Important News For U K Passport Holders

[Crossy]

I've posted this in General for a wider audience.

As of August 9th the British Embassy will not accept applications for passport renewals, they will continue to process applications for lost, stolen or damaged passports.

So, for those with full PPs you're on your own.

Processing time is a whopping FOUR WEEKS although my recent application via the embassy was back in my hand in 18 calendar days.

Whatever happened to the service we used to get, when I had my passport stolen in Rome in 2001, I had a new 10 year passport the next DAY!!

Details http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressR&id=22583007

[dumball]

Guess I should get my finger out(POP) tout-suite and have mine renewed , almost expired anyway , any idea of the cost to renew these days ? Thanks in advance .

[Crossy]

Guess I should get my finger out(POP) tout-suite and have mine renewed , almost expired anyway , any idea of the cost to renew these days ? Thanks in advance .

Look here, be afraid, be very afraid.... http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/fees1 and there's DHL fees both ways to add

Note that you'll get up to 9 months of extra validity on your new passport if the old one has not expired, not that you'll ever get to use it with the number of full-page visas we seem to acquire.

[petercr]

So what is the situation for a first passport application.

I was intending to make a passport application for my 18month old son, does anyone know if this can this still be processed in BKK??

[tigerfish]

is there any point at all in having an embassy anymore!

whos pulling the strings in bangkok? her majesties government or quentin.

first they change the system, having to renew the passport overseas (hong kong) now they arent going to process applications. close the bloody place at the first of trouble in the capital and take an extended vacation at our expense.

i thought the whole purpose of having an embassy was to help out the citizens/nationals of that particular country. seems now they are more concerned with milking them, rather than provide a service. <deleted> typical

Edited July 24, 2010 by tigerfish

[MJP]

Can I recommend anyone doing Visa runs, use Cambodia and their e-visa service. You don't use up a page just for the Cambodia visa each time, saves a lot of passport.

[samtam]

Such BS from the British Embassy:

passports for British nationals in Thailand will be issued at the British Consulate-General in Hong Kong. This is part of a global initiative to rationalise passport services and to help reduce administration costs whilst ensuring that the quality of service remains high.

Who writes this garbage? "Reduce administration costs" you would assume means that the cost to the end user might reduce, but the opposite happens. My partner, who is Japanese, renewed his passport here in Bangkok and it took 2 days. How sad we have become.

[mrtoad]

I did hear this rumour sometime back, but didn't think that they were going to actually close it off for applications. I am in agreement with one of the posters who is asking what the point of the embassy is here in BKK? It would appear that it is is only here to serve the interests of the government and stuff it's citizens.

[MJP]

I did hear this rumour sometime back, but didn't think that they were going to actually close it off for applications. I am in agreement with one of the posters who is asking what the point of the embassy is here in BKK? It would appear that it is is only here to serve the interests of the government and stuff it's citizens.

It's a complete waste of money. Just trim it down to what they have in Pattaya with that nice old boy running it.

[Crossy]

So what is the situation for a first passport application.

I was intending to make a passport application for my 18month old son, does anyone know if this can this still be processed in BKK??

No problem, it's only renewals they are stopping.

[mrbojangles]

what the point of the embassy is here in BKK? It would appear that it is is only here to serve the interests of the government and stuff it's citizens.

I think more and more, it's only there to rake in the money for visa applications Toady

[BillR]

so let your dog chew on your passport and damage it.

[Crossy]

so let your dog chew on your passport and damage it.

I suspect the embassy will be seeing a lot more washed passports in future.

Careful, wilful damage of your passport is an offence.

[ignis]

Must renew mine towards the end of next year.....

Thought if I go to Australia next year maybe will do it there... HA ha ha, 'Passports services for British nationals in Australasia and the South Pacific are delivered by the British High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand' as for cost says 338$AU

British Consulate-General Hong Kong......... submit your passport application form in person. For customers renewing a passport: we aim to return your new passport within 4 weeks. This time frame does not take into account any delays which may occur with local post or courier services. Applications can also take longer during busy times of the year. !!

NOTE both above places state....

Any application being submitted with an old style black passport, as evidence of British nationality, will now be treated as a 'First Time Application' and must be supported by full documentation (ie full birth certificate and marriage certificate) or registration documents if applicable.

