US Passport Renewal by mail - How long did it take you?

[dingdongrb]

I will be renewing my US Passport by mail and was wondering how long it took for those that have recently done this process (last 6 months).

 

How long did it take from the time you mailed the application (w/old passport) until the time you received the new one?

[ubonjoe]

I have seen reports it is taking 2 to 3 weeks to get your new passport delivered to your house.

[dingdongrb]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

I have seen reports it is taking 2 to 3 weeks to get your new passport delivered to your house.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

Yes, I read on the US Consulate website that's what they are saying but wanted some actual experiences. I'm getting in a tight window for my extension renewal and wanted to be sure I receive the new passport before my extension renewal date.

 

Do you know, do I need to have a passport with 6 month validity in order to renew my Thai visa extension?

[flexomike]

5 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

Yes, I read on the US Consulate website that's what they are saying but wanted some actual experiences. I'm getting in a tight window for my extension renewal and wanted to be sure I receive the new passport before my extension renewal date.

 

Do you know, do I need to have a passport with 6 month validity in order to renew my Thai visa extension?

Not sure about the six months, but your extension would only be valid until the day or passport expiration

[dingdongrb]

3 minutes ago, flexomike said:

Not sure about the six months, but your extension would only be valid until the day or passport expiration

Passport expires Oct 11 and Visa extension expires July 29th..... However I need to do my 90 day on June 9th. (I will do it 7 days early as allowed.) So, I'm going to send off my passport renewal immediately after the 90 day and hope I receive my new one before my extension is due.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

Do you know, do I need to have a passport with 6 month validity in order to renew my Thai visa extension?

The 6 months is only for entry to the for those from certain countries. Immigration offices do not require 6 months remaining on your passport to apply for an extension but they will only issue it to the day it expires.

I appears you have plenty of time to get your passport.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Can confirm. I mailed mine out on April 7th, got notification it was received and approved a week later, then on the 23rd got notification it was being mailed out. Good service.

 

For the photo, I recommend you visit a Thai photo shop on a main road, they do photos for all the official Thai documents, and should also be familiar with passports. My photographer lined my face and body up to the exact requirements, then stuck it to my application page. 

[ubonjoe]

There is a lot of info on this page for the photos. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html

There is even a tool to upload a photo and crop it to the correct size.

[Saddic]

It took me exactly 2 weeks...

 

Sent via DHL (Pantip Plaza... late in the day).. Till the day Thai Post delivered it to my condo building...  Was surprised/pleased to receive an email from Bangkok ACS (American Citizen Services) with a Thai Post tracking number when they sent it to me...  (The tracking was meh, but it arrived sooner than the website indicated)...

 

I renewed my passport in Feb...  It had a June exp date...  I renewed my retirement extension day before y'day...  It took me 10 min in Jontien...  Record time...  YMMV...

 

OP should not forget that it takes 2 days to transfer your stamps to the new passport too... (1 day to turn it in with the embassy letter in the return packet/ pick it up the next day)...

Edited May 22, 2021 by Saddic

[dingdongrb]

5 minutes ago, Saddic said:

It took me exactly 2 weeks...

 

Sent via DHL (Pantip Plaza... late in the day).. Till the day Thai Post delivered it to my condo building...  Was surprised/pleased to receive an email from Bangkok ACS (American Citizen Services) with a Thai Post tracking number when they sent it to me...  (The tracking was meh, but it arrived sooner than the website indicated)...

Excellent, thx for the prompt reply.

[Saddic]

1 minute ago, dingdongrb said:

Excellent, thx for the prompt reply.

 

I added to what I wrote, plz reread...

 

[dingdongrb]

2 minutes ago, Saddic said:

 

I added to what I wrote, plz reread...

 

I saw that.

 

It seems from what I have read that I should be able to get a new passport well in time before I do my ext renewal. Having a new passport should  eliminate my need to have stamps transferred on a separate day.

[mudcat]

While the U.S. State Department has a good page for preparing a 2-INCH X 2-INCH passport photo.

But for Thailand a 6 x 4 cm photo is needed  forTM7 (Extension of Stay) and TM8 (Re-entry permit). 

This website allow you to convert a digital photo to a photo sheet  for most requirements:

 

http://www.epassportphoto.com/

 

Greece uses a 6 x 4 cm format for their passport - select that country from the drop down list.

Decline the store pickup option and save the sheet to your computer after a short wait.

 

 

[AquaThai]

Just go to the Embassy and get it done.  Time is less than a month.

[ubonjoe]

22 minutes ago, AquaThai said:

Just go to the Embassy and get it done.  Time is less than a month.

The US embassy only does adult passport applications by mail at this time.

[dingdongrb]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

The US embassy only does adult passport applications by mail at this time.

Exactly.....  I made an appointment at the embassy and then soon afterwards I received an email saying this:

(So I cancelled my appointment)

 

"If you are over 18 and applying to renew your passport, please do not come to the Consulate for your passport appointment. You should use the passport mail-in service [insert link here]. In order to encourage social distancing we are only allowing appointments for services that require the physical presence of the applicant. There is no requirement for adult passport renewal applicants to appear in person at the consulate, the entire application process can be done via mail."

 

I will however argue the importance of social distancing with them.

 

Going to the consulate = 1 location

Mail in = 2 locations (Bank & Mailing service)

 

 

[Dickp]

Mailed my old passport on 20 April received new and old passport 4 May 2021. Real good service.

