rest easy lads, the members of AseanNow can sleep easy tonight, my passport got returned today to VFS in bangkok, it seems HMPO had been monitoring this thread and fast tracked my passport via private jet to Bkk.

 

But thank you all for all the useful advice and suggestions, much appreciated.

I get you had an unforeseen accident and damage to the passport.

I had a similar problem when pushed into a swimming pool with the damn thing in my shorts in BKK years back. I'd politely give the embassy a call and enquire as Ubon J advised. If you can go there direct to collect you'll save the days of postage to get to you.

In my damage case I showed them the passport at the Aussie embassy (BKK - nice mornings exploration of that part of town and the embassy) ... they advised to renew while in LOS before returning to Australia (some 4 months later).

They said: if the imbedded chip and hologram fail in-transit I'd be in a world of problems. This new passport took about 5 or 6 weeks if memory serves ... I had to personally attend the (amazing architecture) embassy in BKK to collect (I saw where some of my taxes had gone lol ????)

I renewed by British (dual-citizenship through dear old dad) and it took 2.5 months to return to me in OZ from London (2015). I also renewed my Aussie passport for a 50 pager before I left the sunny shores of my birth (2019) even though I had a few pages still empty. I always cary along with me Thai drivers license, copy of my passport and visa page, and my Yellow book ID pages - in colour photocopy form, and  laminated.

I mean; now that I am retired I no longer spend my days supporting people through existential life threatening problems I now laminate everything in site lol ????????