Travel Whilst U K Passport Is Being Renewed.

[Crossy]

With the increasingly long waits for renewal of UK passports (now 4 weeks) I'm sure I am not the only one in this situation.

I've been putting off renewing my increasingly full passport but I'm going to have to bite the bullet eventually as I've got space for only a few more entry / exit pairs.

I travel regularly, often on short notice which is why my passport is nearly full after only 3 years (yes it's a 48 pager).

Scenario, it's not actually happened, yet:-

So, I send off my application (retaining my existing passport as advised) and wait, the existing PP is electronically cancelled on receipt of the renewal application.

Before my new passport arrives I get a request to visit a client in, say, Vietnam. How can I travel?

I do have a second UK passport in which I can get any required visas, but what about leaving and re-entering Thailand with my electronically cancelled passport?

Just wing-it and hope? I doubt Thai immigration have any link to the UK passport database so they would likely never know, but that would possibly put me in a sticky situation should they ever find out I have entered on a cancelled passport.

Should I try and get immigration to transfer my extension to my other passport, or is that option only for new passports? Do I have to shell 95 Quid on an emergency travel document despite still having a perfectly good passport?

I have emailed the PP office in HK but as yet they've not replied, I'll bet the response is "don't travel".

Thoughts anyone

[lopburi3]

As your passport becomes invalid once received by Hong Kong immigration from my understanding immigration should be able to transfer your current extension of stay into your other passport. It may require an explanation however when they see it has been used and they might ask for a letter from your Embassy (which in the cause of UK may be an issue). Am quite sure Thai will find your old passport invalid if you try to use it. Sounds as if you should be asking (officially) UK Embassy as they have set up this system and it sounds as if you may be the exception to its running smoothly.

[theoldgit]

They will issue you with a second passport in such circumstances or in the case of a regular traveller, obviously there are cost implications and I'm not sure how it works for visas in Thailand.

[lopburi3]

He has a second passport - the issue is the extension of stay is in the passport that needs to be replaced and that it can not be used for travel once replacement passport process starts.

[briley]

Been a lot of complaints about the system from those who live near borders and cross regularly.

One set in particular from Hong Kong residents who work in China (and vic-versa) - one person flew to London to get a same day service passport issued.

[ignis]

With the increasingly long waits for renewal of UK passports (now 4 weeks) I'm sure I am not the only one in this situation.

Reading the website yesterday it says allow 6 - 7 weeks !!!!!!!!

[ignis]

'Crossy' a question please as you have just sent off for a new Passport.

The C1 application Form, how do you print this,

All single sided ?

Double sided ?

As a book All pages on a A3 sheet ?

Sorry cannot seam to find any help on the Embassy websites.........

Also confusing is the Thailand website and HK website say different things......... re payment one site say can pay with Debit card as long as it has a Mastercard or Visa logo, the other site Debit cards NOT accepted .. ?

[Crossy]

Sorry Ignis, I've not actually done the application yet, waiting for a definitive answer from HK or BKK regarding how to travel.

However:-

I doubt it matters how you print the form, I suspect most will print it A4 single sided.

The HK site says:-

We only accept debit cards which have either the Mastercard or Visa symbol, as usually these can be processed as payment by credit card.

Since it is they who will process the application I would think their advice is most pertinent.

EDIT. I also note that the same page says

Urgent Travel:

If you need to travel urgently and your normal passport is not available you should contact the British Embassy in Bangkok.

So I'll email the general consulate address with this query too.

[ignis]

Many thanks....

Re your 'So I'll email the general consulate address with this query too.' Did you see they say on the website they will reply within 20 days !! wow that fast, err we are in 2012 or still the 70's ?

[Upnotover]

'Crossy' a question please as you have just sent off for a new Passport.

The C1 application Form, how do you print this,

All single sided ?

Double sided ?

As a book All pages on a A3 sheet ?

Sorry cannot seam to find any help on the Embassy websites.........

Also confusing is the Thailand website and HK website say different things......... re payment one site say can pay with Debit card as long as it has a Mastercard or Visa logo, the other site Debit cards NOT accepted .. ?

I renewed (replaced) a stolen UK passport last month. Door to door turnaround time was 22 days. I printed the application form single sided on A4 paper. I paid with a UK issued Visa Debit card, no problem at all, just fill in the credit card form.

[ignis]

I renewed (replaced) a stolen UK passport last month. Door to door turnaround time was 22 days. I printed the application form single sided on A4 paper. I paid with a UK issued Visa Debit card, no problem at all, just fill in the credit card form.

Thanks

Funny really all the Thai Immigration Forms state clearly that you must print double sided, yet could find nothing on the UK Embassy websites.. so that is fine easier. [just did not want it sent back as printed wrong]

[Totster]

Many thanks....

Re your 'So I'll email the general consulate address with this query too.' Did you see they say on the website they will reply within 20 days !! wow that fast, err we are in 2012 or still the 70's ?

Although they state 20 days, it is often sooner.. the 20 days relates to the level of service agreement.

totster

[Crossy]

Well I have my reply from the British Embassy, I will leave you all to draw your own conclusions as to my opinion of it.

Thank you for your enquiry.

