Need New Uk Passport But Only Have 15 Day Visa

[silopsist]

My uk passport is expiring in 8 months and is totally full, i've just found out that you can no longer get new passport from UK Embassy in Thailand. My last one was issued in bkk so though it would be easy as last time.

Anyway this causes a problem because if I send it to Hong Kong, it will take more than the 15 days I have. If I send it off and state I only have 15 days do u think they will process it extra fast? Get it back to me before my 15 day tourist visa expires.

I want to avoid going to Hong Kong as it's so expensive, is it possible to get one in one day while you wait, that is what happened when I got my last one in Bangkok. I'd love to fly in early morning and leave in evening with the new one.

If I opt for sending it by post and it takes a month or more what will happen, will I get in trouble, or will I just have to pay overstay, better still will they let me off?

Anyone with any experiance in this matter, your advice will be recieved with gratitude.

Please no flaming, perhaps i've left it last minute, but I really didn't expect the Embassy to stop issuing passports, I still find it incredible.

thanks.

[Crossy]

I suggest that you get your application sorted and ready to go and immediately you send it off do a border run (you don't send your passport with the application) and, if you can, fly back to Thailand.

That will net you a 30 day stay but you must do the run before the application is received in HK as they cancel your PP once the application arrives.

The alternative is to get an Emergency Travel document from the embassy (100 squid or thereabouts) and do border runs on that until your new passport arrives.

Or, do as you suggest and simply lay low until your new passport arrives and pay the overstay. They certainly won't let you off the overstay, and the UK PP agency are not known for their reactions to 'please hurry up' requests.

My last passport was back in my hands 10 days after the charge was taken from my Visa card.

[ThaidDown]

Just to add, you do not send old passport to Hong Kong, only copy

New passports are issued in UK, not Hong Kong, so cannot do in 1 day in HKG.

[beano2274]

If you want in one day then you will have to go back to the UK.

[silopsist]

wow, quick reply, thanks.......

I cannot use this passport as it is full, the official who stamped me in said that it cannot be used again for a border run, only to leave, but must return with a new one.

I have some visas from India, Cambodia, they take up the whole page, do u think I could take those out and use the blank page, they will come out easy, or is that a big no no. If I could do that then I could fly out and back in for 30 days as you suggest.

If I send it off as is and pay the overstay thats fine, what worries me is getting in trouble for breaking the law with the overstay and being arrested for it if I had a motorbike accident or some other unlucky event that drew attension to my expired visa before I could get to the border, pay overstay and get back into the country with a nice new legal visa. So it's not so much the overstay i'm worried about rather will they accept getting a new passport as a valid reason to overstay, much the same way as they would if you were hospitalised.

The emergency travel document looks like a great idea, it's eigher that or remove one of the visas from india or cambo and use that space to fly in and out quickly to get 30 day visa.

reducing the visa to 15 days for land based entry is a pain in the rear, was that brought in by this current lot or by the coup makers?

[beano2274]

if you remove a visa from your passport it is a criminal offense.

Sorry but if you knew your passport was full or close to being full before traveling why did you not get it renewed before hand? I had 2 pages left and got mine renewed around 6 years earlier than the expiry date.

[TerryLH]

You don't have a visa.

Hospitalization only works if you get an extension for it by applying with additional paperwork by your doctor.

15 day visa exempt entries were brought on because of people abusing the system.

A travel document from your embassy seems like it might work for you.

Terry

[silopsist]

if you remove a visa from your passport it is a criminal offense.

Sorry but if you knew your passport was full or close to being full before traveling why did you not get it renewed before hand? I had 2 pages left and got mine renewed around 6 years earlier than the expiry date.

I live here 17 years, but like I said last time I got passport in a day in bkk. I thought it would be the same. I have just left my job so lost my work permit and my non B which is why I have the crappy 15 day tourist visa.

Wow defo won't be removing any visa then, thats that ruled out then. So it looks like only real option is getting the emergency travel document.

I thought I had to send them the old passport?

[beano2274]

ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/how-to-apply/thailand/renewals

read, and note you send a copy of your passport not the original

[lopburi3]

The travel document is issued by Embassy for such need so is immediate - read this thread for someone who did this week and needed to travel to the PI (note that a visa prior to travel was required as this is not treated as a real passport).

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=modcp&fromapp=members&tab=iplookup&ip=125.25.197.7

[beano2274]

I believe that you will not get issued the emergency passport, if you apply for one you might be asked to show tickets to prove the necessity of gaining one.

[lopburi3]

If he has lived here 17 years would hope the UK Embassy would not treat him as a transit tourist. Even if he only has a visa exempt entry today.

[beano2274]

agreed lopburi, but where is the emergency that warrants the issue of this Travel document, just because the OP needs to do a visa run is not an Emergency, and the OP having been here for so long should have noted the lack of space in his passport when doing either an Extension or a border run.

