US Passport Renewal Update Information

[Pib]

22 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Mine was 29 total days.  1) It took 13 days to get the "application in progess" email from state. 2) 6 days later I gto the "passport mailed" email message. 3) Then I found the Thai Post envelope in front of the managers office of my apartment 9 days later..  Never got any kind of status message from the BKK Embassy,  Overall the Passport Center did a great job.  

I expect the Embassy expects the person to track the Bt100 mailer tracking number as that would tell when they mailed it.  Did you use that return mailer tracking number (not to be confused with the order number)?   

 

When looking at other embassy websites in other countries and even the State Dept general instructions they say to use the return/prepaid mailer tracking number.   I expect the State Dept/embassy figure by telling folks to use the return mailer tracking number then that's one less task they need to accomplish....save a few minutes/X-amount of manhours of work I guess. 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

I expect the Embassy expects the person to track the Bt100 mailer tracking number as that would tell when they mailed it.  Did you use that return mailer tracking number (not to be confused with the order number)?   

 

When looking at other embassy websites in other countries and even the State Dept general instructions they say to use the return/prepaid mailer tracking number.   I expect the State Dept/embassy figure by telling folks to use the return mailer tracking number then that's one less task they need to accomplish....save a few minutes/X-amount of manhours of work I guess. 

When I paid the 100 Baht I did not get a tracking number. I got a confirmation of payment number.  The Tracking number was on the address label of the envelope that had my two passports. 

[Pib]

22 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

When I paid the 100 Baht I did not get a tracking number. I got a confirmation of payment number.  The Tracking number was on the address label of the envelope that had my two passports. 

But you could have tracked the item by getting the tracking number from your ThaiPostalMart online account when you placed the Bt100 remailer order.  There it shows your order number "and the tracking number."

 

I don't know why the tracking number is not shown on the order confirmation/notice....but as mentioned the tracking number is shown in the online order transaction info.

 

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Pib said:

But you could have tracked the item by getting the tracking number from your ThaiPostalMart online account when you placed the Bt100 remailer order.  There it shows your order number "and the tracking number."

 

I don't know why the tracking number is not shown on the order confirmation/notice....but as mentioned the tracking number is shown in the online order transaction info.

 

Yes but keep in mind that number will be seen as NOT FOUND until the time Thai Post picks up the envelope at the embassy.

[Pib]

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes but keep in mind that number will be seen as NOT FOUND until the time Thai Post picks up the envelope at the embassy.

Yeap...understand.  That's why a person would need to check the tracking number daily at the ThaiPostal web site or using their mobile app.  

 

I use their mobile app.  It's just one of a half dozen shipment tracking mobile apps like DHL, USPS, etc., I have on my phone.  

 

I already have the wife's return mailer tracking number loaded the ThaiPostal app that supposedly will give me an automatic notification once the embassy remails the passport. But I won't solely rely on the automatic notification and just try to remember to check daily.  Literally just takes 10 seconds or so to check using the mobile app.

 

Now if the embassy don't use the mailer that was bought for some reason and instead uses another mailer then I expect the current tracking number will be useless for tracking.

 

 

 

[jeffandgop]

12 hours ago, Pib said:

Yeap...understand.  That's why a person would need to check the tracking number daily at the ThaiPostal web site or using their mobile app.  

 

I use their mobile app.  It's just one of a half dozen shipment tracking mobile apps like DHL, USPS, etc., I have on my phone.  

 

I already have the wife's return mailer tracking number loaded the ThaiPostal app that supposedly will give me an automatic notification once the embassy remails the passport. But I won't solely rely on the automatic notification and just try to remember to check daily.  Literally just takes 10 seconds or so to check using the mobile app.

 

Now if the embassy don't use the mailer that was bought for some reason and instead uses another mailer then I expect the current tracking number will be useless for tracking.

 

 

 

In my case the Thai Post tracking number I was given at the time I placed the order NEVER appeared on their tracking system & I was checking daily.  I received my new passport in the Thai Post envelope without knowing that it was coming.  Yes, the tracking number on the envelope was the same provided at the time I placed my order......

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, jeffandgop said:

In my case the Thai Post tracking number I was given at the time I placed the order NEVER appeared on their tracking system & I was checking daily.  I received my new passport in the Thai Post envelope without knowing that it was coming.  Yes, the tracking number on the envelope was the same provided at the time I placed my order......

That was certainly an annoying glitch. Hopefully such a situation is rare but there is no way of knowing.

In my recent experience, I was feeling the journey from the embassy to the citizen was the weakest link in the entire process. Also consider once the embassy passes it to Thai Post whether they scanned it into their tracking system or not, if there's a problem the embassy will legitimately say it's not their responsibility.

[Pib]

2 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

In my case the Thai Post tracking number I was given at the time I placed the order NEVER appeared on their tracking system & I was checking daily.  I received my new passport in the Thai Post envelope without knowing that it was coming.  Yes, the tracking number on the envelope was the same provided at the time I placed my order......

