New Arrangements For British Passport Services Overseas

[yabaaaa]

"The reorganisation is aimed at keeping down the cost of a new passport"

Great How much is the price coming down then?

[moe666]

Up is the new down

[easybullet3]

keep costs down???

as if 120 pounds wasnt enough for the the UK passport (which costs half that price in engalnd)..

so keeping costs down will help them make a tad more profit on the already huge rip-off the british passport is!! (with 2 less pages - I might add!!)

[paulbrun]

reduce administration, centralise excellence and deliver beneficial economies of scale.

aka slash jobs, collect the few useful brains together ... what on earth does the last bit mean ???!!!

less calcification in the kettle...?

[thaimiller]

keep costs down???

as if 120 pounds wasnt enough for the the UK passport (which costs half that price in engalnd)..

so keeping costs down will help them make a tad more profit on the already huge rip-off the british passport is!! (with 2 less pages - I might add!!)

This always makes me laugh, its more expensive as you are living abroad, if you want it cheaper go back to the UK for an holiday and renew it then. But remember its going to cost you 500 quid for a flight.

[crusty]

Funny...I always thought I was a citizen of the UK, now according to dear

Quinton we are all "customers", nice one.

Always did think Thailand was just another colony of China !

[Artamus]

keep costs down???

as if 120 pounds wasnt enough for the the UK passport (which costs half that price in engalnd)..

so keeping costs down will help them make a tad more profit on the already huge rip-off the british passport is!! (with 2 less pages - I might add!!)

This always makes me laugh, its more expensive as you are living abroad, if you want it cheaper go back to the UK for an holiday and renew it then. But remember its going to cost you 500 quid for a flight.

Rather misses the point that there's no real reason that it should be more expensive to have a new passport overseas. This was not the case until a few years ago, when the UK government decided to put up the price of consular fees for everything. Which brings me to another gripe - the extortion rates the British Embassy charge for anything (eg. rubber-stamping documents, letters of residence etc.) prices have lost sense with reality.

[parryhandy]

The brirish embassy should come up with a system so we dont have to keep having stamps in the passport then maybe they will last a few years longer.

I hear you there. Obtained a new passport December and did a visa run to Laos for a non o and they managed to use up 6 pages by the time I was done !!!

[apetley]

The brirish embassy should come up with a system so we dont have to keep having stamps in the passport then maybe they will last a few years longer.

I hear you there. Obtained a new passport December and did a visa run to Laos for a non o and they managed to use up 6 pages by the time I was done !!!

Since when has the British Embassy or Foreign Office for that matter been responsible for the number of stamps Laos put in your passport when you do a visa run?

[parryhandy]

Your right its not the GB embassys fault but it is flaming annoying.

[syd barrett]

The renewal fees are a very big issue when your passport needs renewing every 18 months and they wont add extra pages!

Ask for a 'Jumbo' passport. (94 pages).

[hodge]

It's more efficient, yet takes longer? Is it just me, or is there a wonderful oxymoron buried somewhere in there?

[apetley]

Your right its not the GB embassys fault but it is flaming annoying.

I like the Thai/Burma crossings as no visa and the stamps are quite small. The officers at Myawaddy, my regular crossing point, are always nice and careful with the placements too, getting 8 stamps on a page so you can get a years visa runs on just 2 or 3 pages.

[EmptyMind]

"If you have a general, non urgent enquiry - email us. We will respond within 20 working days"

TWENTY days to reply to an e-mail, How does that work ? They don't open their e-mail daily or just can't be bothered to reply ? Maybe they print it out and send it to an Indian call center for them to reply.

Very helpful !

[Guest]

20 working days to respond to a "customers" question is totally unacceptable. I know the Bangkok embassy is busy but that is still far too long. I recently sent emails to the Hanoi embassy (which is not so busy) and got replies in less than 24 hours every time.

My biggest concern about the change is the matter of what happens to the old passport we are are renewing. I would be extremely reluctant to part with it for 10-15 days knowing the it may be asked for at any time by the BIB or immigration. Without it we have no legal proof of our nationality and visa status.

