This is a theoretical question, because I lost my passport then found it, but I was panicking.

If you lose your passport and get a new one, it has no Thailand visa stamps in it, what do you do, go to the airport and they can check by computer when you came in?

Or is the situation more serious and costly?

Is it better to have photocopy back-up of all stamps? Or does that not matter?

W.S.

Without the TM card or evidence of the date of arrival you are not gonna go too far. Immigration computers know your arrival and departure particulars.

Have never done so if anyone has experience would welcome corrections:

First you go to the police department to file a missing passport claim and get paperwork from them. You then go to your Embassy to have a new passport made. After receipt of new passport you present it and yourself to immigration at a room that takes care of this and they place stamps in your new passport. So it would obviously be helpful to have records of lost passport (for your embassy/police) and arrival/TM card number information for immigration (you can probably obtain TM information from the hotel you stay at if you don't have copy).

Lopburi3 is right, I just went through this last month.

I STRONGLY suggest you know your old passport number.

1. file a police report at the location where you lost ( or stolen) your passport. The police will give you a copy of the report. If asked by police for passport, this report will suffice.

2. Take police report to your Embassy, a couple of days delay is acceptable but not more than a week. The embassy will then get you a new passport.

3. Take new passport and copy of same to 4th floor of Thai Immigration and they will renew the visa in the new passport. They can find your old TM card number in their computer using your old passport number. You are now "legal".

4. If you visa ran out before this visit to the Thai Immigration, you need to quickly leave the country and pay the overstay fine - 200 baht per day, starting the day your visa expired to the day you leave. On your next entry into Thailand, you will again be "legal".

It is not a big problem, just a time consuming activity. Try to laugh.

It is VERY helpful to keep a complete (all used pages) photocopy set of your PP and TM card at home/hotel etc.

Of course the police report is required, but your embassy and Thai immigration will work much faster if they see copies of your original PP.

opalhort