Renewing UK Passport.... 11 WEEKS Waiting Time!!

[Brewster67]

My UK passport expires in March 2023.

 

But because of Covid I have been on 60 day visa exempt renewalls for 2 years now and that is not long enough to be able to send my passport off for renewal because they just give you an 8 week stamp every time.

 

I am trying to do this online, does anyone know of a quicker way to get a UK passport renewed?... For example, can this be done within Thailand??

 

Thanks in advance.

[Upnotover]

2023?  You don't send your passport with the application, only a copy.  And you don't send anything, you take it to VFS in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.  So you retain your old passport for immigration purposes until the new one is received.

[Brewster67]

4 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

2023?  You don't send your passport with the application, only a copy.  And you don't send anything, you take it to VFS in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.  So you retain your old passport for immigration purposes until the new one is received.

Thanks for that, I have just saw that... But it says in the info that once the application is made, you can no longer use your old passport but can retain it for ID purposes. So I am assuming they are going to clip the corner, so I am not any better off regarding the 11 weeks versus 8 week stamps. Or am I reading this wrong??

 

Most grateful for your response.

 

Editid to add... Actually it does say cannot use it to travel... Here is the sentence.

 

You can’t travel with it after you’ve applied for a new one - but you will be able to keep your existing passport for ID purposes.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Brewster67

[Upnotover]

1 minute ago, Brewster67 said:

Thanks for that, I have just saw that... But it says in the info that once the application is made, you can no longer use your old passport but can retain it for ID purposes. So I am assuming they are going to clip the corner, so I am not any better off regarding the 11 weeks versus 8 week stamps. Or am I reading this wrong??

 

Most grateful for your response.

You cannot use it for travel, that's all.  It is cancelled on the UK database when they receive the application there.  Thai immigration will have no knowledge of that.  The corner is not clipped until you receive the new passport.

[Brewster67]

1 minute ago, Upnotover said:

You cannot use it for travel, that's all.  It is cancelled on the UK database when they receive the application there.  Thai immigration will have no knowledge of that.  The corner is not clipped until you receive the new passport.

Much obliged to you for the help... Thanks mate, off to BKK I go.

[sanuk711]

My wife renewed her Thai passport last week-- so many people doing it they could only take 700 a day--- renewed it on Monday--sent to her registered post on Thursday.

 

She is just so happy that she lives in a backward third world country.........

[The Hammer2021]

Hasn't the OP heard of Covid and its impact  on work in the UK?

My passport expires in June 22 this month. SO being an adult who keeps myself  informed and proactively acts in a way to make  my life as simple as possible-

I took my passport  to an agency in October 2021 where they told me it might take 11 weeks to get a new one. I signed  a form. I yielded  my passport  for 24 hours.

About 8 weeks  later my new passport  arrived-6 months before my old passport  elapsed.

Apparently the 8 weeks was caused by a Christmas  rush after travel  restrictions were lifted.

BUT how is it possible  for adults not to  know about possible  delays  in issuing passports (and DLs) in the UK.

Why would anybody,  anywhere, at any time leave the renewal of such an important document  to the last  minute?

The OP needs to use a good, professional  agent to sort this  out and learn a lesson about proactive  planning.

I also renew my retirement extension  six weeks  early.

[Doctor Tom]

1 hour ago, Upnotover said:

2023?  You don't send your passport with the application, only a copy. 

Not true, they will not renew your passport until you have surrendered the old one.  I know, I've just done it online. 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Not true, they will not renew your passport until you have surrendered the old one.  I know, I've just done it online. 

The discussion is about doing the passport application at VFS here not online.

They do return the passport after the application is submitted.

[Doctor Tom]

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The discussion is about doing the passport application at VFS here not online.

They do return the passport after the application is submitted.

Okay, I didn't know that.  Perhaps something for people to take into account if they renew online as I did . 

[The Hammer2021]

22 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Not true, they will not renew your passport until you have surrendered the old one.  I know, I've just done it online. 

Not true. I kept mine until the new  one arrived

[scubascuba3]

Quicker way is to fly back to UK and find a passport office where you can get a quick appointment, only viable if desperate 

[OJAS]

34 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Hasn't the OP heard of Covid and its impact  on work in the UK?

My passport expires in June 22 this month. SO being an adult who keeps myself  informed and proactively acts in a way to make  my life as simple as possible-

I took my passport  to an agency in October 2021 where they told me it might take 11 weeks to get a new one. I signed  a form. I yielded  my passport  for 24 hours.

About 8 weeks  later my new passport  arrived-6 months before my old passport  elapsed.

Apparently the 8 weeks was caused by a Christmas  rush after travel  restrictions were lifted.

BUT how is it possible  for adults not to  know about possible  delays  in issuing passports (and DLs) in the UK.

Why would anybody,  anywhere, at any time leave the renewal of such an important document  to the last  minute?

The OP needs to use a good, professional  agent to sort this  out and learn a lesson about proactive  planning.

I also renew my retirement extension  six weeks  early.

