Renewing from EU/UK red passport to new UK black passport

[brewsterbudgen]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

Which will affect about what % of the UK population?

 

If it affected the ability to travel anywhere in the world, then I would be concerned.

I was referring to how it affects me (and my family).  

[billd766]

6 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I was referring to how it affects me (and my family).  

It doesn't affect me or my family at all.

[brewsterbudgen]

6 minutes ago, billd766 said:

It doesn't affect me or my family at all.

I'm pleased for you.  Wish I was unaffected too.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I'm pleased for you.  Wish I was unaffected too.

I retired in 2009 and after living and working in 38 countries over 50 years I have no desire to go out of Thailand.

[OJAS]

On 6/20/2023 at 3:14 PM, brewsterbudgen said:

I'm pleased for you.  Wish I was unaffected too.

What is definitely the major overriding concern for us Brits in renewing our passports from Thailand as far as I am concerned is the bloody rigmarole we're subjected to in achieving this end. To the best of my knowledge no other Western nation requires its Thai expats to make not 1 but 2 potentially difficult physical journeys to a rundown office building with an extremely silly name tucked down some obscure sidestreet somewhere or other in deepest, darkest Bangkok or to its Chiang Mai equivalent, or forces them to shell out an extra 5,000 THB for an agent to spare them these enforced route marches!

Edited July 2, 2023 by OJAS

[billd766]

I renewed my 90 day report this morning at the Kamphaeng Phet IO office.

 

My extension expires on 31 October 2023, my 90 report expires on 15 November 2023 and my passport expires on 17 June 2024.

 

On the way out the lady IO told my wife that I need a new passport before the extension is renewed.

 

I was under the impression that my extension would be renewed up to the expiry date of my passport.

 

My wife didn't tell me that until we were half way home.

 

 My query is simple.

 

Am I correct or is the IO correct?

 

If I am correct I have 8 months on my next extension.

 

If I am wrong then I have 10 weeks or less to renew my passport.

[billd766]

On 6/19/2023 at 5:38 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Relax...Thai debit cards are perfectly acceptable.

The last time I renewed my passport through Hong Kong I had to call a friend in the UK and use her card details then I repaid her by a bank transfer from KBank.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 7/2/2023 at 8:34 PM, OJAS said:

expats to make not 1 but 2 potentially difficult physical journeys to a rundown office building with an extremely silly name tucked down some obscure sidestreet somewhere or other in deepest, darkest Bangkok

The Trendy Office building (its correct name but how does it's name matter, anyway?) is a modern, clean, well-equipped office building, by no stretch of the imagination could it be described as "rundown".  It is not in an "obscure side street", it is in a well-known, easily located street with an abundance of parking spaces in central Sukhumvit Road near Asok. 

[Liverpool Lou]

25 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The last time I renewed my passport through Hong Kong I had to call a friend in the UK and use her card details then I repaid her by a bank transfer from KBank.

Oh.  

[theoldgit]

17 hours ago, billd766 said:

I renewed my 90 day report this morning at the Kamphaeng Phet IO office.

 

My extension expires on 31 October 2023, my 90 report expires on 15 November 2023 and my passport expires on 17 June 2024.

 

On the way out the lady IO told my wife that I need a new passport before the extension is renewed.

 

I was under the impression that my extension would be renewed up to the expiry date of my passport.

 

My wife didn't tell me that until we were half way home.

 

 My query is simple.

 

Am I correct or is the IO correct?

 

If I am correct I have 8 months on my next extension.

 

If I am wrong then I have 10 weeks or less to renew my passport.

if you use your current passport to get a further extension you could only get an extension until the expiry of your current passport, so you are correct - maybe the IO was trying to be helpful.

 

My renewal took three weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, don’t know how long they’re currently taking.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The Trendy Office building (its correct name but how does it's name matter, anyway?) is a modern, clean, well-equipped office building, by no stretch of the imagination could it be described as "rundown".  It is not in an "obscure side street", it is in a well-known, easily located street with an abundance of parking spaces in central Sukhumvit Road near Asok. 

