Changes to British passport services in Thailand

[Soutpeel]

Local MP is Eric Pickles. I don't know anyone who has ever had and acknowledgement from him let alone a reply.

I will wait and see what they come back with.

Most retirees in Thailand don't have any documentation as proof of address and they don't seem to understand this.

Suppose the other way could be to write to the daily mail. " British pensioners left in Thailand by passport office without valid passports during civil unrest due to bureaucratic bullshit"

[Lite Beer]

Not really after advice but just letting people know the problems they might encounter when trying to get a Passport from their own country.

[soihok]

What a load of crap. It's crazy.

In my earlier post, my 11 year old living in Thailand has no proof of residence either (not in school due to severe disability). I have decided to just let her British passport expire (she has a Thai passport) but that ain't an option for those concerned.

Seems a letter from the Poo Yai Bahn, written in English, may be accepted? But how to have this letter certified by a Government office?

Surely the PP Office has to realise this proof of residence (well, the things they list) is not realistic?

[soihok]

Or translation of Tambien Bahn (or residence certificate, same as when applying for the driving licence), certified by notary public (solicitor).

Not exactly free though is it?

Edited January 23, 2014 by soihok

[Soutpeel]

Not really after advice but just letting people know the problems they might encounter when trying to get a Passport from their own country.

Scan 3.jpeg

If some one is here on extension of stay you are reporting your address to immigration every 90 days couldn't one get one of the forms stamped up by immigration and send them this, it has name, address on it and is an official document, just a thought

[parryhandy]

The shift of everything back to the UK has not been thought through at all. These security/identity concerns are the reason the embassies were involved before in passport renewal.There is nothing stopping anybody fabricating any evidence of address here in Thailand because the bloody passport office in Liverpool has absolutely no jurisdiction to investigate evidence here in Thailand.I told them all that's been said on here on the phone. One guy I spoke to was adamant that all the evidence criteria were designed for ex-pats. I tried explaining to him that unless a person had dual nationality the amount of UK people being able to vote in Thailand or anywhere in SEA you could probably count on one hand.

Evidence of where you live is totally unnecessary for obtaining a passport, they just need to make sure the person that has applied for the passport, is in fact the genuine passport holder and there are a number of ways of doing that including an online skype interview.

Edited January 23, 2014 by parryhandy

[Lite Beer]

Possibly but it is a bloody performance to get a Passport from your own country.

(Reply to Soutpeel)

[Soutpeel]

Possibly but it is a bloody performance to get a Passport from your own country.

(Reply to Soutpeel)

I am going to make a rather selfish comment..... sorry......glad I got mine back on the 2nd Jan, as it would seem the SS have taken over the pp office in recent weeks

so hopefully no worries for next 5-7 years and by that time all the rules it will have all changed again anyway, maybe have to send a certified DNA sample next time LOL

One suspects this issue will work itself out same as when HK started up and they said you had to send your original pp to HK until some pointed out that their own website said you need to have your pp in Thailand and then a quick about face and a copy of the data page was good enough

[Lite Beer]

Maybe in ten years we will be applying at the Embassy in BKK same as we were a few years ago with no problems

[Soutpeel]

Maybe in ten years we will be applying at the Embassy in BKK same as we were a few years ago with no problems

To be honest, this is the most effective of doing it, but as we all know efficiency and the civil service don't mix LOL

One can only hope I guess

[parryhandy]

Possibly but it is a bloody performance to get a Passport from your own country.

(Reply to Soutpeel)

I am going to make a rather selfish comment..... sorry......glad I got mine back on the 2nd Jan, as it would seem the SS have taken over the pp office in recent weeks

so hopefully no worries for next 5-7 years and by that time all the rules it will have all changed again anyway, maybe have to send a certified DNA sample next time LOL

One suspects this issue will work itself out same as when HK started up and they said you had to send your original pp to HK until some pointed out that their own website said you need to have your pp in Thailand and then a quick about face and a copy of the data page was good enough

It wont work itself out unless the passport office disregard/relax their own rules. You got your passport back because you went through HK .The passport office if there's any comebacks later on can blame HK. With these new changes they cant pass the buck so it will come to a head only when the British embassy get that pissed off with citizens descending on them saying "I cant get a new passport what shall I do ?" The passport office and embassy will fallout big time over this and issues stemming from it especially since the embassies will, I presume, derive no revenue from it now.

