Bit of a headache - new passport, keeping visa

[minky333]

Please can anyone offer sound advice?

My 10year UK passport expires in Feb 2015 ( 9months away)

My Non Imm O Multiple entry visa is valid until Aug 31

Im going to the UK for three weeks in June/July.

Do I : try and renew the passport in the UK - if so I will be travelling back on a new passport with no visa in.

don't renew in the UK come back in on my valid visa and send it off when I get back to Thailand.

I have emailed UK and Thai embassies, and they said you can come back into the country with 2 passports, use the new one but don't let the UK passport office cut the page with the visa of the old one in and come back in on that. ( but I have visions of being held at the gate )

But then I have the issue of only having one month on my passport before it becomes 6months or less. (which will cause issues when im renewing my non immi visa)

The reason i'm not jumping with excitement at renewing in the UK is - they are a nightmare, i've already tried to ring to make an appointment to get a new passport and the lady said because im not in the uk I cant do that!! then I rung again and spoke to someone else and they said you've come through to the wrong department because you are ringing from Thailand - I just know its going to be hideous.

I didn't want to lose my multi entry visa upon re-entering as we have booked to fly to Bali 4days after coming back from the UK.

If I come back in on a new passport what kind of visa should I try and get? I can hopefully get to the Liverpool office and try and get a new non imm o but then that wont be multi entry and I wont be able to go to Bali? can I come in on a tourist visa?

thanks in advance

[ubonjoe]

If your visa is still valid when you enter the country you just show both passports and they will stamp you back in for 90 days without a problem. You will have to use both passports until you get a new visa.

It would be the same if you got your passport here. The only difference would be that you would need to show both passports when you leave the country the first time.

[sandyf]

You should get a new passport in the UK. I had planned something similar but changed my mind and submitted in Bangkok last week. I am now regretting it. With an open ended timeframe you are out on a limb.

I am sure that when I looked into it you could request an appointment by email. I looked up both Liverpool and London so not sure where I saw the email address.

If you are in the UK for 3 weeks you could use the Post Office " Check and Send". I did that last time about 4 years ago and it was back in under 2 weeks. They use the guaranteed next day envelopes and I think they have higher priority processing.