Getting A New Passport

[mike_rad]

Hi,

I collect my new passport next week (the old one was full). What's the procedure to comply with immigration regulations? Do I have to go to the immigration office and get them to fix it, or can I just turn up at the airport with my old one when I leave the country?

Thanks in advance.

[lopburi3]

You proceed to Immigration and have the current permitted to stay until stamp transferred. You will fill out a short form and need the normal photo copies of passport/pages (across street shops should know what to copy). There is no charge by Immigration. Your embassy should give you a courtesy letter of introduction requesting this service and directions but some seem to overlook this.

[pattyboy]

I took my new passport to the immigration office in Pattaya today to have my 1-year visa transfered and they turned me down, saying that a letter from my embassy was required stating why a new passport was issued. Even though the close expiry date of my old one was the obvious reason, they still insisted that I get a letter. I don't know if I was being jerked around, ran across them on a bad day, or what, but when I mentioned that I didn't need a letter when I did this 5 years ago, I think the imm. off. said something about it being a new rule or law -- something like that.

[lopburi3]

1979 to 2007 = 28 years. I guess some Embassies are just a little slow off the mark.

Believe Officer means it is just recently that they have a policy to enforce the requirement. Or it was just your unlucky day.

From Immigration Web Site:

Transfer of visa to new passport in case of expired or full passport

Relevant laws and regulations

1979 immigration act

Required documents

Expired or full passport

New passport

Request by Embassy to the Immigration Bureau to transfer the visa to the new passport

Procedure

In case of foreign national without application for extension of stay or residence in the Kingdom:

Contact sub-section 2, Bangkok Immigration Division, Immigration Bureau to write the request and fill in the relevant information, including name, surname, passport number, date of arrival, and flight number.

Check the details and the correctness of the information and the completeness of the new passport or other travel document.

Check the evidence of arrival in the Kingdom by computer or with the arrival card (TM. 6) to make sure the applicant has entered the Kingdom legally.

If there is evidence of legal entry to the Kingdom, the visa will be transferred to the new passport.

In case of foreign national with application for extension of stay or residence in the Kingdom:

Contact the respective sections according to the visa type or sub-section 1, Bangkok Immigration Division, Immigration Bureau, according to circumstances, in order to write the request to transfer the visa to a new passport. Proceed according to step 3.1.2 above.

Note

The following information must be provided: Passport or travel document number, place and date of issue, visa type, port and mode of arrival, date of arrival (first date of arrival) and admission period, reason for changing passport or travel document and transferring visa stamp.

In case of foreign national with application for residence in the Kingdom, the date of application for residence as well as the consideration period must be given. If during the consideration period a re-entry permit was issued and the applicant has left and re-entered the country, evidence of the most recent arrival must be given.

[gzu88bv]

I took my new passport to the immigration office in Pattaya today to have my 1-year visa transfered and they turned me down, saying that a letter from my embassy was required stating why a new passport was issued. Even though the close expiry date of my old one was the obvious reason, they still insisted that I get a letter.

Please also read the thread "Transfer of Visa to New Passport necessary".

One is always at the mercy of the corresponding immi officer. Or was I for once just lucky? TIT......

[lungbing]

The UK embassy has never issued the letter. You should take with you to immigration the receipt for the passport from the UK embassy and immigration will accept that as proof of the validity of the new passport.

Be careful though, the receipt is a mere scrap of paper, like a Tesco/Lotus receipt, and is easily discarded, but that's the one immigration want to see.

[mike_rad]

OK, fellas, thanks for that.

[Gary A]

I'm the conservative cautious type. I went to Thai immigration BEFORE I got a new passport. Immigration told me to get the new passport and bring it and the old one to the office and they would transfer the visa at no charge. No letter was mentioned BUT the US embassy did give me a letter.

[JohnC]

My extension of stay was due to expire at the end of April 2007 and my passort expires in Jan 2008, at the advice of the British Consul I renewed my passport early, the unused part was transfered therefore my new passport expirse in Jan 2018! I then took both passports to immigration in Pattaya along with my renewal paperwork and the Imm Officer transfered my old "visa" into my new passport then procesed my new "visa" I was not asked for a letter no charge for the transfer was made and when I asked at the British Embassy for a letter they said "not required for renewal only required for replacement of lost passport"

So I guess either the Imm Off on the day got it wrong or he was having a bad day unless of course things have changed since end of April and being thailand that is of course possible.

[bdenner]

Even if you renew your passport in your home country keep the receipt. I did mine at a local post office in Aus and just left the cash register receipt and Debit card receipt at home. Had all sorts of hassles at Nong Khai presenting them with my new Passport for my O Visa extension, they finally let it slide and filled 2 pages with previous visa details.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello

I did that ;last time my passport was full during a visa run to Poipet. Brought both the old and the new passport, went to the thai immigration there (on the RIGHT side, thai IN), they transferred my visa and last date of entry to the new passport (a full-page "stamp") and it was free, too. No embassy letter required, tough i did have one (but it was obvious since my old passport was filled to the last page). I then proceeded to get my thai exit stamp on the new passport, keeping the old one in my pocket. No problems.

Best regards....

Thanh

[simon43]

Do you think this procedure will also apply if you are changing your nationality and getting a new passport? I hold a British passport, but will be obtaining an Irish passport in the near future, (my grandfather held an Irish passport and my father held both UK and Irish..).

I hope that immigration don't freak out when they see this change of citizenship...

Simon

[grahamhc]

The UK embassy has never issued the letter. You should take with you to immigration the receipt for the passport from the UK embassy and immigration will accept that as proof of the validity of the new passport.

Be careful though, the receipt is a mere scrap of paper, like a Tesco/Lotus receipt, and is easily discarded, but that's the one immigration want to see.

But NOT in Pattaya. A friend recently went to Pattaya Immigration when he got his replacement passort. They woulkd not accept the Receipt, the collection receipt or one other piece of paper from the embassy. He too was days away from an extension, having waited for the new Passort from the UK via the Embassy, but they still sent him away. He was told a new section head was inforcing the old law, and they had to comply.

I do not know the outcome, but suspect he went go to the Bangkok and sorted it out.

[flyer]

When you have still valid visa's in your full passport, you can ask the embassy or other issuing service delivering your new passport to mark the old one as VOID and give it back to you. They will either stamp each page of your passport with a big 'void' stamp or perforate it with the letters 'VOID'. I don't know of any passport issueing services that will not do that. For travel, all you need is take your old passport (and the valid one also) with you and present both to the immigration authorities. Any visa issued stands on itself as it contains a limit date in it that may be later then the invalidation of your passport.

You can also aks for 'transfering' a visa to new passport with the authority responsible for issueing it, but the regulations will differ from country to country and it may sometimes prove impossible. For example i have a permanent visa to the USA that was delivered to me years ago and now you can't get one anymore. So i just travel with my old passport with the visa in it.