The UK government website says that after you apply for renewing your passport, your old/existing passport cannot be used for travel (but how would local authorities know unless the passport office somehow marks the passport?).

 

Does this include domestic flights within Thailand?

Does it include flight returning to the UK (from Thailand)? - for example in the case of an emergency before the new passport is ready.

Anyone have any recent news of how long a renewal takes when using the VFS office in Chiang Mai?

17 minutes ago, marcardar said:

The UK government website says that after you apply for renewing your passport, your old/existing passport cannot be used for travel (but how would local authorities know unless the passport office somehow marks the passport?).

That is probably a reference to international travel and the passport's status would obviously be on computer systems.

The airlines are only interested in confirming your identity.

 

Your PP will work just fine for domestic travel.

 

In the past I've used all sorts of photo ID (with passport in my pocked just in case). I never got rejected.

 

 

3 minutes ago, Crossy said:

The airlines are only interested in confirming your identity.

 

Your PP will work just fine for domestic travel.

 

In the past I've used all sorts of photo ID (with passport in my pocked just in case). I never got rejected.

Yes, I suspect so too. But how about returning to the UK in an emergency? They say it could take up to 11 weeks, and that's a long time to potentially hang back.

10 minutes ago, marcardar said:

Yes, I suspect so too. But how about returning to the UK in an emergency? They say it could take up to 11 weeks, and that's a long time to potentially hang back.

You have the option of an emergency travel document from the Embassy if needed.

12 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

You have the option of an emergency travel document from the Embassy if needed.

I was wondering if it's possible to do a standard online renewal application (delivered my the UK address) and pick it up when I visit the UK. However, since I will only be in the UK a couple of weeks, I would need to apply while still in Thailand. This would work as long as my existing/old passport is still good to return to the UK after making that application.

4 minutes ago, marcardar said:

I was wondering if it's possible to do a standard online renewal application (delivered my the UK address) and pick it up when I visit the UK. However, since I will only be in the UK a couple of weeks, I would need to apply while still in Thailand. This would work as long as my existing/old passport is still good to return to the UK after making that application.

You have to send in your old passport to renew within the UK.  Nothing happens with your application until they receive it.  So that plan wont work.

19 hours ago, Upnotover said:

You have to send in your old passport to renew within the UK.  Nothing happens with your application until they receive it.  So that plan wont work.

Will work if lost

19 hours ago, marcardar said:

I was wondering if it's possible to do a standard online renewal application (delivered my the UK address) and pick it up when I visit the UK. However, since I will only be in the UK a couple of weeks, I would need to apply while still in Thailand. This would work as long as my existing/old passport is still good to return to the UK after making that application.

I'm doing exactly that,did it last time.      Apply for new one whilst in Thailand  (UK.gov.)  Use VPN,75 quid there,  125 here,  either send it to relative/friend for picking up,or Royal mail signed for about 7 quid

 

37 minutes ago, fredscats said:

I'm doing exactly that,did it last time.      Apply for new one whilst in Thailand  (UK.gov.)  Use VPN,75 quid there,  125 here,  either send it to relative/friend for picking up,or Royal mail signed for about 7 quid

Will that only work if you report it lost?

1 hour ago, marcardar said:

Will that only work if you report it lost?

Well its not there,could say stolen,but then police reporting number wanted,could do that easily enough,damaged? might want the bits

3 hours ago, fredscats said:

Will work if lost

The OP was talking about going to the UK on his old passport.  He will struggle to do that with a lost one.

2 hours ago, Upnotover said:

The OP was talking about going to the UK on his old passport.  He will struggle to do that with a lost one.

Found it before flight ,lost it again after flight

Having visited the VFS office in Chiang Mai today, they confirmed the existing passport can still be used for domestic travel but not international travel. The passport was not marked in any way, so I think no problem regarding further visa extensions etc.

 

They wouldn't give any more details about how long it would take to get the new passport - simply repeating what the website says - up to 11 weeks.  When I said I'd seen reports of some people saying 14 days and 3 weeks, they said no way, so let's see!

 

I arrived about 10-15 minutes before my appointment, was seen straight away (even though there were others waiting) and the whole thing took only about 15 minutes. So very efficient. She checked the size of my two passport photos (which I got done in Photo Bug on Changphuak Rd - excellent service) and went through all 25 colour photocopies of my 48 page passport (I'd done every page including the inside pages before the identity page, though not the outside since that would be getting into paranoia territory haha).