UK Passport renewal in Thailand

[Will B Good]

I am intending renewing my UK passport next week at VFS.Global, Bangkok.

 

Will the "extensions based on marriage", in my current passport, be flagged up to the UK authorities and trigger questions as to my residency?

 

If so, short of 'losing' my passport or having it 'stolen', is there anyway to avoid unwanted attention re: residency?

 

 

 

 

[The Cyclist]

Why would HMPO care about what is in your passport ?
 

Now, if there happens to be a big red flag attached to your name, that would be a whole different ballgame.

[Will B Good]

5 minutes ago, The Cyclist said:

Why would HMPO care about what is in your passport ?
 

Now, if there happens to be a big red flag attached to your name, that would be a whole different ballgame.

I have no idea what systems, if any, HM government have in place.

 

I am worried that the application will be screened for things like visas so residency can be investigated.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Will B Good

[The Cyclist]

6 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I am worried that the application will be screened for things like visas so residency can be investigated.

 

The only thing that they will screen is the paperwork to ensure that it is a bona fide application.

 

However, some other Government Department might have put a red flag against your name, HMPO probably wont know what the red flag is for and will have to defer to the Department that raised the red flag.

 

If you get an email telling you to report to the Embassy and obtain an Emergency Travel Doc and return to the UK, start worrying 

[McTavish]

AFAIK VFS Bangkok process the application and your new passport is issued in India.  There is no reason for scrutiny by HM Govt of your visa and extension stamps. 

[brewsterbudgen]

Some UK visas for Thai applications are issued in India, but all passport renewals are processed by HMPO in Liverpool.

[mlkik]

13 minutes ago, McTavish said:

AFAIK VFS Bangkok process the application and your new passport is issued in India.  There is no reason for scrutiny by HM Govt of your visa and extension stamps. 

UK passports are issued from the UK not India.

 

I renewed my passport using VFS in Bangkok and all they do is forward everything to Liverpool.

 

 

[Phulublub]

39 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I have no idea what systems, if any, HM government have in place.

 

I am worried that the application will be screened for things like visas so residency can be investigated.

Unless you are doing something illicit - like pretending to live in the UK so you continue to get pension increases, for example - then you have no worries whether they screen for anything.

 

PH

[dick turpin]

16 minutes ago, mlkik said:

UK passports are issued from the UK not India.

 

I renewed my passport using VFS in Bangkok and all they do is forward everything to Liverpool.

 

 

 

Exactly, I don't want a Bombay Balti version, I want a British

passport issued in Britain in a fine British city such as

Liverpool.....oh dear what am I saying.  

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, Phulublub said:

Unless you are doing something illicit - like pretending to live in the UK so you continue to get pension increases, for example - then you have no worries whether they screen for anything.

 

PH

 

Even then... 

Its still possible to be tax resident in the UK and secure the pension increases and still have an Extension of Stay based on retirement or Marriage etc... (dates of entry etc notwithstanding). 

 

In short - No - Applying for a new passport makes no difference to a persons residency status. 

 

Its somewhat of a moot point anyway - what is the Op going to do otherwise ?

Records are kept digitally, so any loss of passport does not mean a loss of information at all. 

 

 

 

[cleopatra2]

I really do not understand the purpose of the question.

Whatever checks the Passport Office carry out regarding passing information to other departments is moot.

When a passport is due for renewal then it requires to be renewed. The alternative is either return to the UK or let the passport expire with the consequences of becoming illegal.

 

What information is shared across departments cannot be mitigated .

Edited December 11, 2023 by cleopatra2

[hotandsticky]

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

UK passports are issued from the UK not India.

 

I renewed my passport using VFS in Bangkok and all they do is forward everything to Liverpool.

 

 

 

 

....and that is done online.

[mlkik]

48 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

....and that is done online.

Yes initialy but I also had to attend their office in Sukhumvit as once the application is done online they give you an appointment.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, mlkik said:

Yes initially but I also had to attend their office in Sukhumvit as once the application is done online they give you an appointment.

 

Yes...but nothing gets physically forwarded to Liverpool.

 

The application is not done online ....To renew your British passport, you need to first book an appointment by sending an email to [email protected]. In your email, include your first name and last name and three alternative dates and times from 8:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday except for public holidays. You will receive an email confirming your appointment.

 

The application form can be downloaded. That gets scanned, with other documents, to Liverpool.

[Will B Good]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Even then... 

Its still possible to be tax resident in the UK and secure the pension increases and still have an Extension of Stay based on retirement or Marriage etc... (dates of entry etc notwithstanding). 

 

In short - No - Applying for a new passport makes no difference to a persons residency status. 

 

Its somewhat of a moot point anyway - what is the Op going to do otherwise ?

Records are kept digitally, so any loss of passport does not mean a loss of information at all. 

 

 

 

Records are kept digitally, so any loss of passport does not mean a loss of information at all. 

 

How would the UK authorities currently know I have a Thai visa extension in my passport?........that isn't stored digitally in the UK....or  is it?..........do the Thai authorities tell the UK about my visa extensions????

 

 

[Phulublub]

2 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Records are kept digitally, so any loss of passport does not mean a loss of information at all. 

 

How would the UK authorities currently know I have a Thai visa extension in my passport?........that isn't stored digitally in the UK....or  is it?..........do the Thai authorities tell the UK about my visa extensions????

