Stolen Passport

[martinhuahin]

On Saturday 7th April, I was the victim of a house burglery whilst out for dinner.

The thieves stole my lap-top, DvD player and more annoyingly my passport, UK Drivers license, and my Bangkok Bank Account book.

The Police were not really interested, and filled out a report and told me to contact my insurance. Did they take lessons from our Police in the UK?!!!

However, I called the British Embassy in Bangkok to report my passport stolen and they were most helpful. I went in on the following Monday, with the police report and filled out the necessary paper-work and they ordered me a new passport.

Today I travelled from Hua Hin to get the new passport and I went with copies of the old one, copies of the visa I had (one year multiple Non B valid until 3rd September 2007. True to their word, the British Embassy had a new passport waiting for me and had written a letter to Thai Immgration at Soi Sua Phlu, Sathorn Road, Bangkok, explaining that my passport had been stolen and requesting that they would kindly re-issue my visa in the new passport.

Straightforward enough I thought.

Upon arrival at the Immigration Office, I was surprised to be seen in a matter of minutes, and the lady asked me for my documents. I handed these in including a copy of the old passport, copies of the original visa and entry stamp, and a copy of my arrival card. (I'd made copies of these just in case of any such thing ocurring!)

I was handed a plastic number and asked to wait.

"52" was called out and I came to the counter, still in disbelief at how quick and easy this had all been.

NOT SO!!!!

I looked at the three stamps that had been placed in my new passport and the visa was not there.

I politely questioned the lady as to the where-abouts of my visa.

NO CAN DO. YOU GO HOME TO GET ANOTHER ONE IN UK!!!!!!

Can you imagine that??!!!!

As it happens, I'm booked to go back to the UK for a trip on 4th May, well inside the time of the exit stamp she kindly supplied me with...

But can you imagine if I had not had such a trip planned??!!

I am astounded at this treatment. 1st to be robbed is bad enough. New passports are not exactly cheap, and add to that two trips to BKK from Hua Hin. But to be told to go back to my home country to get another visa?! This beggars belief - when they can clearly see a copy of the original one which does not run out until September.

Has this happened to any one else??!!

I had heard that things were getting tight re: visas etc. but this is really poor treatment.

Edited April 26, 2007 by martinhuahin

[Aussietraveller]

Martin,

Thanks for the post and sorry to hear about the hassles you have had.

I have been slack, and do not have copies of my passport of Visas/stamps.

I am now heading to the shop, to get copies of my passport done.

Fingers crossed that i never need them.

[Axel]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

[Crossy]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

Yep, this ^^^ is how it works.

Immigration can only replace items that they have entered. ie entry stamps and extensions of stay.

The visa itself can only be replaced by the consulate that issued it

[crocken]

On Saturday 7th April, I was the victim of a house burglery whilst out for dinner.

The thieves stole my lap-top, DvD player and more annoyingly my passport, UK Drivers license, and my Bangkok Bank Account book.

The Police were not really interested, and filled out a report and told me to contact my insurance. Did they take lessons from our Police in the UK?!!!

However, I called the British Embassy in Bangkok to report my passport stolen and they were most helpful. I went in on the following Monday, with the police report and filled out the necessary paper-work and they ordered me a new passport.

Today I travelled from Hua Hin to get the new passport and I went with copies of the old one, copies of the visa I had (one year multiple Non B valid until 3rd September 2007. True to their word, the British Embassy had a new passport waiting for me and had written a letter to Thai Immgration at Soi Sua Phlu, Sathorn Road, Bangkok, explaining that my passport had been stolen and requesting that they would kindly re-issue my visa in the new passport.

Straightforward enough I thought.

Upon arrival at the Immigration Office, I was surprised to be seen in a matter of minutes, and the lady asked me for my documents. I handed these in including a copy of the old passport, copies of the original visa and entry stamp, and a copy of my arrival card. (I'd made copies of these just in case of any such thing ocurring!)

I was handed a plastic number and asked to wait.

"52" was called out and I came to the counter, still in disbelief at how quick and easy this had all been.

NOT SO!!!!

I looked at the three stamps that had been placed in my new passport and the visa was not there.

I politely questioned the lady as to the where-abouts of my visa.

NO CAN DO. YOU GO HOME TO GET ANOTHER ONE IN UK!!!!!!

Can you imagine that??!!!!

As it happens, I'm booked to go back to the UK for a trip on 4th May, well inside the time of the exit stamp she kindly supplied me with...

But can you imagine if I had not had such a trip planned??!!

I am astounded at this treatment. 1st to be robbed is bad enough. New passports are not exactly cheap, and add to that two trips to BKK from Hua Hin. But to be told to go back to my home country to get another visa?! This beggars belief - when they can clearly see a copy of the original one which does not run out until September.

