ClockworkOranges Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Bloody typical of a country who's worldwide embassies are renound for offering very little assitance to there citizens..... I am in the States right now and travel back to Thailand in a week. Yesterday, I ran my passport through the washing machine. The photo/chip page survived but all stamp pages are destroyed. I am getting a temp passport from British Embassy Miami to fly back to Thailand. Once I am there I obviously need to renew my British passport. I have done this before in Thailand and it was simple. My passport expired 4 years ago and I simply went to the Embassy on Wireless Road, completed the application and had a new passport in 3 weeks. I just visited the website and now it seems I have to apply in Hong Kong????? It seems you download the application and then DHL to Hong Kong Embasy. The estimated time to have your new passport back is SIX WEEKS! This alone presents a problem: I will only be stamped into Thailand for 30 days because I will not be able to apply for a visa here at the Thai Embasy in Miami becuase my current passport is destroyed. The Thai Embassy in Miami obviously wont accept a temp passport for a Thai visa so I ahve no chocie but to arive in BKK and get stamped 30 days. Then I have to send off to Hong Kong and wait 6 weeks which will give me at least a 2 weeks overstay and THEN I will have to fly to Lao to apply for a TV. Have I got this right? Is it realy as complicated as this????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Hong Kong turns a P/P around in about 10-14 days door to door..the 6 weeks is saying it COULD take 6 weeks...but normally it doesnt Next time dont put your PP through the washing machine..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camelot Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I doubt you will have to wait for six weeks. I renewed mine through Hong Kong a couple of months ago and it took around two weeks. If you've got complications, you can check with the UK Consulate here and they will give you advice and help if it's an emergency. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beano2274 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Check your pockets before washing, a Passport is big enough to notice. Prepare all the documentation now before coming, the next day, after your arrival send the application off, will be back in time for you to visit Immigration and get the Stamp moved into the new Passport. Edited January 30, 2011 by beano2274 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljerams Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 BKK Embassy will help in emergencies. Speak to them when you arrive here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcharanan Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 The Embassies must be sick to death of hearing the same old 'washing machine' stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcharanan Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) BKK Embassy will help in emergencies. Speak to them when you arrive here. Except the OP's situation is nowhere near an emergency. Not in their eyes. Self-inflicted see? Take it on the chin old boy! There's a good chap! Edited January 30, 2011 by Phatcharanan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaethon Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) What I would imagine they (the embassy) would do is tell you to send your application to Hong Kong and only come back to them in the (unlikely) event that it isn't returned in time, i.e. when it has become an emergency. Is there any prospect in emailing Hong Kong and trying to get some estimate of what their current turn-around time is? The pessimistic estimate published is likely to be based on peak season plus a bit to encourage people to apply early and avoid complications. Also explain your circumstances in a covering letter, HK may take mercy on you. Edited January 30, 2011 by phaethon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Actually the level of service provided by most if not all UK Government bodies is little more than pathetic these days. A UK passport costs an absolute fortune even if you have it issued in the UK. Abroad the prices are just plain silly. For what they cost I would expect the consul to deliver it to me on the same day in person with a free cold beer, plate of nibbles and a neck massage. The UK spends far too much of its limited ressources checking on its citizens personal doings and far too little on actually providing anything useful for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcharanan Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) A UK passport costs an absolute fortune even if you have it issued in the UK. Abroad the prices are just plain silly. For what they cost I would expect the consul to deliver it to me on the same day in person with a free cold beer, plate of nibbles and a neck massage. Normal passport........ 24 pence a week for its 10 year validity. Oooooh gosh! Thats about 12-13 baht a whole week!!! The 'jumbo' 48 page UK passport works out at 30 pence a week. Sounds like a bargain to me. Edited January 30, 2011 by Phatcharanan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmac Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) A UK passport costs an absolute fortune even if you have it issued in the UK. Abroad the prices are just plain silly. For what they cost I would expect the consul to deliver it to me on the same day in person with a free cold beer, plate of nibbles and a neck massage. Normal passport........ 