British Passport Renewal

[bobroper]

Am going to Penang next month to obtain my Non-Immigrant O visa although I have only two blank pages left in my passport.

Would anyone now if these two pages would be sufficient or should I apply for a new British passport before I travel?

[lopburi3]

I guess you mean a single entry visa so that will take one full page and two stamps in/out from the two countries will likely take care of the other page so it should be OK.

[goonerthegooner]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

[Prakanong]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

They could have not been nicer and more efficiant in singapore when I renewed mine - they even added on almost a year over the 10 years as I had a lot left on the last one - first time I have had that as its usually 10 on the button

[Crossy]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

Hmmm, I've never had any problem with the CONSULAR SECTION, always helpful and quick to process whatever I've had to do (new passport, residence letters, contacting the family of a mate who died). Not cheap, but they don't set the prices.

The VISA SECTION are a whole different kettle of fish, you don't have to look far on TV to find examples, although most of the problems seem to centre round the outsourced visa application centre.

Interestingly the same Indian company provide visa application services for the Thai embassy in Delhi. A greater contrast you could not imagine, very helpful when I applied for my last non-o

[stiggy]

wow....

With reference to the embassy.

Personally I have always found them to be most helpful.

But then again it must be hard to put up with some of the uneducated self serving trash they deal with everyday, so I guess at times they can be a little curt to be dealing with.

google help4brits.org has some usefull info that may help.

[WilliamIV]

The Consular Section - who deal with Replacement Passports -

in the British Embassy in Bangkok is staffed by some of the most efficient

- Polite - helpful - Civil Sevants I have ever met.

That is my expperience over the past 10 years.

They have issued to me my last 2 passprts and my

Annual Income Cert. for my Visa Extension.

The Visa Processing Company also process applications for Indian

Visas in Bangkok

[PhilHarries]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

Oh boy! Candidate for the most bitter and twisted quote of the year.

Why do you think just because you have a problem there they will all disappear in a cloud of dust? You one of those Pattaya beer bar special forces types? You know, the types that have connections in "high places" (nudge nudge wink wink).

I've never had a problem getting a new passport from the embassy and I would recommend the OP do the same including transfer of current visa and entry stamps as necessary. It's ten working days for the passpot so that leaves a comfortable float before you leave for Penang.

[goonerthegooner]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

Oh boy! Candidate for the most bitter and twisted quote of the year.

Why do you think just because you have a problem there they will all disappear in a cloud of dust? You one of those Pattaya beer bar special forces types? You know, the types that have connections in "high places" (nudge nudge wink wink).

I've never had a problem getting a new passport from the embassy and I would recommend the OP do the same including transfer of current visa and entry stamps as necessary. It's ten working days for the passpot so that leaves a comfortable float before you leave for Penang.

If you read,i am in Hua Hin, not Patters Beer Bar special as you say,the only special forces i know is Gravity??. This is my opinion,of what i think of the over-rated '''''Civil Servants'''. All not worth the pay cheque.

[fozzy58uk]

I have recently renewed my passport at the British Embassy in BKK. They were courteous and efficient. My passport was ready for pick up on the day they stated. I rang up a day b4 to confirm and the computer was down. They called me back twenty minutes later to confirm all was well. On both occasions I was there less than 30 minutes. I also had a couple of questions to ask them and their replies were polite and accurate. 10/10 for me.

[poshthai]

10/10 for me too.I downloaded an application form for a new passport and sent it by recorded post and 6 days later the passport arrived with a nice letter attached.

very good service.

[joe1912]

10/10 for me too.I downloaded an application form for a new passport and sent it by recorded post and 6 days later the passport arrived with a nice letter attached.

very good service.

Hi,

do you have more details on how to apply by post - is there a section on the British Embassy Website? I can't find it??

thanks

[digitalchromakey]

10/10 for me too.I downloaded an application form for a new passport and sent it by recorded post and 6 days later the passport arrived with a nice letter attached.

very good service.

Hi,

do you have more details on how to apply by post - is there a section on the British Embassy Website? I can't find it??

thanks

Phone them up; I found them very helpful with this - explaining EMS procedures, etc.

[monkfish]

They are very helpful there but the price of a new passport! wow it must be the most expensive in the World

[EmptyMind]

If you do have too renew your passport,good luck too you at The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

Oh boy! Candidate for the most bitter and twisted quote of the year.

Why do you think just because you have a problem there they will all disappear in a cloud of dust? You one of those Pattaya beer bar special forces types? You know, the types that have connections in "high places" (nudge nudge wink wink).

I've never had a problem getting a new passport from the embassy and I would recommend the OP do the same including transfer of current visa and entry stamps as necessary. It's ten working days for the passpot so that leaves a comfortable float before you leave for Penang.

If you read,i am in Hua Hin, not Patters Beer Bar special as you say,the only special forces i know is Gravity??. This is my opinion,of what i think of the over-rated '''''Civil Servants'''. All not worth the pay cheque.

Just a wild stab in the dark here but could it have been your attitude that was the problem ?

I also have had two new passports from there. Filled in the forms, Paid the money, Waited for collection day, Collected the passport which seems the norm with the rest of the posts here.

You can't call people "self-centered power crazed Civil Servants" just because there was obviously a problem with your application. I doubt very much they are that highly paid.

[Briggsy]

Efficient yet unfriendly, unsmiling with well-practised disinterest possibly to discourage tiresome enquiries. This would be my assessment of the counter demeanour of the Consular Section Staff. Also, some of the Thai staff have surprisingly weak English skills.

