UK Passport renewal

[lelapin]

My UK passport expires end of June 2024. I am resident in Thailand with no trips planned before then. With all the unexpected delays that have occurred over the last few years I wish to renew it via an agent with plenty of time to spare. Is there a maximum period before its expiry that I can do this. I was planning to go to an agent about 9 months before its expiry. Would this be allowed.

[blackcab]

As the British Embassy do not give advice on passport issues this topic has been moved to the Home Country forum.

[Lite Beer]

You can renew it whenever you want.

Yes an agent is the easiest and cheapest option unfortunately.

[Social Media]

Just remember they no longer carry over unused time on existing.

 

You can apply yourself at Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

If you use an agent you may have to part with your passport for several weeks.Hope you don't need it during that time.

Watch the 90 day reports in that time.No issue though if you report online.

 

[OJAS]

Just be aware, though, that there is little which agents can do to speed up the whole process when compared to doing it all yourself. All of the unexpected delays of recent times to which you refer have arisen courtesy of those masters of bungling incompetence and ineptitude known as HMPO.

 

And if I were in your shoes I would be thinking about renewing my passport sooner rather than later, even though your existing passport still has a year to run before its expiry date. I actually applied to renew mine last October, even though it was not due to expire until this coming September.

 

[jimn]

8 hours ago, lelapin said:

I was planning to go to an agent about 9 months before its expiry. Would this be allowed.

Yes of course. I am currently renewing mine 22 months early otherwise I will face only getting 10.5 months on my retirement extension when I renew next May. Note since Brexit they do not add up to 9 months from your old passport. It is renewed on the date they approve the application. This is because you cannot travel to Europe with a passport validity of more than 10 years.

[Andycoops]

I went in person to VFS before last Christmas and received my new passport back in just over 3 weeks.

Delays at HMPO were due to strike action.

[OJAS]

A further point which you should bear in mind is that the one thing which no agent can help you out with, as far as I can tell, is in obtaining mugshots for the new passport which comply with what are IMHO HMPO's over-fussy requirements in full. The issue is not so much with photographic & facial sizes (for which a template illustrating acceptable dimensions is available), but rather with the particular shades of plain cream/light-grey background colours which are deemed acceptable by HMPO. Probably not an issue with professional photographers here in LOS if you live in or near a major urban centre, but could definitely be one if you live out in the sticks.

Edited June 9, 2023 by OJAS

[LittleBear57]

11 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

You can renew it whenever you want.

Yes an agent is the easiest and cheapest option unfortunately.

Cheapest? Please explain. 

[lelapin]

12 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

You can renew it whenever you want.

Yes an agent is the easiest and cheapest option unfortunately.

What should I expect to pay using an agent in Pattaya?

[brewsterbudgen]

15 minutes ago, lelapin said:

What should I expect to pay using an agent in Pattaya?

Anything between 5,000 - 10,000 baht.

[sandyf]

13 hours ago, lelapin said:

Is there a maximum period before its expiry that I can do this.

When I renewed mine last time there was about 7 years remaining.

[theoldgit]

5 hours ago, LittleBear57 said:

Cheapest? Please explain. 

Using an agent could work out cheaper if the applicant lives a long way from one of the two application centres, or their time was valuable, but as the OP is suggesting Pattaya l imagine that using an agent would be more expensive, though the applicant would save the time of two round trips from Pattaya to Asoke.

As @OJASrightly points out using an agent is no quicker, they are basically couriers dropping of the application and collecting the new passport, they can not speed up the process.

[Crossy]

An agent may also assist with providing the payment vehicle if you don't have a suitable Visa/Master card.

 

 

[CFCol]

I can recommend 'Mark's Sending Machine" in Bangkok. Great service for around B5k.

[Jumbo1968]

5 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Anything between 5,000 - 10,000 baht.

12000 baht not including fee, Key Visa.

[brewsterbudgen]

45 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

12000 baht not including fee, Key Visa.

The 12,000 includes the price of the passport and their fee.

[Jumbo1968]

30 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

The 12,000 includes the price of the passport and their fee.

Stand corrected.

[lungbing]

I renewed my UK passport earlier this year.  I live in Khon Kaen and used an agent called  Thai Visa Express, soi 15 Pattaya.

For 10,000 baht they did all the work including colour copying the old passport, going to and from Bangkok, paying by their credit card etc etc.   I only had to fill in the application, which they also provide, and supply the photos.  If you have not changed much in the past ten years the photos do not need counter-signing.  I am not associated with them in any way but as a satisfied customer I would highly recommend them.

You should apply immediately after doing your next 90 day report which gives you 90 days before needing your passport again.  But I'm sure they would return it if needed.  But they need it back to collect the new one.

[Jumbo1968]

22 minutes ago, lungbing said:

I renewed my UK passport earlier this year.  I live in Khon Kaen and used an agent called  Thai Visa Express, soi 15 Pattaya.

For 10,000 baht they did all the work including colour copying the old passport, going to and from Bangkok, paying by their credit card etc etc.   I only had to fill in the application, which they also provide, and supply the photos.  If you have not changed much in the past ten years the photos do not need counter-signing.  I am not associated with them in any way but as a satisfied customer I would highly recommend them.

You should apply immediately after doing your next 90 day report which gives you 90 days before needing your passport again.  But I'm sure they would return it if needed.  But they need it back to collect the new one.

I always thought you retained your passport and the agent cut the corners off ?

[lelapin]

16 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

The 12,000 includes the price of the passport and their fee.

This was on their website

[chilly07]

On 6/8/2023 at 9:13 PM, Social Media said:

Just remember they no longer carry over unused time on existing.

 

You can apply yourself at Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

If you use an agent you may have to part with your passport for several weeks.Hope you don't need it during that time.

Watch the 90 day reports in that time.No issue though if you report online.

 

Your passport can be returned to  you by your agent after VPS has seen it and then you can  wait   until  your new one is ready before  giving  your old passport  to your agent to collect  your new one so in all although the  entire  process  takes 7-11 weeks you will only be without  your passport  for a few days.  Don't leave your passport  with your agent except for the  trip to Trendy. UK passports are  actually made in India. 

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

Your passport can be returned to  you by your agent after VPS has seen it and then you can  wait   until  your new one is ready before  giving  your old passport  to your agent to collect  your new one so in all although the  entire  process  takes 7-11 weeks you will only be without  your passport  for a few days.  Don't leave your passport  with your agent except for the  trip to Trendy. UK passports are  actually made in India. 

VfS.

 

British passports are not made in India, most are made in Poland.

 

You may be confusing UK visas, via VfS, which are processed in India.