I Got New Passport In Bangkok, My Old One Holds The Visa

[mortenaa]

The first page of my old passport was about to fall out, so I i got a new passport from my embassy in BKK.

Now I have two passports, one is canceled.

I have a NON-B 1yr multiple entry in the old one, with a few more months to go, but I plan to apply for a one-year extension asap.

How would i progress in this matter?

[lopburi3]

First thing is to transfer your current permitted to stay stamp into your new passport - you do that at your immigration office and no charge but will require a few photo copies of old and new passports/visa/stamps. You can use both passports for entry until you decide to extend your stay. You show the old passport/visa and get stamped in the new passport.

Edited September 2, 2009 by lopburi3

[ubonjoe]

You should get your current entry and permit to stay stamps moved to your new passport before you apply for your extension. Your visa is still valid but it will not be transfered over to the new passport. You can still use it but would have to use both passports.

You can apply for your extension during the last 30 days of your current entry.

When they do your extension they will make a note in your passport with details about your visa.

Edited September 2, 2009 by ubonjoe

[mortenaa]

So..

1. Make copies

2. Immigration: Get a proof of Visa stamped into the new passport, and entry stamps to new passport

3. Apply for extension.

Do i need the old passport when I apply for extension?

[lopburi3]

Yes as it contains the all important original visa.

[mortenaa]

Yes as it contains the all important original visa.

So for the future, when I apply for my 2nd, 3rd extension, i need to bring the old passport ??

[lopburi3]

I would have if asked but probably will only be required for the first one.

[mortenaa]

Ok, thanks Lopburi and others for good tips

[IsaanAndy]

The first page of my old passport was about to fall out, so I i got a new passport from my embassy in BKK.

Now I have two passports, one is canceled.

I have a NON-B 1yr multiple entry in the old one, with a few more months to go, but I plan to apply for a one-year extension asap.

How would i progress in this matter?

I lost my passport (in BKK) with a 1 year mulitiple entry NON O visa in after only 3 months. I was told the visa was lost along with the passport as the visa was issued to the passport. I had to reapply for a new passport and then reapply for the visa. This I did in Thailand and the all the papers referring to the old passport and visa were sent to the regional office in Khorat, my local office is Mukdahan. I was granted a 3 month extension to begin with and then a year from the date of my reapplication.

[Mario2008]

I lost my passport (in BKK) with a 1 year mulitiple entry NON O visa in after only 3 months. I was told the visa was lost along with the passport as the visa was issued to the passport. I had to reapply for a new passport and then reapply for the visa. This I did in Thailand and the all the papers referring to the old passport and visa were sent to the regional office in Khorat, my local office is Mukdahan. I was granted a 3 month extension to begin with and then a year from the date of my reapplication.

That is a different situation, as you no longer had your passport. The OP still has his passport, although the passport itself is invalid, the visa it contains is still valid.

[quiksilva]

I always used to bring my old passport with me when that happened to me. Didn't have any problems.

[Bukseeda]

I lost my passport (in BKK) with a 1 year mulitiple entry NON O visa in after only 3 months. I was told the visa was lost along with the passport as the visa was issued to the passport. I had to reapply for a new passport and then reapply for the visa. This I did in Thailand and the all the papers referring to the old passport and visa were sent to the regional office in Khorat, my local office is Mukdahan. I was granted a 3 month extension to begin with and then a year from the date of my reapplication.

That is a different situation, as you no longer had your passport. The OP still has his passport, although the passport itself is invalid, the visa it contains is still valid.

I lost my passport with a mutli entry non-b in. When I went to immigration at Suan Plu, they made a note of the visa in the new passport along with it's expiry date. The legal situation is that the visa is still valid. However, a word of caution - when I did re-enter Thailand at Don Muang, the passport clerk didn't know what to do and I was taken to a back-office where at first they refused to give me three months. I stood my ground (and sucked up to them in Thai) and eventually they stamped it. The next time I arranged for a friend of mine who works in immigration to walk me through.

Anyway, I guess what i'm trying to say is - legally it's still valid if you've lost your passport BUT is the hassle worth it? That's up to whomever.

