Changes To British Passport Services In Thailand

[digitalchromakey]

So why can't we just mail our applications directly to the UK ?

The last time I renewed my passport I mailed the application direct to Hong Kong where it was processed and that system had been in place without problems for a number of years. It took 4 weeks to get my new passport.

There was no need for a photocopy of every page in my passport, they don't need this unless it's for surveillance purposes.

The reason cited by HMPO is the potential for ID theft.

For most counties where on-line or courier/postal application is allowed, you have to send your original passport direct to HMPO; in Thailand this breaches the Thai 'rule' that you must hold your passport at all times, hence the current dog's breakfast the geniuses at HMPO dreamed up for us.

[ukrules]

So why can't we just mail our applications directly to the UK ?

The last time I renewed my passport I mailed the application direct to Hong Kong where it was processed and that system had been in place without problems for a number of years. It took 4 weeks to get my new passport.

There was no need for a photocopy of every page in my passport, they don't need this unless it's for surveillance purposes.

The reason cited by HMPO is the potential for ID theft.

For most counties where on-line or courier/postal application is allowed, you have to send your original passport direct to HMPO; in Thailand this breaches the Thai 'rule' that you must hold your passport at all times, hence the current dog's breakfast the geniuses at HMPO dreamed up for us.

This is what they say but it's a blatant lie designed to cover up their incompetence or future plans.

The system worked for a long time via Hong Kong with very few issues. Of course it was handled by people with international experience before the transfer of responsibility to HMPO.

The passport offices (HMPO) in the UK had no experience whatsoever working directly with people overseas so they just made up some bullshit like they do on a day to day basis in the UK (physically going to the office, copy every page, etc, etc) and got it all wrong because they are incompetent buffoons.

I also suspect that they didn't want to do this additional work but it was forced on them so they did a crappy job, probably without the proper additional budget to do it so they made sure there were problems which would then justify additional funding. This is pure conjecture but there's going to be a lot more to this situation than meets the eye. These things don't happen by accident when you have office blocks full of people planning things years in advance.

They took a process which was slow but worked and turned it into something which was completely and utterly broken.

Now it's being replaced. Was this the plan from the outset ?

Edited October 26, 2014 by ukrules

[ukrules]

So why can't we just mail our applications directly to the UK ?

The last time I renewed my passport I mailed the application direct to Hong Kong where it was processed and that system had been in place without problems for a number of years. It took 4 weeks to get my new passport.

There was no need for a photocopy of every page in my passport, they don't need this unless it's for surveillance purposes.

D

I think why you can't just mail your application direct to the UK is because some head of chaos civil servant

Who is most likely sunning himself on a exotic Kuoni freebie holiday decided to give the Trendy a nice little earner.

When this chaos first started you were given no option but to travel, if you lived in the far reaches of Thailand to the Trendy office to present your documents that takes 5 minutes to process.

I have 2 emails from the HMPO Newport stating that even if you are in a wheelchair you must make a possible 2 thousand kilometre journey to present your documents and then make the same journey again when your passport was ready.

It was only because of the branded as whingers posters on this thread,that common sense seems to have prevailed

They have adopted the UK mentality due to their total lack of experience and flexibility - this works ok in the UK as distances are small and the offices are spread around if you need to attend.

They washed their hands of the situation quite deliberately.

They would have seen this coming well before it happened yet did nothing to prevent it which to me suggests it was a deliberate act.

Edited October 26, 2014 by ukrules

[digitalchromakey]

So why can't we just mail our applications directly to the UK ?

The last time I renewed my passport I mailed the application direct to Hong Kong where it was processed and that system had been in place without problems for a number of years. It took 4 weeks to get my new passport.

There was no need for a photocopy of every page in my passport, they don't need this unless it's for surveillance purposes.

D

I think why you can't just mail your application direct to the UK is because some head of chaos civil servant

Who is most likely sunning himself on a exotic Kuoni freebie holiday decided to give the Trendy a nice little earner.

When this chaos first started you were given no option but to travel, if you lived in the far reaches of Thailand to the Trendy office to present your documents that takes 5 minutes to process.