[Freddie_fly]

I have been renewing both of my passports at the Bangkok embassy for the last 22 years. In all that time I have never had any problems at all. In every case the staff were friendy and courteous. The service was always on time and they never had a problem with answering any other questions I had. I have only one experience of the visa section and that was in 1991 with my ex-wife and despite all the horror stories I had heard, i had absolutely no problem.

I have seen people leaving the embassy distressed over what was obviously failed applications, and I have seen (many) instances of rather unsavoury types pleading for money and new documents to get home. I was even approached by a UK film crew asking for permission to include me in shots (something I declined because I know the type of "documentary" they are invariably going to make).

regardless i can say with some authority that my experiences there have been on the whole pleasant, something I cannot say about visits to the atrocious mess that is the US embassy visa centre.

regards

freddie

[EmptyMind]

Efficient yet unfriendly, unsmiling with well-practised disinterest possibly to discourage tiresome enquiries. This would be my assessment of the counter demeanour of the Consular Section Staff. Also, some of the Thai staff have surprisingly weak English skills.

Seems you don't like anything here, as soon as anyone makes a comment you just moan and give no helpful information or experiences that are useful to a forum. Are you really that bored ?

Seems they are friendly to everyone else, and LOL LOL, "some of the Thai staff have surprisingly weak English skills" you do know that this is Thailand don't you ?

How many times have you been to a shop in your own country and found that the staff have a weak understanding of the local language.

Too lazy to learn the local language and has the cheek to complain that "they don't speak very good English here" Classic lol.

[Governor]

The Brit Embassy,they are a bunch of self-centered power crazed Civil Servants, paid big money just too piss the Brit expats off.

God forbid the day i have any problem here,you will not see them for dust.

The staff employed on the desk are locally employed and paid in the region of 30,000 Baht per month, I would hardly call that big money.

You state that they are a bunch of "self-centered power cazed Civil Servants" that may well be your experience, but when I have been there I have always been impressed with the way they deal with people with courtsey and compassion and do their best to help, even faced with the most obnoxious of customers - I am am not suggesting for one minute that you fall into that category.

[libya 115]

I agree that the staff are helpful in the British consulate section and went out of their way to contact me by telephone and email regarding my passport renewal.

However

I think that in this day and age, considering the high cost of passports and other consular services that it is pathetic that they are available for business for just 26 hours a week. Throw in one of the many Bank Holidays and this availability is much diminished.

They should be available for a minimum of 40 hours per week and alternate Saturdays like the vast majority of other European Embassies.

[Priceless]

I agree that the staff are helpful in the British consulate section and went out of their way to contact me by telephone and email regarding my passport renewal.

However

I think that in this day and age, considering the high cost of passports and other consular services that it is pathetic that they are available for business for just 26 hours a week. Throw in one of the many Bank Holidays and this availability is much diminished.

They should be available for a minimum of 40 hours per week and alternate Saturdays like the vast majority of other European Embassies.

Maybe the "vast majority" are, but the Swedish Embassy consular section, that handles things like passport renewals, is open a grand total of 19 hours/week. The section handling visas etc is by prior appointment only.

/ Priceless

[abdulrahman]

I agree that the staff are helpful in the British consulate section and went out of their way to contact me by telephone and email regarding my passport renewal.

However

I think that in this day and age, considering the high cost of passports and other consular services that it is pathetic that they are available for business for just 26 hours a week. Throw in one of the many Bank Holidays and this availability is much diminished.

They should be available for a minimum of 40 hours per week and alternate Saturdays like the vast majority of other European Embassies.

Maybe the "vast majority" are, but the Swedish Embassy consular section, that handles things like passport renewals, is open a grand total of 19 hours/week. The section handling visas etc is by prior appointment only.

/ Priceless

Agree,I'm too lazy to look now,but sure that MY Embassy,consular section,works even less.

Salary levels, for staff,is VERY good indeed.

The Visa service,since it's given to private companies is appalling!

Mai pen rai,in other countries the service isn't better.

P.S.From a former civil servant!

[RigPig]

I have renewed my British passport both here and in Australia and believe me the Embassy in Bkk leave the one in Oz for dead!

The easiest way is to just down load the forms from their web site and send it EMS with a money order for the fee made out to the embassy. The instructions are on the web site I am pretty sure. Some countries insist you have a minimum number of pages in your PP and it doesn't necessarily mean you just have enough. I fly all over the place for work and I think it was Libya that insisted on 6 pages when they only used 1 or 2 so it may pay to get it renewed while you can. If you have visas in your old passport you can either go to the trouble and expense of having them transfered or simply carry both PP's. The only problem I had with the embassy in Bkk is I ordered a 48 page one and they had run out so it would have taken longer than usual to process as they were waiting for a new batch to arrive and didn't know when. They didn't notify me and as I was due to fly out it was only because I rang I found out about it. I asked them just to supply a 32 page (or whatever it is) they did and all was sweet. I didn't get any money back though for the cheaper one...Mai pen rai I guess . So make sure you phone and check up on it. Over all it was OK and far better than my experience in Oz but thats another story.....

[libya 115]

In the good old days a 100 page British passport was available for an extra fee of 3 pounds.

[Boater]

I need to renew my passport ( i have 30 pages ) thus i think i can just add pages?????

can anyone explain the exact procedure and who much it will cost?

Thanks

[Maestro]

It depends on your nationality. Ask the consulate of your country.

--

Maestro

P.S. I see that the topic title is about a British passport. I understand that with the advent of the biometric passport the addition of pages is no longer possible.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Maestro
Added postscript - Maestro