24 pence a week for its 10 year validity. Oooooh gosh! Thats about 12-13 baht a whole week!!! The 'jumbo' 48 page UK passport works out at 30 pence a week. Sounds like a bargain to me. It's not about cost to the holder per day, it's about the cost of producing the passport and the level of service it affords you. Nobody actually wants a passport, the powers that be insist you have one. British Embassies abroad are a sick joke providing little or no help to it's citizens in the case of difficulties and charging a fortune for any service they do grudgingly supply. What is it now......2300 Baht for a simple letter confirming your income (for visa) from documents you have to provide for them. A cursory glance, a standard letter produced and signed, but you have to go back the next day to collect it because they are far too important to do it straight away for you and another 2300 Baht into the Government coffers to be p*ssed away like the rest of our taxes. As for having to send your documents to Hong Kong to renew a damned passport, it's just absurd. Rant over! Edited January 30, 2011 by gmac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcharanan Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Oh dear. Having a bad day? Nobody wants a passport? Powers that be insist we have one? Sounds like a good idea to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 A UK passport costs an absolute fortune even if you have it issued in the UK. Abroad the prices are just plain silly. For what they cost I would expect the consul to deliver it to me on the same day in person with a free cold beer, plate of nibbles and a neck massage. Normal passport........ 24 pence a week for its 10 year validity. Oooooh gosh! Thats about 12-13 baht a whole week!!! The 'jumbo' 48 page UK passport works out at 30 pence a week. Sounds like a bargain to me. It may be a bargain for people who never go anywhere but try the calculation again working out the cost per page, and then bear in mind that 1 visa/trip often equals 1 page. Anyone who travels at all frequently will probably never get 10 years' use from a passport. In fact they could use it up in just a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantiSuk Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Travel is a luxury and is 'taxed' accordingly. Celebrate the freedoms that your forbears never had, quit whining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 A UK passport costs an absolute fortune even if you have it issued in the UK. Abroad the prices are just plain silly. For what they cost I would expect the consul to deliver it to me on the same day in person with a free cold beer, plate of nibbles and a neck massage. Normal passport........ 24 pence a week for its 10 year validity. Oooooh gosh! Thats about 12-13 baht a whole week!!! The 'jumbo' 48 page UK passport works out at 30 pence a week. Sounds like a bargain to me. It may be a bargain for people who never go anywhere but try the calculation again working out the cost per page, and then bear in mind that 1 visa/trip often equals 1 page. Anyone who travels at all frequently will probably never get 10 years' use from a passport. In fact they could use it up in just a few months. Debating the cost is really irrelevant, if want to travel or live outside of Blighty, you are going to pay what ever price they put on a passport, its your choice, buy the passport or dont travel... Suprised no one has jumped in and blamed the Thai goverment for their "restrictive" visa practices causing the subjects of HM to go through more than the normal amount of PP pages expected over a 10 year period..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Debating the cost is really irrelevant, if want to travel or live outside of Blighty, you are going to pay what ever price they put on a passport, its your choice, buy the passport or dont travel... There is always one that comes back with the tired old "if you dont like it, dont do it/buy it/go there" cop-out, isn't there? I suppose you say the same about the high cost of getting a simple confirmation letter from the UK consulate? Just because one agency/person/company has a monopoly on something does not excuse extortionate over-pricing. I wonder why do you bother coming to a forum at all? Clearly your defeatist non-argument can be applied (equally erroneously) to pretty well every topic in here so there's little point anyone saying anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Travel is a luxury and is 'taxed' accordingly. Celebrate the freedoms that your forbears never had, quit whining. My forbears travelled widely as do I. Travel outside the UK has never been restricted. The only difference is that it didnt used to be subject to so many excessive taxes, including the passport tax. And I doubt that anyone who travels for work would describe it as a luxury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaethon Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 It does seem excessive to take a whole page for a visa stamp, considering the amount of information contained on, for example, the Thai stamp it could easily fit on a quarter or eighth of a page, especially as a pre-printed sticker. It may make it easier to find, but it seems it's a case of "because we can..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Debating the cost is really irrelevant, if want to travel or live outside of Blighty, you are going to pay what ever price they put on a passport, its your choice, buy the passport or dont travel... There is always one that comes back with the tired old "if you dont like it, dont do it/buy it/go there" cop-out, isn't there? I suppose you say the same about the high cost of getting a simple confirmation letter from the UK consulate? Just because one agency/person/company has a monopoly on something does not excuse extortionate over-pricing. I wonder why do you bother coming to a forum at all? Clearly your defeatist non-argument can be applied (equally erroneously) to pretty well every topic in here so there's little point anyone saying anything. Pray tell...why is it a cop out....by stating the facts....as much as some one b*tches and moans is it going to change anything ?...No you are still going to pay for the passport if you want to travel, they could double the price you would still pay for it. I am pretty sure if you contacted the FO and stated they were extorting British Citizens, pretty sure they will come up with a cost justification very quickly indeed. Have you finished on your soap box now ?