Passport went through the washing machine

[Longbow212]

Hello all, I’m in a bit of a desperate situation here. UK Passport went through the washing machine. I’m on a 45 day visa exempt which started today. The stamp and my information pages are eligible but the passport is certainly water damaged. I need to leave Thailand on January 3rd for work. I applied for a new passport already but it appears like it’s something that will take weeks. Can anyone offer advice on how to speed the process up and an overview of the process - I had planned to take a holiday in Phuket until new year, would this still be feasible or should I stay around bangkok to solve the passport issue? Thanks 

[DFPhuket]

I had a friend run his passport through the washing machine at my place when he was staying with me. The stamps were faded, but the data page was fine.

 

He had no difficulties leaving Thailand. I assume they could see his data on their computer and they told him he should replace the passport. He was returning to his home country and renewed his passport at home. It might have been a different story had he tried to leave Thailand and go to a third country. 

[Chigur]

OP, as you will be dealing with Thai Imm on your way out suggest you contact Chaengwattana asap to have them look at your PP and determine if it's not too damaged to be IDed in order to retrieve your data from their system.

 

You might want to call them and ask first what to do. I called one of these numbers (don't remember which) few months ago and was helped in excellent English:

Phone: 02-1419889 Hotline: 1178

[Onerak]

Call your boss and take two more weeks holiday claiming you're sick with nasty Thai virus and enjoy Thailand while you wait for your new passport to arrive. Think of it as a blessing in disguise. ????

[soi3eddie]

So you arrived today, did your laundry today, ruined your passport today and applied for a new one today? Surely you're supposed to be on holiday? Who does laundry on day one <deleted>? You must have been on a very cheap flight with no baggage allowance...

If you are flying back to the UK then the efficient British Consulate in Bangkok should offer an emergency travel document. If you are going to another country then you are taking a chance of being permitted entry. Be aware that once you apply for a replacement passport you may find the existing one cancelled and not valid. You should still be OK for travel around Thailand. Stay longer and enjoy the LOS.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by soi3eddie

[nightfox]

Doesn't the UK have an emergency passport?, Many countries do which can be processed in matter of days, not weeks.

[soi3eddie]

1 hour ago, Chigur said:

OP, as you will be dealing with Thai Imm on your way out suggest you contact Chaengwattana asap to have them look at your PP and determine if it's not too damaged to be IDed in order to retrieve your data from their system.

 

You might want to call them and ask first what to do. I called one of these numbers (don't remember which) few months ago and was helped in excellent English:

Phone: 02-1419889 Hotline: 1178

Can't hurt to ask but would suggest OP would find Thai Immigration on departure least of his worries. First hurdle is airline accepting his passport at checkin - they are <deleted> scared of being liable for repatriation costs in case of refused entry at destination. Final hurdle is being permitted entry at destination (if home country, then no problem). If third country then who knows.

 

 

[soi3eddie]

1 minute ago, nightfox said:

Doesn't the UK have an emergency passport?, Many countries do which can be processed in matter of days, not weeks.

No. It's a one time travel document facilitating return to the UK only.

 

[Caldera]

5 hours ago, Longbow212 said:

I need to leave Thailand on January 3rd for work.

Will you return to the UK or need to go to another country? Big difference. 

[Aussieroaming]

No dramas, if it is damaged beyond repair you can contact your embassy here in Thailand and get an emergency travel document to get you home. 

[swm59nj]

As some others have said.  Contact your Embassy.  Explain the situation and they should be able to help you.  They have something in place for damaged , lost, or stolen passports.  

[hotandsticky]

5 hours ago, Onerak said:

Call your boss and take two more weeks holiday claiming you're sick with nasty Thai virus and enjoy Thailand while you wait for your new passport to arrive. Think of it as a blessing in disguise. ????

 

 

He will need longer than that, current processing time is about 6 weeks - BUT, only just improved from 11/13 weeks and it looks strikes in the UK might impact on time scales.

 

The fallback is an Emergency Travel Document from the British embassy  -  but I suspect that they will be in holiday for most of the rest of the year. Bangkok today would be my advice - although I also suspect that he will have no problem leaving the country with the damaged passport.

 

I am intrigued to see how the passport renewal (replacement) will pan out......if the OP leaves on the 3rd of January he will not be here to collect the new passport.

 

Edited December 23, 2022 by hotandsticky

[2baht]

Did it come out cleaner? ????

[Tropposurfer]

I had a similar issue in around 2012 on a tourist visit.

 

Mine was short swim in a chlorine pool - NOT a washing machine prolonged exposed cycle to cleaning agents, and severe agitation in that solution like your was!

 

I was told by the Aussie embassy (face to face meeting and examination of the passport) to renew it via their diplomatic courier service (I had a 60 day tourist visa issued in Oz) as the holographic and other data stuff embedded in the ID pages were somewhat corrupted (they had difficulty reading it and it kept dropping out when being read) and if I arrive back in Sydney with this passport and it fails to 'read' entirely by the auto-machine then hand inspected and hand-machine scanned by the Immigration officer I could find myself in a sticky situation ... Even though I am an Aussie citizen and had other Aussie photo ID on me!