[tingtongfarang]

20 working days to respond to a "customers" question is totally unacceptable. I know the Bangkok embassy is busy but that is still far too long. I recently sent emails to the Hanoi embassy (which is not so busy) and got replies in less than 24 hours every time.

My biggest concern about the change is the matter of what happens to the old passport we are are renewing. I would be extremely reluctant to part with it for 10-15 days knowing the it may be asked for at any time by the BIB or immigration. Without it we have no legal proof of our nationality and visa status.

If relying on the thai postal service you might be parting with your passport and proof of visa never to see it again, I dont think they thought this out as it seems very scary, Maybe this could be an opening for someone going into the biz of flying between bkk-hk with a bag full of passports and applications ?

On a side note the first time i renewed my passport in hk was about 3 years ago ( pages full ) the indian guy behind the counter questioned why i had,nt renewed it in bkk and would,nt process it till he had an email from the company in bkk stating i needed it in the next days for my work but when asked why he wanted this he gave no answer, I replied...ok i accept your not going to process my passport renewal but can you advise me what to do when leaving hk or landing in another country and have no pages left? He just kept repeating about needing an email from my employer and gave no advise ,The last time i did it was just 3 months ago and no questions asked and got a call to pick it up 3 days later although i did,nt request or pay for express service...maybe the first guy only wanted to make my life difficult.

Edited January 29, 2010 by thaiphoon
Line spacing adjusted

[Tee2008]

I share the concerns voiced already, mainly with the increased costs for sending the passport to Hong Kong and the quoted " secure return ". What exactly does that mean, and how much will it cost ? Instead of moaning in the forum I suggest that everyone should use the Embassy's invitation to send an email requesting clarification and expressing their concerns.

[Guest]

I have already written to the embassy, and awaiting reply in 20 days!

[tingtongfarang]

I have already written to the embassy, and awaiting reply in 20 days!

ditto! I guess also they mean 20 working days

[DickFarang]

Having just gone through the usual nightmare, of trying to get a new second passport, and having to deal with the usual 'civil' (oxymoron..?) servant-type over the phone, any changes they make one hopes will be for the better..?

Forget about 10 working days. They held the passport for almost 3 weeks, even though I paid 'double' postage to get it sent EMS to my home. They said there was a 'mis-understanding', and they thought I was going to pick it up..

And then when they did finally post it, they forgot to include my surname in the address on the envelope, and the local postman understandably became a little confused, and it took a couple more days. before I finally received it..!

I have had similar problems in the past, and not just in Thailand. My other passport was issued in Indonesia, and there were similar delays there. The cost is another matter - 150 gbp for a new passport which still has 7 years left..!

European passports are, I believe, extended by simply adding more pages, and if a replacement is needed, they're issued for about 50 euros, or thereabouts. But not the UK. We pay full price, every time. How do they justify this..?

There, I've got that off my chest..!

In Belgium, and I think in other Schengen countries as well, passports are issued for five years only and cannot be extended.

In Belgian consulates only Belgian citizens registered at that consulate can apply personally for a passport.

In this case standard passports of 32 pages, resp. non-standard or “urgent” passports of 64 pages are available at the following prices:

adults: EUR 79, resp. EUR 240;

minors: EUR 35, resp. EUR 210.

These prices have to be paid in local currency.

Currently the Belgian consulate in Bangkok applies a rate of THB 48 per EUR.

If desired the Belgian consulate in Bangkok sends the passport by EMS and charges THB 40 extra for that service

A Belgian citizen registered at a consulate has the right to go to his last Belgian municipality to apply for a passport personally and to pick it up personally too.

Belgian municipalities issue standard passports of 32 pages, resp. non-standard or “urgent” passports of 64 pages, at the following prices:

adults: EUR 71, resp. EUR 240;

minors: EUR 41, resp. EUR 210.

These prices can be increased with a local tax.

The City of Antwerp for instance charges EUR 12,50 more for adults.