I have 2 emails from the HMPO Newport stating that even if you are in a wheelchair you must make a possible 2 thousand kilometre journey to present your documents and then make the same journey again when your passport was ready.

It was only because of the branded as whingers posters on this thread,that common sense seems to have prevailed

They have adopted the UK mentality due to their total lack of experience and flexibility - this works ok in the UK as distances are small and the offices are spread around if you need to attend.

They washed their hands of the situation quite deliberately.

They would have seen this coming well before it happened yet did nothing to prevent it which to me suggests it was a deliberate act.

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

Edited October 26, 2014 by digitalchromakey

[OJAS]

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

I'm not holding my breath for any "improvement" in passport renewal procedures for us long-suffering expats living in LOS either.

On the contrary, it would not surprise me in the slightest if, in the interest of further "cost savings and increased efficiency", the With-It Tower operation was closed down altogether and we expats were forced to submit our renewal applications and collect our replacement passports in person at/from the ex-HMPO Glasgow office - which would be just as awkward for most of us to get to from within the UK just as With-It Tower is for most of us here in Thailand!

Edited October 27, 2014 by OJAS

[personchester]

So why can't we just mail our applications directly to the UK ?

The last time I renewed my passport I mailed the application direct to Hong Kong where it was processed and that system had been in place without problems for a number of years. It took 4 weeks to get my new passport.

There was no need for a photocopy of every page in my passport, they don't need this unless it's for surveillance purposes.

D

I think why you can't just mail your application direct to the UK is because some head of chaos civil servant

Who is most likely sunning himself on a exotic Kuoni freebie holiday decided to give the Trendy a nice little earner.

When this chaos first started you were given no option but to travel, if you lived in the far reaches of Thailand to the Trendy office to present your documents that takes 5 minutes to process.

I have 2 emails from the HMPO Newport stating that even if you are in a wheelchair you must make a possible 2 thousand kilometre journey to present your documents and then make the same journey again when your passport was ready.

It was only because of the branded as whingers posters on this thread,that common sense seems to have prevailed

They have adopted the UK mentality due to their total lack of experience and flexibility - this works ok in the UK as distances are small and the offices are spread around if you need to attend.

They washed their hands of the situation quite deliberately.

They would have seen this coming well before it happened yet did nothing to prevent it which to me suggests it was a deliberate act.

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

The GOV. UK ... outlined updated procedures in the "Overseas British Passport Applications" dated 22.10.2014 and stated the following about applicants travel to Bangkok.

> "if you are unable to, "someone else can go on your behalf" <

Thus fellows that a physically unable to travel to Bangkok for the passport application can therefore sent someone else for the application either family members, friends, or agents in order to complete this matter, he must of course provide all the requested application details.

[NanLaew]

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

I'm not holding my breath for any "improvement" in passport renewal procedures for us long-suffering expats living in LOS either.

On the contrary, it would not surprise me in the slightest if, in the interest of further "cost savings and increased efficiency", the With-It Tower operation was closed down altogether and we expats were forced to submit our renewal applications and collect our replacement passports in person at/from the ex-HMPO Glasgow office - which would be just as awkward for most of us to get to from within the UK just as With-It Tower is for most of us here in Thailand!

What is With-It Tower?

[phutoie2]

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

I'm not holding my breath for any "improvement" in passport renewal procedures for us long-suffering expats living in LOS either.

On the contrary, it would not surprise me in the slightest if, in the interest of further "cost savings and increased efficiency", the With-It Tower operation was closed down altogether and we expats were forced to submit our renewal applications and collect our replacement passports in person at/from the ex-HMPO Glasgow office - which would be just as awkward for most of us to get to from within the UK just as With-It Tower is for most of us here in Thailand!

What is With-It Tower?

Trendy = With It. Overheard someone call it Trembly Building as well. Bit of a minefield for aging Brits I guess.

[pennine]

I've tried to book an appointment at [email protected] as per instructions, but I keep getting an automated response telling me this e-mail is for booking appointments ONLY which is precisely what I am trying to do!

