Immigration Refused To Transfer My Visas To New Passport

[MrMuddle]

I went to my local immigration office, earlier this week, armed with my old and new passports, plus copies of relevant pages, photos etc. The officers refused to transfer the retirement and other 'stamps" to my new passport, as they said the old one had not expired. i explained that when I applied for my new passport, the old one is automatically cancelled by the UK government and was no longer valid. The officers explained in Thai, to my wife, that if I needed to leave Thailand, that I should take both passports with me, and explain when I got there. I explained that I do not intend to leave Thailand before the visa expires, and again asked them to transfer the stamps.

I realised at this point that the officers English was not good, ( the officers were all new to me, I've been going to the same office for a few years, and have never had problems before).

What I am worried about is what happens when I go to renew my retirement visa in a couple of months. Will I be in trouble for not transferring the stamps over?

Talking with my wife afterwards, it seems that she had said (in Thai), that when we were at the office last year, the man we dealt with said we should just come to the office, and the stamps would be changed over for free. I am wondering if they expected some "tea money", and once they realised they weren't getting it, couldn't be bothered to help me. Any comments / suggestions appreciated.

I haven't mentioned which office I went to deliberately, I don't want this to come back and bite me where it hurts in the future.

[tombkk]

Last time I moved my stamps to a new passport, a letter from my embassy was required. The embassy had issued it automatically.

[JAS21]

I got mine changed over a couple of weeks ago. Infact at my last 90Day report the officer told me to bring in my new passport when I got it and he will change the stamps over.

So I just took my old passport ... it hadn't been cancelled as it's a UK one and you just send a copy to Hong Kong ... with some huge fee! ...and back comes the new one from the UK 3-4 weeks later... together with my new one and handed both it.

The office was short staffed and as I also wanted a 'Proof of Address letter' ... thats free aswell ... they asked if I wouldn't mide coming back a couple of days later ... or I could wait 2-3 Hrs for it to be done ... I opted for the go back and collect another day offer.

So I get it back and all the annual extension stamps had been transferred. Thats it no embassy letter or anything else.

My office is Nonthaburi ... they are absolutely excellent there ... your office is obviously not and it's wrong.

[Jangot]

The last time I renewed my passport whilst in Tailand, about a year ago, I went to Chiang Mai immigration to get my visa and stamp transferred. They said no need. When I next exited Thailand, I showed my old (with the corner chopped off, so 'invalid') passport and my new. They stamped me out with no problem or comment.

[lopburi3]

You are asking about a one year extension of stay from immigration not being transferred right? They do not transfer visas.

They seem to want to wait until you have to obtain the new extension of stay so if you have no travel planned it should be fine - they will have to transfer the information to provide the new extension.

[MrMuddle]

TomBKK Did you have to go to the Embassy to get the letter? It's a full days trip from where I live.

Jas21, According to the UK passport website, your UK passport is automatically cancelled by them , when your application for a new one is received. I offered to cut the corner off my old UK passport, but the officers said even if I did that, they wouldn't put the stamps in the new one.

Interesting about the "proof of address" letter, I needed one for my Thai driving licence, and they charged me 1000 baht, last year, which kind of confirms my assumption that they are looking for "tea money".

Lopburi3 Thanks for that, I was worried that I was somehow illegally staying here. I always try to conform with whatever regulations are necessary, which is why I'd gone to the office in the first place, the officer we saw last year told us to, when I got a new passport.

[Gone]

I got mine changed over a couple of weeks ago. Infact at my last 90Day report the officer told me to bring in my new passport when I got it and he will change the stamps over.

So I just took my old passport ... it hadn't been cancelled as it's a UK one and you just send a copy to Hong Kong ... with some huge fee! ...and back comes the new one from the UK 3-4 weeks later... together with my new one and handed both it.

The office was short staffed and as I also wanted a 'Proof of Address letter' ... thats free aswell ... they asked if I wouldn't mide coming back a couple of days later ... or I could wait 2-3 Hrs for it to be done ... I opted for the go back and collect another day offer.

So I get it back and all the annual extension stamps had been transferred. Thats it no embassy letter or anything else.

