British Passport renewal / Retirement visa extension / Covid AZ 2nd dose !!!!

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

Thinking out loud here, comments welcome, ps I live in Phuket !

 

So My Retirement Visa Extension of stay is due on 1st September.

My British Passport expires 16th March 2022

I had my first AZ Vaccination in Phuket today, 2nd shot scheduled for 17th September

 

I seem to recall one needs 12 months left on your Passport to get Extension of stay renewal or you just get extended until the Passport expires.

I dont want to fly to Bangkok cos nothings open AND if you pick up the Rona whilst away, on entering Phuket it'll be 2 weeks in a hospital. 

So use an agent to obtain new Passport renewal at VFS, any Agent recommendations please and how long does it take ?

 

So Get new passport via Agent, swap Immigration stamps/extension etc at Phuket Immigration, renew Extension of stay in August, Get 2nd AZ jab in September....

 

Easy Peasy Lemon etc etc....

 

Am I missing something, looks a cunning plan, any "Pro Tips" etc etc ?

 

Thanks in Advance.

BBJ....

 

Plan B was keep Passport here, September extend at Immigration until March 2020, get the AZ 2nd Jab, get new passport Q4 2021 or Q1 2022, extend Extension to stay for One year in March 2021....

[samtam]

10 minutes ago, BangkokBoyJohnny said:

Plan B was keep Passport here, September extend at Immigration until March 2020, get the AZ 2nd Jab, get new passport Q4 2021 or Q1 2022, extend Extension to stay for One year in March 2021....

...until March 2022?

[sonos99]

I used Key Visa as agent for my daughter's passport. They were good.

 

 

[DrJack54]

OP, you sorta seem organized until you consider the fact that these things don't sneak up. You should already have renewed your passport. 

So now you extension ends Sept. Many people renew it weeks prior.

You would need to make sure that your pp can be renewed in your timeframe.

Yes your correct an extension will only be issued till date of expiry of your pp.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

governing factor here is to renew your passport before reaching the six months before expiry point

when many airlines / countries do not allow flight / entry.

Your stay extention expiry then pulls that time forward  from 16 Sept to 1 Sept so you have nine weeks now to get the new passport in your hands for your new visa/ extention. UK Passports, as recent TVF posts,  typically take 4-5 wks for applicants within Thailand, not the uk gov 12 wks, using the VFS / Reputable Agent process. So you have a 4 wk contingency buffer if you act now.

 

 

[Moonlover]

I think the agency route is a good plan during these uncertain times. I don't see the relevance of the Covid jabs though.

[HashBrownHarry]

11 hours ago, sonos99 said:

I used Key Visa as agent for my daughter's passport. They were good.

 

 

I use these guys to renew passports as well, very good.

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

11 hours ago, samtam said:

...until March 2022?

Whoops Yes thanks, March 2022 !

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

9 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I think the agency route is a good plan during these uncertain times. I don't see the relevance of the Covid jabs though.

 

I will also need my Passport for my 2nd AZ vaccination in Phuket, not sure if VFS keep it or return it immediately (with the corner cut off?)....

[rcuthbert]

13 minutes ago, BangkokBoyJohnny said:

 

I will also need my Passport for my 2nd AZ vaccination in Phuket, not sure if VFS keep it or return it immediately (with the corner cut off?)....

The recommended agent should have all the answers.

[ubonjoe]

31 minutes ago, BangkokBoyJohnny said:

 

I will also need my Passport for my 2nd AZ vaccination in Phuket, not sure if VFS keep it or return it immediately (with the corner cut off?)....

When the application is completed they return your passport to you. When go back to pickup your new one they stamp it canceled and cut the corners off before giving it back to you with the new one.

[sandyf]

26 minutes ago, BangkokBoyJohnny said:

 

I will also need my Passport for my 2nd AZ vaccination in Phuket, not sure if VFS keep it or return it immediately (with the corner cut off?)....

VFS don't keep the passport, would have been a huge problem when I renewed as it took 11 weeks, but that was unusual circumstances.

They don't cut the corner off until you or your representative collect the new passport, my wife went to Bangkok and collected mine.

If I were in your position I would renew the extension and deal with the passport later but it is each to their own.

[sandyf]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

When the application is completed they return your passport to you. When go back to pickup your new one they stamp it canceled and cut the corners off before giving it back to you with the new one.

All they did to mine was cut the corners off the cover and photo page.

[OJAS]

14 minutes ago, sandyf said:

If I were in your position I would renew the extension and deal with the passport later but it is each to their own.

 

Trouble with doing things this way round, though, is that he would only receive a 6.5-month extension. To quote from his OP:-
 

"So My Retirement Visa Extension of stay is due on 1st September.

My British Passport expires 16th March 2022"

 

[OJAS]

12 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, you sorta seem organized until you consider the fact that these things don't sneak up. You should already have renewed your passport. 

So now you extension ends Sept. Many people renew it weeks prior.

You would need to make sure that your pp can be renewed in your timeframe.

Yes your correct an extension will only be issued till date of expiry of your pp.

 

Indeed, it is IMHO all the more essential for us Brits to keep close tabs on the expiry date of our current passports in relation to the timings of our annual extensions, given the cumbersomely bureaucratic process involved in renewing British passports from Thailand (particularly for those living in distant places like Phuket as the OP does), when compared to the corresponding procedures applying to most other Western nationals here!

 

Edited June 28, 2021 by OJAS

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, OJAS said:

when compared to corresponding procedures in the case of most other Western nations!

Perhaps things have changed for renewal of Oz pp, however when I needed one (few years back) it was such a seedless process. To be fair each when living in Bangkok.

The passport was sent from Canberra embassy and all up took a week.

Back to OP, I sometimes sound harsh in these threads about last minute renewals. Fact is for some countries pp has 10 year life span. 

