kitjohnson Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hi, Interesting question that stumped the immigration officials I asked this morning. I'm on a non-imm B visa, and am leaving the country over Christmas. I have a new shiny re-entry permit to cover this. The interesting part is that I need a new passport, because my current one is running out of pages. The UK passport authority kindly does not permit adding new pages, you have to buy a whole new passport. This will cost a whopping 10,000 Baht here in Thailand, but less than half the cost in England. So, if I buy a new passport in the UK, can I still enter Thailand under my non-imm B visa? Thank you. Kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 (edited) Yes you can use your new passport along with the old one that has your extension and re-entry permit stamps. The only thing that could be a problem is if the passport office damaged your re-entry permit to where it couldn't be used when they cut off the corners of your old passport. After you get back you will have to go to immigration and have them transfer all your stamps over to the new one. Edit: I am not sure about the passport price you posted. Have a look at the following page from the embassy website. http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/fees Edited November 24, 2008 by ubonjoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I have a feeling you will have a problem. Better to bite the bullet and get the new passport whilst you are in LOS and have the current visa status transfered. You will probably need a new re-entry permit. This way you are sure that you do not invalidate your current status and have to start again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 …You will probably need a new re-entry permit… I’m not 100% sure but since the re-entry permit was issued by the immigration office I believe they can also transfer it to the new passport, free of charge. Worth asking the immigration officer, at any rate. -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Edit: I am not sure about the passport price you posted. Have a look at the following page from the embassy website.http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/passports/fees Seems to me the OP is way off on the cost of passports - Standard passport in BKK is 119 pound and if done in the UK around 72 pound. I know the ar*e has fallen out the pound against the THB, but no where near a "whopping" THB 10,000... For the sake of 50 quid I would be renewing my passport in Thailand and getting what ever stamps need to be transferred over before I left, saving possible aggravation later on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QED Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I was in the same position about 6 months ago, and it did cost 10,000 at the time for a 48 page one. This now works out at about 8,000 baht as the FCO use a nominal exchange rate (currently 55), which is always higher than the prevailing rate, and it must be paid in baht. I bit the bullet and renewed it here to avoid any potential problems, mine was multi-entry so I would probably have been OK, but as noted earlier you may have problems with your re-entry permit. They do not transfer the visa, they just make a note in the new passport, and you will then have to show both passports whenever you travel until the current visa expires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I was in the same position about 6 months ago, and it did cost 10,000 at the time for a 48 page one. This now works out at about 8,000 baht as the FCO use a nominal exchange rate (currently 55), which is always higher than the prevailing rate, and it must be paid in baht.I bit the bullet and renewed it here to avoid any potential problems, mine was multi-entry so I would probably have been OK, but as noted earlier you may have problems with your re-entry permit. They do not transfer the visa, they just make a note in the new passport, and you will then have to show both passports whenever you travel until the current visa expires. Correct a 48 page passport is THB 10,000, but the price is not double the UK price vs BKK for any passport as the OP was stating... Once you transfer your stamps into the new passport you dont have to carry both passports , I have renewed my passport twice in BKK over the last few years and never had to carry both passports, just the new one...the only thing they transfer is your permission to stay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Once you transfer your stamps into the new passport you dont have to carry both passports , I have renewed my passport twice in BKK over the last few years and never had to carry both passports, just the new one...the only thing they transfer is your permission to stay... Are you saying that you had a valid re-entry permit in your old passport, this was not transferred to the new passport, you did not get a new re-entry permit in the new passport, you left Thailand only with your new passport only and on your return you were stamped in for the rest of you extension of stay? -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Take a look at the link I provided the baht fees changed on the 17th of this month. 32 page 6,545 baht 48 page 7,920 baht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QED Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Correct a 48 page passport is THB 10,000, but the price is not double the UK price vs BKK for any passport as the OP was stating...Once you transfer your stamps into the new passport you dont have to carry both passports , I have renewed my passport twice in BKK over the last few years and never had to carry both passports, just the new one...the only thing they transfer is your permission to stay... As I said, the 48 page WAS 10,000, now is 8,000. If you have a multi-entry visa then you do have to carry both passports, as the visa remains in your old passport, and without showing that you would be stamped in on a 30 day visa exemption. Not too sure how this pans out with a single entry with re-entry permit, but would imagine it is the same as the visa will still be in your old passport. Sounds to me like maybe you didn't have a visa at the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Correct a 48 page passport is THB 10,000, but the price is not double the UK price vs BKK for any passport as the OP was stating...Once you transfer your stamps into the new passport you dont have to carry both passports , I have renewed my passport twice in BKK over the last few years and never had to carry both passports, just the new one...the only thing they transfer is your permission to stay... As I said, the 48 page WAS 10,000, now is 8,000. If you have a multi-entry visa then you do have to carry both passports, as the visa remains in your old passport, and without showing that you would be stamped in on a 30 day visa exemption. Not too sure how this pans out with a single entry with re-entry permit, but would imagine it is the same as the visa will still be in your old passport. Sounds to me like maybe you didn't have a visa at the time? My last mutli-entry Non-imm B visa in any of my passports was 6 years ago....I am on a WP and extension of stay, for a new passport all they do is put in a stamp referencing the old passport number and transfer the multi-entry re-entry permit and extension of stay. The point I was trying to get at was Thai immigration do not transfer visa's into a new passport, only the permission of stay stamp/multi-entry stamp and I have never had to carry two passports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitjohnson Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Thanks very much for the replies, much appreciated. If I understand correctly, I should be able to get the passport in the UK and re-enter Thailand without a problem, but that does not necessarily mean that there will be no problems. I'm not worried about losing my re-entry permit, as it's only a single re-entry. I just don't want some moody immigration official saying I can't use my visa, if I present them with an old and a new passport. I can't imagine the hassle of entering on a 30 day visa-waiver stamp, and then having to get a new non-imm visa. The expense and hassle would not doubt be high. It's great that the cost of a new 48-page passport has dropped to 8,000 Baht. From the UKPA page (http://www.ips.gov.uk/passport/fees.asp) the cost of this passport would be 85 pounds, or 4,420 Baht (at 52 Baht per pound exchange rate). So it's not exactly double, but in fact, not far off. But perhaps I should take the advice offered, bite the bullet, and fork out for a new one here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Thank you for this clarification, Soutpeel, because first you wrote that “the only thing they transfer is your permission to stay” and now you have made it clear that the immigration office transferred the permission to stay and the re-entry permit. -- Maestro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodriver Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 My local Immigration office (Kanchanaburi) stapled my old passport to my new one which I thought was a good idea. My visa which I do my yearly extentions on is in my old passport so when I applied for my new passport back in 2004 I folded that page over in my old passport so that they didn't cut the corner off that page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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