Two passports and one visa question

[troniccrypt]

Hi, I have 2 UK passports. I need to hand in my passport, the one that has my Thai multiple reentry permit, to get a new visa in another country. The process is a few weeks. 

 

Meanwhile, I absolutly must travel to Thailand next week but can only use the passport that does not have the multiple reentry. Basically it has a few stamps, nothing more. 

 

When I arrive, I will get the 30 day tourist visa. 

 

Just wondering what the legality of this is and what will happen to my multiple reentry that is in my other passport. 

 

Both passports have the same details. Only the number and issue and valid too dates are different. 

 

I am happy to lose the reentry and reapply if that is the path. 

 

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

You history on entries and departures from you other passport will linked when you enter the country using you other passport.

I would not be concerned about your re-entry permit being made invalid. The extension of stay or the permit to stay it is based upon could be made invalid by getting a different permit to stay in your other passport.

It may turn out not to be a problem if nobody notices the new entry with a different passport.

[troniccrypt]

Thanks, so it may be that using the wrong passport, the one without the Non Imm with long extension and Muliple entry permit, can invalidate the Non Imm and long stay extension.

 

I have used both passports at different times prior to getting the Non Imm. Nothing untoward here, just that I am a frequent traveller that is resident in two other countries and have residence/work permits for those. No comment has ever been made and I have never been asked about the dual passports so have never voluntarily linked them. The passport numbers are different so I am not sure how they would know. I have a common name and I know at least 1 other person that has the same name and date of birth as me, though they are born in a different area from me.

 

Would it be best to explain thhe situation to the Immigration officer on arrival? Is there a chance I can be denied entry? Or should I make a trip to immigration to explain that my primary passport is getting processed for renewal of a work visa overseas?

[ubonjoe]

Your 2 passports are probably already linked in immigrations database. The system searches for matching names, dates of birth and nationality the first time a passport is used for entry. It does that to prevent people blacklisted from being able to enter the country to get new passport and using it to enter the country.

Not sure you would have any luck with immigration since they are not accustomed to people having more than one passport.

It may not be a problem but it is hard to predict what immigration will do.

[elviajero]

I don’t see any problem whatsoever.

 

There is no law/rule saying you must enter with the same passport. You could have simply lost the one with the Thai extension of stay. That extension effectively ended when you last left the country and is only reactivated if you present the passport with the extension/re-entry permit.

[TonyClifton]

1 hour ago, troniccrypt said:

Would it be best to explain thhe situation to the Immigration officer on arrival? Is there a chance I can be denied entry? Or should I make a trip to immigration to explain that my primary passport is getting processed for renewal of a work visa overseas?

Are you out of your mind?  Keep your mouth shut and smile.

[troniccrypt]

52 minutes ago, TonyClifton said:

Are you out of your mind?  Keep your mouth shut and smile.

Lol. I suspect you are right. 

 

Perhaps I shall delay the new overseas visa and travel on the passport with the Thai visa in. Seems to be the safest option. 

[TonyClifton]

2 minutes ago, troniccrypt said:

Lol. I suspect you are right. 

 

Perhaps I shall delay the new overseas visa and travel on the passport with the Thai visa in. Seems to be the safest option. 

Never volunteer information to cops unless you are asked.  And even if you are asked, you better know what you will give as an explanation.  

[NanLaew]

Like the OP, since I returned to Thailand in 2005, I traveled in and out of Thailand on two, separate UK passports (and another 10 years when I stayed in LOS before that) without any issues at Thai immigration. One passport has my Thai Ret Ext and Multi Re-entry whilst the other had no visa and I would get the 30-day, visa-exempt entry instead. I would always leave and return well before the 30 days were up, flipping the passports 'airside'. This was solely to stop one passport filling up faster than the other.