My problem is that I can only walk about 25 metres before I need to sit for a minute or 2. Fortunately my zimmer frame has a detachable seat. That is why I am querying parking at the Trendy office building.

[transam]

1 minute ago, billd766 said:

My problem is that I can only walk about 25 metres before I need to sit for a minute or 2. Fortunately my zimmer frame has a detachable seat. That is why I am querying parking at the Trendy office building.

It has  small forecourt for taxi drop-offs...

Use an agent, you do not have to leave home...

[billd766]

13 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

if you use your current passport to get a further extension you could only get an extension until the expiry of your current passport, so you are correct - maybe the IO was trying to be helpful.

 

My renewal took three weeks over the Christmas/New Year period, don’t know how long they’re currently taking.

That is what I thought.

 

My extension is due for renewal on 31 October 2023 (I normally go in a couple of weeks early) and my passport expires on 17 June 2024 about 8 months later.

[billd766]

Just now, transam said:

It has  small forecourt for taxi drop-offs...

Use an agent, you do not have to leave home...

I am working on that but it is the weekend so nothing much will happen before Monday.

[Liverpool Lou]

35 minutes ago, billd766 said:

That is why I am querying parking at the Trendy office building.

What is your query?  The Trendy Office building has parking facilities.  So does the Hyatt Regency, directly opposite.

[billd766]

22 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

What is your query?  The Trendy Office building has parking facilities.  So does the Hyatt Regency, directly opposite.

The query was,

 

Is there parking available at the Trendy office building in Bangkok for VFS customers?

 

Some posters say yes there is, and some say no there isn't.

 

It is a simple yes/no question and answer.

 

If you don't know for sure, please don't respond to this post.

 

There may well be parking at the Hyatt Regency across the road, but how would I get to Trendy, bearing in mind I have a problem walking, even with a zimmer frame.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by billd766
added extra text

[DJ54]

OP .. young man as suggested use the post or agent method. In the long run it’ll save you grief

and probably a lot cheaper. My last passport (US) I used the post method with no worries.
 

Good luck and don’t let it worry you. 

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

The query was,

 

Is there parking available at the Trendy office building in Bangkok for VFS customers?

 

Some posters say yes there is, and some say no there isn't.

 

It is a simple yes/no question and answer.

 

If you don't know for sure, please don't respond to this post.

 

There may well be parking at the Hyatt Regency across the road, but how would I get to Trendy, bearing in mind I have a problem walking, even with a zimmer frame.

 

 

I can definitely confirm on the basis of personal experience (from when I subjected myself to the dreaded With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience  6 months ago) that parking for VFS customers is available on the 5th Floor of With-It Tower. It is, however, then a bit of a walk to the lift which will convey you to the VFS office on the 8th Floor, followed by a further bit of a walk to said office.

 

Please  note, however, that there are absolutely no loos that you will encounter between the car park and the VFS office (or at least none that I could locate despite encouraging notices to the contrary). And there are no loos in the VFS office itself.

 

In addition, if you arrive for your appointment early, you'll need to stew in your car since the miserable bozos in charge of the car park won't allow you to keep your car's engine running to power its aircon.

 

Finally, please hang on to the ticket which will be issued when you enter the car park, and take it to the VFS Office with you to get it stamped so as to secure a not insignificant reduction in the parking charge when you eventually leave. I missed out on doing this for the first trip!

 

[OJAS]

43 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

OP .. young man as suggested use the post or agent method. In the long run it’ll save you grief

and probably a lot cheaper. My last passport (US) I used the post method with no worries.
 

Good luck and don’t let it worry you. 

