Current turnaround time for new British passport

[somchai jones]

Hi, it's been several years since I've done this and now my wife's passport will be due for renewal soon. Is it still a case of going to the Trendy Building in Bangkok, filling out the forms and dropping off your passport? What is the current turnaround time for receiving the new passport (I had a couple of friends who had to wait almost 12 weeks last year). Any advice much appreciated.

[The Cyclist]

17 working days in July.

[transam]

Yes, or use an agent that will do it for a fee of about 5000bht + PP fee. All done from home, wherever you are, just a visit to the post office.....🤗

[KannikaP]

25 minutes ago, transam said:

Yes, or use an agent that will do it for a fee of about 5000bht + PP fee. All done from home, wherever you are, just a visit to the post office.....🤗

He was asking about the turnaround time, not who can apply for it.

[KannikaP]

27 minutes ago, The Cyclist said:

17 working days in July.

It's now October!

[transam]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

He was asking about the turnaround time, not who can apply for it.

It all helps.............😉

[The Cyclist]

Just now, KannikaP said:

It's now October!

I know

 

 But July 2023 was more up to date than 2022 as per the OP 😀😀

[Eff1n2ret]

1 hour ago, somchai jones said:

Is it still a case of going to the Trendy Building in Bangkok, filling out the forms and dropping off your passport?

Make an appointment to go there. Download the form and complete it before you go. Copy of every page of your passport to be submitted with the form, your passport is handed back to you, return with it when notified that the replacement is available for collection.

 

P.S. If your wife is dual national, copies of both passports must be declared and submitted, name in passports must be the same.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Eff1n2ret

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Make an appointment to go there. Download the form and complete it before you go. Copy of every page of your passport to be submitted with the form, your passport is handed back to you, return with it when notified that the replacement is available for collection.

 

P.S. If your wife is dual national, copies of both passports must be declared and submitted, name in passports must be the same.

Please be advised (as VFS will tell you), the payment for your passport can only be done using a UK credit or debit card.

[Moonlover]

46 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Please be advised (as VFS will tell you), the payment for your passport can only be done using a UK credit or debit card.

It's been reported several times on this forum that folks have used Thai bank debit cards. You must ensure that the card is authorized for international transactions.

 

According to the Gov website: 'You can expect to receive your passport within 4 weeks, unless we require further information from you, or to invite you for an identity interview'.

 

But, how long is a piece of string?

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/renew/adult

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Moonlover

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

It's been reported several times on this forum that folks have used Thai bank debit cards. You must ensure that the card is authorized for international transactions.

 

According to the Gov website: 'You can expect to receive your passport within 4 weeks, unless we require further information from you, or to invite you for an identity interview'.

 

But, how long is a piece of string?

 

https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/renew/adult

 

I have to renew mine before June 2024 and I will use an agent based in Samut Prakan. I can do this online and send all the stuff by Thai post. I will also transfer all the money directly from my Thai bank to his and that will save a problem if the passport office won't accept my KBank debit card.

 

Another bonus for me is that after I get all the documents together is that my wife only needs to drive me 6km to the post office and somebody else will have the hassle of Bangkok.

 

I am 79 and live in rural Kamphaeng Phet about 375 km from Bangkok. Granted that we can stay with my wife's brother and his family overnight, she will have to drive me as I don't drive anymore.

 

The next morning she will have to take me to the Trendy building, find somewhere to park after dropping me off, pick me up when finished and take me back home again.

 

TBH, that will be hard on her and not so easy for me.

 

There is the cost of fuel both ways plus food etc.

 

IMHO it is easier and not that much more expensive for people like me to use an agent and save the hassle.

 

I know it will cost me more but I think that it is worth it.

 

However SWMBO may have a different idea.

[Moonlover]

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I have to renew mine before June 2024 and I will use an agent based in Samut Prakan. I can do this online and send all the stuff by Thai post. I will also transfer all the money directly from my Thai bank to his and that will save a problem if the passport office won't accept my KBank debit card.

 

Another bonus for me is that after I get all the documents together is that my wife only needs to drive me 6km to the post office and somebody else will have the hassle of Bangkok.

 

I am 79 and live in rural Kamphaeng Phet about 375 km from Bangkok. Granted that we can stay with my wife's brother and his family overnight, she will have to drive me as I don't drive anymore.

 

The next morning she will have to take me to the Trendy building, find somewhere to park after dropping me off, pick me up when finished and take me back home again.

 

TBH, that will be hard on her and not so easy for me.

 

There is the cost of fuel both ways plus food etc.

 

IMHO it is easier and not that much more expensive for people like me to use an agent and save the hassle.

 

I know it will cost me more but I think that it is worth it.

 

However SWMBO may have a different idea.

Good plan. I'll be 80 when mine is next due renewal. There's no way I'll be making 2 return trips to Bangkok. Not from rural Sakon Nakhon at 675kms each way!

 

I'll definitely be using an agent.

