Renewing U.K. Passport at VFS Global Chiang Mai

[skorts]

Looking to renew my U.K. Passport (at) VFS Global, Chiang Mai. As a straightforward renewal I understand I need to take my original passport, completed passport application form, 2 x photos (no counter signing required), bank card to pay the fee. I will use a U.K. bank card. 

 

A few questions hopefully someone with recent experience can answer:

 

1. How far in advance can you book your appointment with VFS Chiang Mai?

2. When emailing HMPO.CM(at)vfshelpline.com how many dates/times do you need to provide. The web site information seems to imply you only need provide one date/time but I have read others saying you have to provide three dates and times. I understand Tuesday and Thursday only between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. but not between mid-day and 1:00 p.m.

3. Which pages of your current passport do you need copies of e.g. passport photo page, current annual extension, TM30, latest 90 Day report?

4. On receipt of new passport I appreciate I must go to the Immigration office to get my stamps transferred. After this do I need to submit a new TM30 updating my passport number? As a condo owner I have access to the TM30 system. 

5. Does the next 90 Day Report following receipt of my new passport need to be done in person? I do my 90 Day Reports using the on-line system. 

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback that will help me through the process. 

[Upnotover]

You don't pay at VFS, you complete the payment form with your card details and payment is taken in the UK.

 

You need a complete copy of your passport, every page whether blank or not. You do not need copies of any Thai immigration documents unless you are using something for proof of residence.

 

I did 3 appointment choices, this was for Bangkok.

[oxo1947]

4 hours ago, skorts said:

(no counter signing required),

 

 If you are over 60 years old-- Renewed mine a few months  ago Key Visa was good, doesn't seem to be a backlog now.

[OJAS]

7 hours ago, skorts said:

3. Which pages of your current passport do you need copies of e.g. passport photo page, current annual extension, TM30, latest 90 Day report?

 

Each and every page from cover to cover, even completely blank ones, including the insides of the front and back covers. And each and every copy must be in colour to boot!

 

Probably advisable to include colour copies of the outsides of the front and back covers as well for good measure, just as I did when renewing my passport back in 2022.

 

The amount of totally unnecessary paperwork generated by the UK passport renewal process from Thailand these days is IMHO truly breathtaking!

 

Edited July 15 by OJAS

[soalbundy]

I used VFS, an agent, just send passport, form, proof of address and two photos to their office in Chonburi via EMS. just received an email from VFS Global that my application has been forwarded to HMPO. Total cost 11,000 Baht which includes passport fees and passport delivery to my house, saves me the cost of travelling to BKK twice from Isaan and all the other hassle, turnaround time is about 6 weeks they tell me.

[DUNROAMIN]

18 hours ago, skorts said:

Looking to renew my U.K. Passport (at) VFS Global, Chiang Mai. As a straightforward renewal I understand I need to take my original passport, completed passport application form, 2 x photos (no counter signing required), bank card to pay the fee. I will use a U.K. bank card. 

 

A few questions hopefully someone with recent experience can answer:

 

1. How far in advance can you book your appointment with VFS Chiang Mai?

2. When emailing HMPO.CM(at)vfshelpline.com how many dates/times do you need to provide. The web site information seems to imply you only need provide one date/time but I have read others saying you have to provide three dates and times. I understand Tuesday and Thursday only between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. but not between mid-day and 1:00 p.m.

3. Which pages of your current passport do you need copies of e.g. passport photo page, current annual extension, TM30, latest 90 Day report?

4. On receipt of new passport I appreciate I must go to the Immigration office to get my stamps transferred. After this do I need to submit a new TM30 updating my passport number? As a condo owner I have access to the TM30 system. 

5. Does the next 90 Day Report following receipt of my new passport need to be done in person? I do my 90 Day Reports using the on-line system. 

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback that will help me through the process. 

Make sure your photos are the standard required by UK immigration. Can be fussy.

[hotandsticky]

9 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

Make sure your photos are the standard required by UK immigration. Can be fussy.

 

Everything is here:-  https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports

 

 

[Peter60]

I renewed my passport this year, no big problem.  With the new passport you need to make your next 90 day application in person at the Immigration office. There is no reason to register before the 90 days becomes due unless you are planning to travel abroad or do business, but you will  need to carry around both passports for around 90 days. Also you need to inform your Bank with lots of paperwork and photocopying and signatures.    DHL  forwarded the documents to Liverpool HMPO, but I had to collect the new passport in person.

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, skorts said:

4. On receipt of new passport I appreciate I must go to the Immigration office to get my stamps transferred.

Not sure on your 90 day report but, you don't really need to get the stamps transferred until you apply for your next extension, which you will probably know, your current extension only lasts to the expiry date of your current passport. Immigration Have No Idea when you received your new passport and they don't really care.