My office is Nonthaburi ... they are absolutely excellent there ... your office is obviously not and it's wrong.

By "proof of address" do you mean a residency letter? If so then most places in Thailand charge 200 baht or 300 if you want it the same day. You DO have a great Imm office if that's true mate.

[lopburi3]

The UK Embassy does not provide a letter for transfer of stamps - it was officialy asked by immigration but that Embassy would not provide but immigration made the stamps without it in the past.

[true blue]

i had my my visas transfered from old passport in cnx to new one,no proplem,and i still had 3 years(2014)left on old passport,but when i think about it maybe i should have waited till i renewed my visa as i lost 4 pages in new passport, and propaly going to lose a few more now.,

[moe666]

TomBKK Did you have to go to the Embassy to get the letter? It's a full days trip from where I live.

Jas21, According to the UK passport website, your UK passport is automatically cancelled by them , when your application for a new one is received. I offered to cut the corner off my old UK passport, but the officers said even if I did that, they wouldn't put the stamps in the new one.

Interesting about the "proof of address" letter, I needed one for my Thai driving licence, and they charged me 1000 baht, last year, which kind of confirms my assumption that they are looking for "tea money".

Lopburi3 Thanks for that, I was worried that I was somehow illegally staying here. I always try to conform with whatever regulations are necessary, which is why I'd gone to the office in the first place, the officer we saw last year told us to, when I got a new passport.

Think about it this way your old passport was cancelled but your extension of stay wasn't. You keep mentioning tea money but have you or your wife been asked for a donation. I have used the Chiang Mai immigration office and have never been asked for a donation. Go with the flow keep your old passport with the extension of stay in it and donot worry about it.

[Rooo]

My old passport expired, they stuck the old one to the new one as it has the original Visa..

[tombkk]

TomBKK Did you have to go to the Embassy to get the letter? It's a full days trip from where I live.

I went to the embassy to pick up my new passport, and they gave it to me together with the letter, which I hadn't even requested. They told me I need that letter for Thai immigration to move the stamps. (Extension of stay, not visa.)

I am not British. Maybe that makes a difference, but it shouldn't.

[MrMuddle]

For members information.

The UK passport service advises that when you apply for a new passport, the old passport is automatically cancelled. UK passport renewals are not done through the local Embassy, but are applied for via the Hong Kong consulate, ( do not send your old passport when applying, there is a special clause for Thailand, and a photocopy of the photo page is all that is needed.)

It further advises that when the new passport is received, the person holding the passport can either take the old one to the local Embassy, who will cut the corners off, or do it yourself.

This is from the Hong Kong Consulsate website:

"Specific requirements from Thailand

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."

I hope this of help to other ThaiVisa UK members. Thanks to everyone for their help / advice, replies.

[beano2274]

Mr Muddle the question asked before was, do you have a visa or an extension and what type?

If you are on an extension the stamp will be moved, if you have a multi entry visa of any kind you will have to cross the border and get stamped back in on your new passport.

[lopburi3]

As said the UK Embassy did not provide such letter for Immigration even when they issued new passports there. The US Embassy always provides such a letter.

But current immigration policy seems to be transfer of extensions of stay but no action for those on visa entry until departing country.

[Theo007]

I recently did this in Pattaya, no Embassy letter required and the old passport had not expired however every page was used. No fee asked for and all done very quickly.

[saengsureeya]

As Lopburi said: Immigration can not and will not transfer visa-stamps, simply because they are not allowed to do it.

Immigration can transfer the stamps that will give you a permission of stay, based on extensions.

A permission of stay is NOT a visa.

Some immigration-offices require a statement from the issueing-party, that the new passport actually replaces the new passport. The Dutch government prints the statement in the passport itself.

[lungbing]

Lopburi3 is quite right. The British Embassy do not provide a letter asking immigration to transfer the various stamps. When I renewed my British passport, some 8 years ago, I was asked for the receipt that the embassy sent with the passport. It only looks like a scrap of paper similar to a 7-11 receipt, but that's what immigration wanted to see.

[fishhooks]

This "Transfer of Stamps" seems to be the topic of the month.