[digitalchromakey]

I've tried to book an appointment at [email protected] as per instructions, but I keep getting an automated response telling me this e-mail is for booking appointments ONLY which is precisely what I am trying to do!

You need to keep it super simple as most of them aren't that good with the old English.:

Dear Sirs,

I am a UK Citizen, please may I have a passport renewal appointment for:

Day 1 time 1, Day2 Time 2, Day 3 Time 3.

Thank you.

Yours, etc.

Edited October 27, 2014 by digitalchromakey

[digitalchromakey]

I think why you can't just mail your application direct to the UK is because some head of chaos civil servant

Who is most likely sunning himself on a exotic Kuoni freebie holiday decided to give the Trendy a nice little earner.

When this chaos first started you were given no option but to travel, if you lived in the far reaches of Thailand to the Trendy office to present your documents that takes 5 minutes to process.

I have 2 emails from the HMPO Newport stating that even if you are in a wheelchair you must make a possible 2 thousand kilometre journey to present your documents and then make the same journey again when your passport was ready.

It was only because of the branded as whingers posters on this thread,that common sense seems to have prevailed

They have adopted the UK mentality due to their total lack of experience and flexibility - this works ok in the UK as distances are small and the offices are spread around if you need to attend.

They washed their hands of the situation quite deliberately.

They would have seen this coming well before it happened yet did nothing to prevent it which to me suggests it was a deliberate act.

This situation is more likely born out of pure incompetence rather than out of a conspiracy per se.

The main motivation for moving overseas passport issue to HMPO from the Foreign Office was in fact ostensibly 'for cost saving and increased efficiency of issue'.

The need for 2x round trip journeys to the capital is specific to Thailand and just a few other countries; most overseas UK Citizens in other countries can apply on-line and get the replacement passport couriered direct to their home address.

What is worrying however is that the 'new' HMPO integrated within the Home Office may come up with even more stupid ideas to further save money and 'increase efficiency'.

I am not personally filled with hope that things will continue to get somewhat 'better'.

We may yet end up as fourth class citizens, I pray not.

The GOV. UK ... outlined updated procedures in the "Overseas British Passport Applications" dated 22.10.2014 and stated the following about applicants travel to Bangkok.

> "if you are unable to, "someone else can go on your behalf" <

Thus fellows that a physically unable to travel to Bangkok for the passport application can therefore sent someone else for the application either family members, friends, or agents in order to complete this matter, he must of course provide all the requested application details.

Thanks for that, but the 22.10.2014 date on the Thai application page shows an update for all countries, not just Thailand.

The clause allowing a third party to apply if one is 'unable to attend' was actually introduced some time ago in June, if I recollect correctly.

[sandyf]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport

You can renew or replace your passport at any time. It costs £72.50, or £81.25 through the Post Office’s Passport Check and Send service. Time left on an existing passport is added to your new one - up to a maximum of 9 months.

It doesn't always work. I had 7 years left on mine and got just the 10 years on the new one. Certainly not going to send it back for amendment,

[geckojim]

Hi

I have an appointment at trendy on Monday 3rd November 2014 for a renewal due to no more pages.

I have an initial 90 day ed visa which will expire 19 January 2015. Will I still be able to extend my ed visa in Jan 2015 at BKK immigration if the new passport is not back? or can I do the extension before I send it? This is an ed visa for a Thai university.

Thanks for any answers.

[ubonjoe]

Hi

I have an appointment at trendy on Monday 3rd November 2014 for a renewal due to no more pages.

I have an initial 90 day ed visa which will expire 19 January 2015. Will I still be able to extend my ed visa in Jan 2015 at BKK immigration if the new passport is not back? or can I do the extension before I send it? This is an ed visa for a Thai university.

Thanks for any answers.

You can do it with your existing passport after you apply for the new one.

It is to early in your 90 day entry to apply for an extension now. You can only do it during the last 30 days of your entry.

[geckojim]

Thanks for info.

So I can still extend at bkk in January even though my existing will be cancelled? Cancelled meaning just for travel and not for immigration.