Bangkok says the same the price £154.50 (7,725 THB) 48 pages + DHL Hong Kong Roundtrip for passport application only - 962 THB + a letter from Immigration Proof of address, Love this one 'Standard letter in any other language - £73.00 (3,650 THB)' Do you have to have this as well as the Immigration letter will be in Thai ???

[Eff1n2ret]

what the point of the embassy is here in BKK? It would appear that it is is only here to serve the interests of the government and stuff it's citizens.

I think more and more, it's only there to rake in the money for visa applications Toady

Indeed "What are embassies for?" is a question that I suspect will be increasingly asked as the UK government seeks to trim its expenditure, and in the last few days there's been a story running that businessmen may be appointed as ambassadors in order to focus more effort on securing business for UK PLC - not a bad idea IMHO.

As for the visa work, the acceptance of the applications is already contracted out to VFS, so the actual decision-making could take place anywhere. There are already a few countries, Algeria is one, where all the visa work is remitted to the UK. It wouldn't surprise me if a large proportion of visa applications are decided in a few years' time in a shed in Milton Keynes or somewhere.

Incidentally, a reference to "that nice old gentleman in Jomtien" reminds me that members who don't already know may wish to be informed that he - Barry Kenyon - has retired, and according to a newspaper report I saw on another forum his replacement as from 1st August is none other than Howard Miller, star of that awful cable channel series a while back whose title escapes me.

[Moonrakers]

I find myself lost for words, asides from "What The <deleted>"

[Kwasaki]

Must renew mine towards the end of next year.....

Thought if I go to Australia next year maybe will do it there... HA ha ha, 'Passports services for British nationals in Australasia and the South Pacific are delivered by the British High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand' as for cost says 338$AU

British Consulate-General Hong Kong......... submit your passport application form in person. For customers renewing a passport: we aim to return your new passport within 4 weeks. This time frame does not take into account any delays which may occur with local post or courier services. Applications can also take longer during busy times of the year. !!

NOTE both above places state....

Any application being submitted with an old style black passport, as evidence of British nationality, will now be treated as a 'First Time Application' and must be supported by full documentation (ie full birth certificate and marriage certificate) or registration documents if applicable.

Bangkok says the same the price £154.50 (7,725 THB) 48 pages + DHL Hong Kong Roundtrip for passport application only - 962 THB + a letter from Immigration Proof of address, Love this one 'Standard letter in any other language - £73.00 (3,650 THB)' Do you have to have this as well as the Immigration letter will be in Thai ???

Moodrakers some people like to know these things that's what this site is for !

I have just recently renew my passport in chiangmay consulate, you fill out the form and it gets sent to Hong Kong, I paid by credit card and it cost 130quid in Hong Kong dollars, I am not living in a DHL delivery in Thailand and I wanted posted back to me at home, paid extra in baht for that at the embassy. I got my passport back in 16days with the 7months I had left added on. I renew it because Thai immigration Maesot said I needed 1yr and 3months on the passport when I came to renew my 1yr visa.

[MJP]

what the point of the embassy is here in BKK? It would appear that it is is only here to serve the interests of the government and stuff it's citizens.

I think more and more, it's only there to rake in the money for visa applications Toady  

Indeed "What are embassies for?" is a question that I suspect will be increasingly asked as the UK government seeks to trim its expenditure, and in the last few days there's been a story running that businessmen may be appointed as ambassadors in order to focus more effort on securing business for UK PLC - not a bad idea IMHO.

As for the visa work, the acceptance of the applications is already contracted out to VFS, so the actual decision-making could take place anywhere. There are already a few countries, Algeria is one, where all the visa work is remitted to the UK. It wouldn't surprise me if a large proportion of visa applications are decided in a few years' time in a shed in Milton Keynes or somewhere.

Incidentally, a reference to "that nice old gentleman in Jomtien" reminds me that members who don't already know may wish to be informed that he - Barry Kenyon - has retired, and according to a newspaper report I saw on another forum his replacement as from 1st August is none other than Howard Miller, star of that awful cable channel series a while back whose title escapes me.

Barry Kenyon's retired? He was one helluva nice chap.

In fairness, that Howard Miller chap is probably ideal. Knows all the local difficulties and is bright enough to learn and handle consular business for that area.

[7by7]

It may help to know that overseas residents can renew their passports while in the UK on a visit. However, this must be done by making an appointment at a regional passport office, and you will need to provide a UK address for them to send the new passport to or pay for the one day premium service.

See:-

Passport applications and renewals if you are abroad or live outside the UK.

