkk]

I haven't got a driving license. 

 

So, if they ask, my printed Thai rental contract should be OK? And I enter my Thai address on the application form?

[AdamTheFarang]

I thought they were all done by post and returned to the UK? Mine went via HK and was back exceptionally fast as I explained I was only on a 30 day Visa waiver at the time. I think 16 days from Phuket to HK and back to my door in Phuket via registered delivery. All good except not cheap from memory.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, AdamTheFarang said:

I thought they were all done by post and returned to the UK? Mine went via HK and was back exceptionally fast as I explained I was only on a 30 day Visa waiver at the time. I think 16 days from Phuket to HK and back to my door in Phuket via registered delivery. All good except not cheap from memory.

That changed 3 years ago. You have to apply in Bangkok now at VFS. They send the application to the UK and you have to return to pick it up.

[AdamTheFarang]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That changed 3 years ago. You have to apply in Bangkok now at VFS. They send the application to the UK and you have to return to pick it up.

Wow so if you are in Ubon or Phuket that's a long journey. Are you allowed as a foreigner to fly without a Passport but photo ID like a British car license? Guess they must of changed this as some Passport abuse must have gone on. Glad I still have many years on mine and it's a big book version.

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, AdamTheFarang said:

Wow so if you are in Ubon or Phuket that's a long journey. Are you allowed as a foreigner to fly without a Passport but photo ID like a British car license? Guess they must of changed this as some Passport abuse must have gone on. Glad I still have many years on mine and it's a big book version.

The give your old passport back to you when your application is completed. When you pick-up the new one they cancel your old one.

[OJAS]

12 hours ago, AdamTheFarang said:

Wow so if you are in Ubon or Phuket that's a long journey. Are you allowed as a foreigner to fly without a Passport but photo ID like a British car license? Guess they must of changed this as some Passport abuse must have gone on. Glad I still have many years on mine and it's a big book version.

The current passport renewal procedures date back to 2014. As will be evident from the announcement made by the then Ambassador at the time, no explanation of the reasons for the changes was provided - which, bearing in mind the impact which they have on us the further away from Bangkok we live, I, for one, consider to be totally unacceptable:-

 

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

 

If, as you (and others) have suggested, the principal reason for making these changes related to passport abuse, then HMPO have never, to the best of my knowledge, attempted to provide any justification of this assertion (e.g. in the form of statistical evidence relating to the number of incidences of passport abuse in Thailand over a given period when compared to the total number of passport renewals from Thailand over the same period). The complete absence of any evidence of this nature has therefore led me seriously to wonder whether HMPO's rationale for making these changes was based entirely on their perceptions and gut feelings rather than an actual significant problem of passport abuse.

 

What I also find particularly galling is that it is still possible for our American cousins to renew their passports by mail (as was the case for us Brits in the Hong Kong era) provided that they are able to tick a number of boxes. If the State Department (who are not exactly slouches when it comes to security issues) are of the view that US passports can be safely renewed in this manner, then why are HMPO not of the same view when it comes to routine UK passport renewals?

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/passport-by-mail-service-adult-renew/

[Jip99]

13 hours ago, AdamTheFarang said:

Wow so if you are in Ubon or Phuket that's a long journey. Are you allowed as a foreigner to fly without a Passport but photo ID like a British car license? Guess they must of changed this as some Passport abuse must have gone on. Glad I still have many years on mine and it's a big book version.

 

 

If you don't  want to travel to Bangkok (twice) you can use a third party to submit the application - and to collect it for you.

 

Photo ID is acceptable for Thailand domestic flights - not sure if that extends to EU driving licences - it certainly works with a Thai driving licence.