Thai Passport Expiring

[neverdie]

Okay, theres alot of these sort of Passport expiring questions but I coudnt see the answer to my question in some of the threads I searched.

We are planning a trip overseas. The better half's thai passport expires in July, 2011. We were hoping to go abroad about August 2010 for a couple of months ending up in Australia around November, 2010. The return flight to Thailand may be as late as Feb 2011. So my question being, can a thai fly back to Thailand on a passport with only 5 months validity? We would arrive into Australia when the passport had about 8 or months left on it.

The Thai passport is only for 5 years and if the above is a problem, we will have to renew it 10 months early....grrrrr.

I know the rule is you should have 6 months validity on your passport when travelling, but where is that 6 months measured from?

Edited May 24, 2010 by neverdie

[jcon]

Is it that much of a hassle to just get your other half a new Thai PP? It takes 3 days and 1080 THB (80 THB being the processing fee- or 50 - or 20 - I don't remember). I've outlined the procedure in some other thread.

I would say that it's fine for a Thai National to return to Thailand with a passport valid for fewer than 6 months. It's normally the outgoing process (and into the next country) that takes issue with the 6-month validity part, not really the returning part. Ultimately, these things are usually up to the immigration officer - in the end, I'd say get a new passport and forget the rest.

Peace of mind vs. 1080 THB and some of your time. You make the call.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Get a new passport whats the issue ?

[neverdie]

^There really is no issue, except the time involved in it all. Its not only the time with the passport but also we then have to get a new visa placed in the new passport (Permanent Australian visa), so theres no real process or anything other than running around getting everything done.

I thought I would ask the question now & therefore allow ourselves the time to do it, if required.

The other thing is, if we get this trip out of the way, then the old passport expries, we wouldnt bother applying for a new one until we were travelling again (possibly 1 or 2 years) as opposed to getting a new passport now, using it once and then it sits around for another couple of years doing nothing (if you know what i mean).

Its a pity they don't do 10 year passports.

[gburns57au]

^There really is no issue, except the time involved in it all. Its not only the time with the passport but also we then have to get a new visa placed in the new passport (Permanent Australian visa), so theres no real process or anything other than running around getting everything done.

I thought I would ask the question now & therefore allow ourselves the time to do it, if required.

The other thing is, if we get this trip out of the way, then the old passport expries, we wouldnt bother applying for a new one until we were travelling again (possibly 1 or 2 years) as opposed to getting a new passport now, using it once and then it sits around for another couple of years doing nothing (if you know what i mean).

Its a pity they don't do 10 year passports.

I believe that the paper visa in the passport is a thing of the past,

Not sure on the answer to the original question......my thoughts are that it must have 6 months validity from the original departure date.

[Mario2008]

IATa datbase shows the follwing for a Thai national travveling to Australia:

National Thailand (TH) /Destination Australia (AU)

Australia (AU)

Passport required.

- Passport and/or passport replacing documents must be valid

on arrival.

Visa required.

Visa Issuance:

- Prior to arrival: long validity sub-class 456 visa issued

electronically to holders of an APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation) Business Travel Card (ABTC).

For details, click here

Additional Information:

- Norfolk Island is part of Australia but has its own

immigration legislation,For details, click here

- In general, Australia will accept other travel documents

issued by a recognised authority, provided

For details, click here

- Passengers travelling on domestic sectors of international

flights within Australia For details, click here

Warning:

- Non-compliance with entry regulations will result in a

penalty of AUD 5,000.- for transporting airline.

For a Thai returning to Thailand traveling on an expired passport is no problem. A new Thai passport costs 1,000 baht (and 35 baht to have it send home)

[neverdie]

I believe that the paper visa in the passport is a thing of the past,

Ohh is that right is it? I will need to look into that as well by the sounds of it. How on earth do they know if someone has a visa or not if the passport doesnt have one in it? I guess they have a record on the system regarding the persons passport number. Surely then when a new passport is obtained Aussie Immigration needs to be made aware of the details.

[neverdie]

IATa datbase shows the follwing for a Thai national travveling to Australia:

National Thailand (TH) /Destination Australia (AU)

Australia (AU)

Passport required.

- Passport and/or passport replacing documents must be valid

on arrival.

For a Thai returning to Thailand traveling on an expired passport is no problem. A new Thai passport costs 1,000 baht (and 35 baht to have it send home)

Thankyou for that information.

[gburns57au]

I believe that the paper visa in the passport is a thing of the past,

Ohh is that right is it? I will need to look into that as well by the sounds of it. How on earth do they know if someone has a visa or not if the passport doesnt have one in it? I guess they have a record on the system regarding the persons passport number. Surely then when a new passport is obtained Aussie Immigration needs to be made aware of the details.

All on a computer now....

Yes, you will need to make them aware of a new passport number etc...

This is from the DIAC site from last year......

"Australian visa labels are going the way of the dinosaur.

It’s all thanks to the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service, a free internet service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The department’s online systems make it possible to lodge a visa online, check the status of an application and check visa entitlements. Visa holders also no longer need a visa label attached to their passport to travel to or work in Australia.

“VEVO enables visa holders to view their visa details online,” a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) spokesman said. “The system is also for employers, who can use it to ensure their workers have the entitlement to work in Australia.”

“VEVO represents a huge step forward. Visa labels attached to passports provide limited information about visa status and conditions that apply to the visa. Now, visa holders can find out all about their visa status and visa conditions at the click of a button.”

More and more visa holders are using VEVO with at least 50 000 people logging on monthly to view their visa details. This means fewer and fewer people need to personally visit a DIAC office to get their visa evidenced.

For example in July 2008, departmental staff in NSW checked 5500 working holiday visas. By year’s end, the monthly total was down to just a few hundred.

At the same time some 13 000 organisations are using VEVO to check the entitlements of visa holders who are seeking to work or study while in Australia.

“It’s crucial that employers know for certain their employees are entitled to work,” the DIAC spokesman said.

Penalties for employing or referring illegal workers include fines of up to $13 200 for individuals and/or two years’ imprisonment per illegal worker. Companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker.

DIAC is encouraging visa holders and organisations to find out more about VEVO and how it can benefit them.

Further information is available at http://www.immi.gov.au/managing-australias...isa-holders.htm , or visa holders can also contact 131 881, while organisations can contact the employers’ immigration hotline (1800 040 070) which operates Monday to Friday from 8.30am-4.30pm."

Edited May 25, 2010 by gburns57au