While the postal method may well be available for those whose home countries offer reasonably easy and graceful passport renewal services to its expat nationals living in LOS (as in the USA's case for instance), it is, unfortunately, a complete no-no as far as we Brits are concerned. Instead we are required to make physical trips in person, regardless of our state of health (or have agents undertake these trips on our behalf) to offices in Bangkok or Chiang Mai in order to (1) deliver our renewal applications, and (2) collect our replacement passports several weeks later. Don't ask me why snail mail postal methods dating back around 200 years are considered far too hi-tech by those clowns in His Majesty's Passport Office back in the UK who are responsible for the cumbersomely bureaucratic passport renewal procedures which have been inflicted on us Brits living in LOS!

 

[billd766]

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

I can definitely confirm on the basis of personal experience (from when I subjected myself to the dreaded With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience  6 months ago) that parking for VFS customers is available on the 5th Floor of With-It Tower. It is, however, then a bit of a walk to the lift which will convey you to the VFS office on the 8th Floor, followed by a further bit of a walk to said office.

 

Please  note, however, that there are absolutely no loos that you will encounter between the car park and the VFS office (or at least none that I could locate despite encouraging notices to the contrary). And there are no loos in the VFS office itself.

 

In addition, if you arrive for your appointment early, you'll need to stew in your car since the miserable bozos in charge of the car park won't allow you to keep your car's engine running to power its aircon.

 

Finally, please hang on to the ticket which will be issued when you enter the car park, and take it to the VFS Office with you to get it stamped so as to secure a not insignificant reduction in the parking charge when you eventually leave. I missed out on doing this for the first trip!

 

Thank you very much for that useful information.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

Is there parking available at the Trendy office building in Bangkok for VFS customers?

Yes, there are parking facilities in The Trendy.  It is not designated specifically for VFS customers.  

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Yes, there are parking facilities in The Trendy.  It is not designated specifically for VFS customers.  

Thank you for that information.

[herfiehandbag]

I have just renewed my passport. It had 1 year left to run but all the pages were full of stamps.

 

The new blue one ( in the name of His Majesty ) came back in about three weeks (VFS Chiang Mai) and it is valid for 10 years from the date of issue this August - so no extra time!

[brewsterbudgen]

31 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

I have just renewed my passport. It had 1 year left to run but all the pages were full of stamps.

 

The new blue one ( in the name of His Majesty ) came back in about three weeks (VFS Chiang Mai) and it is valid for 10 years from the date of issue this August - so no extra time!

It's black!

[GroveHillWanderer]

27 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's black!

It's navy blue!

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by GroveHillWanderer

[OJAS]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

My problem is that I can only walk about 25 metres before I need to sit for a minute or 2. Fortunately my zimmer frame has a detachable seat. That is why I am querying parking at the Trendy office building.

In that case I would strongly recommend that you allow at least 15-20 minutes to get from your car to the VFS office should you decide to renew in person. Quite apart from your physical limitations (which don't sound all that dissimilar to mine), you might well find yourself having to endure a lengthy wait for the lift to convey you from the 5th to 8th floors, if my experiences a few months ago were typical!

 

[billd766]

2 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

I have just renewed my passport. It had 1 year left to run but all the pages were full of stamps.

 

The new blue one ( in the name of His Majesty ) came back in about three weeks (VFS Chiang Mai) and it is valid for 10 years from the date of issue this August - so no extra time!

Thank you for the update.

 

I have about 13 blank pages left of my 31 pages.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

In that case I would strongly recommend that you allow at least 15-20 minutes to get from your car to the VFS office should you decide to renew in person. Quite apart from your physical limitations (which don't sound all that dissimilar to mine), you might well find yourself having to endure a lengthy wait for the lift to convey you from the 5th to 8th floors, if my experiences a few months ago were typical!

 

Thank you.

[owl sees all]

Got mine delivered this afternoon.

 

Just under 7 weeks from me posting it off; until today.

 

12,500.

[chickenslegs]

19 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Got mine delivered this afternoon.

 

Just under 7 weeks from me posting it off; until today.

 

12,500.

Hi Owl,

12,500THB = about 280GBP.

Does that that include the cost of the passport (127.51GBP)? If so, it's quite a bargain (IMO) for anyone living up country.