Savanaket Using 2 Passports? Any Possible Issues

[jonnyscot]

Hi, I'm off to savanaket next week, so just a few questions that are niggling me, any advice appreciated.

I use 2 uk passports for work purposes, the passport I'm using now which has my 1 year non imm o based on marriage has only 4 or 5 pages left, based on some advice on here from lopburi I'm planning on applying at savanaket for the 1 year non imm o based on marriage, then at the end of this year apply for an extension for a further year,

As mentioned the current passport with the now expired visa has only a few pages left I'll be using this current one to exit Thailand and enter Laos,

then use the second one for the thai visa application,

but unsure as to which one I should use on reentry to Thailand,, I expect to be Leaving Thailand to return to work a week or so later so days permitted to stay in Thailand isn't a problem on reentry from laos

I'm also concerned whether the new 1 year non imm o visa requires to be used within a certain time period after issue?,

additionally could there be any issue with applying for the visa in my second passport at savanaket when that passport doesn't show an entry stamp for Laos?

Also I've never entered via a land border before so if I reenter on the passport without the visa, am I required to show ticket out of Thailand?

Thanks

[lopburi3]

Highly recommend you fly to Malaysia first and return on the passport you want to use before entry to Laos (or obtain visa there if you can provide the 100k in a bank account required by KL). Change of passport on land borders crossings is almost impossible and believe Consulates in Laos do check for your entry in the passport before issuing visa.

[ilgitano]

I'm in a somewhat similar position. I have both UK and NZ passports. I tried changing over while returning from malaysia, and since he couldn't find the exit stamp I had to stay with the first passport. I tried once at mai sai to just come straight back in to thailand without crossing into burma and got told I had to cross into burma. No exit stamp (from burma)

I've reached the same conclusion lopburi3 has - fly to some other country, and changeover the passport on entry at the airport.

The OP only needs to fly into Laos, and change over his passport on arrival, so he'll have the required entry stamp. As long as he's using land travel, he's stuck with the one passport.

I have noted that on entry/exit to UK on uk passport, and entry/exit to NZ on NZ passport, nothing is entered in the passport (no stamps) so arriving at the airport in Laos with a completely unmarked passport should be perfectly reasonable.

Don't take this as ironclad, these are only my own conclusions from experience. I have used both passports, I have changed over once only - went from NZ to UK on entry to the UK, been on the UK one ever since.

[jonnyscot]

Thankfully nothing's booked yet as I'd planned on just driving to mukdahan, so looks like the best options are international flights into savanaket, which seem to be difficult to get hold of at short notice or travel to KL instead as Lop mentioned, I suppose another alternative may be to use the current passport to renew visa and although not many pages left, will last me for the duration of the years visa (around 6 entry/exit stamps for me) plus maybe a year extension with reentry permit giving further time,, just out of interest, is the extension + reentry both stamps? similar to a visa that takes up a whole page??

[lopburi3]

In Bangkok they take up half a page but at some locations it seems to use the full page (center stamp).

[Ackybang]

Hi Jonnyscot, your exit / entry stamps are just stamps, not full page affairs.

As for a non-o, I can't say, but a 1-2 entry tourist visa is a page. I believe consideration / extension stamps on a non-o is around a half to one page.

You need to get your new Thai visa in the same passport as you exit Thailand / enter / exit Laos / re-enter Thailand, otherwise immigration will ignore your visa, and stamp you back in for 15 days - wasting your time and money.

Coincidently enough, this happened to a guy I travelled over the border with last Year, and as much as I tried to help him with immigration, as he couldn't speak a word of Thai - they were having none of it - so it would seem the Consulate in SVK doesn't necessarily check for entries.

The only exclusion to this rule is when you're on a full, old passport, and need to continue travelling on a new one, aslong as they're both the same Nationality. It's none of my biz, obviously, but if you 're off to work soon after re-entering Thailand, why bother with a visa atall, other than a 15 day stamp - and then you can use whatever passport you like.

Your post seems a bit confusing - you're on a marriage visa already, and you're applying for another ?