In case that you apply for the new passport and also have to travel to other countries while you are waiting for the new one, we can issue the Emergency Travel Document (ETD). It takes the same day service and it can be used for two way documents. For the requirement for ETD, we need your current passport, 2 colour photographs with white background, ETD application that you can complete at the Embassy, flight ticket or itinerary and the fee is THB 4,750. However, you can send a copy of your current passport to apply for the new one and Hong Kong will mail it back to your home address. They will cancel it in the system so when you receive the new passport, you can cancel the old one by cutting the corner right hand side of the passport and bring both passports to transfer at Thai Immigration.

Yours sincerely,

Seems that not only do I have to pay 154.50 Quid plus the courier fees for the passport (48 page), I also have to pay an extra 4,750 Baht if I need to leave the country. This is totally unacceptable.

So, now we try Plan B and see if immigration will transfer my extension to my other passport (which is now 2 years old).

Watch this space.

[chrisinth]

Well I have my reply from the British Embassy, I will leave you all to draw your own conclusions as to my opinion of it.

Thank you for your enquiry.

In case that you apply for the new passport and also have to travel to other countries while you are waiting for the new one, we can issue the Emergency Travel Document (ETD). It takes the same day service and it can be used for two way documents. For the requirement for ETD, we need your current passport, 2 colour photographs with white background, ETD application that you can complete at the Embassy, flight ticket or itinerary and the fee is THB 4,750. However, you can send a copy of your current passport to apply for the new one and Hong Kong will mail it back to your home address. They will cancel it in the system so when you receive the new passport, you can cancel the old one by cutting the corner right hand side of the passport and bring both passports to transfer at Thai Immigration.

Yours sincerely,

Seems that not only do I have to pay 154.50 Quid plus the courier fees for the passport (48 page), I also have to pay an extra 4,750 Baht if I need to leave the country. This is totally unacceptable.

So, now we try Plan B and see if immigration will transfer my extension to my other passport (which is now 2 years old).

Watch this space.

Crossy, I think that the British (or whatever is your country of origin) embassy can issue the ETD directly. It would be worth asking; it seems ludicrous that if a compassionate case arose while your passport was in the renewal process, that you would have to wait for a Hong Kong issued document which is what I read from your reply from them.

Then that would be totally unacceptable.

[Crossy]

The email is from BKK Embassy, (HK never replied). An ETD is issued in BKK and it would be no problem getting one assuming the country I'm visiting accepts them (apparently not all do). EDIT Actually, since I have a second UK passport in which I could get my visa for the other country there would be no issue there.

I don't see why I should have to pay nearly 100 Quid on top of the 150 that they charge for the PP in order to travel whilst they are taking weeks to renew my PP. Back when it was 10 days or so for a new PP there was less of an issue, now it is four weeks plus courier time. I travel a lot on business and I can't afford to be stuck in Thailand (or anywhere else) for a month.

EDIT

Just to highlight the reduction in service that we British Citizens are getting from our embassies, back in 2000 (ok pre 9-11) I had my passport stolen whilst in Rome. I had a new 10 year passport the next DAY! with no premium surcharge or anything.

[chrisinth]

The email is from BKK Embassy, (HK never replied). An ETD is issued in BKK and it would be no problem getting one assuming the country I'm visiting accepts them (apparently not all do). EDIT Actually, since I have a second UK passport in which I could get my visa for the other country there would be no issue there.

I don't see why I should have to pay nearly 100 Quid on top of the 150 that they charge for the PP in order to travel whilst they are taking weeks to renew my PP. Back when it was 10 days or so for a new PP there was less of an issue, now it is four weeks plus courier time. I travel a lot on business and I can't afford to be stuck in Thailand (or anywhere else) for a month.

EDIT

Just to highlight the reduction in service that we British Citizens are getting from our embassies, back in 2000 (ok pre 9-11) I had my passport stolen whilst in Rome. I had a new 10 year passport the next DAY! with no premium surcharge or anything.

That seems to be very expensive for a one out, one in travel document; sucks the money into the coffers again to be used for important things, like illegal immigrant accomadation, lesbian community centres, tree hugging conventions and the like back home.

Makes you proud to be British and gives you a warm feeling, doesn't it?

I went through the passport renewal at the end of last year, second time lucky. They lost the first application somewhere in their system (tracking number was received) and I had to cancel the bankers draft they had asked for. I assume they didn't even get to the stage of electronically cancelling the passport but can't be sure as I wasn't out of the country during that time. I used a credit card the second time with no problems, but it still took the best of 3 weeks to get the new passport.

[billd766]

The email is from BKK Embassy, (HK never replied). An ETD is issued in BKK and it would be no problem getting one assuming the country I'm visiting accepts them (apparently not all do). EDIT Actually, since I have a second UK passport in which I could get my visa for the other country there would be no issue there.

I don't see why I should have to pay nearly 100 Quid on top of the 150 that they charge for the PP in order to travel whilst they are taking weeks to renew my PP. Back when it was 10 days or so for a new PP there was less of an issue, now it is four weeks plus courier time. I travel a lot on business and I can't afford to be stuck in Thailand (or anywhere else) for a month.

EDIT

Just to highlight the reduction in service that we British Citizens are getting from our embassies, back in 2000 (ok pre 9-11) I had my passport stolen whilst in Rome. I had a new 10 year passport the next DAY! with no premium surcharge or anything.

Ah but those were the good old days when people provided a service to the customer and the bottom line wasn't drawn by a bean counter.

Customers counted then as did service.

Bring some of those days back says I.