Urgent passport applications

Fees

[F1fanatic]

I must be missing something here. What is changing as from August?

My passport ran out in June and I had to send the downloaded forms to Hong Kong to get it renewed.

I expected the worst (forms returned because I'd completed something incorrectly, they wouldn't understand that I couldn't send them my original passport as I had to 'sign in' at Immigration, or missed out some 'vital' step in the renewal process) - but was pleasantly suprised to receive my new passport a week later! As it turned out, the postal process was far easier than having to take a trip to Bangkok!

It took a lot of working out beforehand - making sure the correct amount was sent in HK dollars (as the fee is sterling based), worrying that I may have got the DHL courier system wrong, etc. etc., but I was needlessly worried as it turned out - the service was excellent.

Has this changed?

[7by7]

At present, although renewals are processed in Hong Kong one can submit the application via the British embassy in Bangkok.

As Crossy says in the OP, from 9 August this will no longer be possible and applicants will have to send the application direct to Hong Kong themselves.

See the links already posted by Crossy.

I have to say that, apart from the cost of secure couriers, I don't really have a problem with this. But I don't live in Thailand. Ask me again in approx 10 years after I've retired and do!

[Moonrakers]

What if somebody was picked up by immigration whilst there passport was out of the country?

[7by7]

You don't send the old passport.

From Passport renewals

4 In addition to your completed application form, photos and fee, you will need to submit a clear photocopy of the data page of your previous passport. The passport being renewed will be electronically cancelled and is therefore not valid for use from the moment you submit your application. On receipt of your new passport you must physically cancel your old passport by cutting the corners of the photo page and the front and back covers. Failure to do so may leave your replaced passport open to abuse. Alternatively you should visit the British Embassy to have your replaced passport physically cancelled.

So you will still have the old passport to show Thai immigration, or whoever, if required. Although you could not use it to leave Thailand and so could not do so until you received the new one.

[ignis]

What if somebody was picked up by immigration whilst there passport was out of the country?

I thought ir was illegal to send you Passport outside of Thailand ? but reading 'F1fanatic'

I expected the worst (forms returned because I'd completed something incorrectly, they wouldn't understand that I couldn't send them my original passport as I had to 'sign in' at Immigration, or missed out some 'vital' step in the renewal process) - but was pleasantly suprised to receive my new passport a week later! As it turned out, the postal process was far easier than having to take a trip to Bangkok!

[baboon]

I would like to renew before 9 August but my passport still has a couple of clean pages. Will that be possible?

[7by7]

Depends when it expires. You can renew it up to 9 months before the expiry date.

[Crossy]

Depends when it expires. You can renew it up to 9 months before the expiry date.

Actually you can renew whenever you like (but not sure on the policy if it's not actually full), you can get up to 9 months validity added to your new PP

[F1fanatic]

What if somebody was picked up by immigration whilst there passport was out of the country?

I thought ir was illegal to send you Passport outside of Thailand ? but reading 'F1fanatic'

I expected the worst (forms returned because I'd completed something incorrectly, they wouldn't understand that I couldn't send them my original passport as I had to 'sign in' at Immigration, or missed out some 'vital' step in the renewal process) - but was pleasantly suprised to receive my new passport a week later! As it turned out, the postal process was far easier than having to take a trip to Bangkok!

Sorry, it was badly worded. I DIDN'T send my passport, which is one of the reasons I was worried.

As it turns out, I didn't need to.

[7by7]

Crossy, you're correct; I relied on memory instead of checking the info on DirectGov!

You do not have to wait until your old passport expires to apply to renew it. If there is any time left on your old passport, IPS will add it to your new passport, up to maximum of nine months. You can renew your passport whenever you wish, but IPS cannot carry over more than nine months from your old passport to your new one.

It doesn't have to be full for you apply early. I renewed my passport 6 months early a couple of years ago as it would have expired whilst I was in Thailand had I not done so. It wasn't full and there was no problem.

[baboon]

Crossy, you're correct; I relied on memory instead of checking the info on DirectGov!

You do not have to wait until your old passport expires to apply to renew it. If there is any time left on your old passport, IPS will add it to your new passport, up to maximum of nine months. You can renew your passport whenever you wish, but IPS cannot carry over more than nine months from your old passport to your new one.

It doesn't have to be full for you apply early. I renewed my passport 6 months early a couple of years ago as it would have expired whilst I was in Thailand had I not done so. It wasn't full and there was no problem.

Got what I was looking for there. Thanks!