Renew UK passport in Thailand - new or same passport number?

[danferguson]

Hello

 

My UK passport expires next year. 

 

Question - when you renew a UK passport, do you retain the same passport number, or is it a new passport number??

 

Thanks

 

[BritTim]

Each passport has a separate number.

[JackGats]

I am from another European country but I think it is general practice that a new passport means a new passport number. Too bad because in TH bank accounts, driving licences, visas, you name it .... all rely on your passport number.

[blackcab]

Always a new number.

[gk10012001]

New number in the USA and every place else I have ever heard of.  In some ways it can help identity theft and fraud as at some point the old passport will die off and expire.  But obviously, it can be a pain to update and change all the things you had set up using the old passport number.  Mine is good for ten years and I just got it renewed. I am 64.  I have to doubt that I will need more than one more update for 74 to 84 years.  Fingers crossed that I at least are not in pain and can put up with the frustrations of not being able to do so many of things I could do when younger.  The finances look good, and the health looks OK, so we shall see

[mikebell]

7 hours ago, blackcab said:

Always a new number.

A tip; before you renew, take a copy of old PP & keep it safe.  I ran into flak when doing business at the local teseban because my new PP didn't gel with their old records & they needed my old PP which I'd surrendered on receipt of new one.

[brewsterbudgen]

2 hours ago, mikebell said:

A tip; before you renew, take a copy of old PP & keep it safe.  I ran into flak when doing business at the local teseban because my new PP didn't gel with their old records & they needed my old PP which I'd surrendered on receipt of new one.

For UK passports you keep your old passport throughout the renewal process, and after the new one has been issued.

[bradiston]

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

A tip; before you renew, take a copy of old PP & keep it safe.  I ran into flak when doing business at the local teseban because my new PP didn't gel with their old records & they needed my old PP which I'd surrendered on receipt of new one.

If it's a UK one, they give the old one back with the top right corner clipped. Always keep it. You'll need it to transfer visas etc. You'll get a letter about this with the new passport. You'll need that too.

[AgMech Cowboy]

17 hours ago, JackGats said:

I am from another European country but I think it is general practice that a new passport means a new passport number. Too bad because in TH bank accounts, driving licences, visas, you name it .... all rely on your passport number.

Never been an issue for me and I don't always bring the old one with me in order for them to transfer the info.

[chilly07]

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

A tip; before you renew, take a copy of old PP & keep it safe.  I ran into flak when doing business at the local teseban because my new PP didn't gel with their old records & they needed my old PP which I'd surrendered on receipt of new one.

They should return the old passport with the corners cut off

[The Hammer2021]

New number. Keep your old one to help update records gradually. Always keep fully copy of every page of old passport too. Not just ID pages. Every single page. BTW. Mine elapses next year. How do you propose to replace yours. I shall use an agent at least 6 months in advance. Immediately after my 90 day report. I shall plan for 1 month turn over time

[Purdey]

21 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

They should return the old passport with the corners cut off

Previously, you folded the top right hand corners of pages with current visas and they remained valid though other pages were clipped. 

Has that changed?

[sanuk711]

12 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I shall use an agent at least 6 months in advance. Immediately after my 90 day report. I shall plan for 1 month turn over time

Take into consideration Hammer, that If (when) you are doing a year's extension of a Visa, they will not give longer than the life of the passport. I lost 3 months on my last Visa. 

[patman30]

as others have said, keep the old one which is usually returned or a copy
makes it easier for banks to check your ID
i recently had a very long wait in the bank as they went upstairs to
find my paperwork for when i opened my account about 14 years and 5 passports ago

[StevieAus]

7 hours ago, mikebell said:

A tip; before you renew, take a copy of old PP & keep it safe.  I ran into flak when doing business at the local teseban because my new PP didn't gel with their old records & they needed my old PP which I'd surrendered on receipt of new one.

Which country require you to surrender your old passport?

Australia and the UK allow you to keep the old one.

I have every passport ever issued.

[KannikaP]

25 minutes ago, patman30 said:

as others have said, keep the old one which is usually returned or a copy
makes it easier for banks to check your ID
i recently had a very long wait in the bank as they went upstairs to
find my paperwork for when i opened my account about 14 years and 5 passports ago

A new passport every three years?

[hotchilli]

Renewed my UK paasport inside Thailand at Trendy building in Bangkok.

Passport is posted to UK for processing and sent back to Thailand to be picked up at Trendy.

It will have a new number.

You will get the new/old passport plus an info sheet telling you what to do with it

ie take it and your old passport to IO office to have stamps/dates etc transferred.