Another thought - one of the age old problems which many of us have experienced is that immigration aren't all dancing to the beat of the same drum if you know what I mean

Edited September 3, 2009 by Bukseeda

[TomBrown]

First thing is to transfer your current permitted to stay stamp into your new passport - you do that at your immigration office and no charge but will require a few photo copies of old and new passports/visa/stamps. You can use both passports for entry until you decide to extend your stay. You show the old passport/visa and get stamped in the new passport.

Just come back from trip to Cambodia, I also have to now renew my passport as I've used up all my pages.

Passport valid till 2011, Non-O valid till near end of Nov.

So am I correct in saying that I can apply for a new passport at embassy in Bangkok, once I have the new passport I can just take it and my old passport to the Jomtien Immigration to get the Non-O visa transferred to the new passport?

Also, can I still leave near the end of the visa and return to gain an extra 3 months stay, even though the new passport will have only a short visa valid time remaining?

[ubonjoe]

They will not transfer your visa over. You have to use your old passport to show the visa when you enter the country until you get a new visa. They will only transfer your entry and permit to stay stamps to your new passport.

You can make a border run the day before you visa expires and get another 90 days. Once you are in the country the visa dates mean nothing. Your permit to stay is what is important.

Edited September 7, 2009 by ubonjoe

[TomBrown]

They will not transfer your visa over. You have to use your old passport to show the visa when you enter the country until you get a new visa. They will only transfer your entry and permit to stay stamps to your new passport.

You can make a border run the day before you visa expires and get another 90 days. Once you are in the country the visa dates mean nothing. Your permit to stay is what is important.

So if immigration won't transfer the visa to the new passport and the embassy marks the old passport as void (presumably because I have been issues with a new passport), are you saying I can do a border run holding both passports and they will stamp in my new passport another three month, regardless of any of the passport pages not actually holding any visa details? Just doesn't sound like they would do that.

As the visa will expire in November, getting a new visa means I'll have to go back to the UK. Obviously I'd prefer to go back nearer March next year than November/December this year, unless there are alternatives of course.

[ubonjoe]

Just because you passport is not valid does not mean a valid visa in it is not valid.

You make your border run in November taking your old passport along and when re-enter the country show them the visa in your old passport and they will stamp another 90 days in you new passport.

Lots of people have done the same thing without a problem.

[lopburi3]

Yes they will do that - very common practice. The visa is still vaild - only the passport has been canceled.

The normal US tourist visa is valid for 10 years so almost everyone ends up using two passports at some point.

[KamnanT]

So if immigration won't transfer the visa to the new passport and the embassy marks the old passport as void (presumably because I have been issues with a new passport), are you saying I can do a border run holding both passports and they will stamp in my new passport another three month, regardless of any of the passport pages not actually holding any visa details? Just doesn't sound like they would do that.

Here's another way to think of this situation that might clarify. Visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via embassies, consulates and honorary consulates outside of Thailand. Permission to Stay and extensions of permission to stay are granted by Immigration Officers inside Thailand representing the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau, which falls under the Interior Ministry. Their respective domains are exclusive: MOFA can't grant Permission to Stay (or extensions thereof) and Interior can't issue visas. So your friendly Immigration Officer cannot issue visas and doesn't even have any visa stamps in his/her stamp collection. All he or she can do is transfer your entry stamp (your initial "permission to stay") and any extension of permission to stay to a new passport.

I've entered and left many times with two passports - one cancelled one with a valid visa and one current one. Most of the time, the officer just stamps the current passport as usual. Occasionally, they will make a small handwritten note next to the entry/exit stamp saying "Original XXX type visa in passport no. X123456". Once, the guy wrote a novella next to the entry stamp, which was a bit of a pain because every subsequent Immigration Officer felt compelled to read it and think for 15 minutes. Not infrequently, the Officer will need to consult with a supervisor to determine what to do, but the answer has always been the same: no problem, just stamp him in/out on the new passport.

[lopburi3]

The above is not completely true. Immigration can and do issue non immigrant visas to those needing for extensions of stay. They do not issue tourist visas or for normal travel.