New Thai Passport For Wife In England

[dunez]

Hi,

my wifes passport expires in July, she has a residency visa. Can anyone advise the procedure for passport replacement and visa transferral? Thanks in advance.

[bkkperson]

contact the thai embassy nearest to you and they will do it for you....

ill be interested to know if they will charge you 1000baht(or equavalent)for a new one like they do in Bangers

[the scouser]

Yes, contact the Thai embassy in London and they will arrange for a replacement to be issued. The cost is, if I recall correcrtly, £25.00 and it takes about 4-6 weeks.

You can have your wife's UK immigration conditions transferred to the new passport, but the BIA will charge for that. You're better off just carrying the old and the new passports together.

Scouse.

[bkkperson]

You can have your wife's UK immigration conditions transferred to the new passport, but the BIA will charge for that. You're better off just carrying the old and the new passports together.

Scouse.

Can you do that, can you?? I thought that once you get a new passport then the old one is invalid and you have to change your visa into your new passport???well you do here anyway.....

interested to know this

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You can have your wife's UK immigration conditions transferred to the new passport, but the BIA will charge for that. You're better off just carrying the old and the new passports together.

Scouse.

Can you do that, can you?? I thought that once you get a new passport then the old one is invalid and you have to change your visa into your new passport???well you do here anyway.....

interested to know this

You sure can do that. Also, Scouse knows his immigration business right through.

[Mahout Angrit]

Can you do that, can you?? I thought that once you get a new passport then the old one is invalid and you have to change your visa into your new passport???well you do here anyway.....

interested to know this

Don't know where 'here' is but when an expired passport is cancelled all visas/permits therein remain valid until they expire in their own right. You cannot use the passport to travel but it still remains a folder for the visas. It applies in Thailand and UK.

The B & IA website states:

This page explains how you can have a residence permit transferred from an old passport or travel document to a new one.

You do not need to have your residence permit (known as leave to remain) transferred to your new passport but you can do this if you wish.

If you do not have it transferred to your new passport, you should carry both your old passport and your new passport when you travel to the United Kingdom, as evidence of your resident status.

[Thaicoon]

Daughter had a new Thai Passport last november, after her 2nd extension in the old one, she filled in all forms and had to go to the Thai Embassy in Queens Gate, to have pics taken etc. she received it in 2 weeks, superb.

Got to go through this process again next month, with the other daughter.

Wife has two thai passports, her first which is now invalid, but all visa stamps are valid (indefinate stay), you have just got to carry the old and new passport with you when travelling.

[saranagon]

Just recieved My wifes Thai Passport back from London £25.00, 10 days in total,she has leave to remain visa and they have sent back the original passport with 2 years extension on it ,we thought it would be 5years

[the scouser]

If you want five years, you have to go in person to the embassy and apply for a biometric passport.

Scouse.

[Mahout Angrit]

Just recieved My wifes Thai Passport back from London £25.00, 10 days in total,she has leave to remain visa and they have sent back the original passport with 2 years extension on it ,we thought it would be 5years

The Thai MFA are only extending Non Biometric passports until 28 July 2010 to phase in Biometric passports.

Once she has a biometric passport it will be valid for 5 years and cannot be extended.

[makavelli]

Hi everyone,

My wifes Thai passport expires in October this year. We r going to Thailand on holiday in July for a month - Does she need to apply for a new Thai passport before we go?

She has indefinate leave to remain so do we need to get anything transferred over into the new passport?

When we get back from Thailand in August she is going to apply for naturalisation and a British passport

Also if she has to apply for a new Thai passport, can her passport name be her married surname or does it have to be the Thai surname on her ID card? I know last time after we got married we sent her passport away to get endorsed with her new marriage surname.

Thanks everyone.

P.S

Hi Scouser

[the scouser]

Your wife can renew her passport once in Thailand. It will be issued in the name that is on her ID card, so if this doesn't currently contain her married name, she'll have to go to the amphur to change her ID card, too. She doesn't need to have the indefinite leave changed over, and instead can carry both the old and the new passports together.

Scouse.

[makavelli]

Thanks mate,

1 last question:

Does my wife need to have ILR for 3 years before we can apply for naturalisation or does she just need to have been in the UK for 3 years in total?

Thanks again.

[Mahout Angrit]

My wifes Thai passport expires in October this year. We r going to Thailand on holiday in July for a month - Does she need to apply for a new Thai passport before we go?

She has indefinate leave to remain so do we need to get anything transferred over into the new passport?

When we get back from Thailand in August she is going to apply for naturalisation and a British passport

Also if she has to apply for a new Thai passport, can her passport name be her married surname or does it have to be the Thai surname on her ID card? I know last time after we got married we sent her passport away to get endorsed with her new marriage surname.

She can enter Thailand on her Thai passport without problems while it is valid

No need to transfer ILR, just carry both old and new passports when she travels, She can transfer it if she wishes at a cost.

The Thai embassy or MFA will only issue a passport in the same name as the ID card, It is no longer possible to endorse a biometric passport with a different name.

[Mahout Angrit]

Does my wife need to have ILR for 3 years before we can apply for naturalisation or does she just need to have been in the UK for 3 years in total?

She needs to have lived in UK for 3 years, married to you, have ILR and passed the 'life in the UK' test or a qualifying course to apply for Citizenship

Edited January 29, 2008 by Mahout Angrit

[makavelli]

Hi Mahout,

So lets say we apply for a new thai passport in the UK and receive it. Then we want her English Surname endorsed on the Thai passport (Like we got done on the current passport once we were married) Do they not do it anymore? This is a problem because I have booked our flights tickets for the Summer in my surname because my wife's current passport has been endorsed into her UK Surname.

