New Zealand Passport Renewal

[cycloneJ]

A full online renewal service has operated for renewal of NZ Passport since November 2012

Link here

No paper whatsoever.

Log in (set up a user name/password for this, just a few minutes), allows you to save a part-complete online application for up to seven days, attach your jpeg photo which they confirm is OK/not OK almost instantly

Provide name, contact phone and passport number of a NZer, in NZ (not family), who can verify if required (they didn't call him)

Operates 24hrs for enquiries.

My experience

Submitted completed online application Thursday evening (Thai-time) and requested delivery by DHL Courier (additional NZ$15) to DHL office in Chan city

Friday morning had email enquiring why I wanted to renew as passport had 18mths to run - 'had it been lost/stolen?'

Responded saying had just 2 blank pages remaining, confirmation email to say all OK.

Monday - confirmation email that new passport had been despatched from Wellington, NZ, and with DHL track and trace information to follow its travels.

Which I did - followed it online from Wellington-Auckland-Singapore-Bangkok-Chanthaburi

DHL telephoned on Thursday saying they had a package for me, confirmed I'd collect Saturday morning when we were in the city.

Effectively a seven-day turnaround from when i applied till when I could have had passport in-hand.

And the fee has decreased. Last time cost me NZ $155 (5 year passport). Now to reflect lower processing costs, NZ $108 plus (if required) NZ $15 courier fee.

___________

The paper/form application is still available if you choose/prefer to applying online.

[Dork]

They claim that they are the only country to offer a (completely paperless) online service.

I believe the fee decrease followed public questioning about the extra money they were making when the passport validity halved from 10 years to five.

What happens to the old passport? Do you just keep that even though it still appears valid?

[jayci]

This is awesome

[cycloneJ]

What happens to the old passport? Do you just keep that even though it still appears valid?

Yes - no need to send old passport

With new passport was a red 'CANCELLED' sticker to go on front cover of old one, plus instruction to cut top rh corner off.

Presume was cancelled electronically anyway when new one issued so of no use; took both to border Immigration last week, as per my post #54 on this thread:

New Passport - Transfer Stamp From Old Passport

My experience today with old/new passports

Received my new passport, went in to the local (Chanthaburi) Immigration Office, told they do not do transfers to new passports but to go to one of the land border crossings.

As I was in that general area today headed to Ban Pakkard one of the crossings with Cambodia.

Explained my situation - told '200 baht' and then given a form to sign when the person at the counter had written in details from old and new passports, and taken photocopies of both.

A half page stamp in old passport detailing new passport info.

A full page of stamps in new passport - which listed previous passport number and current visa expiry.

Some computer wizardry as presume they updated info.

Took her about 15 minutes in all, smiles all round, and I was off home.

No waiting, very efficient I thought - had visions of getting the run-around..

Would have to be a 10/10 for service and the overall process from the NZ passport people

Before submitting application online I'd made enquiry re delivery I wasn't willing to risk it going though normal post. Reply within an hour - and from a real person not eg 'helpdesk' who I communicated with several times to confirm I wanted to collect from DHL in the city not have them try to find/deliver here (rural). the DHL tracking service too was spot-on, I knew it was here an hour before they called.

[Dork]

What happens to the old passport? Do you just keep that even though it still appears valid?

Yes - no need to send old passport

With new passport was a red 'CANCELLED' sticker to go on front cover of old one, plus instruction to cut top rh corner off.

Presume was cancelled electronically anyway when new one issued so of no use; took both to border Immigration last week, as per my post #54 on this thread:

Certainly great service especially when compared to the hassles & delay some other nationalities face.

The self-cancellation bit does strike me as a bit dangerous though. I would have thought that a genuine NZ passport would have some value on the black market. Though the electronic cancellation would be effective in NZ (& maybe Aus) I don't think that would have any effect in many other countries.

At least a few years ago, it wasn't unheard of for hard-up western backpackers to sell their passports knowing that they could pretty easily get a new one.

[Mario2008]

Numbers of invalid passports are routinely exchanged with other countries.

[cycloneJ]

security -

may be more than just Australia!

The new security features help future-proof the New Zealand passport against fraud and maintain visa-free entry for New Zealanders into more than 50 countries.

this from the application site

• When you submit your application your previous New Zealand passport will be cancelled and cannot be used for travel. Renewing your passport can take up to 10 working days, plus delivery time.
• You do not need to send us your old passport with your renewal form.
• Your old passport should not be used for travel while your application is being processed.
• Once your new passport has been issued, your old passport will be cancelled and cannot be used for travel. If you try to use your old passport, you will be refused travel.

A forger's nightmare I'd have thought- apart from the electronic card embedded with the see-through hologram photo of the passport holder - every single page has a different colour scheme/illustration

Nothing's perfect of course, but imagine there may be easier ones to obtain/use for fraudulent purposes.

[Dork]

Yes you're right, changing the photo would be extremely difficult.

[Dork]

Numbers of invalid passports are routinely exchanged with other countries.

So you mean, for example, Thai immigration has a database of expired passport numbers from around the world? Hmmm

[lopburi3]

Yes they do - those computers are not just for show - they also can link passports and now photos/fingerprints are going on-line - this is a new world.

[cycloneJ]

^^^ that 'passport photo page' is one solid piece of (?) plastic that contains the info - the photo is printed on to it the same as the text, not inserted as a physical photo as my previous pp was - could not be removed/replaced, and the hologram would be a double-deterrent.

But now doubt someone will work out a way to duplicate.

One more thing was that the jpeg phot required had to be

• File size: Greater than 500kb and less than 10MB
• Dimensions: Minimum 900 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high -- maximum 4500 pixels wide x 6000 pixels high

that's a big photo, larger than life I think if you went to the maximum (?), used for them to record facial recognition data that would not be available from the 'old' style small passport-size photo.

[simple1]

Numbers of invalid passports are routinely exchanged with other countries.

So you mean, for example, Thai immigration has a database of expired passport numbers from around the world? Hmmm

Thailand has implemented the Advanced Passenger Information System & I believe the Movement Alert List so Thai Immigration will have the technology for tracking passport info. Of course do not know of other "under the radar" systems initiatives

[Dork]

Yes they do - those computers are not just for show - they also can link passports and now photos/fingerprints are going on-line - this is a new world.

Indeed, seems that it is. I had no idea.

[Crossy]

Calling the British Embassy, attention British Embassy.

Message begins: Read the above posts!!! Message ends:

Back in 2000 I had my passport stolen in Rome, I had my new passport in less than 24 hours. Back in 2012 I had my passport stolen in Bangkok, I had my new passport in 13 days!

Back in 1975 a cheque cleared manually in 3 working days, back in 2013 a cheque clears electronically in 7 working days (and at least one UK bank takes 5 days to clear a CASH deposit).

Isn't technology wonderful?