 

 

As others have said, any and all visas have nothing at all to do with where you spend your time.    I know at least two who have extensions based on Retirement who spend the UK Winter here, but more than six months back in UK....it is the entry and exit dates to/from the country that should, perhaps, concern you more if you want to pretend you live in the UK when you do not.

 

PH

[brewsterbudgen]

3 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Records are kept digitally, so any loss of passport does not mean a loss of information at all. 

 

How would the UK authorities currently know I have a Thai visa extension in my passport?........that isn't stored digitally in the UK....or  is it?..........do the Thai authorities tell the UK about my visa extensions????

 

 

 

You have to send a colour copy of every page of the expiring passport, so if HMPO were so inclined  they could look at all your visa/extension stamps.  But they're not and they won't.

[alanrchase]

If you are spending more than 180 days in Thailand you are more likely to have a problem when Thailand starts sharing your tax information with the UK next year.

[Thingamabob]

Not entirely clear what you are worrying about, however I can only confirm that I went through the process 2 years ago via VFS with no hassle whatsoever. Calm and efficient service from VFS, taking about 1 month to complete.

[Jenkins9039]

1 hour ago, alanrchase said:

If you are spending more than 180 days in Thailand you are more likely to have a problem when Thailand starts sharing your tax information with the UK next year.

Not at all, non resident British citizens don't pay tax to the UK Gov, except certain specific taxes based around earning money in the UK.

 

As for Passport office they are usually not in cahoots with HMRC (Different System).

 

But like mentioned if you have a red-flag either internal or via interpol, then yes you'd have issues.

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Not at all, non resident British citizens don't pay tax to the UK Gov, except certain specific taxes based around earning money in the UK.

 

As for Passport office they are usually not in cahoots with HMRC (Different System).

 

But like mentioned if you have a red-flag either internal or via interpol, then yes you'd have issues.

 

Non-resident Brits pay income tax on all income generated in the UK.

[proton]

12 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

You have to send a colour copy of every page of the expiring passport, so if HMPO were so inclined  they could look at all your visa/extension stamps.  But they're not and they won't.

 

what do they want to see the pages for if not interested in checking you out?

[sandyf]

22 minutes ago, Jenkins9039 said:

As for Passport office they are usually not in cahoots with HMRC (Different System).

I wouldn't be so sure of that, data access, rather than being in "cahoots" is more prevalent than some seem to think.

When I renewed my driving licence the photo was out of date so the DVLC took the photo from my passport to put on the licence. There is also a link between HMPO and DWP and I know for a fact that there is a link between DWP and HMRC.

Data access is different to data sharing and at the end of the day it is all about probability.

[sandyf]

5 minutes ago, proton said:

 

what do they want to see the pages for if not interested in checking you out?

It is because they don't physically see the old passport. I renewed mine in the UK a couple of months ago and when I handed over my old passport the first thing the guy did was look through the passport.

I had my old passport back in about 5 working days and would doubt they had scanned the pages. I would think the majority of UK applications were blank passports, although brexit will now have put stamps in passports.

[proton]

If in doubt go to UK report missing and get a new passport, cut of 

56 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Not entirely clear what you are worrying about, however I can only confirm that I went through the process 2 years ago via VFS with no hassle whatsoever. Calm and efficient service from VFS, taking about 1 month to complete.

 

Could claiming pension from UK while living here, as soon as they see a couple of pages you are rumbled -if the info is linked to pension dept

[brewsterbudgen]

25 minutes ago, proton said:

 

what do they want to see the pages for if not interested in checking you out?

See @sandyf reply.  In Thailand you retain your passport, so HMPO need to see that you're a real person!

[proton]

11 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

See @sandyf reply.  In Thailand you retain your passport, so HMPO need to see that you're a real person!

They dont need copies of all the pages to do that though

[OJAS]

17 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

See @sandyf reply.  In Thailand you retain your passport, so HMPO need to see that you're a real person!

 

But shouldn't merely a colour copy of the existing passport photopage prove sufficient for this purpose? That presumably contains all the info HMPO need in order to cancel the passport electronically (and hence render it useless for subsequent foreign travel prior to its expiry date).

 

Requiring colour copies of each and every other passport page as well does strike me as being OTT - as well as providing IMHO unnecessary fodder for the development of conspiracy theories, as this whole thread illustrates perfectly, I think!

 

[brewsterbudgen]

18 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

But shouldn't merely a colour copy of the existing passport photopage prove sufficient for this purpose? That presumably contains all the info HMPO need in order to cancel the passport electronically (and hence render it useless for subsequent foreign travel prior to its expiry date).

 

Requiring colour copies of each and every other passport page as well does strike me as being OTT - as well as providing IMHO unnecessary fodder for the development of conspiracy theories, as this whole thread illustrates perfectly, I think!

 

You may be right, but I think HMPO are ultra cautious about passport forgeries and if applications in the UK require the old passport to be sent (I assume they do?) I guess applications from Thailand need to be similarly processed, although we should be grateful that they kindly take into account the requirement for foreigners in Thailand to have their passport with them at all times!

[alanrchase]

1 hour ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Not at all, non resident British citizens don't pay tax to the UK Gov, except certain specific taxes based around earning money in the UK.

 

As for Passport office they are usually not in cahoots with HMRC (Different System).

 

But like mentioned if you have a red-flag either internal or via interpol, then yes you'd have issues.

He seems to be concerned that UK authorities may notice he is not resident in the UK. If he is claiming he is UK resident for some reason then he may have an issue if Thailand are showing him as tax resident here.