US Passport Renewal Hell - Thailand Edition May 2024

[Presnock]

8 hours ago, sabaiguy said:

TM30, 90-day report. IO, to renew US passport?  What am I missing?

well once you get the new passport you will have to have all the stamps transferred from your old one.

[zzzzz]

26 minutes ago, HerewardtheWake said:

https://passportstatus.state.gov/

 

The message above is what I got when I enquired about my passport application status. You have to enter name, date of birth, and last four digits of the Social Security number. Note the bottom of the message. There is a two week transfer time from State Dept to the US Embassy in Bangkok to which I sent my application on April 5. While State has processed my passport on May 17, transfer times from State to Embassy and Embassy to me add up to 6-8 weeks. What I don't understand is why I never got any email message of acknowledgment from the Embassy or any status report, as reported by some of the correspondents on this string. May be the Embassy did that in the past and has stopped now.

never got any emails on my passport filed back in Nov, just the updates on the site
41 days total time

[Yagoda]

Another reason Cambodia beats Thailand as a main residence. Walk into US Embassy in PP, give papers, smile, come back three weeks later and done.

[KhunLA]

Didn't read previous post ... but ...

 

Renewing my USA PP in TH was one of the easiest things I've ever done.   Simply go to the website, and follow the 'hold your hand' instructions.

 

It doesn't get any easier.  Have done twice already online.

[KhunLA]

32 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Another reason Cambodia beats Thailand as a main residence. Walk into US Embassy in PP, give papers, smile, come back three weeks later and done.

Only if you live in Cambo

[Phillip9]

34 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Another reason Cambodia beats Thailand as a main residence. Walk into US Embassy in PP, give papers, smile, come back three weeks later and done.

 

I'd much rather just mail my passport in than walk into an embassy.  Renewing in Thailand is super simple.  Just follow the instructions.  

[Yagoda]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Only if you live in Cambo

did it for me on a 30 day Ordinary visa. I got my year Visa after

[Yagoda]

Just now, Phillip9 said:

 

I'd much rather just mail my passport in than walk into an embassy.  Renewing in Thailand is super simple.  Just follow the instructions.  

The US embassy in PP is fabulous. They have a big building, super nice staff, and all they do all day is sign the paperwork the Cambodian govt requires from Khmer-Americans to marry their Cambodian cousins. 

 

I highly reccomend the breakfast buffet at Raffles across the way

[jaywalker2]

On 5/27/2024 at 11:56 PM, 1tent42 said:

I’ve had a bunch of renewals for expired, damaged and lost US passports.  I’ve never had to measure my passport photos exactly.  In fact, I have a few in my drawer, none of them are the exact size.

 

Same here. I just go to the photo shop and ask for US passport sized photos, then submit what they give me. I've never measured them and never had a problem.

[jaywalker2]

14 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

 

I'd much rather just mail my passport in than walk into an embassy.  Renewing in Thailand is super simple.  Just follow the instructions.  

I disagree. I'd rather just hand over the application and have them check it on the spot. You can then pay by credit or debit card and buy the return envelope at the Thailand Post kiosk on the premises. If you live close to the embassy, it's certainly more convenient.

[connda]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:27 PM, sabaiguy said:

No US Embassy in Chiang Mai

 

On 5/30/2024 at 2:27 AM, mania said:

 

I think it is pretty obvious he meant US consulate

 

On 5/30/2024 at 11:21 PM, sabaiguy said:

I suppose you're right.  I just thought someone whose been here 17 years would know the difference.

You post is akin to those members who have to act like the Grammar Police and the Spelling Police. 

I should ask the Mods to remove your posts as it is not helpful and offer nothing to this thread other than to be snarky, like the Grammar Police.  Let's not go any further with this.  You know exactly what I meant.  I don't like playing word game.  Let's not do it any more.  Thanks!

[connda]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:28 PM, sabaiguy said:

Who do the agents bribe at the US Embassy?

They don't.  They have no inside track to the US Embassy and can not "expedite" a passport renewal.

[connda]

On 5/31/2024 at 10:47 AM, LTHAI said:

I did mine 5 months ago thru the Bangkok counsulate. Had it back in 2 1/2 weeks !!!  Everyting on the site worked for me.

According to what I've read, there are less Passport Renewals submitted late in the year, therefore they can process the renewals faster.   This time of year (pre-summer-vacation) they get swamped.  So I fully expect to wait the 6 to 8 weeks.

[connda]

On 6/1/2024 at 9:58 AM, zzzzz said:

Back in Nov
never got a tracking number for the thai post> nor any emails
I did see updates on the US site showing if my passport was in process or transit

https://passportstatus.state.gov/

 

Useful link.  Thanks! 

[connda]

11 hours ago, sabaiguy said:

TM30, 90-day report. IO, to renew US passport?  What am I missing?

