My Passport is totally full.

[buffalobob]

I've trawled the forums and can't find anything relating to my specific problem, if it's out there let me know. I am a UK passport holder.

Here's the craic...

I've lived and worked in SE Asia for years and passports get full pretty quickly. I am currently "between jobs" as they say. I arrived from Myanmar on a 30 day VOA and then extended it for 15 days on visa run on 3rd October, My passport is now absolutely choc-a-bloc full. Just about enough space for the exit stamp and thats it.

My 15 day visa expires today 19th October but i cannot leave the country except to go back to UK because there is no room for any stamps. I dont want to go to UK because its a shithole and Leeds UTD are doing worse than usual.

I have sent off to HK for a new passport which should be arriving in the next 2 weeks hopefully.

What can i do? Do i stay quiet until my new passport arrives and leave to get a new 60/90 day visa and take the hit for 2 weeks over stay? Or do i go to Bangkok immigration and explain my situation up front and see what they say? Personally the second option seems the most honest but honesty and thai officials dont mix too well i know.

If any one can offer any advice, like today, i would very much appreciate it. I have my current passport to hand as its not lost or anything so i can easily prove my predicament to immigration with the full expectation of being called a nob for not doing anything about it sooner.

Cheers.

[Maestro]

...take the hit for 2 weeks over stay? ...

Yes, unless you can find two free spaces somewhere in your passport, one big enough for a Thai departure stamp, the other for a Thai arrival stamp, in which case you could make a day trip by plane to a country for which you need no visa (eg Malaysia, Singapore) or can get an electronic visa (eg Cambodia), turn around air-side in that country, ie without passing through immigration, and get a 30-day visa-exempt permission to stay on your return to Thailand. Be sure to keep your boarding passes until you've cleared immigration in Thailand. Or do a land border run (Cambodia with e-visa, Malaysia) with a 15-day permission to stay if you think it is enough, in which case you would need to find two more free spaces for the other country's arrival and departure stamps.

[buffalobob]

Thanks for your reply, but none of that is really an option. I can't do a 15 day one because you need a page for the cambodian visa. and there literally isn't any space for anything except the thai exit stamp. In any case i got an SMS yesterday telling me my fee had been charged to my CC in HK for the new passport assumingly making the one i have now invailid. I think a trip down immigration on monday is called for dressed in a yellow or pink T-shirt speaking my best Thai and see what happens.

Any one had a similar experience please share. Ta.

Leeds v Birmingham tomorrow...where can i watch in BKK?

[buffalobob]

Not as lucky as the Yanks who can just nip to the embassy and get extra pages put it.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Maestro]

Thanks for your reply, but none of that is really an option. I can't do a 15 day one because you need a page for the cambodian visa. and there literally isn't any space for anything except the thai exit stamp. In any case i got an SMS yesterday telling me my fee had been charged to my CC in HK for the new passport assumingly making the one i have now invailid. I think a trip down immigration on monday is called for dressed in a yellow or pink T-shirt speaking my best Thai and see what happens.

Any one had a similar experience please share. Ta.

Leeds v Birmingham tomorrow...where can i watch in BKK?

It would be nice to know for sure whether you are indeed left without a valid travel document for the two weeks or longer it takes until your new passport gets into your hands, wouldn't it?

[Shurup]

OP, Cambodian e-visa doesn't put a whole page stamp in your passport. Sorry it's no help but you should've done it earlier.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Maestro
Deleted part of post which was reply to removed post,

[Maestro]

Off-topic post about getting a new Canadian passport removed. This topic is about a UK passport.

[Crossy]

Thanks for your reply, but none of that is really an option. I can't do a 15 day one because you need a page for the cambodian visa. and there literally isn't any space for anything except the thai exit stamp. In any case i got an SMS yesterday telling me my fee had been charged to my CC in HK for the new passport assumingly making the one i have now invailid. I think a trip down immigration on monday is called for dressed in a yellow or pink T-shirt speaking my best Thai and see what happens.

Any one had a similar experience please share. Ta.

Leeds v Birmingham tomorrow...where can i watch in BKK?

It would be nice to know for sure whether you are indeed left without a valid travel document for the two weeks or longer it takes until your new passport gets into your hands, wouldn't it?

UK passport website states that your old passport is electronically invalidated when your application is accepted in HK

[ubonjoe]

The most you can get at immigration is 7 days to leave the country after applying for an extension (1900 baht). Your passport is still more than likely still valid. I don't think they cancel them until new passport is issued.