 

On returning to Suvarnabhumi from work in Myanmar last April, I offered my visa-less passport as I had a business meeting in Vietnam about 18 days later. The IO had a hard time with that, flipping back and forth and eventually asking if I had another passport. I gave him my other passport (with the Ret Ext) and he still gurned before he flagged down a supervisor. She wanted to know why I hadn't canceled one or other of the two passports. I explained that legally I can have two. In the background the IO kept gurning about my having a mia ni Udon so he obviously could see my entire entry/exit history, including the data from my previous, expired  passport that had a Thai marriage extension in it.  The supervisor asked if I still wanted to make the visa-exempt entry and I countered if that would cause problems with the current Ret Ext in the other passport. She wouldn't be drawn so I said I would use the one with the Ret Ext. After that, she told me that this passport with the Ret Ext was the ONLY passport I could use to enter Thailand. I asked if this was a new rule or enforcement of an old one but I think any correct answer was well above her pay grade.

 

I would suggest that the OP take pot luck, go for visa-exempt entry and hope to get an IO who isn't too hard on procedures. However, make a proper, quality scan copy of the other passport and the receipt from the other embassy where the other passport is getting a visa sticker at. If he gets asked for the other passport, go ahead and fess up, show them the copy/receipt, don't argue, don't offer logical explanations about being legally enabled to have two UK passports. Just keep smiling, bob the head, modest genuflecting, maybe a kawthoad khrap, etc.. But no need to waii though... that's overkill. There's no need to waii some government jobsworth doing what their paid to do, even if they don't know how or even want to do it properly.

 

Good luck!

 

PS. Or the OP could use the OTHER passport (without the Thai multiple reentry permit) for the 3rd country visa application, come to LOS on his Ext/Re-entry permitted one and avoid a whole lot of drama.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

PS. Or the OP could use the OTHER passport (without the Thai multiple reentry permit) for the 3rd country visa application, come to LOS on his Ext/Re-entry permitted one and avoid a whole lot of drama.

I would of thought the OP has already figured that out, and that there’s a reason why that specific passport — that also includes the Thai visa:permits — needs to be used to apply for the visa in the other country.

 

I’m not surprised you were questioned if you regularly switched between passports, with no good reason.

 

The OP has a legitimate reason to use the second passport. The reason second passports are issued is so you can travel with one whilst applying for a visa in the other.

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

I would of thought the OP has already figured that out, and that there’s a reason why that specific passport — that also includes the Thai visa:permits — needs to be used to apply for the visa in the other country.

I would have thought so too. But he asked for an opinion and advice so here we are. The OP's subsequent post indicates that there's no such imperative after all.

 

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

I’m not surprised you were questioned if you regularly switched between passports, with no good reason.

I am only surprised that it's taken them about 25 cumulative years and upward of 180 pass-thru's before getting around to asking me. More a case of "because I can" than "for no good reason"... for me anyway.

 

3 minutes ago, elviajero said:

The OP has a legitimate reason to use the second passport. The reason second passports are issued is so you can travel with one whilst applying for a visa in the other.

That's the core reason I have held two passports for the last 30-odd years as well. I apologize if you thought I had blagged a 2nd passport from the UK authorities simply so I could win at some arcane game of keeping their usage equal.

[elviajero]

16 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

28 minutes ago, elviajero said:

The OP has a legitimate reason to use the second passport. The reason second passports are issued is so you can travel with one whilst applying for a visa in the other.

That's the core reason I have held two passports for the last 30-odd years as well. I apologize if you thought I had blagged a 2nd passport from the UK authorities simply so I could win at some arcane game of keeping their usage equal

My comment wasn't aimed at you. I was simply pointing out that he is using the second passport for the very reason second passports are issued.

 

I too have two passports and have always blagged the second as -- although the possibility exists -- I have never needed to apply for a visa whilst traveling. I maintain two in case I lose my main one and, like you, have the ability to spread entry stamps whenever I can.

[troniccrypt]

My Thai visa is in the same passport as my residence visa for the other country that I must renew. If I dont renew then I have to start a new application and I have held that residence visa for many years.

 

Interestingly , I did have a bad experience with using the wrong passport once. I left Shenzhen China land border on on the passport that has the visa and I then used the other passport when I arrived in Hong Kong. I did this because of space considerations, this was when HK stamped your passport, but the confusion this caused for HK immigration meant that I was delayed for 3 hours at HK immigration.

 

So once bitten twice shy and always better to request the information from those more experienced than me.

 

I am going to delay the submission of the visa renewal and travel on the passport with the Thai Visa.

 

Thanks for all the help and advice.