Why not wait until you come back to apply for a new non-o, and get your monies worth - in terms of validity - or are you in / out frequently ? (not in a clockwork orange context).

Happy travels.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Ackybang

[TerryLH]

"...current one to exit Thailand and enter Laos,

then use the second one for the thai visa application,

but unsure as to which one I should use on reentry to Thailand,, I expect to be Leaving Thailand to return to work a week or so later so days permitted to stay in Thailand isn't a problem on reentry from laos" "I'm also concerned whether the new 1 year non imm o visa requires to be used within a certain time period after issue?"

That will work. Re-enter on the old passport and get 15 days. Go to work. Re=enter with new passport with new visa in it.

If it's a 1 year visa, you'll have 1 year to enter Thailand with it.

"You need to get your new Thai visa in the same passport as you exit Thailand / enter / exit Laos / re-enter Thailand, otherwise immigration will ignore your visa, and stamp you back in for 15 days - wasting your time and money."

That's probably exactly what he wants, for immigration to ignore the visa in the 2nd passport. He wants/should enter on the first pp for 15 days. Leave and go to work, re-enter on new pp.

[jonnyscot]

Thanks for the advice guys

[NanLaew]

I had to do a passport 'shuffle' last January and used KL. Flew out from Bangkok on Ethiopian's early afternoon departure as it was the cheapest of the full-service carriers. On arrival, I hung about in the hub of international arrivals at KUL for an hour or so before taking the train to the main terminal and actually entering Malaysia. Did this to minimise the time land-side at the airport as there's bugger all there and it is miles from the city. Grabbed a burger, topped up my Maxis SIM card and checked in for the return flight on the same plane. Cleared immigration and took the train back out to the hub, hung out in the lounge, bought some cigars and boarded. Back in LOS for midnight.

[jonnyscot]

Hi terry and ackybang, yes terry you've hit the nail on the head re what I planned,, maybe my explanation of my situation wasn't so clear,, sorry guys,,, according to the info already received here, looks as though I can't use my second passport for the submission to the Thai consular for the visa application if I use the land border crossing, unless I fly from bkk to Sav, changing passports in flight so to speak,,

Ackybang, I know that I have the option to travel out to work and make the visa next trip back, but don't want to take the risk of booking an onward flight ticket and having probs making it back on time for the onward flight, for the visa, last work rotation was expected to be 5 weeks but turned into 8+ weeks,,

[TerryLH]

"...looks as though I can't use my second passport for the submission to the Thai consular for the visa application if I use the land border crossing,..."

That should not be a problem. The problem would only occur if you tried to use the 2nd pp to return here.

Re-enter on the 1st pp. Keep the 2nd one with the new visa in your pocket. Don't show it. You'll get 15 days.

Go to work, using the 1st pp to exit the country.

When you return, use the pp with the visa in it.

Terry

[Ackybang]

Hey mate, now I'm confused.

I may be misinterpreting this, and you may know better, as I don't use two passports concurrently, but is it possible to leave thailand on a 'spare' passport with an expired visa in it, without incurring some questions / problems ?

Indeed, if you manage to leave Thailand / enter Laos on that pp, you can certainly use the other pp for a visa application, but I'm not sure you wouldn't have a problem down the line, with a passport containing a visa issued in Laos, with no entry stamp into Laos to support it's application.

Immigration always seem to scrutinise my passport for previous movements / visas / stamps whenever I exit / enter a Country.

Like I said, I'm not sure - but what is sure is if you don't want any hassle or worries / uncertainty, and want it easy -

If you exit Thailand / enter Laos on your passport with your current valid visa, and then apply for a new visa, exit Laos / re-enter Thailand on the same passport, for sure you'll have no quandries or problems -

If you want the visa for sure, and you're leaving the Country soon after, can't you get your visa frozen at immigration before you go, so as not to forego any validity ? This is certainly the case with a non-b multiple entry. All it means is you have to buy another passport a bit sooner down the road than later, but this is a given inevitability anyway.

