I plan on renewing my US passport when the Embassy outreach is in Pattaya. Do I give them my old passport? How long will it take?

Another question: Is it safe to have the embassy mail it to me? or should I go to BKK to pick it up?

Thanks in advance

Normally takes about 10 days and yes mail should be safe and no they do not keep old passport unless for legal court action.

- You do not surrender your current passport.

- It takes 2 to 3 weeks.

- Their website says the passport must be picked up at the Consulate by yourself or an authorized representative (i.e. someone with a letter from you). I believe this is required because the old passport needs to be invalidated. Mailing back to you is only part of adding pages.

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/passports.html

I renewed my passport at the Embassy here in Bangkok last year. I am pretty sure they kept my current passport during the processing time period, but obviously returned it with holes punched in the front and back covers (corners).

At that time it took ~ 8 calendar days, which is impressive - not even sure how that is possible given the transit times. They send an email to you when your new passport is available to be picked up.

You have to apply in person, signing the application in front of a Consular officer, while the new passport can be picked up in person by you and your authorized (not sure how that is done) agent.

You can do it both ways actually. If you give the outreach your current passport along with the application for a renewal, then they will EMS back to you the new passport when ready along with the cancelled old passport. Alternatively, you can keep your current passport and when your new passport is ready at the embassy, you can appear in person or arrange for an authorized person to pickup the new passport and have the old one cancelled then by the consular officer. The entire process seems to take about 2 weeks from my experience.

As said in previous posts, about 12 days mailed to my door after leaving application with Canadian Embassy...... Much faster than it I was living in Canada.......

You can keep the old one, they will just "stamp" two holes in the front ID page. You keep the passport until the new one is ready for pickup.

You will be able to keep the old passport. They will not mail it to you.

Info here including link to download form: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/passports.html

Thank you all for your information. I get a little confused when doing something like this. My previous renewals were done in the US. I still seem a bit apprehensive about using the mail & being without my passport...I will probably opt to pick it up at the embassy...will have to squeeze my fat old self onto a bus.

Thanks

If renewing by mail in the States, as I found out a few months back, your new passport and old passport are mailed/returned to you in separate envelopes. I got a little ansy when the new passport showed up solo. Then, I read the small print about old passport will be returned separately. Which it was -- about a week after the new passport.

If you want the new passport returned to you by mail you have to surrender your current passport as they will cancel it and return it along with your new passport. If you pick up your new passport at the embassy you can retain your current passport as they will cancel it when you go to the embassy to obtain the new one.

I applied for a new passport on the afternoon of 06 June at one of the Pattaya outreach visits. On 13 June I received an email notifying me that my new passport was ready to be picked up at the embassy. Date of issue was 08 June.

-redwood

If you want the new passport returned to you by mail you have to surrender your current passport as they will cancel it and return it along with your new passport. If you pick up your new passport at the embassy you can retain your current passport as they will cancel it when you go to the embassy to obtain the new one.

I applied for a new passport on the afternoon of 06 June at one of the Pattaya outreach visits. On 13 June I received an email notifying me that my new passport was ready to be picked up at the embassy. Date of issue was 08 June.

-redwood

Redwood is spot on. I renewed my passport at the Khon Kaen outreach program this past June 14. They kept the old passport, which was returned to me with the new passport via EMS about 2 weeks later.