Is It Illegal To Let A Thai Passport Expire?

[Sontaya]

Hello

My husband has a Thai passport and lives in the UK with an ILR visa. His passport expired last week and as we aren't planning on going abroad for 3 years I decided not to renew it yet and save us some money. However my Thai friend told me that if you are living abroad you can't let your passport expire. She said that a friend of hers had the same issue and spoke to the embassy who said that she has to renew it within 6 months of it expiring. I find it quite hard to believe as a passport is simply a travel document and if you are not travelling then why does it have to be current? I have been trying to phone the embassy to verify this but haven't been able to get through so dar. I will keep trying but does anyone know if this is the case or not? I guess if that is correct then all they will do is fine us when we do finally renew and I wouldn't have thought it would be too much. A Thai passport costs half as much as a British one anyway!

Any advice much appreciated

Thanks

[kennkate]

If He is in the UK Try phoning the Home Office Help line, They will tell you. Personaly I think He is Ok Unless he wants to Travel.

he has a valid Visa for the UK.

[tripplejjj]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Benjamin Franklin

As far as I know, when a passport expires, every thing in it is invalid. I don't know if is it illegal, but I do know that it is STUPID! If you are not planning not to travel abroad withing 3 years, then that doesn't mean you will not have any emergencies or circumstances where a passport would be needed. Why invite problems? This is just my opinion.

Edited March 1, 2010 by tripplejjj

[TravelerEastWest]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Benjamin Franklin

As far as I know, when a passport expires, every thing in it is invalid. I don't know if is it illegal, but I do know that it is STUPID! If you are not planning not to travel abroad withing 3 years, then that doesn't mean you will not have any emergencies or circumstances where a passport would be needed. Why invite problems? This is just my opinion.

It is so clear that you should keep your passport valid as the above poster states - that I wonder if the OP is joking?

[7by7]

As far as the UK is concerned, there is no legal need for him to renew his passport; his ILR will still be valid even if the passport the stamp is in has expired.

Although they could have been a bit more polite, the above two posters do have a valid point; what if he needs to return to Thailand for some emergency? I would advise that he renews it now. It's only 25 quid to renew it; plus the cost of a trip to London, of course.

To do so he will need to visit the RTE in Kensington. See English version or Thai version.

Whether Thai law requires him to hold a valid passport while living abroad, I don't know; but like you, I doubt it.

[Boo]

My husbands thai passport expired in September & he didn't get it renewed until the January, it wasn't an issue, as others have stated it doesn't invalid his UK visa status but as also said, it's 25 quid & a day trip to London, worth it imo as any emergency & he is stranded for the 2-3 weeks it takes to get a new one from the Embassy.

[bangon04]

As far as the UK is concerned, there is no legal need for him to renew his passport; his ILR will still be valid even if the passport the stamp is in has expired.

Whether Thai law requires him to hold a valid passport while living abroad, I don't know; but like you, I doubt it.

What about an obligation to maintain the Thai national ID card?

[Mario2008]

You can travel on an expired Thai passport, but only to Thailand. If he needs to go to any other country he will be in trouble. It is also wise to always have a valid ID of some kind, if he doesn't have any other than his passport. An invalid passport is not accepted as ID in many cases.

[Bastian]

Depends on the country he is in, in Germany, any foreigner, who is not a citizen of a eu member state, who is without a valid passport is breaking the law, specifically § 3 section 1 AufenthG, I think in France it is the same and I am pretty sure it is the same in Thailand for foreigners.

[7by7]

As far as the UK is concerned, there is no legal need for him to renew his passport; his ILR will still be valid even if the passport the stamp is in has expired.

Whether Thai law requires him to hold a valid passport while living abroad, I don't know; but like you, I doubt it.

What about an obligation to maintain the Thai national ID card?

We asked the RTE about this when my step-daughter reached the age where an ID card is required. They told us that as she lives outside Thailand she does not need an ID card, and they don't issue or renew them anyway.

If memory serves, according to them to obtain a first ID card or renew an existing one you have to apply at the ampur in the area where you are registered on a tabien baan. They advised us to obtain one for her, and for my wife to renew hers, the next time we visited Thailand; which is what we did.

[Mario2008]

Correct, you can only obtain an ID-card in Thailand itself and you have to be registered on someones household book for that.

Also to get a Thai passport in Thailand itself you need to be on someones tabien baan. When applying for a passport at a Thai embassy there is no such need.