Has this happened to any one else??!!

I had heard that things were getting tight re: visas etc. but this is really poor treatment.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck i know how difficult it is to replace all those items.....i lost passport driving license bank book birth certificate and much more in a house robbery.Still not replace the license from UK too difficult.

[martinhuahin]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

Thanks for that explanation.. does that mean that the ministry of foreign affairs could be approached? I'm asking hypothetically as I'm going back to the UK in any case, but I can't help thinking about those people working here who simply might not be able to "go back" to get a replacement visa...!!

Edited April 26, 2007 by martinhuahin

[Crossy]

Thanks for that explanation.. does that mean that the ministry of foreign affairs could be approached? I'm asking hypothetically as I'm going back to the UK in any case, but I can't help thinking about those people working here who simply might not be able to "go back" to get a reaplcement visa...!!

Interesting thought, not heard of anyone trying the MFA.

On the other point, anyone working here with a work permit and a half decent salary will have an extension of stay based on their WP, immigration CAN replace that in the new PP

[Axel]

Theoretically, the MfA would be the right place, although I never heard of it being done.

When one is working here under WP and extention of stay-stamp it would be a different story. Immigration caqn replace that stamp.

Otherwise, a new visa can be applied for in countries around here, no need to go back home.

[Axel]

Crossy, we replied within 3 minutes.

[martinhuahin]

Update:

I've just spoken with the Consulate in Birmingham and they have kindly said they will look into it upon my return. (They issued the visa for me)

Very sympathetically, they said not to worry and they are sure they can help. Thank you Birmingham!!

Edited April 26, 2007 by martinhuahin

[Crossy]

Crossy, we replied within 3 minutes.

"Great minds think alike" (or is it "Fools seldom differ"??) :D

EDIT Excellent news Martin, I'm sure they will help (for a fee naturally )

Edited April 26, 2007 by Crossy

[Jim Abbott]

Lesson to be learned here is rent a condo or APT with tip top security. do not rent a house

[Naam]

Lesson to be learned here is rent a condo or APT with tip top security. do not rent a house

i have been told that one can buy a safe in which to store important documents burglar and fire proof up to a certain extent. but even without spending 25,000 baht for a 220kg safe there should be ways to hide documents no matter whether it is a condo or a house.

[monty]

Even if you are on a workpermit and extension of stay you're still in for a little problem later on.

Immigration will indeed put in the stamp until when you were permitted to stay (the extension of stay you received from them in your old passport), but when this period is over, no other extension can be had, with the reasoning that each extension is based on the original non-immigrant B visa (which you now don't have anymore!) along with all the other paperwork required.

Luckily, with the correct paperwork it's still pretty straightforward to obtain a single entry non-B visa in the neighboring countries, negating the need to go to your home country...

Same problem for people on a support of Thai person visa etc...

The two cases I know of both were refused there extensions (1 on WP, one on support of Thai national, both stolen passport cases) at the Pattaya immigration, so maybe in Bkk they are more sympathetic and can allow you these subsequent extensions even without the original visa?

[taxexile]

what is the procedure for updating a new passport supplied by the embassy ( old one full) with new stamps etc.?

[mikethevigoman]

On Saturday 7th April, I was the victim of a house burglery whilst out for dinner.

The thieves stole my lap-top, DvD player and more annoyingly my passport, UK Drivers license, and my Bangkok Bank Account book.

The Police were not really interested, and filled out a report and told me to contact my insurance. Did they take lessons from our Police in the UK?!!!

However, I called the British Embassy in Bangkok to report my passport stolen and they were most helpful. I went in on the following Monday, with the police report and filled out the necessary paper-work and they ordered me a new passport.

Today I travelled from Hua Hin to get the new passport and I went with copies of the old one, copies of the visa I had (one year multiple Non B valid until 3rd September 2007. True to their word, the British Embassy had a new passport waiting for me and had written a letter to Thai Immgration at Soi Sua Phlu, Sathorn Road, Bangkok, explaining that my passport had been stolen and requesting that they would kindly re-issue my visa in the new passport.

Straightforward enough I thought.

Upon arrival at the Immigration Office, I was surprised to be seen in a matter of minutes, and the lady asked me for my documents. I handed these in including a copy of the old passport, copies of the original visa and entry stamp, and a copy of my arrival card. (I'd made copies of these just in case of any such thing ocurring!)

I was handed a plastic number and asked to wait.

"52" was called out and I came to the counter, still in disbelief at how quick and easy this had all been.

NOT SO!!!!

I looked at the three stamps that had been placed in my new passport and the visa was not there.