His immigration officer is being a jerk.  As we often read on the Thai Immigration threads, individual offices and individual IOs can deliberately try to make your life difficult for no other reason then to be malicious, i.e., there is nothing in the police orders requiring something like this, but they make up their own rules.  It's just them being petty and spiteful because they don't like foreigners so the go out of their way to make life difficult. 

Thank goodness the majority of immigration offices are not like this.

[BigStar]

3 hours ago, HerewardtheWake said:

https://passportstatus.state.gov/

 

The message above is what I got when I enquired about my passport application status. You have to enter name, date of birth, and last four digits of the Social Security number. Note the bottom of the message. There is a two week transfer time from State Dept to the US Embassy in Bangkok to which I sent my application on April 5. While State has processed my passport on May 17, transfer times from State to Embassy and Embassy to me add up to 6-8 weeks. What I don't understand is why I never got any email message of acknowledgment from the Embassy or any status report, as reported by some of the correspondents on this string. May be the Embassy did that in the past and has stopped now.

 

Great link, thanks. Welcome improvement.

[connda]

4 hours ago, thesetat said:

You seem to either not be able to read or perhaps unable to interpret what you read.

I'm afraid that you are just being snarky, as well as wrong.

 

4 hours ago, thesetat said:

You can get a bank draft to send payment. They show photos of it and the banks you can use. Then you can get a prepaid envelope if i remember correctly to have them mail it back. 

Your information is dated and incorrect.  The procedures have changed.

They will not accept a bank draft. 

They clearly state that you MUST use the Pay.gov site in order to pay for the DS-82 passport renewal.

https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/1156527186/

 

They will not accept a prepaid return envelope.
They clearly state that you MUST use the ThaiPostMart Courier Pass-Back Envelope for the US Embassy Bangkok.
https://www.thailandpostmart.com/product/1013460000929

 

And they clearly state - on the renewal checklist - to include the "Printout of the electronic confirmation" from the Pay.gov passport renewal receipt and your ThaiPostMart receipt in with your passport renewal package, as well as to write the invoice number on the DS-82 Checklist which must be included in the passport renewal package as well.  (screenshot below)


So to anyone who is reading this and planning on doing a US passport renewal soon.
If you believe like thesetat that I "seem to either not be able to read or perhaps unable to interpret what you read," well, do it thesetat's way - find out! 

  "Where do they 'clearly state' that!  I don't think you know how to read or to interpret what you read." 
Whatever - RTFI:
https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/instructions-for-ds-82-processing-by-mail-and-online-fee-payment-for-u-s-citizens-residing-in-thailand/

 

What some of the snarkier members here don't seen to realize is that - procedures change - and if you don't stay on top of the changes, well - find out! 

 

So read through my adventures, follow the procedures, check to see if the procedures have changed since now (June 2024), and follow the directions that the U.S. Embassy Bangkok provides to the letter - or - find out!   

[radiochaser]

14 hours ago, sabaiguy said:

May be mistaken but I believe this is for renewal in the US.  

If you are referring to the 6-8 week time frame, you are correct.  I guess that should have been made much more clear in my post.   

[radiochaser]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:19 AM, radiochaser said:

You can get a U.S. passport back in 2-3 weeks (reading from the comments) when applying for a renewal in Thailand????

This is what I find on the travel.state.gov website regarding processing times for a passport.   Note the "mailing times not included in processing times"!

Perhaps I should wait until I am in Thailand to renew my passport!

 

Current Processing Times (applied on or after December 18, 2023)

Routine	6 to 8 weeks
Expedited	2 to 3 weeks
Urgent	Must make an appointment and have international travel within 14 calendar days

About Our Processing Times

 

• Include the time your application is at one of our passport agencies or centers. 
• You may get your passport on a different date than your family member or friend.
• Mailing times are not included in processing times. Consider the total time it will take to receive your passport when you are booking travel. 
• It may take two weeks for your application to get to us, and two weeks for you to get your passport after we mail it. 

As someone pointed out, this is for passport renewal in the United States, just to make that clear. 

[HerewardtheWake]

New passport and the old one have just been delivered in a Thai Post envelope. It's taken about  32 days. The new passport seems to have elaborate security features and they are listed on a separate page. I checked the box  for a larger passport in the application, so it has  43 usable pages compared to 20 usable pages in the older passport.

[RocketDog]

Get bank drafts for both fees

 

On 5/27/2024 at 8:42 PM, connda said:

I've been reading through old US Passport Renewal threads and obviously the process is not fun.  But unfortunately this year is the year I need to do it and this is the time I need to do it.  So onward with questions as what looks to be a straightforward process, given what I'm reading in pass threads, is anything but intuitive.  I'd like to get the application filled out and mailed out by next week.

So I'll start the questions:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read the paying the $130 application fee via Pay.gov does not work here in Thailand.
I've just done a test run to see if Thailand shows up or not.  It seems to show (see screenshot).  So has anyone who has done a renewal recently been able to successfully submit this form?