Edited January 23, 2014 by parryhandy

[Soutpeel]

Possibly but it is a bloody performance to get a Passport from your own country.

(Reply to Soutpeel)

I am going to make a rather selfish comment..... sorry......glad I got mine back on the 2nd Jan, as it would seem the SS have taken over the pp office in recent weeks

so hopefully no worries for next 5-7 years and by that time all the rules it will have all changed again anyway, maybe have to send a certified DNA sample next time LOL

One suspects this issue will work itself out same as when HK started up and they said you had to send your original pp to HK until some pointed out that their own website said you need to have your pp in Thailand and then a quick about face and a copy of the data page was good enough

It wont work itself out unless the passport office disregard/relax their own rules. You got your passport back because you went through HK .The passport office if there's any comebacks later on can blame HK. With these new changes they cant pass the buck so it will come to a head only when the British embassy get that pissed off with citizens descending on them saying "I cant get a new passport what shall I do ?" The passport office and embassy will fallout big time over this and issues stemming from it especially since the embassies will, I presume, derive no revenue from it now.

Correct I sent my stuff to HK, but from what I was told by HK after the couple of emails I reported one they just forwarded the application to Liverpool they didn't vet/process anything as far as I am aware and the credit card debit was in the UK, not HK

You maybe right, as mine was bring done in the "early days" of the new process mine may have slipped through before the waffen SS got their hands on the application .....who knows

[DaveinAsia]

Possibly but it is a bloody performance to get a Passport from your own country.

(Reply to Soutpeel)

I am going to make a rather selfish comment..... sorry......glad I got mine back on the 2nd Jan, as it would seem the SS have taken over the pp office in recent weeks

so hopefully no worries for next 5-7 years and by that time all the rules it will have all changed again anyway, maybe have to send a certified DNA sample next time LOL

One suspects this issue will work itself out same as when HK started up and they said you had to send your original pp to HK until some pointed out that their own website said you need to have your pp in Thailand and then a quick about face and a copy of the data page was good enough

SS indeed. If it's up to David Cameron and his Orwellian government we will all be chipped and labelled by 2020 ;-)

[theoldgit]

It's only in certain countries that you need to supply these extra details, we now know that in Thailand we need to, but in Singapore you don't.

@ Lite Beer, do you pay any UK income tax? In which case have you received any mail from HMRC, I wonder if these might suffice? Likewise I wonder about any mail from a Government Department in the UK, so what about State Pension correspondence?

[Lite Beer]

I have absolutely nothing from UK.

The fact that the UK Passport Office is refusing to issue Passports to British Citizens is actually appalling.

I will just have to wait and see if they come back with anything.

At the very worst I have about 11 months on my current Passport but wanted to get a new one so as to be able to get 12 month extension from Immigration.

Immigration now will only give you what you have remaining on your Passport.

That would mean putting everything out of sinc regarding seasoning money in the bank.

I am waiting for some kind of reply from them and they haven't replaced the money back in the bank yet. So you never know.

Even that the website says the fee is £147.86 and they took £151.01

[Lite Beer]

Just received an E Mail from them:

Mr. xxxxxxxx

I can confirm that your passport has been issued and printed and should be with you shortly.

Regards,

Liverpool overseas team 2

Oh well.

[ubonjoe]

Just received an E Mail from them:

Mr. xxxxxxxx

I can confirm that your passport has been issued and printed and should be with you shortly.

Regards,

Liverpool overseas team 2

Oh well.

Good news.

[Sceptict11]

Just received an E Mail from them:

Mr. xxxxxxxx

I can confirm that your passport has been issued and printed and should be with you shortly.

Regards,

Liverpool overseas team 2

Oh well.

Did you provide any "evidence" of address ?