IMO anyone who is a traveller and even more so an expat should renew a year + prior to expiry. 

Edited June 28, 2021 by DrJack54

[bojo]

3 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

Indeed, it is IMHO all the more essential for us Brits to keep close tabs on the expiry date of our current passports in relation to the timings of our annual extensions, given the cumbersomely bureaucratic process involved in renewing British passports from Thailand (particularly for those living in places like Phuket as the OP does), when compared to corresponding procedures in the case of most other Western nations!

 

Politely put, and we stranded Brits can expect up to 10 weeks for passport renewals nowadays apparently.....

 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/06/travellers-warned-of-up-to-10-week-wait-for-british-passports

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, bojo said:

Politely put, and we stranded Brits can expect up to 10 weeks for passport renewals nowadays apparently....

That article is about applications done in the UK.

Here in most cases it is about 3 weeks.

[bojo]

12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That article is about applications done in the UK.

Here in most cases it is about 3 weeks.

Yes, thank you, I was bigging up the kingdom in comparison so to speak.............................

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

Thanks Gents,

 

I've emailed KeyVisa, they've replied about 4 weeks for UK Passport so that should give me about 4 weeks to renew Extension of Stay.... 

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

4 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Perhaps things have changed for renewal of Oz pp, however when I needed one (few years back) it was such a seedless process. To be fair each when living in Bangkok.

The passport was sent from Canberra embassy and all up took a week.

Back to OP, I sometimes sound harsh in these threads about last minute renewals. Fact is for some countries pp has 10 year life span. 

IMO anyone who is a traveller and even more so an expat should renew a year + prior to expiry. 

 

Yeh I sort of agree !

 

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Trouble with doing things this way round, though, is that he would only receive a 6.5-month extension. To quote from his OP:-
 

"So My Retirement Visa Extension of stay is due on 1st September.

My British Passport expires 16th March 2022"

 

I was perfectly aware of that, but would also share the concern of traveling to Bangkok at this point in time.

As said I would rather do the extension twice than make the journey if in that position, and using an agent would be my last resort.

Up to the OP to consider the most suitable solution for him.

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

Just FYI I contacted KeyAsia and am sending them :

 

my old Passport, 3 photos, 4 page Form, 1 Bank Statement with address.

Looks like turnaround circa 4 weeks .

Amazing how "light" a new 10 year Passport is compared to 1 years Visa Extension !

 

 

 

[Scott Tracy]

You can use an agent for British Passport renewal...?

 

[StevieAus]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:29 AM, HashBrownHarry said:

I use these guys to renew passports as well, very good.

I agree we used them about five years to obtain our daughter’s first passport.

A few months ago used the VFS office in Chiang Mai for the renewal, again good service.

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

On 6/28/2021 at 8:10 AM, ubonjoe said:

When the application is completed they return your passport to you. When go back to pickup your new one they stamp it canceled and cut the corners off before giving it back to you with the new one.

Thanks UbonJoe....

 

(so I assume the agent keeps my Visa which means I could always ask for them to return it to me if needed, but would then need to send back to them to pickup the new passport)

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, BangkokBoyJohnny said:

(so I assume the agent keeps my Visa which means I could always ask for them to return it to me if needed, but would then need to send back to them to pickup the new passport)

The agent would keep your passport unless you requested it be sent to you for a extra fee perhaps.

[Rawairat]

I used the agent mentioned several times and it was a disaster, promised me 4 weeks and kept saying not to worry as the delays kept happening and eventually would not answer emails. Phone calls would be answered by a Thai who was clueless and when I finally got hold of the guy the call was cut short?? So  after about 11 weeks I paid B6500 overstay on top of the agents B5000, and not even a sorry sir, actually his last email  was dismissive as I pressed for action from his office. At the start of the process I emailed and explicitly stated I needed the new passport in 2 months, he sat on it for nearly 3 weeks, before delivering it to VFS, and they are another dead weight in the process.

Other friends have recommended him but I cannot. My sons is due soon I will go myself or look elsewhere.  

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

7 minutes ago, Rawairat said:

I used the agent mentioned several times and it was a disaster, promised me 4 weeks and kept saying not to worry as the delays kept happening and eventually would not answer emails. Phone calls would be answered by a Thai who was clueless and when I finally got hold of the guy the call was cut short?? So  after about 11 weeks I paid B6500 overstay on top of the agents B5000, and not even a sorry sir, actually his last email  was dismissive as I pressed for action from his office. At the start of the process I emailed and explicitly stated I needed the new passport in 2 months, he sat on it for nearly 3 weeks, before delivering it to VFS, and they are another dead weight in the process.

Other friends have recommended him but I cannot. My sons is due soon I will go myself or look elsewhere.  

 

Hi Rawairat, were there any particular reasons for the delays you are aware of ?

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

Hi Gents,

 

So quick update a few weeks on, I used the agent KeyVisa, they did a good job, New UK Passport with me now after 5 weeks. Charged 5,000thb approx.

 

I transferred my Passport Stamps at Phuket Immigration yesterday, one form and copies of Details Page from Old & New passport and every annual Extension.

So tomorrow I'll go for "Retirement Extension" as quickest and easiest option (have a few Health issues currently).

 

Quick Question, I'll go to Bangkok Bank first thing tomorrow, they have the previous 12 months statement I ordered a few weeks ago, I'll get another recent statement of the past few weeks also and the Letter from the Bank.

 

So here's my question, The bank balance on the letter will match last entry in the Savings book but the date in the Saving account bank book will be different ie 1 week old. Do I deposit 100thb tonight, tomorrow before new statement and Bank Book update or just leave as is with the last Bank entry being 1 week ago ?

 

Many thanks in anticipation,

Johnny...