The OP cannot IMHO be blamed for his home country government's decision to entrust its passport renewal services to a bunch of idiots who are masters of bungling incompetence and ineptitude!

Edited June 12, 2022 by OJAS

[The Hammer2021]

24 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Okay, I didn't know that.  Perhaps something for people to take into account if they renew online as I did . 

You asserted something incorrectly giving, albeit accidentally, misleading, false information. And you have the misleading comment on the forum instead of asking to have  it removed.  Just a thought.

[hotandsticky]

39 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Not true, they will not renew your passport until you have surrendered the old one.  I know, I've just done it online. 

Presumably not from Thailand.

[Excel]

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

The OP cannot IMHO be blamed for his home country government's decision to entrust its passport renewal services to a bunch of idiots who are masters of bungling incompetence and ineptitude!

Yes and as we know and many banks and other business entities have  found out , 3rd party service centres together with Indian call centres  are dirt cheap which in this day and age appears to overrule that old fashioned ideal which I and millions of others were brought up with and that is  customer service.

[OJAS]

18 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Quicker way is to fly back to UK and find a passport office where you can get a quick appointment, only viable if desperate 

Unfortunately it would appear that such appointments are like gold dust at the present time.

[champers]

1 hour ago, Brewster67 said:

Much obliged to you for the help... Thanks mate, off to BKK I go.

I think you have to make an appointment, you can't just turn up on spec. Look at Embassy guidance on how to renew a passport.

[mancub]

46 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Why would anybody,  anywhere, at any time leave the renewal of such an important document  to the last  minute?

Fair enough, and some overlook the req to have 6 months remaining on the passport to travel to certain countries, but in this case the OP has 9 months remaining. 

So, easy enough to go to VFS in Bkk. submit the docs and collect within 3 months. 

[OJAS]

34 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Okay, I didn't know that.  Perhaps something for people to take into account if they renew online as I did . 

Unfortunately the online option is not available in the case of passport renewals from Thailand. The dreaded With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience is predicated on "hi-tec" delivery methods which in part predate the introduction of the Penny Black in 1840.

 

[OJAS]

1 minute ago, mancub said:

So, easy enough to go to VFS in Bkk. submit the docs and collect within 3 months. 

Are you kidding???

[Thailand]

2 hours ago, Brewster67 said:

Much obliged to you for the help... Thanks mate, off to BKK I go.

I believe you need to make an appointment [email protected]

[mancub]

 

Adult Renewal (overseas application): 41.70 days

(Crowd sourced data for last 30 days)

 

Latest info from UK passport office 

[mancub]

8 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Are you kidding???

No, why ? What's so difficult about it ?

[brewsterbudgen]

33 minutes ago, OJAS said:

The OP cannot IMHO be blamed for his home country government's decision to entrust its passport renewal services to a bunch of idiots who are masters of bungling incompetence and ineptitude!

HMPO deal with passport renewals in the UK.  VFS in Thailand just check the documents and send them to HMPO in Liverpool.  The delays are purely the fault of HMPO.

[transam]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

HMPO deal with passport renewals in the UK.  VFS in Thailand just check the documents and send them to HMPO in Liverpool.  The delays are purely the fault of HMPO.

.........being overloaded with tools who left renewals to the last minute...????

[grain]

I recently renewed my UK PP through Paul Aslett at Thai Visa Express, Pattaya. 11,000 bt total price for the extra pages PP. Took about 6 weeks for the new PP to arrive by post. I live up country and didn't even have to go to Pattaya, just sent my PP + forms + pic to Thai Visa Express by EMS. They took care of everything. Why would you want to frig around going to VFS?

Edited June 12, 2022 by grain

[Excel]

12 minutes ago, grain said:

I recently renewed my UK PP through Paul Aslett at Thai Visa Express, Pattaya. 11,000 bt total price for the extra pages PP. Took about 6 weeks for the new PP to arrive by post. I live up country and didn't even have to go to Pattaya, just sent my PP + forms + pic to Thai Visa Express by EMS. They took care of everything. Why would you want to frig around going to VFS?

Did you take the photo yourself as the last time I tried that for my son it was one heck of a job getting a photo that they said was acceptable

[samtam]

I submitted mine at VFS in Bangkok, (in which I live), on 11 May, and it will take 11 weeks, so the new one will not be available for collection before beginning of August, and quite possibly longer, if the horror stories at HMPO are in the majority - some 500,000 backlog and some cases taking over 3 months. My old passport expires on 30 April 2023, so as my new Extension of Stay is up until then, I hope I shall get it back before that....????

...well, a lot before then, as it would be nice to exit Thailand after more than 3 years, (6 months renovating my condo, and 2 1/2 years of Covid), when travel was too tedious. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by samtam

[samtam]

1 hour ago, Doctor Tom said:

Not true, they will not renew your passport until you have surrendered the old one.  I know, I've just done it online. 

At VFS in Thailand you only submit a photocopy of your passport, not the original, which you keep, but cannot use for international travel.