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Posted

I just picked up my new US passport from the US consulate and they gave me a letter to take to Thai immigration and give them when requesting that my visa be transferred from my cancelled passport to my new one. My tourist visa is for 60 days with 3 entries. It was obtained from the Honorary Thai Consulate in Portland, Oregon.

I went to the immigration office near the airport and found a window that had a sign over it: "Transfer Visa to New Passport." I gave the letter and both passports to the young woman at the window and asked for my visa to be transferred. She looked at my old passport and said that they could not do it. Then she told me that I needed to show both passports to immigration when I leave Thailand. I explained that my tourist visa still had two more entries but got the same answer repeated. She spoke good English so I assume she understood me correctly. I asked then if I need to show both passports until I use up all three entries on the visa but she just walked away and did not come back.

So my first thought was that this is all a misunderstanding and that I would go back later and ask a different person. Later when looking at the visa in my old passport I thought that maybe she did not recognize my tourist visa. The honorary Thai consulate in Portland uses a passport page size rubber stamp with black ink to make their visas unlike the full page color sticker visas that the other Thai consulates give out. Both types of visa are all written in English.

Has anyone had a problem transferring a multi-entry tourist visa to a new passport? Anyone been able to transfer a tourist visa from an honorary consulate?

Any suggestions?

Posted

They will never transfer a visa, but should make a note in your new passport and transfer your permitted to stay stamp. You will then have to show both passports until your visa is expired - I had to do this for 9 months on a non-immigrant visa.

Quite why they did nothing I don't know, I would try again at another immigration office.

Posted

Visas are never transferred. Only your current permission to stay stamp will be transferred into the new passport. You must carry both passports to use the visa. Just like the USA where the visa is valid for 10 years and a Thai passport only five - so everybody ends up having to carry two to the US.

Am not sure where you went but you should go to Suan Plu to transfer the stamps. And that is not near any airport.

Posted
They will never transfer a visa, but should make a note in your new passport and transfer your permitted to stay stamp. You will then have to show both passports until your visa is expired - I had to do this for 9 months on a non-immigrant visa.

Quite why they did nothing I don't know, I would try again at another immigration office.

well very strange as i took my new aussi passport to immigration last year with my old one which had a non imm B with over 10 months to run -- they stampered the first page of the new passport with a stamp i dont know what and another stamp for the permitted to stay and inserted the dates as per the last dates of my visa in my old passport - took all of 10 mins to do

pointless using the old pass port if it has expired -and then is no longer valid -- both the visa and the passport must be valid -

Posted

I had the same problem in CM back in May 2009. I was told the same as you were told at the immigration office, probably from the same girl. Then, when I went back in June 2009 for a 30 day extension, they asked me why I did not get my visa transferred to my new passport. It is basically a couple of stamps, one where they write the old passport information, and the other where they write the last visa details such as visa class, date admitted, until date, and which border crossing. Ask the supervisor, and he will take care of it for you.

Posted

Immigration was right. They don't transfer a visa to a new passport. They will transfer your permission to stay and also add details of your visa, but if you have a valid multi entry visa you will need to use the old passport in combinatioin with the new passport when you re-enter Thailand.

Posted
Immigration was right. They don't transfer a visa to a new passport. They will transfer your permission to stay and also add details of your visa, but if you have a valid multi entry visa you will need to use the old passport in combinatioin with the new passport when you re-enter Thailand.

Interesting but confusing! I stay in Thailand on a retirement extension having entered with a non-immigrant "O" visa from Hull back in 2004. When get I new passport in a couple of years time does this mean that my latest permission to stay will be transferred but I will have to carry my old passport ad infinitum because it contains the original entry visa?

Posted

No you do not need to carry an old passport if you are not using the visa in it. Your extension of stay allows you to stay here and has been transferred. For travel you will require a re-entry permit and that wll be in your new passport.

A multi entry or unused visa in an expired passport is still valid for entry consideration - but you must have a valid passport to place the entry stamp in - so both passports are required in that case.

Posted
Immigration was right. They don't transfer a visa to a new passport. They will transfer your permission to stay and also add details of your visa, but if you have a valid multi entry visa you will need to use the old passport in combinatioin with the new passport when you re-enter Thailand.

Interesting but confusing! I stay in Thailand on a retirement extension having entered with a non-immigrant "O" visa from Hull back in 2004. When get I new passport in a couple of years time does this mean that my latest permission to stay will be transferred but I will have to carry my old passport ad infinitum because it contains the original entry visa?

I said a valid visa. Your visa it self exired a long time ago so you don't need it anymore. When you get a new passport immigration will transfer the details of your visa and the permission to stay to your new passport and you won't need the old passport any more.

Only when the visa is still valid do you need to keep the old passport.

Posted

I have my last 'B' visa in my old US Passport and a transfer of that Thai visa information (all in Thai) in my new passport. I have 3 extensions of visa based on retirement from Suan Phlu and my current multiple re-entry permit from Suan Phlu in my new US passport. I have never been asked to see the original 'B' visa stamp in the old passport -- not for visa extensions at Suan Phlu nor at any immigration point land or air -- EXCEPT for that un-named immigration office by the friendly bridge when I once went for a single re-entry permit. Luckily I had it with me.

Posted

I am doing yearly extentions on a non-immigrant 'o' visa which was issued back in 1997 in my old passport. Although the visa itself has long expired, I still have to show the visa in the old passport every time I apply for a new yearly extention on it. My local immigration office stapled my old passport to my new one so that makes life easy for. No problems!! :)

Posted
They will never transfer a visa, but should make a note in your new passport and transfer your permitted to stay stamp. You will then have to show both passports until your visa is expired - I had to do this for 9 months on a non-immigrant visa.

Quite why they did nothing I don't know, I would try again at another immigration office.

well very strange as i took my new aussi passport to immigration last year with my old one which had a non imm B with over 10 months to run -- they stampered the first page of the new passport with a stamp i dont know what and another stamp for the permitted to stay and inserted the dates as per the last dates of my visa in my old passport - took all of 10 mins to do

pointless using the old pass port if it has expired -and then is no longer valid -- both the visa and the passport must be valid -

Exactly what I said, this is not transferring your visa.

Well if it was a multi entry and you turned up with only your new passport, you would only get a visa exempt entry for 15 or 30 days. If you have a re-entry permit in your new passport on a single entry visa then you will be fine.

Posted

Things are a bit clearer now so thanks for the helpful replies. The next time I am out by the airport I will drop by immigration again and this time I have a good idea what I should be getting done.

For those interested, the title/subject of the letter from the US Consulate to Thai immigration was: "Ref.: Transfer of Visa."

However further down it says "It would be appreciated if you could transfer the bearer's immigration stamp from his/her cancelled passport to the new one."

I probably should have paid closer attention to the whole letter.

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