 

[Lite Beer]

I received my new UK Passport last week in Khon Kaen

4 weeks after posting the application to the agent in Chonburi.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Lite Beer

[Maybole]

5 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Make an appointment to go there. Download the form and complete it before you go. Copy of every page of your passport to be submitted with the form, your passport is handed back to you, return with it when notified that the replacement is available for collection.

 

P.S. If your wife is dual national, copies of both passports must be declared and submitted, name in passports must be the same.

Just confirm your PS. My wife has her Thai Passport in her Thai name, but her UK one in mine.

[MyThai1]

Turnaround was 3 weeks in August. You must start the process online and make an appointment. You need a colour copy of every page in passport,  if a dual national every page in both passports.

[stubuzz]

Do you still need somebody to countersign for renewals?

[Lite Beer]

5 hours ago, stubuzz said:

Do you still need somebody to countersign for renewals?

No

[mikeymike100]

Yes you still need to go the Trendy Building in Bangkok. Or you could use an agent if you don't want to make the trek.

I had my application delivered to VFS, Trendy Building, on Oct 4th it was sent off the same day to HMPO and I received an email on 18th that it was ready to be collected, so the turn around time for a renewal was 2 weeks, which is a huge improvement!

[rickudon]

Just informed yesterday by VFS that new passport is back in Thailand. 18 days after application.

[cauldlad]

I received my new UK passport last month after 5 weeks.

[sandyf]

11 hours ago, billd766 said:

I have to renew mine before June 2024 and I will use an agent based in Samut Prakan. I can do this online and send all the stuff by Thai post. I will also transfer all the money directly from my Thai bank to his and that will save a problem if the passport office won't accept my KBank debit card.

 

Probably your best option Bill.

Mine was due July 24 and didn't want to be without it so a couple of weeks ago went back to the UK and did it. Had a couple of weeks with the grandkids.

Doubt if I will need to do it again.

[Eff1n2ret]

11 hours ago, Maybole said:

Just confirm your PS. My wife has her Thai Passport in her Thai name, but her UK one in mine.

This is very strange. When my wife renewed her UK passport in 2017, it was most definitely a requirement that all passports held by the applicant must be submitted, and the names in the passports must be the same. At the time her UK passport showed, same as your wife's, our married name. Ignoring the instruction in the guidance notes that the foreign passport name should be changed to the UK one, we changed her UK name by deedpoll to her Thai family name to match the Thai passport, and submitted that with the application. It went through, no bother. I posted on Thaivisa about this at the time.

 

 However, when I accessed the online instructions for an application from Thailand to support my previous statement, neither the application form nor the guidance notes make any mention of a requirement for matching names, although both passports (or copies thereof in our case) must be submitted. See this link:-

Overseas British passport applications – Apply for a passport – GOV.UK

 

It looks as though  the matching names requirement has been dropped, so I withdraw my previous statement.

 

The OP may be reassured by the advice on that same page that renewal passports are now supplied within 4 weeks.

[Surasak]

18 hours ago, transam said:

It all helps.............😉

Said the lady when she went in the sea.....😉

[The Old Bull]

Just did mine on line. Did not have to go anywhere came in a few weeks.

[Lite Beer]

8 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

Just did mine on line. Did not have to go anywhere came in a few weeks.

From Thailand?

[cauldlad]

I looked at the UK website to do it from Thailand online, but you have to be in the UK to be successful.

 

The problem is, if you do it from Thailand using a UK address you then need to send the old passport to the UK which obviously would show that the passport had been sent from Thailand.

 

This would result in a rejection of your application.

 

I ended up using an agent as I did not fancy two trips to Bangkok and got it back in five weeks.

[sandyf]

10 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

Just did mine on line. Did not have to go anywhere came in a few weeks.

That may work for some countries but the OP is referring to a UK passport.

A UK renewal cannot be done online without taking risk and making arrangements that would be unacceptable to most.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, cauldlad said:

I looked at the UK website to do it from Thailand online, but you have to be in the UK to be successful.

 

The problem is, if you do it from Thailand using a UK address you then need to send the old passport to the UK which obviously would show that the passport had been sent from Thailand.

Quite, but there is more to it than that. Even if you submit your passport via a third party you are then in a foreign country without a passport and in the event of an accident or some other medical emergency the repercussions from that scenario could be quite significant.

 

[OJAS]

I agree that using an agent is probably the best way to go for those of us who don't live within a stone's throw of the VFS offices in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. It is, however, outrageous IMHO that we Brits appear to be alone among Western nationals living in Thailand in having to fork out an extra 5,000 THB solely in order to make the cumbersome procedures with which we are faced at passport renewal time reasonably tolerable in practice.

[youreavinalaff]

On 10/19/2023 at 10:55 AM, KannikaP said:

He was asking about the turnaround time, not who can apply for it.

He also asked if a visit to Trendy is required.

 

Suggesting an agent answers that question.

 

Back under the bridge for you.