UK Passport. Blank Pages.

[NoshowJones]

I got a new passport in the UK almost a year ago, it is now six pages in, and there are two completely blank pages.

 

The first page has only one stamp, the second no stamp at all, the third two small stamps, plenty room for more.

 

The fourth page is full, the fifth blank, and the sixth full. I estimate there were easily plenty of room in the passport

for the stamps over three pages, so why have they left two pages blank and one with only one small stamp? 

 

Is there any way I can get this wasted space filled up before they stamp further into my passport? At this rate my

passport is not going to last five years never mind ten.

 

I have never said anything derogatory to any immigration officer, so why are they treating me like this? 

[ubonjoe]

Off topic inflammatory baiting posts and a reply to one have been removed.

[OJAS]

Not been my experience, I have to say - just started the 12th page of my current 5-year-old passport. And the only wasted space can be attributed to the actions of a Chinese immigration officer who decided to plonk a red hexagonal stamp in an awkward place during a layover in Guangzhow in 2013.

 

But, if I were in your shoes, I would definitely be concerned at the prospect of having to endure the tortuous process of renewing my passport from Thailand rather sooner than I had hoped. IMHO the UK Government even surpass their Thai counterparts these days when it comes to tedious bureaucracy - as evidenced by the introduction over the past 5 years of not only of the current passport renewal process but also the State Pension life certificate requirement and the current legalisation process for UK documents.

Edited August 1, 2018 by OJAS

[Jip99]

They will use the pages if they have to.

 

There is no rule about using consecutive pages - in fact Thai immigration are incapable of doing so......?

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, Jip99 said:

They will use the pages if they have to.

 

There is no rule about using consecutive pages - in fact Thai immigration are incapable of doing so......?

Personally, I think it was just badness on Thai immigration officials part, it does not take any more effort to keep all the stamps together.

I did reading something somewhere a long time ago that you can tell them to use up the blank pages and spaces if necessary.

Anyone confirm this?

[brewsterbudgen]

They can, and will, stamp on any pages in a passport where there is space. Nothing to worry about.

Sent from my SM-A500F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

Personally, I think it was just badness on Thai immigration officials part, it does not take any more effort to keep all the stamps together.

I did reading something somewhere a long time ago that you can tell them to use up the blank pages and spaces if necessary.

Anyone confirm this?

 

 

Yes..... I just did!!  :)

 

Happened to me a few passports back and to the friend who recently had trouble at Poipet border.

 

If there is sufficient space on a page, immigration will use it.

 

Nobody in there right mind will let their passport run to the last couple of pages - I know that is not your current question - and UKPA 'credit' up to 9 months of unexpired term.

[theoldgit]

I’ve pointed to spaces on half used spaces and asked Thai IO’s to use those when stamping and they’ve always obliged, maybe I’ve been lucky.
Similar to the Chinese stamp mentioned by a previous poster, an Australian Border Force Officer stamped in the middle of a blank page at such an angle that it made further stamps difficult, I don’t know if it’s bloody mindedness or boredom or just because they can.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, Jip99 said:

They will use the pages if they have to.

 

There is no rule about using consecutive pages - in fact Thai immigration are incapable of doing so......?

I believe that if I was coming to the end of my passport I can point to the blank pages and the spaces and tell them to stamp there.

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, theoldgit said:

I’ve pointed to spaces on half used spaces and asked Thai IO’s to use those when stamping and they’ve always obliged, maybe I’ve been lucky.
Similar to the Chinese stamp mentioned by a previous poster, an Australian Border Force Officer stamped in the middle of a blank page at such an angle that it made further stamps difficult, I don’t know if it’s bloody mindedness or boredom or just because they can.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I would say it is just because they can. This is Thai immigration we are talking about here.

[7by7]

5 hours ago, possum1931 said:

I would say it is just because they can. This is Thai immigration we are talking about here.

But as theoldgit says, it isn't just Thai immigration; his example was an Australian IO.

 

The only time I've ever had a stamp placed neatly in my passport was back in the 1980's when Hungarian immigration's stamp took up the entire page!

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, 7by7 said:

But as theoldgit says, it isn't just Thai immigration; his example was an Australian IO.

 

The only time I've ever had a stamp placed neatly in my passport was back in the 1980's when Hungarian immigration's stamp took up the entire page!

I am not caring about the neatness, it is the blank pages missed out.

[ignis]

20 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Yes..... I just did!!  ?

 

Happened to me a few passports back and to the friend who recently had trouble at Poipet border.

 

If there is sufficient space on a page, immigration will use it.

 

Nobody in there right mind will let their passport run to the last couple of pages - I know that is not your current question - and UKPA 'credit' up to 9 months of unexpired term.

'Nobody in there right mind will let their passport run to the last couple of pages' 

 

Why ?  I have 2 x 1/2 halve pages left in mine so this time next year will get another,  they look for an empty space that they can stamp. Last Passport a Cambodia sticker had come out, was loose in Passport, Immigration stamped that page !! there was another full empty page + 2x 1/2 pages besides that one they used.