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 And I doubt that anyone who travels for work would describe it as a luxury. Dont know 5 star hotels and business class seats are not so bad, as are the frequent flyer miles, traded in for "holiday" flights....may be not a "luxury" but not too bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeGB Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Can anyone please tell me how you get the passport photo verified when applying to Hong Kong ? My renewal is due soon. When I last renewed in the UK I had to have my photo verified by a solicitor ( it's mandatory to use a professional - doctor, lawyer etc), and they had to sign to state they had known me for 2 years. What is the criteria for Hong Kong renewals?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Can anyone please tell me how you get the passport photo verified when applying to Hong Kong ? My renewal is due soon. When I last renewed in the UK I had to have my photo verified by a solicitor ( it's mandatory to use a professional - doctor, lawyer etc), and they had to sign to state they had known me for 2 years. What is the criteria for Hong Kong renewals?? You dont need to provide endorsed photo's/ signed renewal application form provided your appearance hasnt changed significantly since your last PP photo The criteria is not any different in HK over Bangkok or any other Brtish consulate in the world for that matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 No you are still going to pay for the passport if you want to travel, they could double the price you would still pay for it. Maybe not. I have long had it in the back of my mind to obtain dual-nationality if the place I finally end up wanting to live in doesnt have a decent foreign retiree visa policy, like Thailand's. And none of that stops me from complaining about over-priced UK goverment "services" when asked. If enough people complained things would change. The only reason things dont change is because so many people just bend over and wait for what they think is inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 No you are still going to pay for the passport if you want to travel, they could double the price you would still pay for it. Maybe not. I have long had it in the back of my mind to obtain dual-nationality if the place I finally end up wanting to live in doesnt have a decent foreign retiree visa policy, like Thailand's. And none of that stops me from complaining about over-priced UK goverment "services" when asked. If enough people complained things would change. The only reason things dont change is because so many people just bend over and wait for what they think is inevitable. And where would you be obtaining dual-nationality at the drop of the hat ?....Thailand certainly not.... try 10 years +, only places you can get dual nationality responably quickly are places such as in South American were it takes around 3 year + cash, Of course if you have plenty of cash to invest in certain dubious countries an addtional PP is easier and quicker. If you are a retiree or shortly becoming one...forget about getting dual citizenship in most countries, they will not touch you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeeGB Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Can anyone please tell me how you get the passport photo verified when applying to Hong Kong ? My renewal is due soon. When I last renewed in the UK I had to have my photo verified by a solicitor ( it's mandatory to use a professional - doctor, lawyer etc), and they had to sign to state they had known me for 2 years. What is the criteria for Hong Kong renewals?? You dont need to provide endorsed photo's/ signed renewal application form provided your appearance hasnt changed significantly since your last PP photo The criteria is not any different in HK over Bangkok or any other Brtish consulate in the world for that matter Thanks for the help - I've got a lot more wrinkles than 10 years ago, let's hope they don't notice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyLew Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 It wold take a lot less than 6 weeks to get passport back, but apparently there has been a run on people washing their passports. I renewed my UK passport a couple months back. Filled out paper work Got new pictures Had all documents ready Dropped it off at UK Embassy in Bangkok Paid fees Had new passport back in my hands in 2 weeks No issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12DrinkMore Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 (edited) Maybe everybody in the world except me knows this, but I though I'd pop it up. No need for UK nationals living in Thailand to send the passport, a copy will do! http://ukinhongkong....ailand/renewals ORIGINAL PASSPORT: Thailand is an exception to the main guidance given on our primary website. It is not advised to be without your original passport in Thailand and we recognise this. You may therefore submit a clear photocopy of your passport (just the page with your personal details and photograph). Please note that the passport being renewed will be electronically cancelled and is therefore not valid for use as a travel document 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 in Bangkok to have your replaced passport physically cancelled. Edited April 17, 2011 by 12DrinkMore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESB7 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Why do you think so many of us live in Thailand, its to escape the 3rd world 'not so Great Britain' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samran Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Love these threads - you Poms love having a good ole whinge. Well your whinging must have worked. Walking down the street in Melbourne the other day, I note that a fair few Australia Post offices (130 to be exact) now accept British passport applications. http://auspost.com.au/personal/united-kingdom-british-passports.html I guess with million+ of the great unwashed living in Australia, it makes sense to have such a facility. See, your government does help sort things for you, sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatboy Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 cost to renew your british passport in thailand. 32page 10year 1600hkd,plus courier fees115hkd total1715hkd=£137.50approx,to renew in the uk £77.50 can anyone spot the diff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now