(I'm not punching it in yet and paying as I want to see what other surprises I run into while filling out the application).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding pictures:
I had US Passport pictures made today in Chiang Mai.  Got them home and measured them.  They are suppose to be:

 

The correct size of a passport photo is:

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) 

Head must be between 1 -1 3/8 inches (25 - 35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head 

Mine are
2.25 x 2.25 inches
Head is 1 1/2 from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head

Obviously the picture I received do not fit the requirements.  So - off to a different photo store to try again tomorrow. 
I knew this was going to be an issue.  No surprises at all - it is an issue. How do you go to a place that says they understand how to correct print US passport photos - and then they botch it?

😕 Welcome to US Passport Renewal Hell. 
I've checked the US Passport picture that I had made in 2015 (yeah, I still have it).  Measured the photo and it is exactly the correct measurements. 
Tomorrow I will check to make sure that photos have the correct measurement before leaving the shop - and - I won't be using the place I had today's photos made again.  And I'll take the "good" passport photo with the "bad" one for comparison, and bring a tape measure too boot. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding the  Thailand Post Courier Pass Back envelope fee ฿100 THB:
What forms of payment does this application take.  I read another post where someone could not get the application to accept a payment.
So what sort of payments are accepted. 

Right at the moment I can't find out because - I can't create an account. 

Surprise, surprise, surprise - Welcome to US Passport Renewal Hell. 🙄

 

[flexomike]

On 5/30/2024 at 7:55 PM, HerewardtheWake said:

OK, one mails the application for  passport renewal and makes the $135 payment. Tracking by Thai Post shows the package containing the application, photos, and old passport has been delivered. I have done all this. Will the US Embassy at some point send me an email message advising of the status of the application and let me know if anything else is needed? Will they send me a message that the new passport has been mailed back to me? One gets the feeling the whole process can use some more transparency.

wife recently did hers, got one message that her application was received and being processed and that was it

[flexomike]

1 hour ago, HerewardtheWake said:

New passport and the old one have just been delivered in a Thai Post envelope. It's taken about  32 days. The new passport seems to have elaborate security features and they are listed on a separate page. I checked the box  for a larger passport in the application, so it has  43 usable pages compared to 20 usable pages in the older passport.

they all have more pages now, if you are living in a foreign country, wife did hers, no box to check

 

[rwilem]

7 hours ago, connda said:

here don't seen to realize is that - procedures change - and if you don't stay on top of the changes, well - find out! 

This. And procedures have been changing over the past year, so unless you've done it in the past 6-8 months your experience is pretty much out-of-date. I mentioned earlier, once one gets the new passport they tend to 'tune-out' on renewal developments. 

[sabaiguy]

11 hours ago, connda said:

They don't.  They have no inside track to the US Embassy and can not "expedite" a passport renewal.

Thanks for clearing that up.

[sabaiguy]

11 hours ago, connda said:

His immigration officer is being a jerk.  As we often read on the Thai Immigration threads, individual offices and individual IOs can deliberately try to make your life difficult for no other reason then to be malicious, i.e., there is nothing in the police orders requiring something like this, but they make up their own rules.  It's just them being petty and spiteful because they don't like foreigners so the go out of their way to make life difficult. 

Thank goodness the majority of immigration offices are not like this.

Thought this thread was about renewal of US Passport.  Thai Immigration has absolutely nothing to do with renewal of US passport in Thailand.

[sabaiguy]

13 hours ago, Presnock said:

well once you get the new passport you will have to have all the stamps transferred from your old one.

Gotcha.  Still has nothing to do with renewing a US passport.

[Presnock]

6 hours ago, sabaiguy said:

Gotcha.  Still has nothing to do with renewing a US passport.

Well, if you go through the process with the embassy, you also have to process that through the local mail system or make trips to the embassy and then for it to be valid for use here in Thailand, you have to do the transfers of stamps...it is all of the TOTAL process of passport renewal.  But yeah you are thinking only of the US embassy process I can understand that sorry to get you upset about how I view the process of passport renewal.  Good luck

[Presnock]

19 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Didn't read previous post ... but ...

 

Renewing my USA PP in TH was one of the easiest things I've ever done.   Simply go to the website, and follow the 'hold your hand' instructions.

 

It doesn't get any easier.  Have done twice already online.

Yeah same with me as I did mine in Nov, got it several weeks later and was surprised how quickly it did come.  

[Presnock]

10 hours ago, flexomike said:

wife recently did hers, got one message that her application was received and being processed and that was it

after I submitted my application, the embassy sent me a note telling me to wait an "appropriate" time to begin checking on the return envelope with the passport as they were unsure when it might go through the pouching and processing time.  Just when I thought it was possible and was about to search on the number provided the mailman delivered my passport.  Quicker than I thought it would be.