[macahoom]

 

Am I missing something?

 

I don't understand what the OP's problem is. The immigration officer will stamp anywhere he/she can find a space.

[Briggsy]

All you can do @possum1931 is politely ask the Immigration Officer to utilise the space in your passport economically.

Of course it is entirely possible that this may have the opposite effect and the Immigration Officer (not necessarily Thai) demonstrates his power by taking out a random page with a small yet strategically placed stamp.

 

I have found the worst for this are Sri Lankan Immigration Officers who often either go to the back of the passport or pick a random blank page from the middle. Think of the whole thing as a game of chance. Organise sweepstakes with your friends over where the stamps and stickers will be placed and how many pages will be used up.

 

And the next time you are in the UK, get a new passport. It is far less hassle than getting one here.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

All you can do @possum1931 is politely ask the Immigration Officer to utilise the space in your passport economically.

Of course it is entirely possible that this may have the opposite effect and the Immigration Officer (not necessarily Thai) demonstrates his power by taking out a random page with a small yet strategically placed stamp.

 

I have found the worst for this are Sri Lankan Immigration Officers who often either go to the back of the passport or pick a random blank page from the middle. Think of the whole thing as a game of chance. Organise sweepstakes with your friends over where the stamps and stickers will be placed and how many pages will be used up.

 

And the next time you are in the UK, get a new passport. It is far less hassle than getting one here.

I only got a new passport in the UK less than a year ago and it is now six pages in, I would have been better getting my passport though an agency, Darrens immediately springs to mind, here in Thailand.

 

Despite having re entry permit, these incompetent people at the British passport office neglected to send my old passport along with my new one, so when I arrived in Thailand, I had to start my retirement visa all over again at  great inconvenience and cost to me.

 

I even had my old passport pages with all the proof about my retirement exts and re entry permit photographed in my phone which the agent produced to Thai immigration and they just did not want to know.

 

So I think I have every right to be very angry at the British passport office and Thai immigration.

[Maradona 10]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

I only got a new passport in the UK less than a year ago and it is now six pages in, I would have been better getting my passport though an agency, Darrens immediately springs to mind, here in Thailand.

 

Despite having re entry permit, these incompetent people at the British passport office neglected to send my old passport along with my new one, so when I arrived in Thailand, I had to start my retirement visa all over again at  great inconvenience and cost to me.

 

I even had my old passport pages with all the proof about my retirement exts and re entry permit photographed in my phone which the agent produced to Thai immigration and they just did not want to know.

 

So I think I have every right to be very angry at the British passport office and Thai immigration.

 

 

As pointed out to the OP, once there are no empty pages left they will then stamp in the spaces throughout the PP.

[NanLaew]

My experience which is exclusively in-and-out at Suvarnabhumi about 6 times a year is the Thai IO's are very good a matching exit/entry stamps side by side and mostly managing to get 3 of each on a single page. I don't recall them arbitrarily slapping stamps where they feel like it either. Looking at my last couple of passports, this also seems to be the case. But since a few here have commented on the same issue as the OP, I assume that maybe land-border Thai IO's are the ones being wasteful?

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Maradona 10 said:

 

 

As pointed out to the OP, once there are no empty pages left they will then stamp in the spaces throughout the PP.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Maradona 10 said:

 

 

As pointed out to the OP, once there are no empty pages left they will then stamp in the spaces throughout the PP.

It's not too pointless when a lot of countries, Thailand and the UK included, issue whole-page visa stickers. Slap dash stamping can be a bit of a bugger when a passport has maybe only half a dozen pages left and the visa issuing authority requires a whole blank page.

[Andrew Dwyer]

I only got a new passport in the UK less than a year ago and it is now six pages in, I would have been better getting my passport though an agency, Darrens immediately springs to mind, here in Thailand.
 
Despite having re entry permit, these incompetent people at the British passport office neglected to send my old passport along with my new one, so when I arrived in Thailand, I had to start my retirement visa all over again at  great inconvenience and cost to me.
 
I even had my old passport pages with all the proof about my retirement exts and re entry permit photographed in my phone which the agent produced to Thai immigration and they just did not want to know.
 
So I think I have every right to be very angry at the British passport office and Thai immigration.

I think the process is they will return your old passport if it has a visa ( or in your case a re-entry permit ) that is still valid and just cut the corner off .
Clearly an oversight on their part and unacceptable ( IMO) due to the serious service they “ should “ provide . !!

[dabhand]

As a few posters have indicated, having stamps in random pages is not a problem. The IO will find a space if free pages / spaces are available.

I have found that most IO's are quite OK with their placing of stamps nearest the front of the passport but the countries, in my experience, that place stamps haphazardly tend to be those in the ME (UAE, Egypt) plus India. Even in my current PP I have India and UAE stamps at the back and more UAE stamps in the middle. The Thai stamps are all nicely stamped, in sequence, in the front of the PP. 