It has also been known for years that the Embassy does not issue passports, but since many of us do not use the Embassy often we never know, unless you read it on here.

[lopburi3]

He can not do a visa run because the passport is full - sounds like an emergency to me.

[silopsist]

hmmmm, I think it must count as emergency as it is needed to avoid an overstay which is breaking the law.

[beano2274]

Emergency to me means urgent family matter or work travel, not a basic visa run to stay here for 15 days.

[silopsist]

Emergency to me means urgent family matter or work travel, not a basic visa run to stay here for 15 days.

perhaps, but as it's my arse, i'd say for me staying out of jail with this piece of paper makes it pretty much an emergency. So it's not a basic visa run it's a visa run whilst passport it being renewed.

It is important to stay on the right side of the law. I'm sure the embassey would rather issue emergency travel document than visit me and offer consular assistance in jail.

The more I think about it the more I think they will certainly issue the document.

Also i'm sure if you ask my wife and childeren, keeping Daddy at home and not jail is an urgent matter.

[beano2274]

Emergency to me means urgent family matter or work travel, not a basic visa run to stay here for 15 days.

perhaps, but as it's my arse, i'd say for me staying out of jail with this piece of paper makes it pretty much an emergency. So it's not a basic visa run it's a visa run whilst passport it being renewed.

It is important to stay on the right side of the law. I'm sure the embassey would rather issue emergency travel document than visit me and offer consular assistance in jail.

The more I think about it the more I think they will certainly issue the document.

Also i'm sure if you ask my wife and childeren, keeping Daddy at home and not jail is an urgent matter.

you have been sat on a passport that is full for a while, you must have seen it before.

For me it is not an emergency, but hey for the Embassy it maybe so good luck to you.

try reading this

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/passports1/passports-a-to-z/e-topics/emergency-travel

[silopsist]

Would the consulate in chiang Mai issue the emergency travel document or only Bangkok?

[beano2274]

Would the consulate in chiang Mai issue the emergency travel document or only Bangkok?

Now that is an issue, I would phone the consulate in Chiang Mai, but I believe (although not sure) that Bangkok issues them.

Do you have the contact numbers for Chiang Mai?

[happynthailand]

why can't the consulate just add extra pages like the us passpost can??

[david555]

if it is about the urgent travel document "laissez passé" (French for; let go trough )issued by embassy , must warn that I think is only to go back to the issuing country ....and limited travel date . better take info before ...!! (not sure but I think so )

copy paste from internet

Laissez-passer and emergency passports

llaissez-passer (from the French let pass) is a travel document issued by a national government or certain international organizations, such as the United Nations, European Union and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). A laissez-passer is often for one-way travel to the issuing country for humanitarian reasons only. Some national governments issue laissez-passers to their own nationals as emergency passports. Others issue them to people who are stateless, or who are unable to obtain a passport from their own government, or whose government is not recognized by the issuing country.

[beano2274]

why can't the consulate just add extra pages like the us passpost can??

You are not allowed to add new pages to a UK passport.

[silopsist]

From reading the uk gov website it seems consulates do issue them and it says,

"The emergency passport can be used to make a single or return journey to
the UK or another country of residence, via a maximum of five transit
countries"

[david555]

From reading the uk gov website it seems consulates do issue them and it says,

"The emergency passport can be used to make a single or return journey to

the UK or another country of residence, via a maximum of five transit

countries"

return to Uk or maybe Hong kong travel for applying / waiting new passport , but where to put visa for Hongkong (if needed )

I think UK Embassy BKK can only advise you what to do

[silopsist]

I would use it just to border run whilst waiting for replacement passport to be sent from HK.

[david555]

I would use it just to border run whilst waiting for replacement passport to be sent from HK.

As you have to get that travel doc. from the UK embassy anyway, they are in the best position to tell you it is possible to do or not ...

[FritsSikkink]

From the link in post #18

emergency travel document

Who can apply:

• British nationals who have been the victim of crime and have had their passports stolen
• British nationals who have lost or damaged their passport, or discovered that is has expired and need to travel urgently
• those who have sent off their Full Validity Passport for renewal but now need to travel urgently

[SeaVisionBurma]

Further to Crossy's first post in this thread - I had a new UK passport turned around in 10 days.

Sent application off from Bangkok to Hong Kong on the Monday, passport in hand the following week Thursday.

[puchooay]

Further to Crossy's first post in this thread - I had a new UK passport turned around in 10 days.

Sent application off from Bangkok to Hong Kong on the Monday, passport in hand the following week Thursday.

Most likely that was before thay changed the system. I too had one that quickly.

Now though, they send the application on to London. Reports of up to 4/5 weeks.