Need To Renew Thai Passport By Saturday And Is It Possible To Stamp Us And Thai Passports Upon Leaving The Country?

[Tonsils]

Two main questions: I'm a dual citizen, 30 years, (Thai and US) and need to renew my Thai passport for travel to Hong Kong this Saturday (the expiration date is today, March 28). After reading the archive, some people have mentioned going out to Central Bangna and others have mentioned going to Laksi.

Question #1: Is it possible to get my Thai passport extended in one day or onsite? What documents do I need to bring?

Question #2: Worse case scenario, I can still travel on my US passport to leave Thailand, since I entered Thailand with it about 1.5 years ago. The only issue is that I want to get it stamped for leaving Thailand and reenter with my Thai passport. This would require stamping BOTH Thai and US passports upon leaving the country. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Thanks so much for your help in advance! T.

[samran]

Well, you entered Thailand on your US passport, so you are subject to Thai immigration rules. Given you entered on it, you should leave on it, otherwise, at some point, immigration will record you as overstaying, which has a max fine of 20,000 baht. There is no way immigration will stamp you out on both passports.

May I ask, what type of visa do you have to stay in Thailand for the past 1.5 years having entered on your US passport? I'm assuming you got an extension of stay based on showing your Thai ID card?

I don't think you'll have time to get a new Thai passport anyway. It takes three days, so you really should have applied at the beginning of the week. For that, you'd need your Thai ID card, house registration and old passport (for them to cancel). You may want to ring them though and find out if you can extend the validity of your current passport. I'm not sure if this is still possible though, but it is worth asking.

In any case, as soon as you have a valid Thai passport, exit Thailand on the US passport, and then when you come back, re-enter on your Thai one. Doing so means you won't be subject to immigraion rules, restrictions on length of stay, and most importantly, don't have the need to get a work permit.

[elsie]

MFA don't extend passports anymore (almost 100% sure). All new passports are e-passports, valid 5 years, and can't be extended also.

http://www.consular.go.th/modules.php?name...page&pid=59

Edited March 28, 2007 by elsie

[Tonsils]

Well, you entered Thailand on your US passport, so you are subject to Thai immigration rules. Given you entered on it, you should leave on it, otherwise, at some point, immigration will record you as overstaying, which has a max fine of 20,000 baht. There is no way immigration will stamp you out on both passports.

May I ask, what type of visa do you have to stay in Thailand for the past 1.5 years having entered on your US passport? I'm assuming you got an extension of stay based on showing your Thai ID card?

I don't think you'll have time to get a new Thai passport anyway. It takes three days, so you really should have applied at the beginning of the week. For that, you'd need your Thai ID card, house registration and old passport (for them to cancel). You may want to ring them though and find out if you can extend the validity of your current passport. I'm not sure if this is still possible though, but it is worth asking.

In any case, as soon as you have a valid Thai passport, exit Thailand on the US passport, and then when you come back, re-enter on your Thai one. Doing so means you won't be subject to immigraion rules, restrictions on length of stay, and most importantly, don't have the need to get a work permit.

Samran,

THanks for your reply and help. I got the one year extension from showing my Thai passport at Tor Mor.

Yeah, I waited a to the last minute to get my Thai passport renewed. I'll check tomorrow to see if its possible for a quick extension. In case I am able to get the extension, in time for this weekend, and use my US passport to exit the country, will immigration allow me back in using the Thai passport? (I used the THai passport to travel to Vietnam back in the summer, so it shows me leaving and reentering THailand). In essence, I will not have been stamped out when trying to come back in. Thanks again!

[samran]

technically, you entered as an American so you are still here as an American, though the ease of your trip to Vietnam on the Thai passport doesn't suprise me at all. You as the American, never left Thailand, even though you were physically somewhere else as a Thai!!.

By the sounds of it, you won't get a new one in time this week, so for the purposes of this weekend, I think the US passport is in order, as you won't have any other valid travel document. Make sure you get a re-entry permit.

When you get back, reapply for a Thai passport. Next time you leave Thailand, leave as an American, and and re-enter as a Thai.

I don't think not having an exit stamp matters, as lots of people get issued Thai passports overseas and then re-enter Thailand on those (usually). However, as you have already travelled on your Thai passport (and on the computer as being 'in' Thailand), if the computer system is worth its salt, then they'd probably wonder how you left in the first place, even if it was on an old passport.

You'd just have to explain, but insist on them letting you back in as a Thai citizen (which works and I've done - in the case of them questioning). When you do this though, you'll be doing it, presumably, on an unstamped Thai passport.

This is why I always advise people, if they are Thai, only ever enter Thailand on a Thai passport. It saves alot of confusion and double counting!

[Tonsils]

By the sounds of it, you won't get a new one in time this week, so for the purposes of this weekend, I think the US passport is in order, as you won't have any other valid travel document. Make sure you get a re-entry permit.

Samran, do you mean the 6000-7000 baht multiple reentry permit, than lets me leave and reenter Thailang as much as I would like during the time allowed for my one year visa? Is there any reason I would not be allowed back into Thailand without a re-entry permit?

The alternative would be having to get the one-year reissued (1900baht) when I get back, and not leave the country, until the new Thai passport is renewed. Hopefully, I can use the Thai ID card to get the one year visa issued again.

[samran]

If the one year is re-issued to you for 1900 baht, then fine. I know a single re-entry permit costs the same, meaning, that you can come back in, and your existing visa will still be valid and you'll get restamped in for the remaining life of our visa. If you leave without it a re-entry permit, you'll get 30 days on arrival (unless there is a counter at the airport on arrival where you can apply for the one year visa for Thai nationals using other passports).