My American passport expires in April 2011, but I know that I need to have at least six months of usable time on it if I want to travel anywhere, and I'm coming up on that point in time soon. So, I've already applied for a replacement passport from the American embassy, and I'm told that it's ready to be picked up. I'm planning to travel outside of Thailand for a few days next week, and my concern is that if I pick up the new passport before my trip, I'm not sure if the old one will be considered cancelled at that point, along with the relevant Thai visa and re-entry permit contained within it, which would prevent my return to Thailand. So, should I use the old passport in its current condition for this trip? And after I pick up the replacement passport, do I need to do anything thereafter in order to ensure that my visa and re-entry permit for Thailand are still valid? Sorry, a bit confused here!

You will retain your old passport, but it will be canceled when you receive the new one. If you get the new one before your trip, you would need to go to immigration to transfer your permission to stay, and re-entry stamps, the visa doesn't get transferred.

Edited September 30, 201015 yr by beechguy

And as the new passport doesn't include the old visa then best to take both passports with you when you travel abroad as the Immigration officer might ask to see the original visa when you come back into Thailand. (This from my own experience.)

The embassy/consult should give you a letter to immigration asking them to transfer the needed stamps from the old to the new passport, no charge.

You said "And after I pick up the replacement passport, do I need to do anything thereafter in order to ensure that my visa and re-entry permit for Thailand are still valid?"

As others have mentioned, Thai Immigration will transfer your visa INFORMATION and your "permitted to stay" date stamps to your new passport, all for free. Just take that letter from the Embassy along.

However, I'm not sure if they'll transfer the Re-Entry Permit, so you'd better be sure to ask for that, or get a new one when you're at Immigration.

Seems to me there was a thread not too long ago concerning transfer, or not, of the Re-Entry Permit, do a search for that one.

Mac