[skorts]

17 hours ago, Upnotover said:

You don't pay at VFS, you complete the payment form with your card details and payment is taken in the UK.

 

You need a complete copy of your passport, every page whether blank or not. You do not need copies of any Thai immigration documents unless you are using something for proof of residence.

 

I did 3 appointment choices, this was for Bangkok.

Thanks for your feedback. Struggling a bit with “Name and address and/or residency” docs as the only docs I have with my address on are bank statements and Thai driving licence and these are both in Thai and neither are on the list of accepted documents.
 

I seem to remember someone saying on here in the past they used a bank statement as proof of address but it is not listed below. 
 

The HM Passport Office Guidance Notes state:

 

Please provide one of the following:

• visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)
• tax record (for example, a letter from a tax authority)
• educational record (for example, a school report)
• employment record (for example, an official letter from your employer)
• letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department
• medical/health card
• voter’s card
• immigration documents.
 

So, my options would seem to be 

 

- visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)

- immigration documents.

 

But I have no idea what these documents are - my original visa is from 2014. And none of my current immigration documents have my address on it apart from my TM30 where it is handwritten by Immigration in Thai back in 2015. Even if I got the Certificate of Residence it will be in Thai so would need to translated and must be signed and stamped by a translator who is a member of a recognised professional organisation to prove it is genuine.

The only source of official help VFS have given me is the U.K. Passport office and a U.K. telephone number. 
 

Are they really going to know what Thai Immigration documents are required?

 

A bit puzzled. 

[Upnotover]

6 minutes ago, skorts said:

Thanks for your feedback. Struggling a bit with “Name and address and/or residency” docs as the only docs I have with my address on are bank statements and Thai driving licence and these are both in Thai and neither are on the list of accepted documents.

I have renewed twice and both times used bank statements.  I can download my statement in Thai or English easily (Kasikorn), I imagine all banks offer this.  

[skorts]

4 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

I have renewed twice and both times used bank statements.  I can download my statement in Thai or English easily (Kasikorn), I imagine all banks offer this.  

Thanks for your feedback. I bank with SCB and they don’t appear to give the option to choose Thai or English when requesting a downloaded statement. My statement has my address in Thai. The address was loaded on to the SCB system by their staff when opening the account. 

However, I have just updated my address (identical address) using the app and downloaded another statement and the address is now shown in English!
So I think I am good to go. 
Hopefully VFS Chiang Mai will accept this bank statement and not point me to the list saying it isn’t included. 

[MikePBrown]

Regarding 90 day report. My experience a few years ago was that I could not do the online report until I had left Thailand and returned on the new passport. That was a few years ago, might be different now. 

[OJAS]

6 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

Everything is here:-  https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports

 

 

 

But the big problem, of course, is in finding a Thai professional photographer who is capable of taking mugshots against backgrounds of the particular shades of plain cream or light grey which HMPO seem to be especially fussy about.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, skorts said:

Thanks for your feedback. I bank with SCB and they don’t appear to give the option to choose Thai or English when requesting a downloaded statement. My statement has my address in Thai. The address was loaded on to the SCB system by their staff when opening the account. 

However, I have just updated my address (identical address) using the app and downloaded another statement and the address is now shown in English!
So I think I am good to go. 
Hopefully VFS Chiang Mai will accept this bank statement and not point me to the list saying it isn’t included. 

 

IMHO your experience only goes to serve the ridiculous lengths to which we Brits here in LOS are expected to go at passport renewal time, solely so as to comply with a completely pointless requirement for proof of address - which IMHO is tantamount to pure unnecessary bureaucracy for pure unnecessary bureaucracy's sake, particularly bearing in mind that HMPO are not prepared to send our new passports to us direct by courier.

 

Good luck with your SCB bank statement! 

[hotandsticky]

8 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

But the big problem, of course, is in finding a Thai professional photographer who is capable of taking mugshots against backgrounds of the particular shades of plain cream or light grey which HMPO seem to be especially fussy about.

 

 

I have never had an issue with, what was my local town, 'Kodak shop'. The owner there was aware of the UK requirements but I also took the guide note from UKPA.

[delboy]

I got my new passport in February via VFS.  For address verification, I got a residence certificate  from CM Immigration and a translation into English from the ABC Visa Agency.  For photos I used the local photo shop in my village.  Submitted 3 appointment times.  They were very helpful in the office, and I got my new passport in 3 weeks.  Did my first 90 day in person at CM Immigration with no problems.