New UK passport Trendy building.

[berybert]

2 weeks ago I went to the Trendy building so I could send off for a new passport. Had all the required documents and a few extras just in case. 

My appointment was for 20 past nine,  it tells you in the letter they send you in an email not to get there less than 10 minutes before your appointment. Having never used the place before I got there 30 minutes early just to see how things worked. 

Well I was asked what I was doing, told to take a number and was out before 9 o'clock.

Just received an email from them telling me the new passport will be ready to pick up tomorrow.

2 weeks and as easy as you like. 

Marvellous service.

[Rally123]

Can you get them to post it?

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Rally123 said:

Can you get them to post it?

No

But you can designate somebody to pick it up for you. They have to have your old passport so it can be canceled.

[Rally123]

^ 

Thanks for that.

[cmsally]

I turned up at 0930 for a 1130 appointment  and got sent straight in. Out within 20 mins ! Just wait for the collection email. Presuming it will be a bit longer as over Easter and Songkran.

[bbi1]

You didn't mention which country you're from. Trendy building has an embassy or consulate there? For which country is the embassy or consulate for issuing passports?

[arithai12]

You seem happy with 2 weeks for a new passport... good for you. What country?

My embassy in Bangkok issues a new passport while I wait.

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

You seem happy with 2 weeks for a new passport... good for you. What country?

My embassy in Bangkok issues a new passport while I wait.

Are you from a country that no one wants to make fake passports from that Country  ?

[observer90210]

just to help out, assuming there are not any other foreign passport offices in that building :

Location

The passport office, where you will make your application to renew a UK passport, is located on the 28th floor of The Trendy Building on Sukhumwit Soi 13 in Bangkok. 

 

Ref. : https://www.ajarn.com/blogs/bangkok-phil/renewing-a-uk-passport-in-bangkok

[brewsterbudgen]

It is an excellent service.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[PhoSai]

Brits have got so used to bad service when it comes to passports we now think 2 weeks is good. Meanwhile Americans get theirs quicker, cheaper and with more pages. Other nationalities not far off that.

 

For me personally i sent mine back to the UK myself. Never left the house in Ubon and the new one was back in 9 days. Had slight risks attached but minimal risks. I try to avoid Bangkok at all costs. 

[Psimbo]

2 trips to Bangkok from Phuket is NOT excellent service were I to do it.

 

The Canadian Embassy has no issues with using EMS, why should the UK  system? Whole process took ten days from me sending the Pport up to Bkk and getting the new one back.

 

I did the UK one online, had it posted from an address in the UK back to another in the UK and brought out to me all inside ten days as well (and yes- it was legal as I was in the country on my  Canadian PPort at the time).

 

The poster above who sent it to the UK was lucky as they should have refused  to renew it having received it from here without an exit stamp.

[berybert]

This is what I love.

Some people get their passport quicker than 2 weeks. Woopydo.. I wont be needing mine until this time next month so 2 weeks is great as far as I'm concerned. I guess if I needed a new one 2 days after sending off the old one then that wouldn't be so good. But its called planning.

I could have gone back to the UK and done it online and saved the 20 odd quid fee, what's a 500 quid flight if you can save 20 quid? 

Sorry I was just thinking 2 weeks was a good deal I was expecting a few people to mentioned they had used agents and had saved 3 or 4 hours not needing to go to the Trendy building and were happy to have spent 10 /15 thousand baht in doing so. Wasn't expecting to hear about how bad it is to have to waste an hour of my time once every 10 years. 

Still needs must.

Edited April 8, 2019 by berybert

[berybert]

5 hours ago, PhoSai said:

Brits have got so used to bad service when it comes to passports we now think 2 weeks is good. Meanwhile Americans get theirs quicker, cheaper and with more pages. Other nationalities not far off that.

 

For me personally i sent mine back to the UK myself. Never left the house in Ubon and the new one was back in 9 days. Had slight risks attached but minimal risks. I try to avoid Bangkok at all costs. 

How did you manage to post it if you never left the house ?

[richard_smith237]

13 minutes ago, berybert said:

How did you manage to post it if you never left the house ?

 

15 minutes ago, berybert said:

5 hours ago, PhoSai said:

Brits have got so used to bad service when it comes to passports we now think 2 weeks is good. Meanwhile Americans get theirs quicker, cheaper and with more pages. Other nationalities not far off that.

 

For me personally i sent mine back to the UK myself. Never left the house in Ubon and the new one was back in 9 days. Had slight risks attached but minimal risks. I try to avoid Bangkok at all costs. 

How did you manage to post it if you never left the house

Come on... you know what he meant... 

‘didn’t need to leave his area and go to VFS etc’

 

& to the earlier comment: You can get a new passport in a few hours in the UK... Just have to pay extra for fast track.

[berybert]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Come on... you know what he meant... 

‘didn’t need to leave his area and go to VFS etc’

 

& to the earlier comment: You can get a new passport in a few hours in the UK... Just have to pay extra for fast track.

Why would anyone be so stupid as to get a passport fast tracked ? my old one had over 6 months left on it but I might be wanting to travel outside of Thailand in July or August. Is it really worth the aggro of saving myself a few months and run the risk of not getting it back in time ?