[danferguson]

7 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

New number. Keep your old one to help update records gradually. Always keep fully copy of every page of old passport too. Not just ID pages. Every single page. BTW. Mine elapses next year. How do you propose to replace yours. I shall use an agent at least 6 months in advance. Immediately after my 90 day report. I shall plan for 1 month turn over time

Same as me. 

[sanuk711]

There is a agent (Farang guy) in Pattaya that does UK passports-- I wrote about him before on here because people --(up country mainly) were using him. He was charging 5,000 bt for doing it all. If you live in BKK or near there-maybe not worth it, if your up near Lao etc and probably have to spend a night in BKK with Air flights etc---then look it up here. All payments to UK embassy must be paid by C.Card--if you do not have one you can use their one.

 

I haven't personally used him so-its not a recommendation--but haven't seen anything negative on here for him.

 

https://www.keyvisathailand.com/services/renewing-uk-passport-thailand/

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by sanuk711

[mikebell]

16 hours ago, StevieAus said:

Which country require you to surrender your old passport?

Australia and the UK allow you to keep the old one.

I have every passport ever issued.

Maybe my oversight if I did not take away my UK PP last time I renewed.

[Eff1n2ret]

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Passport is posted to UK for processing

The application is posted to UK for processing, you have to supply a copy of every page of the passport, and you keep it until you submit it for clipping the corner off when you go to collect the new one. That's their convoluted way of observing the Thai legal requirement to have your passport available at all times.

[mokwit]

19 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Never been an issue for me and I don't always bring the old one with me in order for them to transfer the info.

Lucky you, eh?. My advice is to take the old one with you as they may/likely will ask for it. SCB does, I know that.

[bannork]

On 7/16/2021 at 8:18 AM, sanuk711 said:

There is a agent (Farang guy) in Pattaya that does UK passports-- I wrote about him before on here because people --(up country mainly) were using him. He was charging 5,000 bt for doing it all. If you live in BKK or near there-maybe not worth it, if your up near Lao etc and probably have to spend a night in BKK with Air flights etc---then look it up here. All payments to UK embassy must be paid by C.Card--if you do not have one you can use their one.

 

I haven't personally used him so-its not a recommendation--but haven't seen anything negative on here for him.

 

https://www.keyvisathailand.com/services/renewing-uk-passport-thailand/

 

 

I used Trendy 10 years ago when i lived in Bangkok  but now I live in the sticks, 80 km from Udon so I'm wondering how to renew my passport what with the Covid restrictions on travel to and from Bangkok.

A courier service would be ideal bur the thought of sending my passport off to a complete stranger is worrisome.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, bannork said:

I used Trendy 10 years ago when i lived in Bangkok  but now I live in the sticks, 80 km from Udon so I'm wondering how to renew my passport what with the Covid restrictions on travel to and from Bangkok.

A courier service would be ideal bur the thought of sending my passport off to a complete stranger is worrisome.

Maybe try the Chiang Mai office.

[madmitch]

I've read on Twitter that the VFS UK passport office in Bangkok has closed indefinitely.

 

Not quite sure how that will affect those of us waiting for a new passport to be returned from Liverpool, especially when it's needed fairly soon, or those wishing to apply for a new passport.

[brewsterbudgen]

Just now, madmitch said:

I've read on Twitter that the VFS UK passport office in Bangkok has closed indefinitely.

 

Not quite sure how that will affect those of us waiting for a new passport to be returned from Liverpool, especially when it's needed fairly soon, or those wishing to apply for a new passport.

It's closed due to the lockdown; no reason why it won't re-open once businesses are allowed to.  Hopefully 2 August.

[madmitch]

39 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's closed due to the lockdown; no reason why it won't re-open once businesses are allowed to.  Hopefully 2 August.

Thanks for your reassurance. I'm travelling on 7th August. I know the passport is ready to be sent from the UK. If the lockdown is extended then am I well and truly screwed? Might need to contact the Embassy directly.

[brewsterbudgen]

32 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Thanks for your reassurance. I'm travelling on 7th August. I know the passport is ready to be sent from the UK. If the lockdown is extended then am I well and truly screwed? Might need to contact the Embassy directly.

More details here:

 

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/th/en/news/information-about-the-uk-visa-application-centres-in-thailand

[madmitch]

12 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

More details here:

 

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/th/en/news/information-about-the-uk-visa-application-centres-in-thailand

Thanks. Yes, I saw this on Twitter. I'll give it a couple of days and see if there are any developments.

[ubonjoe]

13 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Maybe try the Chiang Mai office.

According to the above announcement the Chiang Mai office is still open.

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/th/en/news/information-about-the-uk-visa-application-centres-in-thailand