Stolen Passport

[LivinLOS]

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,,,,,

My ex had a long stay visa for Austria.. She got a new passport overseas and all sorted very simply..

I wont even get into how easy it was (automatic) for her to work there.. That she could own land.. Use the health care, libraries.. etc etc etc.. Ohh whoops, I just did !!

Edited April 27, 2007 by LivinLOS

[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,.

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.

Im stating facts, i was working there ,it was in 92 before a lot of things changed,. im not saying dealing with immigration anywhere is easy,but that was my experience ,.since then id rather have a tooth pulled than have to sort a problem out with immigration anywhere,. they all ( and i mean all ) seem to go for a personality bypass before they can start work, Edited April 27, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[PeaceBlondie]

To the OP: something quite similiar happened to me in Hua Hin; I misplaced my US passport. Declared it lost at the police station, went to BKK and got new passport from my embassy, and the nice Thai lady at consular services gave me the standard letter, assuring me I'd receive my old visa (which still had many months to run, non-imm . Nope, all I got at Suan Phlu was a free 'get out of Thailand' stamp, though I didn't realize it. Came back from a trip to find I had no visa at all, and had to get stamped in without visa, then run to Malaysia and start over. A real bummer, but it makes sense. The nice guy at the Hua Hin immigr. police could do nothing for me except give me 7 days to leave Thailand for an additional 1,900 baht. The fact that I found my cancelled passport, complete with visa, made no difference once the old passport (and its visas) were cancelled.

Sorry that it happened to you, too.

[lopburi3]

Which begs the question "why were the visas canceled"? Visas do not normally die in canceled passports. They work with special rules for a lost passport?

[PeaceBlondie]

The experiences which the original poster and I had, and perhaps others who have posted on this topic, is that we were told that our cancelled passports also cancelled our visas. The nice Thai lady at the American embassy was amazed (this was October 2005), but that was clearly the official policy, in Bangkok and in Hua Hin.

Perhaps different from other countries, but apparently the rule in Thailand. I'm talking the old Don Muang airport and Suan Phlu.

Yes, I guess a passport which is officially lost or stolen is entirely cancelled, including the visas issued for that passport. It kind of makes sense. It did no good to show them the good B visa that was in the cancelled passport.

[Krub]

Im stating facts, i was working there ,it was in 92 before a lot of things changed,. im not saying dealing with immigration anywhere is easy,but that was my experience ,.since then id rather have a tooth pulled than have to sort a problem out with immigration anywhere,. they all ( and i mean all ) seem to go for a personality bypass before they can start work,

Agree that dealing with immigration anywhere is no fun at all

Compassion is not part of their job description and would be taken advantage of by loopholes seekers

I am sorry for the OPs experience and thank him for posting his story reminding us to always keep handy up to date copies of our important official papers just in case of trouble.

[Firefan]

Sorry to hear about the trouble. If I read these experiences correctly it seems that if one is here on a visa issued abroad (say a multiple non-em-o or b visa - or even a tourist visa) the visa stops with a stolen passport.

If one holds EXTENSIONS issued in Thailand (thinking 1 year extensions here) of non-o/b based on retirement/work/married/support Etc. one should not have a problem getting same re-issued even if passport stolen?

If not stolen: passport just full/expire, then one heads to emmigration and get the stamps transfered to new passport.

CHeers!

[bina]

a personality bypass before they can start work

i just printed that out in big letters, what a laugh....

u are not alone in your thoughts about immigration...