[Ajaan]

...take the hit for 2 weeks over stay? ...

Yes, unless you can find two free spaces somewhere in your passport, one big enough for a Thai departure stamp, the other for a Thai arrival stamp, in which case you could make a day trip by plane to a country for which you need no visa (eg Malaysia, Singapore) or can get an electronic visa (eg Cambodia), turn around air-side in that country, ie without passing through immigration, and get a 30-day visa-exempt permission to stay on your return to Thailand. Be sure to keep your boarding passes until you've cleared immigration in Thailand. Or do a land border run (Cambodia with e-visa, Malaysia) with a 15-day permission to stay if you think it is enough, in which case you would need to find two more free spaces for the other country's arrival and departure stamps.

The Cambodian e-visa, while it doesn't eat up a page in your passport for the visa, still requires enough space for an in-stamp (not to mention the out-stamp from Thailand necessary to get there)...and then an out-stamp to leave Cambodia.

It seems, looking through my old used passports (my most recent one, I filled up between May 2007 and August 2013, and that includes adding pages! US--and I added the pages before they started charging for them, haha), that several years back (5+), they used to regularly fit four sets of in and out stamps on one page...yet more recently, they've been doing only three sets per page. Very annoying. Four certainly do fit...I chalk it up to lazy/bored/uncaring immigration staff (and yeah...who can really blame them?).

[simon43]

UK passport website states that your old passport is electronically invalidated when your application is accepted in HK

They may say that, but from experience it doesn't seem to metter.

I applied for a new British passport, to be sent to my Thai address (I'm normally in Thailand). Then I got an urgent job in Laos and travelled to Laos on my old, almost-full passport.

I returned on that passport to Thailand a few months later and then tried to do a visa run from Ranong using the new passport.

'Cannot' said the immigrations officer at Ranong. They do not have the system at Ranong to transfer over the existing VoA stamp to my new passport, nor was I allowed to travel out from Ranong on the old passport and enter on the new one.

I moved all my full-page Myanmar visas that I'd acquired the previous year, to a single page in my passport (they were not sticker visas but paper, so this was easy to do).

Whilst waiting for documents for an ED visa, I did two more visaruns on my old passport.

Finally, I was able to do a visarun to Penang, and Sadao immigration transferred my existing VoA to my new passport.

So I wouldn't worry what the UK embassy says about your old passport being invalid - they clearly haven't told any authority in Thailand of this fact!

Simon

[lastbastion]

I suppose 7,000 Baht isn't too bad a price to pay for the stupidity oversight of not attending to the full passport sooner.

Leeds United fan you say ..................................................

[Alwyn]

Really? I thought you had to send your old passport along with the application for a new one? It being proof of who you are etc..

[Mario2008]

Really? I thought you had to send your old passport along with the application for a new one? It being proof of who you are etc..

British applying from Thailand do not send their passport with the application, only a copy of their passport.

[phuketrichard]

i wonder what do they do if u show up at immigration and there are no empty pages? Do they turn u away?

or stamp over a stamp?

Lay low an fly out when u get the new one and pray it does not get lost and pay the 7,500 when you depart.

Have to ask, why u let it go so long?? not like u didn't know

[digitalchromakey]

Go to your local immigration on Monday you'll get a 7 day extension from the 19th October for 1900 THB, they may well charge you 500 THB for overstay on Sunday - 7 days overstay will cost you 3500 THB, so you save 1,100 or 1,600 THB.

If you are lucky, your new passport will arrive within the week.

[digitalchromakey]

UK passport website states that your old passport is electronically invalidated when your application is accepted in HK

They may say that, but from experience it doesn't seem to metter.

I applied for a new British passport, to be sent to my Thai address (I'm normally in Thailand). Then I got an urgent job in Laos and travelled to Laos on my old, almost-full passport.

I returned on that passport to Thailand a few months later and then tried to do a visa run from Ranong using the new passport.

'Cannot' said the immigrations officer at Ranong. They do not have the system at Ranong to transfer over the existing VoA stamp to my new passport, nor was I allowed to travel out from Ranong on the old passport and enter on the new one.

I moved all my full-page Myanmar visas that I'd acquired the previous year, to a single page in my passport (they were not sticker visas but paper, so this was easy to do).

Whilst waiting for documents for an ED visa, I did two more visaruns on my old passport.