 

54 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That was certainly an annoying glitch. Hopefully such a situation is rare but there is no way of knowing.

In my recent experience, I was feeling the journey from the embassy to the citizen was the weakest link in the entire process. Also consider once the embassy passes it to Thai Post whether they scanned it into their tracking system or not, if there's a problem the embassy will legitimately say it's not their responsibility.

 

Regarding the ThaiPostal tracking number for the return mailer (i.e., when the embassy mails the renewed passport back to you), while the "tracking number" is contained within your order for the mailer when your passport arrived back in the mailer how did the tracking number appear on that mailer?     

 

Was it on a separate sticker with bar code and number like when using EMS.....was it just a number maybe with a bar code on a preprinted address label.....or was it XYZ?   Just wondering how easy or hard it might be for the ThaiPostal "not" to do scans on the mailer based on how the tracking number appears on the mailer. 

 

I can sure see that if the tracking number does not get scanned when it begins its trek on its way to you that it will not appear in the ThaiPostal tracking system as it will continue to show as "data not found" in the tracking system.    When a person uses EMS like mailing from the post office the clerk sticks an EMS tracking label containing a number & bar code on the envelope and then scans it which loads that tracking number into their system as being received/mailed from that post office.  And you can see such within the ThaiPostal online tracking within a few hours and sometimes immediately.    That separate EMS label kinda stands out and acts as an attention getter for the postal carrier to do scans along the way.  But if this return mailed does not have a separate tracking label maybe that sets the stage for scans not to be done....doesn't catch the attention of the postal carrier to do a scan.

 

Well, I'l get a chance to personally see how the tracking numbers appears (or doesn't appear) on the mailer around the end of next week when the wife's renewed passport should have arrived back from the US passport center to the Bangkok Embassy and the embassy remails it to her in the mailer.   I'll continue to do daily checks of the ThaiPostal tracking system to see if tracking data appears..  Time will tell.

[bamnutsak]

Is the ThaiPost Mart Courier Pass Back envelope delivered, from the Embassy to your home, via EMS? Or regular surface mail?

 

For 100 baht, it seems like it should be via EMS?

 

And if it is via EMS, IME, I have to sign a handheld terminal upon receipt.

 

And I can track the delivery. Once it is scanned into the system by ThaiPost upon receipt (at the Embassy), or other entities IME.

 

Who files the police report if the passport (new and old) never gets delivered? The EMS driver?

 

 

 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, bamnutsak said:

Is the ThaiPost Mart Courier Pass Back envelope delivered, from the Embassy to your home, via EMS? Or regular surface mail?

 

For 100 baht, it seems like it should be via EMS?

 

And if it is via EMS, IME, I have to sign a handheld terminal upon receipt.

 

And I can track the delivery. Once it is scanned into the system by ThaiPost upon receipt (at the Embassy), or other entities IME.

 

Who files the police report if the passport (new and old) never gets delivered? The EMS driver?

 

 

From some googling on this subject/some of your questions the "Thai Postal Courier Pass Back Service/Envelope" does include EMS tracking.   Below is a picture I googled-up...found it on a Facebook page.   The Thai and English text I circled says: " German Embassy Passport Delivery Service" in Thai (according to Google Translate) and then in English "Courier Pass Back Service."   Don't know why they show a Thai passport laying on the envelope...and notice the EMS sticker/tracking number.  

 

And then below the picture is a Google AI description.  And please note the Courier Pass Back Service is just not just for the US Embassy related docs but the Courier Pass Back Service can apparently be bought for other purposes/for most any organization/person that needs to provide a return mailing envelope. 

 

Snapshot from a Facebook page.

 

 

Google AI Overview

 

[bamnutsak]

Thanks.

 

 

5 minutes ago, Pib said:

And then below the picture is a Google AI description.

 

 

Yeah, that AI description is much more detailed than the ThaiPost Mart description, where EMS service is not mentioned.

 

 

Curious to hear from others

 

if this yellow envelope is always used

 

if there is an EMS sticker 

 

if the tracking number from the ThaiPostMart (my purchases) matches what was on the envelope delivered

 

if anyone was able to successfully track the delivery

 

 

Ideally, the embassy could include the EMS tracking number when/if they send the notification email - " that we've sent your new passport today".

[sqwakvfr]

Of course the mystery can be solved if the BKK Embassy would do just one thing: Email the passport applicant the Thai Post Courier tracking number (this starts with 2 letters and then 9 numbers and ends with TH). when the envleope is sent. Of cousre this would require additional work by an Embassy employee so it will not happen. My Thai courier passbook envelope with the two passports arrived at my apartment building on a Wedneday but I did not find it until Saturday because of the unorganized manner that the apartment office receives mail and packages. Anyways for me "mission accomplished" and if there is a next time I will probably do it from the USA.