Passport Name Change

[silverdales]

Now heres a interesting one for you!

My wife now she has the settlement visa (which is a UK page stuck on to a blank page of her Thai passport) wants to change her last name to same same as mine,how is this possible obviously the ID card part is simple, how do the Thais reissue a passport with the existing UK visa page? - do they just rubber stamp? - I need to book some flights to the UK and not sure what name to book them in for her!

Any advice help!!

[7by7]

When my wife changed her surname to mine they just placed a rubber stamp in her passport; but this was before the days of biometrics etc so I don't know if they still do this.

If they do, no problem as the original name page will match her visa.

If they do issue a new passport in her new name then she can either:

Apply to the UKBA to have her visa transferred to her new passport, there is a fee for this but I can't remember it at the moment, but it's not cheap!.

or

Carry both old and new passports together with your marriage certificate (and certified English translation if married in Thailand) to show that both passports belong to the same person.

Flight tickets must be in the current name on the passport.

There is no compulsion under UK law for a wife to take her husband's surname upon marriage, so not doing so will not effect her visa or rights in the UK in any way. I'm not sure, but I think that the same is true in Thailand.

[whatseezname]

My wife changed her name before getting an Aus visa, I would have prefered that she had not.

The new passport was easy - but as I said before the visa stuck in.

You may be aware that there are no ID cards available in Thailand at the moment, this has been a bigger hassle

to me as she got a paper ID that has been replaced twice already and it is not likely that they will be available soon.

[silverdales]

Why are there no ID cards are you available at the moment to are they likely to return?

[theoldgit]

Why are there no ID cards are you available at the moment to are they likely to return?

The Ministry of ID cards co*ked up the order and there are now boxes of useless ID cards in a warehouse somewhere. I'm sure they will be in a position to start issuing again once the right people have been paid off.

[TiggerFish]

My understanding is if the original passport is pre biometrics then it gets rubber stamped, if it's a new biometric/digital passport then it will have to be be re-issued as they can't change the name in that type.

[silverdales]

But a passport changevcan be done in London I think at Thai embassy but a I'd card in Thailand only