[Pib]

A few months ago I hand-walked a dual citizen (Thai and American) thru his U.S. passport by mail process....took about 2.5 weeks from mailing the renewal application to the U.S. Embassy-Bangkok and him receiving by mail his renewed passport.  Fast with no drama.   

[skatewash]

3 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

Exactly.....  I made an appointment at the embassy and then soon afterwards I received an email saying this:

(So I cancelled my appointment)

 

"If you are over 18 and applying to renew your passport, please do not come to the Consulate for your passport appointment. You should use the passport mail-in service [insert link here]. In order to encourage social distancing we are only allowing appointments for services that require the physical presence of the applicant. There is no requirement for adult passport renewal applicants to appear in person at the consulate, the entire application process can be done via mail."

 

I will however argue the importance of social distancing with them.

 

Going to the consulate = 1 location

Mail in = 2 locations (Bank & Mailing service)

 

 

Your risk math is correct, but you're looking at it from the wrong perspective.  Contact with embassy personnel with mail-in service = 0.  Contact with embassy personnel if they have to see you in person > 0. They are minimizing the contact they are most concerned about ;-)

[dingdongrb]

10 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Your risk math is correct, but you're looking at it from the wrong perspective.  Contact with embassy personnel with mail-in service = 0.  Contact with embassy personnel if they have to see you in person > 0. They are minimizing the contact they are most concerned about ????

I understand but isn't the whole intention of social distancing the purpose of not coming into contact with others? Besides if you've ever been to the consulate in CM any American is behind a glass teller window. It's only the Thai security you really come into close contact with.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

I will however argue the importance of social distancing with them.

 

Going to the consulate = 1 location

Mail in = 2 locations (Bank & Mailing service)

Before you could only apply in person and they mailed your passport to you. Originally the intent was to reduce the number of people going to the embassy or consulate. There was aloes the choice to it by mail.

In my case going in person would be a much higher risk than doing it by mail. It would mean a trip to Bangkok to do it and that is long trip for me.

You have to remember not everybody lives in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

 

[Pib]

I bet in another year or so when COVID becomes history that the American Embassy will continue the no passport renewal via in-person.  Then their reason(s) for that policy will  change to simply saying it's customer supportive and more efficient (true or not). 

[skatewash]

5 minutes ago, Pib said:

I bet in another year or so when COVID becomes history that the American Embassy will continue the no passport renewal via in-person.  Then their reason(s) for that policy will  change to simply saying it's customer supportive and more efficient (true or not). 

Yep, high on the wish list of a large number of staff at the embassy and consulate is having less contact with expats. ????

 

[RocketDog]

OP, I read the link that UbonJoe gave for passport photo guidance. I noted that they said that a new photo is not needed unless your appearance has changed quite significantly. 

[dingdongrb]

55 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Before you could only apply in person and they mailed your passport to you. Originally the intent was to reduce the number of people going to the embassy or consulate. There was aloes the choice to it by mail.

In my case going in person would be a much higher risk than doing it by mail. It would mean a trip to Bangkok to do it and that is long trip for me.

You have to remember not everybody lives in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

 

I understand that many live away from BKK or CM but I happen to live in CM so it's easy for me to go to the consulate, especially with the great appointment process they have. 

 

My last renewal, 10 yrs ago, was done here at the CM Consulate. I went in person with the fee and application. Weeks later they sent me an email informing to go back into the Consulate to pick up my new one, it wasn't mailed to me.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

OP, I read the link that UbonJoe gave for passport photo guidance. I noted that they said that a new photo is not needed unless your appearance has changed quite significantly. 

 

That info is a little confusing it you are writing about this drop down.

 

The instructions for the form states you need to submit a photo with the application.

[dingdongrb]

19 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Yep, high on the wish list of a large number of staff at the embassy and consulate is having less contact with expats. ????

 

I wonder what their reasoning is for building a new and bigger Consulate in CM if they are going to be eliminating services that no longer require folks to go in? FWIW, they have only been doing walk-in appointments on Tues and Thurs for years. So if more services require more folks having to go in then why haven't they increased  the number of days for walk-ins?

[Pib]

Whether we want to admit it or not, if it's been 10 years since you last renewed your U.S. passport, then a person's appearance has significantly changed. 

 

When we see ourselves daily in the mirror we really don't notice much of any change.....but go to that 10 year, 20 year, etc., high school or college reunion and it's hard to recognize many people and/or you think, "Durn, they look old....they got old...they look so different!"   And your former classmates are thinking the same about your appearance.

 

Plus it's super easy and cheap to get a new passport picture at many, many places in Thailand.

[Pib]

44 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

I wonder what their reasoning is for building a new and bigger Consulate in CM if they are going to be eliminating services that no longer require folks to go in? FWIW, they have only been doing walk-in appointments on Tues and Thurs for years. So if more services require more folks having to go in then why haven't they increased  the number of days for walk-ins?

You must be under the misconception that a U.S. Embassy/Consulate primary mission is to service American citizens.

[dingdongrb]

21 minutes ago, Pib said:

You must be under the misconception that a U.S. Embassy/Consulate primary mission is to service American citizens.

Where did I say or insinuate that?

 

I've been to the US Consulate here in CM as well as the Embassy in BKK many times and I can say that the majority of the times I've been in either one there's always more foreigners than Americans.

 

Are you just looking for an online debate?