[Mahout Angrit]

Hi Mahout,

So lets say we apply for a new thai passport in the UK and receive it. Then we want her English Surname endorsed on the Thai passport (Like we got done on the current passport once we were married) Do they not do it anymore? This is a problem because I have booked our flights tickets for the Summer in my surname because my wife's current passport has been endorsed into her UK Surname.

They don't endorse the Biometric passport which she will be issued with when she applies for renewal as the passport data is now stored on a chip and is readable electronically. If they manually amend the passport it would not be amended in the chip so for a name change she would have to apply for a new one.

However, if you already have the tickets booked in the name in her current passport then entering Thailand is no problem.If she applies for a new passport in Thailand then I would think when you return if you show your marriage certificate and both passports at check in and you should have no problem

If you want to really play it safe, then simply get the ID card changed in Thailand and get the passport renewed when you return to UK.

EDIT:-

Sorry

I just re read your question,which I had slightly misread. No problem if you get a new passport in Thailand as the new passport will be in the same amended name in her old passport which appears on the ticket (provided she gets the ID card changed first)

Edited January 29, 2008 by Mahout Angrit

[makavelli]

We only want to extend her passport for 2 years because as I say when we get back from Thailand we r going to apply for naturalisation. On the 2nd page of her passport it has a page saying "Extension of Validity".

She currently has a non-electronic passport which has been endorsed with her marriage surname, so surely when she receives her new Thai passport this will be a non-electronic passport aswell, this can then be endorsed into her UK surname like her old one was?

Thanks again.

[the scouser]

The Thai embassy in London will extend non-biometric passports until sometime in 2010 at a cost of £25.00. I would counsel against never renewing your wife's Thai passport once she is natursalised. There's no reason why she shouldn't carry both Thai and British passports. Indeed, if she were to enter Thailand on her British passport, she would be limited to the 30-day on-entry stamp unless she were to get a visa. Despite being otherwise Thai, if she were to overstay in Thailand on her British passport, she would be liable to pay the fine.

Scouse.

[makavelli]

So to be able to travel she does not need a minimun of 6 months left on her passport?

Thanks

[Mahout Angrit]

So to be able to travel she does not need a minimun of 6 months left on her passport?

Not to travel to Thailand, they can hardly refuse one of their citizens can they?

[makavelli]

Hi Scouse,

All we want to do is just to extend her current non-biometric passport till 2010. When it means extend does this mean she will receive a new passport altogether or just get something put in the current passport saying it has been extended?

Also if she is given a new passport can this then be endorsed into her UK surname like her current one has been done?

When we get to Thailand would u recommend for her to change her Thai ID card into her UK surname? Also where abouts do u get this done? duration, cost?

Thanks again mate

Edited January 29, 2008 by makavelli

[Mahout Angrit]

She currently has a non-electronic passport which has been endorsed with her marriage surname, so surely when she receives her new Thai passport this will be a non-electronic passport aswell, this can then be endorsed into her UK surname like her old one was?

If her current passport is a Non Biometric passport and hasn't already been extended then it can be extended but only until July 2010. If she gets a new passport it will be a biometric passport.

[makavelli]

Last night we checked my wifes current Thai ID card and it expires next month. The problem is we wont be back in Thailand till July. Will this effect our chances of getting a 2 year extension on her current Non Biometric passport?

Thanks

[the scouser]

Perhaps give the Thai embassy in London a bell. They'll be able to give a definitive answer.

My view would be that even if your wife's Thai ID card were to be expired, this does not remove her "Thainess". But knowing how these bureaucrats like to tick boxes and not use commonsense or judgment, it is possible that they will baulk at a soon-to-be-expired ID card.

Scouse.

[Richard W]

So to be able to travel she does not need a minimun of 6 months left on her passport?

Not to travel to Thailand, they can hardly refuse one of their citizens can they?

Nor for return to the UK. Be prepared to argue if she is refused a boarding pass for the return flight to the UK because her passport is valid for less than 6 months. My wife was once nearly refused a boarding pass for that reason.

[markt]

My wife has both British & Thai passports. The Thai one has a stamp in confirming that her surname has been changed to mine.

She has just applied for a new Thai passport at Queens Gate. They told her that they do not endorse the new biometric passports with the surname change stamp, so it was issued in her Thai name, which is what she wants anyway.

Also she doesn't want to change her name on her Thai ID as she says that she will lose her rights to own/buy land etc.

So my question is can she have two passports, a British one in her married name, and a Thai one in her maiden name?

Will this cause problems when buying air tickets to Thailand?

[Mahout Angrit]

Also she doesn't want to change her name on her Thai ID as she says that she will lose her rights to own/buy land etc.

So my question is can she have two passports, a British one in her married name, and a Thai one in her maiden name?

Will this cause problems when buying air tickets to Thailand?

She can, it would make sense to have only one identity as you have pointed out a disadvantage yourself when presumably she enters and leaves Thailand on her Thai passport and enters and leaves UK on her British passport. If she travels only on the one passport that has the same name as the ticket then no problem. She could have the British one in her Thai name too if she wished.

For the last about 10 years a Thai lady married to a foreigner has not been prevented from buying land in Thailand. The foreign husband simply signs to say that the purchase was made with Thai money and he has no claim on the land.

[makavelli]

Hi everyone,

We r just busy completing the application form so my wife can extend her non-biometric passport for the 2 year extension until 2010.

Can this application form be sent off by post or do we need to make an appointment at the Thai Embassy in London?

I thought we could do it by post but she said one of her friends said that we need to make an appointment at the Thai Embasy.

Which is correct?

Thanks

[the scouser]

I'd double check with the embassy, but I thought the whole idea of the two-year extension to the current passport was to get around the need to go to the embassy in person.

Scouse.