Visa Run With A Less Than 6 Months Valid Passport?

[frenchFARANGbkk]

hello,

Do you know what happen if you're still in LOS when your password has less than 6 months of validity, and you want to make a visa run in a close border like Malaysia, Cambodia, or Laos ?

Do thai custom impeach you to come back to Thailand because your passport has less than 6 months of validity?

Thank you.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GO TO CAMBODIA OR MALAYSIA, FROM THAILAND, WITH A 4 months valid passport?

[Axel]

I would not take the risk. Malaysia, Cambodia, or Laos have the same rules, 6 months. So you arrive in either country and they do not let you in. Back to Thailand, they neither let you in. And than?

Why don't you just extent the validity or get a new pp? If it takes too long to get a new one from back home (mine takes at least 6 weeks) your embassy might be able to issue a temporary one until the real one arrives.

[opalhort]

you won't be able to get a new visa with a passport which expires within 6 months but you may be able to get a new entry stamp on a current multi visa or 30 day stamp, but it is a very big MAYBE! you could well be refused entry with a passport like that.

get a new one first, if time is short most emabassies issue a one year emergancy passport for this purpose which can be obtained within 1-2 days.

opalhort

[Pi Sua]

I don't know for the other but for French, althought you can't apply for a visa if you have less than 6 months validity, you can get a 30 day visa on arrival if you've got at least three months validity.

This is on the website of the French embassy and for once, it's true.

I did it personnaly and faced no problems. Just the immigrations officers every months showed me that it was going to finish.

I don't know for Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia but at least it works in Myanmar at Maesot Border and there, the Burmese are not the most friendly you can find.

[Roger13]

French Farang

Ask your Embassy if they can Issue a New Passport

to you in Bangkok.

The British Embassy does so - without any

hassle on production of your existing Passport.

Otherwise maybe your Embassy can extend the

validity of your Current Passport.

Roger

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I don't know for the other but for French, althought you can't apply for a visa if you have less than 6 months validity, you can get a 30 day visa on arrival if you've got at least three months validity.

This is on the website of the French embassy and for once, it's true.

I did it personnaly and faced no problems. Just the immigrations officers every months showed me that it was going to finish.

I don't know for Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia but at least it works in Myanmar at Maesot Border and there, the Burmese are not the most friendly you can find.

Altogether too risky in the present situation.

[Pi Sua]

The probleme is that the French embassy takes now three months to give a new passeport even wether it is just for an extension or to change a fully stamped one. They do not do it easily and they do not deliver normal passeports anymore, exept for 6 months or 1 year, in both cases under very special circumstances.

ATTENTION: They'll stop deliver temporary passeports on the first April 2004!

They, since october 2003, deliver "numeric passeports" and there is only one place where they make it and it is at Nantes in France. So, it takes very long time.

So, even if they accept to give you a normal passeport (I mean not a temporary one), the time you've left to get it is over. The only way for you is to get a temporary one that cost 34 euros and apply simultaneously (they allow it) for a new one that cost 69 euros. In your case alltogether 103 euros.

However, I don't find it too risky but maybe a bit stressing and I maintain (exept if they have changed the regulations very recently but I never heard about such things) that the Thais won't reject you with less than six months validity but I don't know if you can get to Malaysia with less than six months. That is the think you should ask to the embassy as the same time you'll ask for a new passeport.

Everything depend on your plans and your financial possibilities.

This is from the website of the French embassy and exept the 500 baths mistake, the contains are rigth. Sorry for this French part.

Le gouvernement thaïlandais autorise les ressortissants de 56 pays, dont ceux de l'Union européenne, à entrer sur le territoire national sans visa pour un séjour de moins de 30 jours.

Ce séjour peut être étendu de sept à dix jours, pour un montant de 500 bahts, au bureau de l'immigration. Seule condition : la validité du passeport doit-être de plus de trois mois à l'arrivée en Thaïlande.

Good luck

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You are brave Bruno....very brave. Note the info that your Embassy provides is out of date since 26 August 2003. Extensions are now 1900 baht not 500 baht.

[Pi Sua]

This is from the website of the French embassy and exept the 500 baths mistake, the contains are rigth.

You are brave Bruno....very brave. Note the info that your Embassy provides is out of date since 26 August 2003. Extensions are now 1900 baht not 500 baht.

Thanks Doc, you might have read too fast because I talked about this mistake in my reply.

As you know, I've already informed the French embassy about this "500 bahts " mistake and the "20 day tolerance" and the "100 baht fine" but from the date I did it and so did Georges, unfortunately nothing has changed.

