US passport Stamp transfer problem

[hereforgood]

A good friend went back to the US for 3 months to see family. He has a retirement extension here in Thailand. While he was back in the US he got a new passport. He returned to Thailand and wanted to get the stamps transferred. He was told he needed a letter from the US embassy in order for them to do the transfer. I was told when you get the new passport done here in Thailand the letter needed is issued when you get the new PP back. He doing it in the US was not issued the letter. What are his option's ? The folks at Immigration were not much help just kept saying need letter.  

[flexomike]

Yes you automatically get the letter when doing it at the Embassy in Thailand, think he is going to have to go to the Embassy and have them make a letter, will have to make an appointment, not sure if they are going to charge him for that or not, normal documents they charge $50.00, would like to think they would do that for free

[ubonjoe]

Did he use his new passport to enter the country?

Normally immigration will transfer the stamps without the letter if it has been used for entry.

He should contact ACS at the embassy and they will probably send him the letter by email. The will probably want a copy of his passport photo pages. Their email address is on the page. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

[hereforgood]

Guys Thanks very much guys

[OJAS]

As I recall being explained on here by @Eff1n2ret, the reason why immigration offices require Embassy letters in the case of passports renewed in Thailand is that they don't have the wherewithal to verify the genuineness of a new passport themselves. Whereas immigration officers at BKK Arrivals do have this capability, meaning that the permission to stay stamp which they place in a new passport which you have obtained in your home country serves as reassurance in its own right to their colleagues in immigration offices that it is genuine without the need for an Embassy letter.

 

Edited June 28, 2022 by OJAS

[soi3eddie]

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Did he use his new passport to enter the country?

Normally immigration will transfer the stamps without the letter if it has been used for entry.

Exactly how it worked for me at CW in 2019. Got a new passport while in UK. Entered on new passport (showing current extension of stay and re-entry permit). Went to immigration at CW and they transfered the visa and extension stamp to the new passport at no charge. No letter from embassy was needed! Suspect different immigration offices use their own interpretation of the rules.

 

[khunjeff]

15 hours ago, OJAS said:

the reason why immigration offices require Embassy letters in the case of passports renewed in Thailand is that they don't have the wherewithal to verify the genuineness of a new passport themselves. Whereas immigration officers at BKK Arrivals do have this capability

That's probably exactly what they do think, but any immigration officer who honestly believes that a mass-produced letter printed on copier paper somehow "verifies" a passport filled with high-tech security features that took years of testing and millions in investment to develop should consider seeking alternate employment... 

[Tracyb]

8 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

That's probably exactly what they do think, but any immigration officer who honestly believes that a mass-produced letter printed on copier paper somehow "verifies" a passport filled with high-tech security features that took years of testing and millions in investment to develop should consider seeking alternate employment... 

ya.  We can think of many such IO who should seek alternate employment.

[Eff1n2ret]

2 hours ago, khunjeff said:

That's probably exactly what they do think, but any immigration officer who honestly believes that a mass-produced letter printed on copier paper somehow "verifies" a passport filled with high-tech security features that took years of testing and millions in investment to develop should consider seeking alternate employment... 

I can't imagine what other purpose the letter has, but I agree with you that the letter would not be difficult to counterfeit. I didn't check the watermark of the letter which was supplied to me when I obtained a new passport via VFS, but neither did the IO at the local office. He did rub his thumb over the embossed stamp to check that there was one, but didn't examine it closely, and such embossings are easy to simulate to pass such a casual examination.

I believe the system relies on the digital scanning of passports at main ports of entry, so passports which have been stamped there are accepted as kosher by provincial immigration offices, who probably lack the equipment and training to identify forgeries, hence the need to get embassy letters for passports obtained within Thailand. I encountered many duff documents during 20 years as a UK Immigration Officer, went on several training courses, and every office had someone trained to a high standard for forgery detection. I doubt whether this is the case in provincial offices here - hence the requirement for mickey mouse letters.