Finally, I was able to do a visarun to Penang, and Sadao immigration transferred my existing VoA to my new passport.

So I wouldn't worry what the UK embassy says about your old passport being invalid - they clearly haven't told any authority in Thailand of this fact!

Simon

You were unlucky, my experience at Thai borders is that if you show both old/new passports on leaving they will just stamp you out on the new passport.

I have to add that the last time i did this was 9 years ago, so the procedures may have changed now.

[stickylies]

is "losing" your (full) passport an option ?

Edited October 19, 2013 by stickylies

[digitalchromakey]

is "losing" your (full) passport an option ?

Thailand has a record of the OP's entry including name and date of birth, these details are on the TM6 arrival form, plus nowadays details are normally entered into a computer data base.

OP would would get charged for overstay just the same if leaving on the new passport and the old passport was not shown.

Edited October 19, 2013 by digitalchromakey

[realenglish1]

Let me say this

You are an idiot. You know your passport was getting full and you let it ride thinking "I will get it done " and did nothing

I have no sympathy for you What will happen will happen,

You should have gotten a passport renewal 2 months ago

Just plain irresponsible

[stickylies]

is "losing" your (full) passport an option ?

Thailand has a record of the OP's entry including name and date of birth, these details are on the TM6 arrival form, plus nowadays details are normally entered into a computer data base.

OP would would get charged for overstay just the same if leaving on the new passport and the old passport was not shown.

not what i mean. he will get a new passport. what if he says he lost the old, and heads for visarun? losing passport has nothing to do with overstaying.

[cbluck58]

Really? I thought you had to send your old passport along with the application for a new one? It being proof of who you are etc..

You obviously do not read FO updates wherein it is written that UK passport holders residing in Thailand are advised to keep their old passports and not to submit them with any new passport applications.

[ubonjoe]

If he shows up with only his old passport at a border crossing they will send him to an immigration office to get things sorted out. And they will want a police report for the lost passport. Then they will check the computer records to determine when he entered the country and what his permitted to stay date was which will then show his overstay.

[lopburi3]

He must have a valid travel document to depart. UK can immediately issue a limited validity passport that would allow exit to obtain new entry time I believe.

[Zumteufel]

Do you have a consulate nearby? As far as I'm concerned, you can have a few extra pages added. But I guess it depends on that particular counsulate.

[minikev]

I am nearing the same problem and until I read your post also had my head in the sand. I will get mine done now. Thanks for the post. I think I would go to immigration and very politely ask for some help.

Is the Hong Kong application on the gov site?

[Emdog]

Hey dudes, fellow came here looking for advice, not lecture from someone about what an idiot he is (in your eyes). We yanks used to get free pages added, but now they charge $50 or so. Not total bed of roses.

[Estrada]

Two choices:

Option 1. Fly out tonight from Don Muang to KL via Air Asia and come back on the next available flight. Buy a one way and then you won't lose if there are any delays. You can buy the ticket KL to BKK in KL. Total around B6,000+

Note: you have one day's grace within which you will not be fined, so you could fly tomorrow 20th in the morning or after noon and return same day. I am sure they will find space to stamp one exit and one entry.

I chose option 1. some years ago. I just flew to Singapore, went into the transit lounge and came back on the same plane without having to go through immigration.

Option 2. Stay put and wait for new passport, then fly out and come back to start new permit to stay in the fresh passport. Overstay cost around B7,000 for the 2 weeks.

[seniorbro]

I think many people can be surprised at how quickly a passport fills up these days. My UK passport doesn't expire until 2018 but already only has a couple of pages left. I just got my retirement extension until November 2014 which is what made me notice how few pages remain. No problem at the moment then, but to avoid the OP's predicament I plan to renew my passport in the next few months when I am next in the UK. I am wondering how to get the retirement visa extension transferred so I can get back into Thailand again. Is the procedure to do this at the Thai embassy in London, or to come back to Thailand on a tourist visa and get it done at the immigration office here (I live in Chiang Mai)? I presume the UK authorities don't take the old passport off you. Grateful for any advice on the best procedure.

[buffalobob]

@estrada Thx.

Yep I left it too late I know, try living​ in Mandalay for 2 years then call me names. I'm gonna wait for my new passport then sneak across the border to China make a run for it to N Korea and board a ship back to Yangon. After which I'll enlist the help of the DKBA to get me back to Thailand and shit on realenglish's doorstep and ring the bell.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app