I don't know what they expect and I feel very sorry for my people who are led straight in deep troubles.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

ooooops sorry Bruno. The 100 baht a day goes back to about 1998. The French were leaders in diplomacy forever...where did it all go wrong ? Dress nicely when you go and discuss your problem with the officers before you exit Thailand. Tell 'em Sartantoot Farangset mai dee....get 'em laughing.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

French Farang

Ask your Embassy if they can Issue a New Passport

to you in Bangkok.

The British Embassy does so - without any

hassle on production of your existing Passport.

Otherwise maybe your Embassy can extend the

validity of your Current Passport.

Roger

hello,

Yes, but something you must know, is that the passport officer at the french embassy is a BIG ######!

So, impossible to get a new passport, and not even a temporary passport, if you come to Thailand with a tourist visa!

But now it seems sure that Thailand accept people with at least 3 months validity passport, but I still dont know for malaysia, or cambodia.

Thanks a lot.

[opalhort]

Yes, but something you must know, is that the passport officer at the french embassy is a BIG ######!

So, impossible to get a new passport, and not even a temporary passport, if you come to Thailand with a tourist visa!

with "tourist visa" do you mean a 30-day entry stamp w/o visa? in this case there won't be enough time left on your stay in TH to process the PP application.

Otherwise every 'western' embassy, incl. the French one, does issue new passports or extends the validity of one unless you are on a CERTAIN list issued by the French authorities.

opalhort

[frenchFARANGbkk]

with "tourist visa" do you mean a 30-day entry stamp w/o visa? in this case there won't be enough time left on your stay in TH to process the PP application.

Otherwise every 'western' embassy, incl. the French one, does issue new passports or extends the validity of one unless you are on a CERTAIN list issued by the French authorities.

opalhort

You're wrong, ... not the french one:

-they issue new passports only if you are registered as living officialy in thailand

(even if it is against the french law...)

-they never extend the validity of your passport

-they issue an emergency passport, with 6 months of validity, but only in,exceptional cases they don't give the list...

(and what the use of this f*c*i*g passport if you can't go anywhere whith less than 6 months of validity!!!?)

[Axel]

Otherwise every 'western' embassy, incl. the French one, does issue new passports or extends the validity of one unless you are on a CERTAIN list issued by the French authorities.

opalhort

Opalhart, I doubt this one. New p/ports are usually only issued at the place of domicile and you must have stayed there for a minimum of 6 months. Germans don't have an obligation to register with the embassy, however, if there is none, they will ask you how long you have lived in the country. If you confirm ovr 6 months, it is ok, bearing in mind they can verify this with your Thai-entry-chop.

Emergencies, like lost p/port will be granted but needs verification of your German nationality and data, usually with your home-place, which can naturally take a few days. You can speed up the process by paying for cable-fees.

Both from own experience, albeit years ago. But I did not hear of any change and believe the rule is still the same. Check next time in building 3, counter 1, the lady (no names) is quite helpful.

[opalhort]

I apologize if I have given wrong info. probably I'm somewhat not up-to-date

at the time the EU changed to the EU passports, the German embassy took about 3 months to issue the new PPs, my old one was close to expiery and they issued me one year PP within one day. but well this was a long time ago and yes I was required to register with them. could also be they did this only during the transitional period from old to new PP

opalhort

[Axel]

They still need 6-8 weeks to have your passport printed and shipped to the embassy in LoS. But now you can chose 32 or 48 pages.

Emergency believe still do issue the green ones (b4 EU), max. 1 year.

I don't use this anymore, problem, it is not machine readable. Even BKK has counters for machinereadable only. USA is (or has meanwhile) implementing a system that says you need a visa, if your pp is not to the highest tech.

Easier way, to apply for a new one about 2-3 months in advance, roughly I know how long the present will last until full. Once full, the ne one will have arrived and than just change it.

[wowpow]

I was interested to see bruno's post that a Passport with three months life is required to apply for 30 days entry permission for tourism purposes. Then I found the Royal Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles site where it states that 6 months is required. I would be interested to know Bruno's source and any other confirmation of the length required.

I was under the impression that, some years back, European Union country's passports cannot be extended or have more pages inserted.

It's going to be interesting to see what the French Embassy have to say about this. It seems very unlikely that they do not have the facility to speedily issue a new passport or a temporary one.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I was interested to see bruno's post that a Passport with three months life is required to apply for 30 days entry permission for tourism purposes. Then I found the Royal Thai Consulate General in Los Angeles site where it states that 6 months is required. I would be interested to know Bruno's source and any other confirmation of the length required.

I was under the impression that, some years back, European Union country's passports cannot be extended or have more pages inserted.

It's going to be interesting to see what the French Embassy have to say about this. It seems very unlikely that they do not have the facility to speedily issue a new passport or a temporary one.

The Thailand rules require a 6 month validity. The French Embassy says 3 months.

Who will win this battle of wills ?