If so what was used ?

[Lite Beer]

All I did was to point out that they can see the Immigration stamps In the old passport and I scanned a copy of my Thai driving licence.

Maybe having my photo on that helped.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Soutpeel]

All I did was to point out that they can see the Immigration stamps In the old passport and I scanned a copy of my Thai driving licence.

Maybe having my photo on that helped.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Good stuff a positive result then

[Lite Beer]

Thanks but it is still not a very satisfactory situation for any other applicant having the same problem

[Sceptict11]

Thanks but it is still not a very satisfactory situation for any other applicant having the same problem

Agreed !

It is a well thought out mess !

[Mobi]

Thanks but it is still not a very satisfactory situation for any other applicant having the same problem

Just wondering - when you submitted your documents, did you copy out he pages containing the visa and all its extensions as a separate 'exhibit' with a note attached to explain that this was your visa and this is how it is done in Thailand ,(or words to that effect). ?

Or did you just rely on their common sense when you enclosed a fully copy of your passport and assumed that they would see the visa extensions therein.?

It just occurs to me that after your unfortunate and worrying experience, that maybe it behoves applicants to to explain the existence of their Thai visas in 'Idiot - speak' as they are clearly dealing with idiots...

[bigt116]

Just a quick question, do I send my original driver licence or will a colour photocopy suffice ?

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

A colour copy would certainly do. They wouldn't expect you to send the original.

[euca]

Just received new passport from Liverpool PPT Office, 20-days turn round. Good service from one clerk, at least. Soutpeel said it would arrive, even out here in the sticks & it did. Souty, you told me not to panic, I did not panic but I was terrified & in mortal dread, just like the shepherds in the Xmas carol. Reading the latest I think that was wise.

I would make a guess it's the luck of the draw as to which clerk takes your papers how well they know their job & how they think about their work & applicants.

I sent only the color phots of the ppt plus a less-than-one-yr-old form M2 from HMRC [which they didn't return]. I wrote boldly on the first phot drawing attn to pages 'x' & 'y'; I also wrote boldly [2B-pencil so they can't say it's defaced & useless] on pages'x' & 'y' stating how they complied with requirements. 'x' was extn of stay, 'y' was mugshot. I admit the M2 showed my current address in full.

I had hoped this msg would have given hope to those who were worried, like me, but having read of others' problems I feel sad for them & that I was lucky.

[billd766]

I sent my stuff off to the passport office in Liverpool on Tuesday morning by Thai Post EMS at a cost of 950 baht.

It was signed for around midday UK time today.

I have attached the EMS track and trace report on MS Word.

I am very impressed with Thai Post and EMS.

EMS from Klong Lan to UK passport office Liverpool.doc

[Tafia]

I sent my stuff off to the passport office in Liverpool on Tuesday morning by Thai Post EMS at a cost of 950 baht.

It was signed for around midday UK time today.

I have attached the EMS track and trace report on MS Word.

I am very impressed with Thai Post and EMS.

EMS from Klong Lan to UK passport office Liverpool.doc

Sent mine from Udon, Registered Mail cost 172 THB sent on 10th Feb arrived 17th Feb followed via Thailand Track & Trace

[davejonesbkk]

I am looking at getting a new passport soon as I only have 1 page left in my current one, even though thats enough for my next two 90 day report stamps I would like to get a new one sorted out soon. The thing is I dont work here nor do I have a Thai drivers license so I have no idea how to prove to them that I live here, any suggestions?

[ubonjoe]

I am looking at getting a new passport soon as I only have 1 page left in my current one, even though thats enough for my next two 90 day report stamps I would like to get a new one sorted out soon. The thing is I dont work here nor do I have a Thai drivers license so I have no idea how to prove to them that I live here, any suggestions?

You don't get stamps at immigration for 90 day reports. Do have an extension of stay from immigration or do you have a multiple entry visa and are leaving the country every 90 days to get a new entry.

One option for proof of address is to get a residence certificate from immigration and have it translated to English. Whether or not you can get one will depend upon your visa/extension status and the immigration office you need to go to.