I politely questioned the lady as to the where-abouts of my visa.

NO CAN DO. YOU GO HOME TO GET ANOTHER ONE IN UK!!!!!!

Can you imagine that??!!!!

As it happens, I'm booked to go back to the UK for a trip on 4th May, well inside the time of the exit stamp she kindly supplied me with...

But can you imagine if I had not had such a trip planned??!!

I am astounded at this treatment. 1st to be robbed is bad enough. New passports are not exactly cheap, and add to that two trips to BKK from Hua Hin. But to be told to go back to my home country to get another visa?! This beggars belief - when they can clearly see a copy of the original one which does not run out until September.

Has this happened to any one else??!!

I had heard that things were getting tight re: visas etc. but this is really poor treatment.

Is it me or do you agree the thais now seem to want us out, or at least have become complacant, and in some curcumstances ( such as this one ) use no discretion or compassion,. its slowly wearing me down, ask anyone trying to do business with thais as i am,. if having your passport stolen in their ( thailand ) country wasnt bad enough they dont recognise his visa ! beggars belief..

[mikethevigoman]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

SO in the days of high tech computers they cannot have a system to show recipients of visas ?. yet if there was 1000 baht owing you would be jailed at the airport on entry . unbeleivable ,.!

[mikethevigoman]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

SO in the days of high tech computers they cannot have a system to show recipients of visas ?. yet if there was 1000 baht owing you would be jailed at the airport on entry . unbeleivable ,.!

I have a question, so are you saying if ( and this is only in theory ) you were to forge yourself a good passable visa that you would just fly through customs as they would have no record on file of an issued visa ?

[mikethevigoman]

Sorry it happend.

As for the immigration office replacing a visa, I am afraid, they cannot. Visas are issued by consular offices abroad reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whereas the immigration-office comes under the Interior Ministry, and has no records on visa.

Yep, this ^^^ is how it works.

Immigration can only replace items that they have entered. ie entry stamps and extensions of stay.

The visa itself can only be replaced by the consulate that issued it

The words compassion and discretion dont seem to exist here do they,.,

[Krub]

Do you think that a Thai would get his visa re-issued with a smile in Europe or in the US ?

Try to find out how things are done in our highly advanced western countries before complaining about Thailand's lack of compassion,,,,,

[ProThaiExpat]

If I understand this thread correctly, once the passport is replaced, the prior one gone do to theft or loss, any pending visa is not replaceable by immigration.

If this is so, and since all immigration actions follow entry into the country on a visa, no further extensions are possible once the entering visa is gone????

However, if one changes his status from tourist to non-imm-0 in Thailand at immigration, presumably immigration can re-issue the lost non-imm-O???

Lopburi3, if my analysis is correct, this may be another reason for obtaining your non-imm-O in Thailand rather than your home country???

[dutch]

Just go to the immigration office with both passports.

They will place new stamps in the new passport.

I did last October at the Korat immigration.Took about 15 minutes and NO costs

[mikethevigoman]

Do you think that a Thai would get his visa re-issued with a smile in Europe or in the US ?

Try to find out how things are done in our highly advanced western countries before complaining about Thailand's lack of compassion,,,,,

I am well qualified to answer this, lost my passport in the states, went to the embassy was issued a new one no problem, went with a letter to the us visa dept and was given a duplicate, also had one stolen in w africa, same story, apart from running about it wasnt a problem and they were polite, unlike the thai treatment,. so i admire your loyalty and i hope if you have any similar problems you come out of it with the same attitude,.

[brahmburgers]

I knows da feelin' I lost my US passport right before Songkran 2005 - had to do two 500 KM round-trip bus trips to Chaing Mai to get replacement from US consulate there. Within an hour of noticing my passport missing, I notified Thai IMM at Mae Sai to get them to acknowledge that I was sincere in my visa renewal plans - they just scoffed at my request for an acknowledgement.

And like the poster, the powers that be won't acknowledge a previous visa stamp. I had a 1 year type O at the time - which was half used up. When I asked the higher ups in BKK whether I could that remainder of the visa could be re-instated, the woman sarcastically said, "if I go America, you people no give me visa if stolen!" ....I had some things I could have countered (about US visas being much more generous that Thai visas) ...but let discretion rule the moment.

When I finally got back to Mae Sai with new passport, (the Songkran insanity had delayed me 9 days) the staff there gleefully fined me for every day I was late, inclusive of the first day and the day I arrived to straighten things out. Let's face it, if Thais can shaft a farang, they figure, "go for it! ha ha ha."

[Steve2UK]

Just go to the immigration office with both passports.

They will place new stamps in the new passport.

