British passport renewal

[fredscats]

18 hours ago, fangless said:

Many months ago (maybe six or seven!) I spoke to my agent (legit) in CM who I have used for many years about how and when to renew my passport.  She worked out the best time slot to renew so that my next extension would be a full one in the new passport and not a shortened extension in the old one due to passport expiry. 

All I know is I that in Mid September I handed over the old passport, the BKK bank statement with my Thai address in English, signed the usual mountain of papers, including "proper" passport photos taken at a shop they recommended and the fee money. 13,500Baht all in! 

I now have a new blue UK passport valid for 10yeras with all my required stamps transferred into it!

No interviews and no travelling to BKK etc.

If I get time I will ask them tomorrow how they actually do it!

 

What a waste,the fee was 13.500 baht,was that passport as well? Something like 120 quid PP overseas ,UK 80 quid,small package courier rates no idea  but friends whatever could bring it over for free

 

 

[fredscats]

19 hours ago, fredscats said:

What a waste,the fee was 13.500 baht,was that passport as well? Something like 120 quid PP overseas ,UK 80 quid,small package courier rates no idea  but friends whatever could bring it over for free

 

 

International Tracked

Tracked to delivery point for peace of mind

Max 2kg

Delivery aim 5 to 7 working days

From£6.75    plus 250 ponds compensation

[fangless]

20 hours ago, fredscats said:

What a waste,the fee was 13.500 baht,was that passport as well? Something like 120 quid PP overseas ,UK 80 quid,small package courier rates no idea  but friends whatever could bring it over for free

 

 

Of course it was for the passport as well as stamp transfers etc!  

It is up to you what you consider to be a waste but to me, after weighing up the options during these Covid times I considered it the best option for me, not necessarily the cheapest!

 

PS;  Tracking your passport may give you peace of mind but if it gets lost it is lost!

I have mine now so I do not have to worry for another 9 years

Edited December 18, 2021 by fangless
PS added

[OJAS]

On 12/14/2021 at 7:20 PM, Upnotover said:

Trouble may well be the VFS staff not really understanding the requirement (perhaps they read this forum too much).

IMHO the blame for any misunderstanding on VFS's part must be laid fairly and squarely at the door of their HMPO masters.

 

Why insist on confusing everyone unnecessarily by heading the list of acceptable documents Name and address and/or residency evidence?

 

Why not simply head it Name and residency evidence instead to reflect what is actually needed in practice?

 

 

[OJAS]

3 hours ago, fangless said:

Of course it was for the passport as well as stamp transfers etc!  

It is up to you what you consider to be a waste but to me, after weighing up the options during these Covid times I considered it the best option for me, not necessarily the cheapest!

 

PS;  Tracking your passport may give you peace of mind but if it gets lost it is lost!

I have mine now so I do not have to worry for another 9 years

Not to mention that are any of @fredscats's pals seriously going to be willing to subject themselves to the rigours (and not inconsiderable expense) of the Thailand Pass process (which I fear is likely to be with us in some form or other for the foreseeable future) with the primary motive of delivering a new passport to him?

 

That said, I do, though. strongly agree with his underlying sentiments that the cumbersomely bureaucratic procedures associated with the dreaded With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience are forcing many of us to go down what are also IMHO excessively and unacceptably costly avenues in order to make the whole process tolerable in practice.

 

[fredscats]

3 hours ago, fangless said:

Of course it was for the passport as well as stamp transfers etc!  

It is up to you what you consider to be a waste but to me, after weighing up the options during these Covid times I considered it the best option for me, not necessarily the cheapest!

 

PS;  Tracking your passport may give you peace of mind but if it gets lost it is lost!

I have mine now so I do not have to worry for another 9 years

International Tracked

Tracked to delivery point for peace of mind

Max 2kg

Delivery aim 5 to 7 working days

From£6.75    plus 250 pounds compensation

 

Ask for a new one if lost   quids in gain 250 quid

Edited December 18, 2021 by fredscats

[fangless]

5 minutes ago, fredscats said:

if lost   quids in gain 250 quid

A pssport when you are in a foreign country is a necessity, an extra £250 is not!

[fredscats]

11 minutes ago, fangless said:

A pssport when you are in a foreign country is a necessity, an extra £250 is not!

Im not continuing this,the idea to renew within a window,say 12 months,9 months whatever,...if lost you still have your old one,as far as TH is concerned the one with the stamp in is the one they are interested in

[james.d]

My son handed in the documents in Chiang Mai today and received email confirmation from VFS that it will be posted to HMPO.

 

Thanks for the info.

[james.d]

I received an email today saying my passport is ready collection in Chiang Mai. The docs were submitted 20th December.

Maybe this gives anyone who is applying an approximate timeframe.

[mommysboy]

As proof of address or identity (I'm not sure which) I took along my vaccine certificate. They chose that as one of the documents.

[samui99]

On 12/16/2021 at 6:01 PM, fredscats said:

New passport,however its received would not need presenting to Thai immigration until the need for swapping visa/extension stamping

 Far cheaper doing it in UK personally  using VPN

Hi Fred 

Have you done this? It sounds a lot easier to do it online, Just wondered what happened at immigration for swapping the stamps over when you wont have the letter from the Embassy that you get applying for the passport from here in Thailand.

Cheers

[fredscats]

4 minutes ago, samui99 said:

Hi Fred 

Have you done this? It sounds a lot easier to do it online, Just wondered what happened at immigration for swapping the stamps over when you wont have the letter from the Embassy that you get applying for the passport from here in Thailand.

Cheers

No embassy involved,apply .gov.uk  lost passport,assuming you have UK address,make payment,upload photo,sent to receiver in UK,who in turn Via DHL/Royal Mail sends it to you in Thailand,once received in your own time take it to immigration,they change stamps into new one for freel

[Eff1n2ret]

5 hours ago, fredscats said:

No embassy involved,apply .gov.uk  lost passport,assuming you have UK address,make payment,upload photo,sent to receiver in UK,who in turn Via DHL/Royal Mail sends it to you in Thailand,once received in your own time take it to immigration,they change stamps into new one for freel

Accepting your methodology for obtaining a new passport, unless you've used it to enter Thailand and it has the IO's stamp at a major airport, Provincial Immigration offices will want to see a letter from the Embassy. That is because those offices lack the training and knowledge, and in particular the scanning technology available to border passport controls, so they don't know whether the new passport is genuine or not. Those who renew within Thailand get an Embassy letter with the new passport. The Embassy will issue one to anyone who doesn't otherwise get one - but you do need one before you go to Immigration.

[fredscats]

43 minutes ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Accepting your methodology for obtaining a new passport, unless you've used it to enter Thailand and it has the IO's stamp at a major airport, Provincial Immigration offices will want to see a letter from the Embassy. That is because those offices lack the training and knowledge, and in particular the scanning technology available to border passport controls, so they don't know whether the new passport is genuine or not. Those who renew within Thailand get an Embassy letter with the new passport. The Embassy will issue one to anyone who doesn't otherwise get one - but you do need one before you go to Immigration.

All you are doing is applying for new PP  via .gov.UK  because one is lost, that being in UK.  You are entering UK with old   (found)PP.   In UK new one is issued prior to arrival on assumption its been lost.

        Exit UK with new PP,enter Thailand with old PP, Thai immigration will have no idea of new PP go to  Thai immigration when ready and ask for transfer of stamps to new PP.

    Can enter Thailand visa free on new PP if so wish

Edited February 15, 2022 by fredscats