I'd contact the Brit embassy, take your passport there, and have them check it to see if its truly corrupted.

[Thomas KH]

Ask your embassy if a temporary passport is an option. At the German embassy, there is such an option (a green vorläufiger Reisepass). It's a 1-year machine-readable (but not biometric) passport and it is available for collection within a few days. The passport is for urgent travel and is mainly for those who need to travel whilst waiting for the 10 year one.

 

I can imagine the UK might also have this kind of passport.  

[roo860]

37 minutes ago, 2baht said:

Did it come out cleaner? ????

He wasn't money laundering. 

[MrJ2U]

6 hours ago, Onerak said:

Call your boss and take two more weeks holiday claiming you're sick with nasty Thai virus and enjoy Thailand while you wait for your new passport to arrive. Think of it as a blessing in disguise. ????

Or just tell them the truth.  Most employers would be understanding enough, hopefully. 

[AhFarangJa]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

He will need longer than that, current processing time is about 6 weeks - BUT, only just improved from 11/13 weeks and it looks strikes in the UK might impact on time scales.

 

The fallback is an Emergency Travel Document from the British embassy  -  but I suspect that they will be in holiday for most of the rest of the year. Bangkok today would be my advice - although I also suspect that he will have no problem leaving the country with the damaged passport.

 

I am intrigued to see how the passport renewal (replacement) will pan out......if the OP leaves on the 3rd of January he will not be here to collect the new passport.

 

Funny, I thought Christmas and boxing day was 25th, & 26th. .......Yes, I am being facetious, I know Christmas is on a Sunday this year.

[hotandsticky]

24 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Funny, I thought Christmas and boxing day was 25th, & 26th. .......Yes, I am being facetious, I know Christmas is on a Sunday this year.

 

 

????..when did Christmas Day fall on the 26th?

[hotandsticky]

44 minutes ago, Thomas KH said:

Ask your embassy if a temporary passport is an option. At the German embassy, there is such an option (a green vorläufiger Reisepass). It's a 1-year machine-readable (but not biometric) passport and it is available for collection within a few days. The passport is for urgent travel and is mainly for those who need to travel whilst waiting for the 10 year one.

 

I can imagine the UK might also have this kind of passport.  

Read the posts above......

[problemfarang]

you wont have any problem. just carry the document saying your applied for the new passport also (if you have one)

 

if they can see the stamp and the first page clearly... no worries.

 

although i just cannot understand how a person can wash his passport, seriously. 

[Yme]

Had a similar problem many years ago. Went to the embassy and they photocopied the data page and banged a stamp on it and wrote that it was a copy of the true original document, or words to that effect. There wasn't any charge for that. Never got challenged over the passport, so never had to pull out the letter. The main bits are the machine readable code along the bottom wide edge. If they're not damaged and can still be read, along with your stamps (which you said were okay) then you're probably ok. 

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

7 hours ago, nightfox said:

Doesn't the UK have an emergency passport?, Many countries do which can be processed in matter of days, not weeks.

No. It's a one time travel document facilitating return to the UK only.

That's not correct.  https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

Edited 3 hours ago by hotandsticky

I always thought that Christmas Day and Boxing Day were the 25th and the 26th.   I appreciate the British Embassy advising of the changes, though!

[prakhonchai nick]

2 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

????..when did Christmas Day fall on the 26th?

Your earlier post suggested as much in your photo from the Embassy????

[puck2]

Contact your embassy and ask the officers what you or they can do to leave the country in the case of a damaged passport.

 

I.e.; if I had lost or damaged my passport I would go to the  German embassy. You must show them a legalized document of your passport and you immediately would receive a replacement for flying  at home.

 

 

 

[tomazbodner]

11 hours ago, Longbow212 said:

Can anyone offer advice on how to speed the process up and an overview of the process

The only way I can think of it to buy a ticket back home, apply for new passport on the first day you arrive (many countries only need a couple of days to issue a new one), and then fly off to the destination where you would need to go for work anyway, and from there to Thailand if you need to.

 

If you live in Thailand, then entering visa exempt 45 days isn't really the right way. But at the same time - you don't need to worry about any Thai visa or extension transfers as you have none. For other countries, if you have any visas, you'll of course need to get them reissued by that countries' embassies or consulates, as once damaged, it's not common to be able to get it reissued without applying new one.

 

It'll be a bit expensive lesson (depending what your original citizenship is), but probably the fastest way to get this resolved.

 

[hotandsticky]

I suppose this thread is also a timely reminder NOT to carry your passport with you.

 

 

There is absolutely NO chance of my passport finding it's way to the laundry.

[wprime]

8 hours ago, soi3eddie said:

Who does laundry on day one <deleted>?

 

 

You've been in Thailand too long! In the west your laundry doesn't get done by itself, you actually have to do it.

 

In Thailand the missus automatically does it so I always fly in with a bag full of dirty clothes. I will even ship her dirty clothes if I'm in the west for an extended period.

[markclover]

Apparently passports can survive a plane slamming into two towers and still be perfectly legible.  I don't think your washer machine will damage it.