Unlike British citizens, Belgian citizens also have national identity cards, which are valid travel documents within the EU and some other countries.

For Belgian citizens registered at a Belgian consulate their national identity card is issued by that consulate.

[tigerfish]

Nahh B llacks better to get it done bacxk in the UK if you ever get to go back I think some offices still operate a same day service if you pay for it.

less than what you do if you apply for a new passport in bangkok, and it takes them 10 working days.

[tigerfish]

The brirish embassy should come up with a system so we dont have to keep having stamps in the passport then maybe they will last a few years longer.

i go to cambodia via the aranyarprathet border with my thai wife.

1. to get a new visa.

2. because we both like a flutter in the casinos in poi-phet.

our choice totally, some may say stupid because as from the beginning of 2009 the thai authorities did away with a 28 day visa and now only issue a 14 day visa.

what pisses me off though, is that when my wife, who only paid 1000baht for her passport reaches the thai immigration office they will give her 5 exit and 5 entry stamps per page. then when she goes through the cambodian borber she doesnt have to do anything. even if she did want to set foot in cambodia, the cost would only be 200baht.

me on the other hand johnny foreigner, who pays over 7000baht for a british passport gets 7/8 stamps either way in each page if im lucky. then once in cambodia im expected to fork out another 1000baht for a cambodian visa(which takes up a whole page, plus the 2 in/out stamps) and be expected to be stupid enough to pay off some stinkin cambodian border policeman an extra few 100baht in bribes for doing f... all..

i wouldnt mind so much, but she gets 50 pages in her passport and i only have 28.

ive tried to ask them to put the stamps in neatly, asked them why does my thai wife get 10 stamps to a page, and i only 7/8, ive even taken to drawing in pencil 10 equally sized portions with the words printed STAMP HERE. doesnt make the slightest bit of difference. probably goes against me most times, your lucky if you get a stare, even an acknowledgement, just the buffalo look, chewing on dung, or the im to interested in what pee dam sang at the karaoke bar last night to even notice your there.

good job everytime i play in their thai/cambodian owned casinos, i manage to take them to the cleaners.

p.s even when i got a new passport and produced it they had a special stamp for that, took up 2/3s of the first page and god for bid you over stay.

[theoldgit]

This always makes me laugh, its more expensive as you are living abroad, if you want it cheaper go back to the UK for an holiday and renew it then. But remember its going to cost you 500 quid for a flight.

So renew it on a scheduled holiday, not that difficult.

[Guest]

What makes you think we want to go to the UK for a holiday? There are too many other more interesting places to go, and no-one should be making that trip just to renew a passport.

[theoldgit]

^^^^

That's why I said renew it on a scheduled trip.

[tingtongfarang]

^^^^

That's why I said renew it on a scheduled trip.

Many like myself never make scheduled trips to the uk.

[flashlight92]

If we now have to send our passports to Hong Kong for renewal can't I instead send my present passport [ expires in 2015 but only has one empty page left] to my parents in the UK [with photos and completed application form], they send it off for me to the UK passport office to be renewed and sent back to their UK address and then they send it out to me in SE Asia at poste restante. I don't have a fixed address as we just spend all year traveling around the region and have no plans to go back to the UK.

Anyone know if that's OK. I've emailed the embassy but it's a month's wait for an answer. Thanks.

[tingtongfarang]

If we now have to send our passports to Hong Kong for renewal can't I instead send my present passport [ expires in 2015 but only has one empty page left] to my parents in the UK [with photos and completed application form], they send it off for me to the UK passport office to be renewed and sent back to their UK address and then they send it out to me in SE Asia at poste restante. I don't have a fixed address as we just spend all year traveling around the region and have no plans to go back to the UK.

Anyone know if that's OK. I've emailed the embassy but it's a month's wait for an answer. Thanks.

The point being do you trust the post with your passport.

[cmsally]

I would renew mine in UK but aren't there regulations about having so many months validity remaining when exiting a country.

I have heard of people not being allowed to fly because they only have a few months left on their passport.

[Briggsy]

First reports should come in after the launch date of 8 March.