No mail service for passports

[4MyEgo]

Travelling to Oz in October with the family and noticed two of the kids passports expire in November.

 

Checked with immigration in OZ and as long as your passport is valid as an Australian, you can travel up to the expiry date, so to speak.

 

Now as the kids passports will need to be renewed, I figured we could do that in Oz, but as we are there for 2 weeks, not enough time as they need 3 weeks, i.e. unless you are prepared to pay $215 each on top of the normal $148 fee each to get them back in 48 hours, yeh you can imagine my thoughts on that one.

 

So my options are to travel to Bangkok in person from the North-East of Thailand and do the interview, then return, now that's a 9-10 drive each way, or an hour 15 to the airport at Udon Thani Airport, then an hours flight, then a 45 minute cab ride, again, each way and let's not forget the costs involved, e.g. 100-200 baht for parking, petrol, airfare, taxi.

 

My other option is to do it in Phuket when we return in October, but they tell me that they don't have a mail service, WHAT THE FARK, meaning I have to pick up the passports personally, i.e. either fly back to Phuket or do it in Bangkok.

 

This is absolute crap, back in Oz it would be sent to your address by certified mail and if your not home you have to pick it up at the post office.

 

Have they not heard of EMS, it exists here.

 

Anyone come up with this issue, or have an alternative option apart from paying the ransom, because I for one will be sending a scathing letter to Canberra to push for them to provide a mailing service here, it's our right as Ozzies.

 

Haven't been at this level since I was back in Oz, yeh the blood pressure is through the roof. 

Edited August 5, 2019 by 4MyEgo

[Centra]

https://www.passports.gov.au/contact-us

 

A friend of mine didn't realise his passport was under 6 months to expire. He flew to Brisbane the day before leaving and the passport office did his while he waited.

 

May be if you can get to a passport office while in Australia they can do it for you.

[stubuzz]

Do you need to renew at Trendy Building, Bangkok? If so, many of the visa companies on the lower floor will collect and forward your new passport by EMS. Last time i paid 500bt.

[scorecard]

1 minute ago, stubuzz said:

Do you need to renew at Trendy Building, Bangkok? If so, many of the visa companies on the lower floor will collect and forward your new passport by EMS. Last time i paid 500bt.

Trendy building / folks take care of OZ passports?

[scorecard]

I've renewed my OZ passport 3 times whilst in Thailand, last time about 18 months ago. Every time I gave an address for posting using EMS. My understanding  in that new passports come back to Thailand in bulk then quickly mailed from Bkk to the given address.

 

Brisbane issuing passports is a new one on me. The last time I renewed I went to the old embassy on Sathorn Tai for the interview and I asked if passports would ever be made in Bkk, etc. Polite answer was no, the policy is to maintain 100% security over the actual manufacture at one very secure facility in Canberra and they are completed and start the despatch process within a couple of hours. Maybe it's changed. 

[stubuzz]

13 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Trendy building / folks take care of OZ passports?

I don't know. My point was many agents will collect and forward it for a fee.

[scorecard]

Well I am no expert but I did call and ask the embassy about my son or an agent doing the visit on my behalf because I spend most of my time in a wheel chair. The polite and clear answer was absolutely no, but they would coordinate for one of the security guards at the gate to be ready to quickly help me out of the car and through the gate etc., and upstairs to the consular office and return to get me into a taxi to depart.

 

This actually happened and it was coordinated well, I called a number provided when I was about 1 km away and gave the taxi colour and rego plate no., and the security guard noticed the car and the guard and his buddy were great to quickly get the car off the road as much as possible and be ready to support me out of the car and into my chair and upstairs, all well done. Same in reverse, one of the boys stayed with me and called back to the gate and sure enough they had pulled a taxi pulled in as much as possible, carefully into the car, then the main boy asked me to confirm my destination and he spoke to the taxi driver then looked at me and said 'saduack mai ' (rough translation 'are you comfortable'). All well done. 

 

 

[4MyEgo]

Update:

 

I emailed the Australian Embassy in Laos as they are only two hours from me, not a problem, well sort of not a problem, I will have to pay $30USD twice at the Friendship Bridge as I will be required to lodge the application with them and collect the passports when ready, pay for a cab both times x 300 baht, and get 2 x re-entry permits x 1,000 baht, so all up I will be up for about $230AUD.

 

Still cheaper and quicker than going to BKK or Phuket, if it was one passport I would have paid the priority fee of $215, but as it's 2 passports, the hassle is all mine to save myself about $200AUD, now the way I look at that is its' worth a couple of floozy's and a few nights beer money oi ????

Edited August 6, 2019 by 4MyEgo

[scorecard]

26 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Update:

 

I emailed the Australian Embassy in Laos as they are only two hours from me, not a problem, well sort of not a problem, I will have to pay $30USD twice at the Friendship Bridge as I will be required to lodge the application with them and collect the passports when ready, pay for a cab both times x 300 baht, and get 2 x re-entry permits x 1,000 baht, so all up I will be up for about $230AUD.

 

Still cheaper and quicker than going to BKK or Phuket, if it was one passport I would have paid the priority fee of $215, but as it's 2 passports, the hassle is all mine to save myself about $200AUD, now the way I look at that is its' worth a couple of floozy's and a few nights beer money oi ????

 Nice. 

 

Do you like your floozies well done or rare? Red or white wine?

[4MyEgo]

31 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 Nice. 

 

Do you like your floozies well done or rare? Red or white wine?

LOL.

 

18-23

 

Drinks after the meal ????

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by 4MyEgo

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

LOL.

 

18-23

 

Drinks after the meal ????

 

No smoking during???

[4MyEgo]

5 minutes ago, scorecard said:

No smoking during???

Only eating...

[scorecard]

6 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Only eating...

Then off to the dentist for flossing etc., and if the dentist is female... round 2...

Edited August 6, 2019 by scorecard

[4MyEgo]

Update: Just got an email back from Phuket Consular-General, they will post the passports to me after I apply.

 

My email must have hit a raw nerve, as I was threatening to start a petition, e.g. how many expats have to travel for hours on end to lodge the application in person, and then have to return to collect the passports.

 

Laos while it was an option, would still cost me over $200 return to lodge and collect the passports.

 

Glad they came to their senses.

 

Moral of the story, don't accept what they say, push, push, push, they would send your passports to your home in Australia, why not here, can't blame the mailing system, responsibility is ours, EMS should be fine.