New passport / visa / advice please

[OxfordWill]

Hi,

I am hoping you knowledgeable gents can help me once again.

My passport is almost full. I have half of one page and a quarter of another.

I have already applied for a renewal in the UK. It has been delayed because the UK passport office wants additional paperwork I cannot provide (proof of address, but they have very odd options).

Meanwhile my extention of stay expires on 15th Feb.

I have been advised by passport office not to travel on my passport.

I know that laos, vietnam, cambo, etc land borders all require whole pages. I dont know of anywhere that would be a safe bet given my space available.

Options as I see it:

1) Don't do anything, wait for new passport, then go to chaengwattana and maybe they will let me off with overstay fine (but for how many days?) and put some sort of stamp in my passport so I can leave the country.

2) Travel on the passport against UK advice, but either find somewhere (burma?) that will have only small stamps, or.. hope for a nice immigraiton official?

3) See if I can get a further extention in my passport based on this situation? I have included photos of my visa/extention in case anyone in the know can advise me how possible this is..

4) I noticed an older toursit visa with 2 entries. The second entry was never used. It says "enter before 2nd jan 2014". The first entry was used before that date. Can I now use the second?

5) (this one would be great) I have misunderstood my situation and I actually have an option Im not seeing!

Thanks in advance.. and thank you especially to Her Majesty's Passport Office in Liverpool, who if they had produced my new passport after taking my money, rather than asking for additional documents that were not on the required documents list, could have avoided this whole situation for me.

[ubonjoe]

There has been a report of the UK passport office accepting a Thai drivers license as proof of address.

The tourist visa you mention is no longer valid.

You could get a 7 day extension at immigration which perhaps would give you enough time.

Others have done border runs while they were waiting for their new passport. You could get a e-visa for Cambodia that requires nothing more than entry/departure stamps ( http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/ ). Or do a run to Myanmar for Malaysia.

[lungbing]

As proof of address earlier last month I send a copy of the front and back of my Thai driving license,

and also a copy of the latest (August last year) letter from the British Embassy, Bangkok confirming my income for

immigration visa purposes. The new passport took exactly three weeks to go and come back.

[personchester]

As proof of address earlier last month I send a copy of the front and back of my Thai driving license,

and also a copy of the latest (August last year) letter from the British Embassy, Bangkok confirming my income for

immigration visa purposes. The new passport took exactly three weeks to go and come back.

Are the renewals of British passports no longer applicable via Hong Kong, this has of course been the case for many years for Brits living in Thailand.

Are passport renewals therefore now being done again in the UK and no longer in H.K.

Please advice ... thanks.

Edited February 3, 2014 by personchester

[ubonjoe]

Application now have to be sent to the Liverpool passport office directly. HK not longer does them.

[personchester]

As outlined you did not make the British passport application via Hong Kong, has that H.K system now ended and passport application have to be sent to the UK offices again.

Please let us know,

Thanks.

Edited February 3, 2014 by personchester

[ubonjoe]

Info here: Changes to British passport services in Thailand

[pontious]

There has been a report of the UK passport office accepting a Thai drivers license as proof of address.

The tourist visa you mention is no longer valid.

You could get a 7 day extension at immigration which perhaps would give you enough time.

Others have done border runs while they were waiting for their new passport. You could get a e-visa for Cambodia that requires nothing more than entry/departure stamps ( http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/ ). Or do a run to Myanmar for Malaysia.

That shows the absurdity of this procedure - the address on the Thai Driving License is in Thai - maybe they have a Thai working in Liverpool !!

[OJAS]

To the OP: the only way you can legitimately travel out of Thailand if your new passport does not arrive by 15th February is with an Emergency Travel Document issued by the British Embassy. Doubt whether you could use this for border runs, though.

[hgma]

Good post.

Informative and the author blinded his personal info on the passport.!!!!

Smart move...its a jungle out here.

[Satcommlee]

You should be able to get in and out of Singapore or Malaysia with the room you have left..

Don't be afraid to tell the immigration officers of your predicament, simply ask them to be sparing of space, I've been in the same boat and done the same thing in the past.

edit: Chinese visa's peel off easily if you got any of them...

Edited February 3, 2014 by Satcommlee

[OxfordWill]

Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately no chinese visa in this one.

Already tried to peel off a few laos ones- they must use superglue.

So it seems I have a few options, although I don't know how Im going to actually get my new passport. My drivers license expired years ago. It has my old address anyway and I cant collect mail from there any more. I wonder what the resolution will be? I will try to break down in tears and mention Thai jail when the UK calls me.

1) Singapore or malaysia or myanmar should only be a small stamp.

2) Cambodian e-visa should allow for only a small stamp

3) Extention for 7 days at immigration bangkok (possibly enough time, depends on what UK passport office decide about me.)

OJAS - I really hope I dont get in trouble for using the existing passport meanwhile- but I have been advised from multiple sources this is SOP.

I think I will go with Singapore, as I have a stamp in my passport from there and can see for myself its tiny.

I also have the number of an agent who goes to Myanmar/Burma regularly if anyone needs it.

[Soutpeel]

Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately no chinese visa in this one.

Already tried to peel off a few laos ones- they must use superglue.

