Uk Passport From Hk

[phibunmike]

My new UK passport was issued in Hong Kong, in accordance with the new rules, and sent to me in Thailand. I just went to my local immigration office (Phibun), to get my non-'O' visa transferred to it. They would not accept the new passport, because it was not issued in Bangkok, and has no entry stamp in it. They said I need a letter from the British Embassy to state that the passport is real. After some discussion, they said my receipt for the passport would be accceptable - so I have to go back with additional paperwork.

Has anyone else had this problem? Surely it is a common scenario.

Be advised, then to take with you any documentation you have to support your new passport :-)

Cheers,

Mike

Edited May 8, 2012 by phibunmike

[chiang mai]

Thanks for the heads up, I have to replace mine in a few months. Presumably you took your old passport with you on that visit, it's pretty amazing that they gave you hassle for that reason.

[phibunmike]

Thanks for the heads up, I have to replace mine in a few months. Presumably you took your old passport with you on that visit, it's pretty amazing that they gave you hassle for that reason.

Yes, I had the old passport with me. I don't understand the logic behind it.

[chiang mai]

Classic chicken and egg, can't get the visa becuase no entry stamp, can't get an entry stamp because no visa, you should have asked Immigration what they wanted you to do, it would have kept them entertained for hours.

[lopburi3]

A visa can not and will not be transferred into a new passport. Only if you are on extension of stay do you need to visit immediate and they will transfer that stamps and the original visa data (but not the visa). If you are on a visa entry (60/90 days or so) you just present both passports when you exit country under current policy. If you have a valid visa in old passport you continue to use that by presenting both passports.

[Pomthai]

Could you tell me when you sent it off and how long before you received the new one was? Total time from door to door as it were or from funds being deducted from credit card. Mines being processed now and I'm curious as to how long it takes in the real world.

Thanks a lot.

[phibunmike]

Could you tell me when you sent it off and how long before you received the new one was? Total time from door to door as it were or from funds being deducted from credit card. Mines being processed now and I'm curious as to how long it takes in the real world.

Thanks a lot.

Mine took the 4 weeks they estimated - or possibly less, as I did not check earlier. I had it returned to the embassy in BKK, where I collected it, as DHL do not normally deliver to my location (Ubon) and I did not want it to go by post (when I receive DHL shipments from elsewhere, they cease tracking in Bangkok and arrive by mail from there). I have since been told that DHL *do* deliver passports here.

Lopburi>> I asked if simply leaving and re-entering with both passports would work (as I have often done it with a Singapore-issued UK passport, but always getting a stamp on entry) but immigration said they would not accept the new passport without an entry stamp. I am not convinced of that. I was hoping to get a new visa in the new passport to avoid carrying two passports around (actually 3 passports, because my last entry was on an Emergency Passport whilst waiting for the new one to arrive, and the visa and re-entry stamps are in the previous one).

Edit>> To be accurate, she said they would not accept a passport not issued in Thailand that had no entry stamp.

Edited May 8, 2012 by phibunmike

[lopburi3]

The key is extension of stay or visa entry? If a normal visa entry they will take care of it at border as you exit. If an immigration extension of stay you need to visit the office providing the extension first to transfer the extension. You likely have an extension of stay from immigration (you paid 1,900 baht and used a TM.7 at some point)?

[lungbing]

Some embassies issue a letter of authenticity for their new passports, if asked. The Uk embassy does not. You must keep the receipt. When I last did mine, about 8 years ago, the receipt was a faded bit of paper very similar to a 7-11 receipt and my immigration office, then at Nong Khai, wanted to see it. Moving the extension-to-stay stamp over was a matter of filling in a simple form, and it was free too!

[beano2274]

Am on an extension of stay, last year I received my new UK Passport, took the old one and the new one to my local office (Nonthaburi), they duly stamped the relevant details into my new passport, took up two pages. There were no problems and no letter from the Embassy was required.

[QED]

Am on an extension of stay, last year I received my new UK Passport, took the old one and the new one to my local office (Nonthaburi), they duly stamped the relevant details into my new passport, took up two pages. There were no problems and no letter from the Embassy was required.

Same here, got mine in August from Hong Kong and no issues. UK passports have been coming by courier from HK for over a year now, and any Immi officer should know that. Sounds like your's was being deliberately obtuse, maybe rag week?

[evadgib]

New passports show "FCO" or "IPS" with no reference to where they were actually issued. The latter stands for Identity & Passport Service.

