British Passport Renewal Timing Improved

[hotandsticky]

British passports had been taking 13 weeks and VfS standard advice was 11 weeks..

 

 

It is pleasing to report that I have heard of 3 cases this week that were all back at Trendy within 6 weeks.

[Mahseer]

Good news. Tell me when you apply for replacement passport are you allowed to hang on to the existing one until the new arrives?

 

Thank you.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Mahseer said:

Good news. Tell me when you apply for replacement passport are you allowed to hang on to the existing one until the new arrives?

 

Thank you.

Yes.

 

 

If you are using an agent you will need to ask them to let you have it (until it is time for collection of the new passport - it is needed at that point)

[CharlieH]

Yes, it should remain with you until you collect the NEW one abd they will then cut the corner off it and return it to you. You will also be given a letter from the Embassy to give Thai Immigration for transfer of any extdnsion etc. (Unless agent holds it for you)

[surat04]

Can anyone help me out with a question regarding payment. If my daughter takes her own application to Trendy but my payment details are used, will she be asked to show my card?

[hotandsticky]

14 minutes ago, surat04 said:

Can anyone help me out with a question regarding payment. If my daughter takes her own application to Trendy but my payment details are used, will she be asked to show my card?

No.

 

The card transaction is undertaken by HMPO. Just put your card details on the payment form - and sign it.

[CharlieH]

1 hour ago, surat04 said:

Can anyone help me out with a question regarding payment. If my daughter takes her own application to Trendy but my payment details are used, will she be asked to show my card?

The passport IS NOT paid for at Trendy, you fill in a payment form with credit card details.

A cover note explaining and should be no issue. They will confirm this on submission at Trendy.

[surat04]

Thanks Charlie. I understand that payment is taken in the UK. I didn't want the application to be rejected because my daughter could not show the CC used.

[hotandsticky]

8 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

The passport IS NOT paid for at Trendy, you fill in a payment form with credit card details.

A cover note explaining and should be no issue. They will confirm this on submission at Trendy.

No explanation needed. The payment authority is standalone and anyone can pay.....agents like Key Visa often offer to use their card.

[prakhonchai nick]

One can only hope that the recent improvement in time is not just a case of HMPO clearing the decks before Christmas and New Year but will continue in 2023 and hopefully get back to the 3/4 weeks it was pre-Covid.

 

 

 

 

[Andycoops]

I am going to my renewal appointment today, so it will be interesting to see when I get the come and collect message.

[prakhonchai nick]

2 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

I am going to my renewal appointment today, so it will be interesting to see when I get the come and collect message.

It will also be interesting to see what time scale VFS mention.

[Muhendis]

I got my new passport a couple of days ago. The whole process took 12 weeks. That included a 1 week delay because the agent I used didn't read my emails. I ended up making a telephone call to them.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, prakhonchai nick said:

One can only hope that the recent improvement in time is not just a case of HMPO clearing the decks before Christmas and New Year but will continue in 2023 and hopefully get back to the 3/4 weeks it was pre-Covid.

I strongly suspect that the big unknown in the short term at least is the possible impact of the current Civil Service strikes. To the best of my knowledge HMPO staff are not at the moment being specifically targeted in the way that their Border Force colleagues are being for instance, but that could all change in the New Year should the PCS union decide to ramp up its action - with consequential adverse implications for passport processing times.

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by OJAS

[flossie35]

19 hours ago, Mahseer said:

Good news. Tell me when you apply for replacement passport are you allowed to hang on to the existing one until the new arrives?

 

Thank you.

You have to - Thai law requres you to always have a passport abou

t your person.

[OJAS]

18 hours ago, surat04 said:

Can anyone help me out with a question regarding payment. If my daughter takes her own application to Trendy but my payment details are used, will she be asked to show my card?

As already said, the answer is "no". However, if yours is a Thai credit card you would be strongly advised to check with its issuer whether it will be valid for a GBP payment taken in the UK.

 

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, flossie35 said:

You have to - Thai law requres you to always have a passport abou

t your person.

 

So, which law is that?

 

Perhaps you can post the relevant section of the Civil & Commercial Code to confirm your comment.

 

 

Let me give you a clue  -  you won't find it.

[DrJack54]

Hopefully can slip a question in regards Australian pp renewal.

Any recent reports of long that takes?

Oz folk deal their embassy for renewal. 

Yes off topic but advice appreciated. 

[prakhonchai nick]

12 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

So, which law is that?

 

Perhaps you can post the relevant section of the Civil & Commercial Code to confirm your comment.

 

 

Let me give you a clue  -  you won't find it.

I think it is the so called law that the police make upon the spot when they demand to see farang ID, and then release you of 500baht for not having your passport with you

[hotandsticky]

5 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

I think it is the so called law that the police make upon the spot when they demand to see farang ID, and then release you of 500baht for not having your passport with you

I agree that it is necessary to be able to show ID........but that does not need to be a passport.

[brianthainess]

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Hopefully can slip a question in regards Australian pp renewal.

Any recent reports of long that takes?

Oz folk deal their embassy for renewal. 

Yes off topic but advice appreciated. 

Between 6 and 8 weeks. (but with holidays looming it may take longer imo) If you have it posted back to you your current PP is cancelled IE front cover cut, (you can't travel outside Thailand) but all 'visas/extensions' remain valid until end of PP. Anyone can pick up the new PP with a letter from you and their ID.

[brianthainess]

11 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

I agree that it is necessary to be able to show ID........but that does not need to be a passport.

You need to show your visa/extension if requested, ID alone is no good, but photos on your phone are excepted.

Edited December 21, 2022 by brianthainess

[brianthainess]

Your passport still belongs to the 'Queen'  ????  please let us know if it has changed,   

[hotandsticky]

7 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

You need to show your visa/extension if requested, ID alone is no good, but photos on your phone are excepted.

 

The police don't actually have the right to check your immigration status - that is the role of Immigration. But  -  I am not going to argue with them if asked (I never have been in 17 years) and I always carry a copy of my passport ID page plus last extension stamps.

[brianthainess]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

 

The police don't actually have the right to check your immigration status - that is the role of Immigration. But  -  I am not going to argue with them if asked (I never have been in 17 years) and I always carry a copy of my passport ID page plus last extension stamps.

Immigration are the police. just saying.

[hotandsticky]

23 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Immigration are the police. just saying.

 

 

....but they are not Tam Ruat...????

[Smokey and the Bandit]

24 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Immigration are the police. just saying.

Not trying to split hairs, but all police are not immigration, like traffic cops for example?

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

Not trying to split hairs, but all police are not immigration, like traffic cops for example?

 

 

Indeed. That is why there are the occasional 'joint checks' involving Immigration police and 'normal' boys in brown.

[DrJack54]

At various times most of us have a  crack at what Thai bureaucracy does wrong (I do it often) .

 

So my partner goes to renew passport Monday just gone.

Now Wednesday delivered by mail is her new 10 year Thai pp!

1500baht. Including the photo pp office takes. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by DrJack54

[Raybangkok]

I can remember the good old days. Passport to the British Embassy Monday collect new passport Tuesday or Wednesday. Then money saving by outsourcing to Hong Kong then to the UK.