Visa Transfer To The New Passport

[Petch01]

Dear members,

My colluague-teacher applied for a new South African passport. I told him that when he would receive his new passport, he should immediately go to immigration to transfer his (extended) non-immigrant B visa which expires on the 25th of April. After he came back from his embassy he didn't go to immigration. His reasoning was that his old passport still was valid. I told him that that can't be the case. Nobody can have two valid passports at the same time. The moment you get a new passport, the old one is replaced by writing at one of the first pages of the new passport. For him, I was wrong and misinformed.

Last week we argued again. I only want that he, and with him our school, doesn't get in trouble because of breaking the immigration law.

A long story short, I still think that I gathered the correct information from this board and informed him correctly.

Am I correct and should I consider him as stuborn? What are his risks?

Thanks for you time.

Petch01

[P3t3]

Dear members,

My colluague-teacher applied for a new South African passport. I told him that when he would receive his new passport, he should immediately go to immigration to transfer his (extended) non-immigrant B visa which expires on the 25th of April. After he came back from his embassy he didn't go to immigration. His reasoning was that his old passport still was valid. I told him that that can't be the case. Nobody can have two valid passports at the same time. The moment you get a new passport, the old one is replaced by writing at one of the first pages of the new passport. For him, I was wrong and misinformed.

Last week we argued again. I only want that he, and with him our school, doesn't get in trouble because of breaking the immigration law.

A long story short, I still think that I gathered the correct information from this board and informed him correctly.

Am I correct and should I consider him as stuborn? What are his risks?

Thanks for you time.

Petch01

Your mate is correct; whilst his passport might have expired the embassy will only cut and void the passport pages which don't hold a valid visa. Practically you would want to transfer valid visa's from your old passport into your new one (one less item to loose damage during songkran).

Pete

[JonnieB]

i just went through this procedure for an American passport. at least in this case, when the new passport is issued, the old one is canceled and, at least for ones issued through the USA embassy in Bangkok, holes are punched through the front cover of the old passport (not the inside pages). you are also given a letter from the embassy counsel requesting that thai immigration transfer any existing visa from the old to the new passport.

i don't know of any specific time deadline in which this must be done...a reasonably quick time would be indicated but it need not be done immediately (though technically, the old passport is expired and until the "old" visa is transferred into the new passport, one could be technically be considered present in the Kingdom without a valid visa/entry stamp.

due to some pressing business, i was not able to effect the transfer of the old visa to the new passport for almost 10 days. when i did finally present both passports for visa transfer in pattaya, it was no problem...just come back and pick them up the next day.

FYI: this is one immigration service for which there is no form to fill out, copies of anything to be made, or any fee to be paid

[Petch01]

Thanks for your replies.

Petch01