So it seems I have a few options, although I don't know how Im going to actually get my new passport. My drivers license expired years ago. It has my old address anyway and I cant collect mail from there any more. I wonder what the resolution will be? I will try to break down in tears and mention Thai jail when the UK calls me.

1) Singapore or malaysia or myanmar should only be a small stamp.

2) Cambodian e-visa should allow for only a small stamp

3) Extention for 7 days at immigration bangkok (possibly enough time, depends on what UK passport office decide about me.)

OJAS - I really hope I dont get in trouble for using the existing passport meanwhile- but I have been advised from multiple sources this is SOP.

I think I will go with Singapore, as I have a stamp in my passport from there and can see for myself its tiny.

I also have the number of an agent who goes to Myanmar/Burma regularly if anyone needs it.

My advice do not travel on your existing pp ie the one that has just been cancelled, if for some reason it is picked up on that the pp your travelling on has been cancelled, one suspects immigration in what ever country your in, will detain you and will start asking questions, not worth the hassle seeing as the PP office tell you specifically not to travel on it

If you truely need to travel, emergency pp from the BE is the answer but its GBP 98 or there about

Edited February 4, 2014 by Soutpeel

[Soutpeel]

You should be able to get in and out of Singapore or Malaysia with the room you have left..

Don't be afraid to tell the immigration officers of your predicament, simply ask them to be sparing of space, I've been in the same boat and done the same thing in the past.

edit: Chinese visa's peel off easily if you got any of them...

Peeling visa,s

Which of course is tampering with a pp and is seen as being illegal

[OxfordWill]

Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately no chinese visa in this one.

Already tried to peel off a few laos ones- they must use superglue.

So it seems I have a few options, although I don't know how Im going to actually get my new passport. My drivers license expired years ago. It has my old address anyway and I cant collect mail from there any more. I wonder what the resolution will be? I will try to break down in tears and mention Thai jail when the UK calls me.

1) Singapore or malaysia or myanmar should only be a small stamp.

2) Cambodian e-visa should allow for only a small stamp

3) Extention for 7 days at immigration bangkok (possibly enough time, depends on what UK passport office decide about me.)

OJAS - I really hope I dont get in trouble for using the existing passport meanwhile- but I have been advised from multiple sources this is SOP.

I think I will go with Singapore, as I have a stamp in my passport from there and can see for myself its tiny.

I also have the number of an agent who goes to Myanmar/Burma regularly if anyone needs it.

My advice do not travel on your existing pp ie the one that has just been cancelled, if for some reason it is picked up on that the pp your travelling on has been cancelled, one suspects immigration in what ever country your in, will detain you and will start asking questions, not worth the hassle seeing as the PP office tell you specifically not to travel on it

If you truely need to travel, emergency pp from the BE is the answer but its GBP 98 or there about

Hi Soutpeel,

I've always appreciated your advice. Assuming my passport takes until the 25th or beyond to get to me (worst case scenario but possible) how would you advise handling my overstay issue please? I don't think emergency passport lets me stay in the country- only leave it? My passport will be on its way to my Thai address, and If im not there to receive it, I suppose it will end up in the UK. Maybe I should just tell them to hold it until I get home and take a vacation!!

[Mario2008]

An emergency passport in itself would not allow you to stay, but you can travel on it and receive visas and permissions to stay and extensions in it.

[OxfordWill]

ahh great.. thanks Mario, I thought it was just a one-use thing.

[Soutpeel]

ahh great.. thanks Mario, I thought it was just a one-use thing.

As far as I know a UK emergency pp is good for 12 months

In all probability if you did travel on your current cancelled passport, providing you going no where near the UK, it may not get picked up on, as I am pretty sure Thailand or other SEA countries are not sent lists of cancelled pp by the British government, but you never know what they have on those immigration computers

but the fact remains the PP office tell you not to travel on it. So I suppose it comes down to calculated risk, there is a strong possibility you will have no issues, but what happens if it gets picked up on ? You will find yourself in a sticky situation

I went through the same debate with myself early on in the year waiting for my new pp to arrive and I had a few meetings scheduled out of Thailand and wasnt sure if the new pp would be back in time in the end decided it wasn't worth the risk and all the hassle it would cause if I was caught out

[Satcommlee]

ahh great.. thanks Mario, I thought it was just a one-use thing.

As far as I know a UK emergency pp is good for 12 months

In all probability if you did travel on your current cancelled passport, providing you going no where near the UK, it may not get picked up on, as I am pretty sure Thailand or other SEA countries are not sent lists of cancelled pp by the British government, but you never know what they have on those immigration computers

but the fact remains the PP office tell you not to travel on it. So I suppose it comes down to calculated risk, there is a strong possibility you will have no issues, but what happens if it gets picked up on ? You will find yourself in a sticky situation

I went through the same debate with myself early on in the year waiting for my new pp to arrive and I had a few meetings scheduled out of Thailand and wasnt sure if the new pp would be back in time in the end decided it wasn't worth the risk and all the hassle it would cause if I was caught out

Wouldn't that be illegal? travelling on an expired passport!

Maybe it would be as heinous a crime as peeling off a chinese visa!

Edited February 4, 2014 by Satcommlee

[Mario2008]

1 flame removed.

[OxfordWill]

Ok, thanks everyone. I have much more information now. Much appreciated!