Also, IO's will generally look for spaces when PP's are becoming rather full. Particularly when they are only using a small sized stamp. So, missing pages will not be an issue. They will be filled up eventually and certainly no need to renew ahead of all pages (save for maybe a couple, to be on the safe side) being used up.

I well recall having upwards of 400 border crossings (with Malaysia) back in the early 90's and, luckily, at that time, having the Big Blue UK PP. Used up at least a couple of PP's in next to no time and would point out usable spaces to the IO and he would happily place a stamp as per my request.  

[NanLaew]

45 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I think the process is they will return your old passport if it has a visa ( or in your case a re-entry permit ) that is still valid and just cut the corner off .
Clearly an oversight on their part and unacceptable ( IMO) due to the serious service they “ should “ provide . !!

I think the onus is on the applicant to advise the passport office of any valid stamps in the 'expiring' passport? It would be unrealistic to expect the average passport clerk to be able to tell the difference between the thousands of different visas and long-stay enabling stamps of all visa-issuing nations. Maybe it is in the small print that one must specifically ask for the old passport to be returned? I do recall when I had a valid 10-year US B1/B2 visa in a UK passport being replaced, I added a note to make sure that they did not cut the corner of that page as that would invalidate the visa according to US laws and they complied. I think they only cut the corners off the covers and leave the pages intact?

Edited August 3, 2018 by NanLaew

[Andrew Dwyer]

I think the onus is on the applicant to advise the passport office of any valid stamps in the 'expiring' passport? It would be unrealistic to expect the average passport clerk to be able to tell the difference between the thousands of different visas and long-stay enabling stamps of all visa-issuing nations. Maybe it is in the small print that one must specifically ask for the old passport to be returned? I do recall when I had a valid 10-year US B1/B2 visa in a UK passport being replaced, I added a note to make sure that they did not cut the corner of that page as that would invalidate the visa according to US laws and they complied. I think they only cut the corners off the covers and leave the pages intact?

You are probably correct that you need to request your passport back, and they will maybe only return it if it has a valid visa/stamp etc ? Not sure .

Incidentally, I took a look and have an old passport that I renewed because it was full ( exp 2005 ), they returned it to me as i have a permanent visa ( Brazil ) in it, don’t remember if I made them aware but they didn’t cut the corners !!

[Jip99]

8 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I think the onus is on the applicant to advise the passport office of any valid stamps in the 'expiring' passport? It would be unrealistic to expect the average passport clerk to be able to tell the difference between the thousands of different visas and long-stay enabling stamps of all visa-issuing nations. Maybe it is in the small print that one must specifically ask for the old passport to be returned? I do recall when I had a valid 10-year US B1/B2 visa in a UK passport being replaced, I added a note to make sure that they did not cut the corner of that page as that would invalidate the visa according to US laws and they complied. I think they only cut the corners off the covers and leave the pages intact?

 

 

I don’t understand why the PP was not returned.

 

i have all my old passports in my possssion......some renewed here, some in the UK.... I see no reason for UKPA to retain the old PP.

[NoshowJones]

On 8/3/2018 at 10:41 AM, macahoom said:

 

Am I missing something?

 

I don't understand what the OP's problem is. The immigration officer will stamp anywhere he/she can find a space.

Well you are certainly no good at understanding things then, are you?

[NoshowJones]

On 8/3/2018 at 12:52 PM, NanLaew said:

It's not too pointless when a lot of countries, Thailand and the UK included, issue whole-page visa stickers. Slap dash stamping can be a bit of a bugger when a passport has maybe only half a dozen pages left and the visa issuing authority requires a whole blank page.

What some posters do not understand is if it takes six pages for a nine month old passport to stamp then what is the chance of it lasting anywhere near the ten years it is supposed to last?

[NoshowJones]

On 8/3/2018 at 1:02 PM, dabhand said:

As a few posters have indicated, having stamps in random pages is not a problem. The IO will find a space if free pages / spaces are available.

I have found that most IO's are quite OK with their placing of stamps nearest the front of the passport but the countries, in my experience, that place stamps haphazardly tend to be those in the ME (UAE, Egypt) plus India. Even in my current PP I have India and UAE stamps at the back and more UAE stamps in the middle. The Thai stamps are all nicely stamped, in sequence, in the front of the PP. 

Also, IO's will generally look for spaces when PP's are becoming rather full. Particularly when they are only using a small sized stamp. So, missing pages will not be an issue. They will be filled up eventually and certainly no need to renew ahead of all pages (save for maybe a couple, to be on the safe side) being used up.

I well recall having upwards of 400 border crossings (with Malaysia) back in the early 90's and, luckily, at that time, having the Big Blue UK PP. Used up at least a couple of PP's in next to no time and would point out usable spaces to the IO and he would happily place a stamp as per my request.  

You are the only person who has actually answered my question, the IOs may have to use the spaces to stamp my passport eventually.

[macahoom]

23 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

You are the only person who has actually answered my question, the IOs may have to use the spaces to stamp my passport eventually.

 

Here's another revelation for you: Water is wet; very wet.