Hi,

I live in Bangkok and have just received my new Australian passport.

Naturally, my Extension of Stay and last entry stamp are in the old passport.

I will be leaving the country in 2 weeks for a short visit home.

Can I just go to the airport with 2 passports and hope that the airport staff will let me leave (and return) smoothly - or do I have to go to Chaeng Wattana and have the relevant stamps transferred to the new passport.

Many thanks for your help

If you have an extension you need to visit Chaeng Watthana to have it transferred (takes up 2 pages, free), there are reports of it getting done at the airport but I wouldn't risk it myself.

If you also have a re-entry permit (which you would need as you have an extension) you get that transferred separately from your extension (stupid I know), again free.

If you have an extension of stay transfer must be done at the immigration office you obtained that from - not at airport. Airport do if you are here on a visa entry of 90 days or less.

Strange comments as I have renewed my Brit passport 3 times, over 30 odd years, here in Thailand and have always gone to the airport with both passports and had all extensions stamped from the old to the new with no fuss or bother

That might be true and at the airport they are often accomodating in order to let you catch your plane, but correct procedure is that you go to your own immigraiton office (when) on an extension of stay and fill in the form there and submit the required copies of both passports.

That they are willing to do it will not mean that they will do it everytime. Especially when there is a huge crowd you do run the risk of being told to go to your own immigration office and sort it out there. Airport immigration is a checkpoint, not an office.

Many thanks for your advice. Will take a trip to Chaeng Wattana, just to be on the safe side

Many thanks for your advice. Will take a trip to Chaeng Wattana, just to be on the safe side

Don't forget the re-entry permit for your trip.

I also have recently obtained a new passport from the nanny state of australia and had to visit the local immigration here in chonbury to obtain a 30 day ext.

They asked me for a letter from the Oz embassy stating that I have recently obtained a new passport. I called the consular assistance section of the embassy and luckily the lady who answered was most helpful and faxed a brief letter direct to immigration. It was a 1 line letter with the numbers of the old and the new passport on it.

Its obviously a crazy requirement for them to ask for this letter considering I had the old and new passport on me with photo id - thai driving licence. Adopting the 'mai pen rai' attitude, one phone call sorted it for me. I would take the phone number of the oz embassy just in case if I were you.

Immigration always require a letter from embassy when transferring stamps and etc. They often accept the receipt for the new passport fees also.

Best to ask for letter when picking up the passport.

I went to Chaeng Wattana last week and all went smoothly. In and out in 30 minutes. And they did NOT ask for a letter from the Australian embassy - which was good because I did not have one...

I also went to Chaeng Wattana yesterday and got stamps moved to new passport. Can confirm: No Letter from Embassy is required! Was not even mentioned!

C

Yeah I had my stamps moved into my new Aussie passport late last year and there was no request for a letter from the Embassy.

So Chaeng Wattana transferred the Extension stamps, but not the Multiple Re-entry permit.

And I forgot to ask them about this.

Can I assume that I can re-enter the country with the Multiple Re-entry Permit still in the old passport?

I would not presume that, as the consequences of making the wrong presumption are you will lose your permission to stay.

Should be transferred to the new passport, or buy a new re-entry permit at the airport.

If the period of stay has changed (as in getting the full time of a previous shorted extension due to passport expiration) that old re-entry permit is no longer valid and a new one will be required.

If the period of stay has changed (as in getting the full time of a previous shorted extension due to passport expiration) that old re-entry permit is no longer valid and a new one will be required.

Edited:

I pointed this out to Jomtien immigration that they forgot to transfer my multi-entry re-entry permit to my new passport. My old passport expired June 2013. As did the re-entry permit. So you're saying I lose that permit completely now? The officer said to me just show both passports to indicate the re-entry permit. Is he wrong?

Edited February 7, 201313 yr by Kaoboi Bebobp

Strange comments as I have renewed my Brit passport 3 times, over 30 odd years, here in Thailand and have always gone to the airport with both passports and had all extensions stamped from the old to the new with no fuss or bother

Since the topic has turned to re-entry permits. Did immigration also transfer the re-entry permits? Or did you have to buy new one?

Thanks Mario and lopburi, so you are saying I should go to Chaeng Wattana and get the Multiple Re-entry Permit transferred to the new passport as well?

And lopburi, my old passport was simply running out of pages, rather than expiring.

I suspect you would just use the re-entry permit in the old passport as you would do with a visa when a new passport is issued if the extension of stay stamp has not changed.

If the extension of stay period has changed the old re-entry permit would not be valid and do not believe they are covered by the new passport/extend for the full year that one year extensions receive. So a new one would be required.

The extension of stay period has not changed.

So should I risk coming back with the multiple re-entry permit in the old passport?

I could confirm either at immigration or at airport (where you can buy if needed).

So to be on the safe side I went to Chaeng Wattana this morning and had the Multiple Re-entry stamp transferred to the new passport as well.

Thanks very much for your help!

I also have recently obtained a new passport from the nanny state of australia and had to visit the local immigration here in chonbury to obtain a 30 day ext.

They asked me for a letter from the Oz embassy stating that I have recently obtained a new passport. I called the consular assistance section of the embassy and luckily the lady who answered was most helpful and faxed a brief letter direct to immigration. It was a 1 line letter with the numbers of the old and the new passport on it.

Its obviously a crazy requirement for them to ask for this letter considering I had the old and new passport on me with photo id - thai driving licence. Adopting the 'mai pen rai' attitude, one phone call sorted it for me. I would take the phone number of the oz embassy just in case if I were you.

I was also asked for a letter from the British embassy stating i had obtained a new passport. As the passport applications are processed in Hong Kong, i couldn't get one. Eventually, they transferred the stamps without the proof of a letter. As usual with immigration, it must depend on the officer you get as nothing seems to be consistent there.

I was never asked for an embassy statement about my new passport at Jomtien immigration when I had my extension transferred in late January this year. Consistency, thy name is unknown.

Edited February 8, 201313 yr by Kaoboi Bebobp

I suspect you would just use the re-entry permit in the old passport as you would do with a visa when a new passport is issued if the extension of stay stamp has not changed.

If the extension of stay period has changed the old re-entry permit would not be valid and do not believe they are covered by the new passport/extend for the full year that one year extensions receive. So a new one would be required.

Update on non-transference of re-entry permit for new passport. I visited Jomtien immigration last week in a last gasp attempt to double-check why my (missing) re-entry permit was not transferred to my new passport. I have an extension based on retirement.

Based on my visit, I cannot tell you exactly why. The foreigner helping at the front desk graciously took my two passports "behind the lines" and asked. I could see an assistant looking, briefly explaining something and going back to her tasks. He came back and replied that I have to buy a new re-entry permit. That's all he could say.

In summary, I believe that what Lopburi3 says above (bold face) applies in my case. (cough#cashgrab#cough)

My extension of stay date in my new passport is two months later than my (shorted) re-entry permit date in the old passport. The permit is toast. There goes 3800 baht and 7 months of usage (from date of passport renewal in January if the permit could have been transferred with its end date of August like my extension period).

Lesson learned for next passport renewal.