I'm about to go through the exercise at Khon Kaen over the next couple of days.

I've already been given one wrong indication at BKK Arrivals last night, as the officer told me that Ch, Wattana would transfer my extension to my new passport. I told him I was registered with KK!

I thought he was wrong due previous info here over the last week or so, but for the sake of the exercise went to Wattana.

Great officer there, but as expected he said sorry, cannot do as your file is at KK.

So advise anyone here when a new passport is in the wind, go through all the right procedure first up.

[techno]

I recently did this in Pattaya, no Embassy letter required and the old passport had not expired however every page was used. No fee asked for and all done very quickly.

I took my new British passport to Chiang Mai Immigration a couple of weeks ago and they transferred the stamps from the old passport without any problems. The old passport did not expire until 2017 but only 4 spare pages. Again no fee and done quickly via the online booking system

[Digitalbanana]

I was at CW to transfer my permission to stay from old to new UK pp. They told me it couldn't be done as old hadn't expired and they needed verification from UK embassy it was now invalid. I phoned the embassy from outside the immigration booth, they said to invalidate old full pp, just cut off corner. I borrowed a pair of scissors at the immigration office, cut off corner and then they transferred the permit to stay stamp.

[lopburi3]

One nonsense post removed.

[fishhooks]

I got stamps transferred into a new passport yesterday as well as an extension and re-entry at the same time, some 5 weeks out from normal renewal time.

Total should have been 5,700B (1,900 + 3,800) but I never received 300B change from 6K. So I think in effect I paid 300B for the normal "fee free" charge to transfer stamps!

Not a huge "Tea Money" exercise, but slightly uncomfortable, then again I suppose a favor was done with the early extension.

To note may be that it seems a general rule has been issued that 30 days early for renewals is now the max limit, so be prepared with a good excuse, which I had, but also maybe an acknowledgement that a favor has been done!

[tutsiwarrior]

I got stamps transferred into a new passport yesterday as well as an extension and re-entry at the same time,

yeah, me too at the Ayudtthaya office in December where they are courteous and efficient...the US Embassy had issued a letter with the new passport requesting thai immigration assistance with the transfer of stamps from old to new passports but it wasn't required...

Edited March 2, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[MrMuddle]

Beano, I have a retirement extension / visa. I'm going to cut the corners off the passport when I go for my annual renewal in May, we'll see what happens. I'll take the new passport receipt with me, as lungbing suggests. I'll also go 30 days early, in case of problems.

I've used the UK government website to request that a letter be included with all new UK passports posted abroad, in an effort to eliminate problems.

is 200-300 baht the normal rate for a residency letter? They charged me 1000 last year, (it was a requirement for my first Thai driving licence)

Thanks to all for replies / advice.

[rawhod]

Chiang Mai charge 500Baht for a residency letter

[overherebc]

Beano, I have a retirement extension / visa. I'm going to cut the corners off the passport when I go for my annual renewal in May, we'll see what happens. I'll take the new passport receipt with me, as lungbing suggests. I'll also go 30 days early, in case of problems.

I've used the UK government website to request that a letter be included with all new UK passports posted abroad, in an effort to eliminate problems.

is 200-300 baht the normal rate for a residency letter? They charged me 1000 last year, (it was a requirement for my first Thai driving licence)

Thanks to all for replies / advice.

Just a thought that if you have any other visas that are still valid don't cut through the corners on them. Fold the pages out of the way.

May not apply to your good self but may to others.

[Learned]

I went to Bangkok Chaeng Watna the other day to get an extension of stay on my Ed Visa and also transfer stamps to my new British passport,

Had to pay 1900 for the extension but nothing for the transfer but did have to take photocopies of old and new passport and a passport photo and fill out the relevant form. The guy made me cut off the corner of the old passport.

[Fgis]

Hello,

Do you now if they transfer visa from old passport to new passport at Pattaya Jomtien immigration ? Or need to go to Bkk ?

Thanks.

[lopburi3]

Visas can never be transferred. You must use both passport for new entry if you have valid visa in old passport. Only non immigrant extensions of stay require transfer at office making the extension. All visa entries are taken care of at departure point.