I did last October at the Korat immigration.Took about 15 minutes and NO costs

The OP had his original passport stolen...................

[Axel]

Believe this was in reply to post # 15.

[Jimjim]

I knows da feelin' I lost my US passport right before Songkran 2005 - had to do two 500 KM round-trip bus trips to Chaing Mai to get replacement from US consulate there. Within an hour of noticing my passport missing, I notified Thai IMM at Mae Sai to get them to acknowledge that I was sincere in my visa renewal plans - they just scoffed at my request for an acknowledgement.

And like the poster, the powers that be won't acknowledge a previous visa stamp. I had a 1 year type O at the time - which was half used up. When I asked the higher ups in BKK whether I could that remainder of the visa could be re-instated, the woman sarcastically said, "if I go America, you people no give me visa if stolen!" ....I had some things I could have countered (about US visas being much more generous that Thai visas) ...but let discretion rule the moment.

When I finally got back to Mae Sai with new passport, (the Songkran insanity had delayed me 9 days) the staff there gleefully fined me for every day I was late, inclusive of the first day and the day I arrived to straighten things out. Let's face it, if Thais can shaft a farang, they figure, "go for it! ha ha ha."

You always seem to talk about getting shafted when you're in breach of the rules and this misleads people. They're just doing their jobs in these cases for goodness' sake.

[aussiestyle1983]

I'm glad i've never had to deal with immigration here.

[bow]

Surely it must be possible to replace an old passport with a new one, for example, because the old one is full of stamps.

[Krub]

Do you think that a Thai would get his visa re-issued with a smile in Europe or in the US ?

Try to find out how things are done in our highly advanced western countries before complaining about Thailand's lack of compassion,,,,,

I am well qualified to answer this, lost my passport in the states, went to the embassy was issued a new one no problem, went with a letter to the us visa dept and was given a duplicate, also had one stolen in w africa, same story, apart from running about it wasnt a problem and they were polite, unlike the thai treatment,. so i admire your loyalty and i hope if you have any similar problems you come out of it with the same attitude,.

I doubt the veracity of you getting a US visa replaced while within the US. Hereunder from the USA Emabssy website:

It is very similar to what the Thai immigration is doing : replacing entry stamps and period of stay but not visa

Overview

Passports, Visas, and Arrival-Departure Records (Form I-94) are official travel documents that foreign citizens coming to the United States must have in their possession to show their country of citizenship and legal status in the U.S. We encourage travelers to make a copy of their passport biographic page, their U.S. visa and their Form I-94 as soon as possible after their arrival in the U.S.

If you are a foreign citizen temporarily in the United States, and you lose your U.S. visa, you can remain for the duration of your authorized stay, as shown on your Arrival-Departure Record

(Form I-94). You will need a valid passport to depart the United States and to enter another country. Your I-94 is needed as you depart the U.S., to document that you are departing by the required date. If your passport with your I-94 are lost or stolen, you must get them replaced immediately. There are a number of steps you need to take as follows:

Police Report

Go to the local police station and report your document(s) lost or stolen. If available, you will need to provide copies of the original documents. You will be issued a police report detailing the incident. Don’t forget to make an extra copy of the report for your own records.

Request Replacement of a Lost/Stolen Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94)

Replacement of a lost or stolen Form I-94 falls under the responsibility of Department of Homeland Security (DHS). To file for a replacement I-94, see Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Document at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Website and see Arrival-Departure Record at the DHS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Website.

Report your Passport Lost/Stolen to Your Embassy

Contact the local Embassy or consular section for the country of your citizenship, for information on the procedure to replace a lost or stolen passport. Most countries have Internet web sites with contact information.

Report your Visa Lost/Stolen to the U.S. Embassy Abroad

Fax the Consular Section or Consul General at the Embassy abroad which issued your visa, to report it lost/stolen. Go to the Embassy Consular Section Website to locate the Fax number and contact information. Specifically state whether the visa was lost or stolen. Be sure to include your full name, date of birth, place of birth, address in the U.S., and an email address (if available). If you have a copy of the passport or visa, fax this to the Embassy or consular section. Otherwise, if known, report the category of visa, and the passport number from the lost/stolen visa. If you have already reported your visa lost/stolen to the U.S. Embassy abroad, and then you later find your misplaced visa, please note that the visas will be invalid for future travel to the U.S, and you must apply in person at the Embassy or Consulate abroad for a new visa.

Applying for a Replacement United States Visa

Lost/stolen U.S. visas cannot be replaced in the United States. For replacement of a visa, you must apply in person at an Embassy or Consulate abroad. When applying for the replacement of a visa, you will need to provide a written account documenting the loss of your passport and visa. Include a copy of the police report.