Urgent -- Getting New Passport 2morrow & Have To Leave Country

[Sheryl]

Well I've gotten myself into a bit of a jam. My passport and Thai visa (retirement) both end 25 August and I need to make a short business trip to Cambodia. I went ahead and applied for a new passport, planning on picking it up after I return from Cambodia and then doing the visa renewal on the same day, the week prior to expuiration of both. Now I had vaguely heard something about not travelling with a passport that is close to expiration but with both valid Cambodian and Thai visas and a return ticket I thought it would be fine...went just a month ago without incident. Well...WRONG. Airlines would not let me board, no way no how, causing considerable problem as I had appointments set up for tomorrow.

Anyhow I called my Embassy and I will be able to get my new passport tomorrow. MUST fly to Cambodia that same day..long-standing appointments with senior government officials. But I can't get my thai visa transferred to my new passport before I leave tomorrow as it is a Thai government holiday. So I'll be leaving (and in about 10 days returning) with a brand new passport that has no Thai visa and a cancelled old one that has a one year visa that would have still been valid had my passport not been cancelled upon issuance of the new one.

Can anyone tell me what's likely to happen? I assume my Thai visa and re-entry permit will both be cancelled and I will have to either get a 3 month "O" visa at the Thai embassy in PP or come in on a one month stamp and then get it changed over here. Unless the immigration folk at the airport are able to transfer the visa to my new passport for me? I will have a letter (in Thai) from my Embassy.

Any advice appreciated....and quickly, please!!

Thanks

[lopburi3]

Hopefully they can do at the airport. I have seen other posts of doing at border crossings. But am not sure they were talking extensions of stay and that would probably require a new re-entry permit also.

I would not try getting a non immigrant from the Embassy unless you are friendly with them - just return with a 30 day and change at Immigration if you have to do that.

edit: I would carry copies of old and new passport/arrival card and extra photos and hope.

[Sheryl]

Thanks Lopburi, you've given me a ray of hope. I am not looking to do an extension tomorrow, just to get the visa and re-entry permit transferred that are in the old passport transferred into the new. I know this is a routine thing to do at immigration, just not sure about doing it at airport. Where would I go at the airport? The booth for re-entry permit or somewhere else?

[lopburi3]

I would try to get attention of one of the immigration processing officers as he will probably have to tell you to see his supervisor.

[ProThaiExpat]

Was at American Consulate this morning and I was informed that they will give back by expired passport when I pick up my new one, although it would clearly be defaced or punched as unusable. The stamps should be on your old passport that will be returned to you so with the new passport and the old one in hand, immigration at the airport should be able to help you.

[Sheryl]

Update: I had a bit of a scare when I picked up my new passport at the US Embassy as they told me that had had cases of people turned away by immigration at the airport because their entry stamp had not been trransferred to their new passport (!) even tho they had old passport in hand. So when I got to the airport I went to the desk that issues re-entry permits (which ios actually located inside the immigration area but is the only part of it you can access without first getting a boarding pass) and explained my predicament and asked if they could transfer the entry stamp for me since the office at Suan Phlu was closed. The official said he could not but that it would be no problem departing or retruning as long as I had both passports in hand, they would stamp me out in the old passport which had the entry stamp and stamp me back in on the old passport wehich has the re-entry permit and visa, after which I could go to immigration and get everything transferred to my new passport. Fellow who told me all this seemed to know what he was talkin g about. When I passed through immigration there was no big problem although the official did ask me which passport to put the exit stamp in (!) so obviously they are not all up on procedure. We shall see what happens when I try to return using a visa and re-entry permit that is in my old (now voided) passport....

Not sure why the Embassy said that they have heard of peopkle in this situation being turned away, unless it was a case of some officials just not knowing the rules, or maybe in those cases the old passport had reached its expiry date? Mine (and the expiry date of the Thai visa and re-entry permit within it) don't run out until the 25th.

I wouldn't have even picked up the new passport this early if it hadn't been for %$#& Air Asia refusing to let me board with the old one. From what I observed will waiting one line both days they seem to make something of a sport of finding reasons to turn people away..both days I spotted several folk ahead of me turned back, altho I don't know the reasons. But certainly a surprising number.....

[Sheryl]

Further update: I came back in using the visa and re-entry permit in my old (now voided) passport accompanied by my new passport, no problem except that once again they asked me which passport to put the entry stamp in.

Have since gone to immigration and gotten everything transferred into the new passport.

Should note though that neither my old passport nor the visas, permits therein had yet expired (tho the passport had been voided upon issuance of a new one). Wouldn't recommend trying this if the old passport had actually passed its expiration date.