HTH

Edited May 8, 2012 by evadgib

[digitalchromakey]

New passports show "FCO" or "IPS" with no reference to where they were actually issued. The latter stands for Identity & Passport Service.

HTH

Good Point - UK passports issued overseas have been marked as issued by 'FCO' for yonks now, not as issued in Bangkok.

So the Thai Immigration Officer had no way of knowing where a UK Passport was issued.

Immigration could have easily verified through their on line system if the passport holder had been in Thailand throughout the period since the new passport was issued.

However it appears in this case that that the OP travelled outside of Thailand on a temporary passport whilst waiting for the new one - maybe it is this that caused the issue.

OP - was your re-entry permit actioned correctly with the temporary passport i.e. is your 'Enter Until' date still the same as was given with your last one year extension?

[phibunmike]

...

However it appears in this case that that the OP travelled outside of Thailand on a temporary passport whilst waiting for the new one - maybe it is this that caused the issue.

OP - was your re-entry permit actioned correctly with the temporary passport i.e. is your 'Enter Until' date still the same as was given with your last one year extension?

When I exited Thailand with the old (cancelled) passport and the temporary passport, the immigration officer glanced at the temporary one, cast it to one side, and stamped my exit in the cancelled passport.

When I re-entered Thailand, with the same two passports, they stamped my entry corrrectly in the temporary passport, with the corrrect one-year extension date.

I can no longer find the receipt from the embassy for the new passport, so I have decided that I will try leaving and re-entering. I will report back here when I have done that, but not sure yet when it will be....

The concept of using a simple paper document as some means of authentification of a passport (which passport? - the two documents are not attached, so any real or fake passport with the same number?) appears non-sensical. Surely anyone capable of counterfeiting a passport could make a fake letter or receipt?

[phibunmike]

...

UK passports have been coming by courier from HK for over a year now, and any Immi officer should know that. Sounds like your's was being deliberately obtuse, maybe rag week?

You might be right. She was not the same lady I usually deal with...

[OJAS]

New passports show "FCO" or "IPS" with no reference to where they were actually issued. The latter stands for Identity & Passport Service.

HTH

Good Point - UK passports issued overseas have been marked as issued by 'FCO' for yonks now, not as issued in Bangkok.

So the Thai Immigration Officer had no way of knowing where a UK Passport was issued.

Immigration could have easily verified through their on line system if the passport holder had been in Thailand throughout the period since the new passport was issued.

However it appears in this case that that the OP travelled outside of Thailand on a temporary passport whilst waiting for the new one - maybe it is this that caused the issue.

OP - was your re-entry permit actioned correctly with the temporary passport i.e. is your 'Enter Until' date still the same as was given with your last one year extension?

Even passports issued in the UK don't indicate the location of the issuing passport office - and haven't for ages either. For example, mine, which is due to expire next year, is merely stated as having been issued by "UKPA". On this basis the good lady at Phibun Immigration referred to by the OP could presumably, in theory, quibble any British passport.

[Badbanker]

The reason no place of issue is mentioned in a UK passport, is that this is one of the security questions immigration officers ask you, when they want to know if this is your real passport or a fake one.

They have access to this info on line to verify that you are the original passport holder.

[billd766]

Just out of curiosity I have 2 UK pasports perfectly legally for travelling to Muslim and non Muslim countries.

The one that my Thai visa extension and entry stamp in is valid for a couple of years and the other expired in September 2008.

Could I send the expired one off for renewal and when the current one expires get the stamps transferred across?

[Mario2008]

Probably not, but you can certainly try once the passport with the visa and extension is no longer valid to get them transfered to the new passport.

[billd766]

Probably not, but you can certainly try once the passport with the visa and extension is no longer valid to get them transfered to the new passport.

Thank you for the info..

I think that was what I meant to say but I am not sure if the UK would renew the expired passport as it is nearly 4 years past the best before date.

[spacebass]

As my passport is full of stamps I have been looking into replacing it.

It would appear that although the application will be processed in Honk Kong the actual new passport will be dispatched by DHL from the UK not from Honk Kong as cited in more than one post on this thread.

[spacebass]

...

UK passports have been coming by courier from HK for over a year now, and any Immi officer should know that. Sounds like your's was being deliberately obtuse, maybe rag week?

You might be right. She was not the same lady I usually deal with...

Maybe Thai

[beano2274]

As my passport is full of stamps I have been looking into replacing it.

It would appear that although the application will be processed in Honk Kong the actual new passport will be dispatched by DHL from the UK not from Honk Kong as cited in more than one post on this thread.

Very true and correct, from IPS.