I would be interested to know how you get on, or indeed if it's possible to do it the way you want / inline with what Terry says, without any hassles / headaches / unnecessary expense.

Best of Luck, and happy travels.

[jonnyscot]

Terry, thanks,,, that's exactly what I'd initially planned to do, until Lopburi advised against this, since I'm not familiar with the land border crossings, I'm just a wee bit concerned about any possible issues there may be,, I have rechecked my pages in the first p/p and think I could still have sufficient pages for the visa + 1 year of entry/exit stamps according to my schedule but debatable whether I may manage space for a further year of extension/reentry stamps, and would like to start trying to making extensions rather than travelling outside renewing visas,, to be honest I'm getting pissed of the travelling.

Thanks

'TerryLH' ...Re-enter on the 1st pp. Keep the 2nd one with the new visa in your pocket. Don't show it. You'll get 15 days.Go to work, using the 1st pp to exit the country.When you return, use the pp with the visa in it.Terry

[bangkokburning]

Yeah, if nothing else basic question on app is wbeb were you last in Thailand. If you are in Vientiane and esp Savanaket snswer is oretty much yesterday or at max within thirty days with almost no exception. You will nit have proper exit stamp, whats worse you will have some old exit stamp or maybe worst of all, none. If you are lucky, they would hold your pp. Not lucky, kick it back.

But when your explanation is....ohhh, my stamp is in this duplicate passport blah blah - you are done.

They won't eant to hear anytbing about second jobs or blow jobs. Tbey will think you are scamming them and not suprised very much question second pp. You may even get blacklisted.

My 2bahts worth

[jonnyscot]

Blacklisted for having a second passport? Don't think so, I understand that some countries don't recognise the use of second pp, but worst case scenario is they'll refuse the application, which is why I'm posting here to get some sensible advice,, don't know what blow jobs or second jobs have got to do with it??

[NanLaew]

I do recall doing a passport shuffle on a short Vientiane trip several years ago without any issues. However, BOTH passports already had Thai visas, one had a 1-year Non-O multi issued in Hull and the other a 1-year Non-B multi issued in Houston. I understand that the land crossing 'shuffle' becomes impossible when there's a new visa being applied for during the Lao visit. Doing the shuffle via an airport border crossing doesn't cause problems. I guess the whole point is to make it harder for the cheapest (least desirable?) multiple local tourist visa runner/applicant versus the more legitimate perpetual tourists that can afford the occasional plane ticket. This is the Thai Immigration perception, not mine.

[Khonwan]

I chanced it 17 years ago: left Thailand at Pedang Besar on my first British passport, entered Malaysia on my second British passport, then returned, a few minutes later, to the same Thai immigration officer with my second passport. He looked at it, scratched his head, made some comment to my wife (not yet married at the time but arround 7 months due with our first daughter), and stamped me in. I think he probably thought about challenging it but also realized that the second passport appeared (and was) genuine so just stamped me in (30 days) to avoid any hassle (or out of sympathy for my wife).

[jonnyscot]

Nanlaew, that's interesting that you managed to get 2 Thai visas on different passports at the same time, maybe a future option for me to try.

[bangkokburning]

Blacklisted for having a second passport? Don't think so, I understand that some countries don't recognise the use of second pp, but worst case scenario is they'll refuse the application, which is why I'm posting here to get some sensible advice,, don't know what blow jobs or second jobs have got to do with it??

In my opinion and that is all it is, two pp from different countries ok, I think the staff are not going to be happy but stuff happens. People emigrate etc...

Two pp for one country requires explaining. IMO they aint got time fo' dat. The stafg deal with all sorts of dicey peopke and remember while most of us are good joes, there are liads of criminals that find harbor in Thailand.

It is my opinion that if they knew about two pp they might flag you as undesirable. Might. Staff esp low level flunkies don't care why. If you need to travel to Israel and Saudi, fine. Use one pp for Thailand! With the flood of things they deal with, imo they might see two pp as really dodgy (I assume different pp numbers?) simply not want to deal with it - next.

Edited March 9, 2013 by bangkokburning