It's people who leave official business to the last minute then mess up that you are forever reading about on TV. They then blame everybody except themselves.  

Some people feel they have missed out if the don't get 10 years out of a 10 year passport. 

[OJAS]

16 hours ago, sanemax said:

Are you from a country that no one wants to make fake passports from that Country  ?

But the UK does appear to be alone among Western countries in requiring TWO physical trips to Bangkok by (or on behalf of) passport renewal applicants. Certainly the USA – which, I would have thought, was another prime candidate country for the making of fake passports – has not imposed a requirement for A SINGLE trip to Bangkok at all in the case of routine renewals:-

 

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

 

In any event, is it not more likely that fake passports are being produced on the basis of passports which have been lost by, or stolen from, those taking holidays in Thailand, rather than new passports intercepted en route from the UK?  What I find particularly galling is that these culpable holidaymakers had probably been able to obtain their subsequently lost or stolen passports in the UK without having to endure the procedures which we (I suspect) generally more careful long-stayers here in Thailand are expected to comply with!

 

9 hours ago, berybert said:

I could have gone back to the UK and done it online

I can’t think of any good reason why we’re not allowed to use the online system from Thailand for the initial application stage at least – which would then mean only 1 trip to Bangkok to collect our new passport and get the old one cancelled.

 

Use of the online system should also overcome problems in obtaining photos complying fully with HMPO’s requirements. For instance, how many professional photographers here in Thailand actually take mug shots against physical plain cream or light grey backgrounds, as distinct from subsequently photoshopping these colours in violation of the “no software altering” rule?

 

Edited April 9, 2019 by OJAS

[OJAS]

15 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It is an excellent service.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

Yep, excellent for you, of course, since you live in Bangkok.

[berybert]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

But the UK does appear to be alone among Western countries in requiring TWO physical trips to Bangkok by (or on behalf of) passport renewal applicants. Certainly the USA – which, I would have thought, was another prime candidate country for the making of fake passports – has not imposed a requirement for A SINGLE trip to Bangkok at all in the case of routine renewals:-

 

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

 

In any event, is it not more likely that fake passports are being produced on the basis of passports which have been lost by, or stolen from, those taking holidays in Thailand, rather than new passports intercepted en route from the UK?  What I find particularly galling is that these culpable holidaymakers had probably been able to obtain their subsequently lost or stolen passports in the UK without having to endure the procedures which we (I suspect) generally more careful long-stayers here in Thailand are expected to comply with!

 

I can’t think of any good reason why we’re not allowed to use the online system from Thailand for the initial application stage at least – which would then mean only 1 trip to Bangkok to collect our new passport and get the old one cancelled.

 

Use of the online system should also overcome problems in obtaining photos complying fully with HMPO’s requirements. For instance, how many professional photographers here in Thailand actually take mug shots against physical plain cream or light grey backgrounds, as distinct from subsequently photoshopping these colours in violation of the “no software altering” rule?

 

I wonder how easy it would be to use the online system in Thailand if it were allowed, then send someone else to pick up your passport. A con mans dream.

[brewsterbudgen]

21 hours ago, OJAS said:

Yep, excellent for you, of course, since you live in Bangkok.

Indeed, it's easier if you live in Bangkok.  But my comment referred to the process as a whole, and as it's perfectly OK to use an Agent to do the legwork if you don't live in Bangkok, I would still maintain it's an excellent service.

[Rally123]

On 4/9/2019 at 4:03 AM, berybert said:

and were happy to have spent 10 /15 thousand baht in doing so. Wasn't expecting to hear about how bad it is to have to waste an hour of my time once every 10 years. 

The agents fee is 5,000 not 10/15,000. 5,000 Baht is a good price to pay for not having to do a 12 hour, round trip, to Bangkok if you don't like bus rides. But being a skinflint I could pay Somchai 4-500 Baht to go for me, including bus fare 8-900 Baht altogether. Same again 2 weeks later to collect my passport. Total saved 3,200 Baht. Way to go. 

[Henryford]

Did my trip to Trendy yesterday for a new passport. Went well, only in there for 10 minutes. I live fairly close to Bangkok so not really a hassle to do the trip twice. Good excuse for the girlfriend to do some shopping. Trendy is close to Terminal 21. Got my passport back with NO changes so OK to travel until i get my new one. Happy to wait 2-3 weeks and certainly better than paying 5000 baht for an agent. If the new one arrives by the end of April i will be pleased, especially as it is only once in 10 years. I would rather do that than send my passport off via post or hand it over to a third party.

[Henryford]

On 4/11/2019 at 8:14 AM, Henryford said:

Did my trip to Trendy yesterday for a new passport. Went well, only in there for 10 minutes. I live fairly close to Bangkok so not really a hassle to do the trip twice. Good excuse for the girlfriend to do some shopping. Trendy is close to Terminal 21. Got my passport back with NO changes so OK to travel until i get my new one. Happy to wait 2-3 weeks and certainly better than paying 5000 baht for an agent. If the new one arrives by the end of April i will be pleased, especially as it is only once in 10 years. I would rather do that than send my passport off via post or hand it over to a third party.

Got the new passport back from Trendy, only 15 days, very good service and only a few minutes actually in the building. Unfortunately it's still an EUSSR passport not the new British passport.