Thanks

[digitalchromakey]

Thanks for info. So I can still extend at bkk in January even though my existing will be cancelled? Cancelled meaning just for travel and not for immigration. Thanks

Yes providing your passport is not beyond it's expiry date; it is not marked in any way when you apply for a replacement at trendy.

Edited October 29, 2014 by digitalchromakey

[dingerbel]

So I have just got an email from the Liverpool overseas team 3, they tell me that my passport will be printed within the next 48 hours and sent out to me!

I sent my application off on 1st Aug, so its not bad....so far, I still actually have to get it back from Trendy! So that could be another couple of weeks, still I think I will be ok for my Visa renewal date of 9th September!

I have sent a complaint to consularenquiriesbangkok@fco.gov.uk and [email protected] everyday for the past two weeks, telling that I will look to take them to court if I end up an overstay due to there incompetence.

Seems to of worked!

You shouldn't have been too hard on the British Embassy, in this particular train wreck, they are actually the good guys - it was the British Government which idiotically transferred overseas passport issue from the FCO (Foreign Office) to the Home Office and that action was what created this current fiasco.

It's the Home Office that is incompetent and not the Foreign Office, whose own hands were tied thus preventing them helping in any way until there was a policy change (giving them a hotline to HMPO for difficult cases) only just a few weeks ago.

What you are reporting may produce an application to collection delay record for Thailand of only 5 weeks, which is even less than 'promised' on the HMPO Website (effective minimum of 7 weeks).

Please let this thread know when you actually do collect your passport.

Sorry I failed to get back on this topic after I had picked my passport up from Trendy, which I collected on the 4th of September and had my new visa all sorted on the 9th. So it all worked out in the end.

You mis-understood, I actually was told by the British embassy to send the email to them so they could forward it on to the correct people in the UK. This all seemed to work very well and as you say resulted in a really quick turn around on the passport, so it can be done!

[davyboy]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

Edited October 30, 2014 by davyboy

[OJAS]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

Waiting for the collection email might prove to be the difficult part! Fingers firmly crossed for your sake, though, that it doesn't.

My understanding of Table A of the PDF at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/342795/Supportingdocs2AUG2014.PDF is that only one document as evidence of your name and address is required. On this basis your last P60 should have proved sufficient for this purpose in its own right.

[davyboy]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

Waiting for the collection email might prove to be the difficult part! Fingers firmly crossed for your sake, though, that it doesn't.

My understanding of Table A of the PDF at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/342795/Supportingdocs2AUG2014.PDF is that only one document as evidence of your name and address is required. On this basis your last P60 should have proved sufficient for this purpose in its own right.

Yes, I agree that the P60 would have been sufficient, I took the other copies just to be on the safe side and the lady took them. I didn't want a rejection as it was a full day travelling there and back.

Always better to take too much than too little has always been my thinking after living in this country for many years!!!

As for waiting, that's not a problem for me as I am not going anywhere!!!

Edited October 30, 2014 by davyboy

[sandyf]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

A Driving Licence, as well as the Yellow Book, are only any good if less than a year old.

[OJAS]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

A Driving Licence, as well as the Yellow Book, are only any good if less than a year old.

And you need to get them both translated as well, I believe.

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post has been removed.

[personchester]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

A Driving Licence, as well as the Yellow Book, are only any good if less than a year old.

And you need to get them both translated as well, I believe.

It is well known that in order to proof "address" it can not be later than one year and must be fully translated into English.

The P60 address statement is alright, but the Thai driving license is not alright, Trendy may accept it, but when you application reaches HMPO the may reject it and contact you for a new outline.

It is alright to receive your "address" confirmation from UK banks, tax office, and pension providers.

It was good that your passport application procedure at Trendy was completed in about 5 minutes.

[seadog57]

hi all if anyone can help with info: regarding address i have the following:-

a. letter from the British Embassy in Bangkok stating my name address and passport No, (dated jan this year)

b. letter of residency from Thai immigrations translated into English valid for 30 days, ( as my appointment is the 17th Nov ) so valid.

will that cover the requirements as i dont want to travel all the way there and have a drama of some sort.

if anyone can let me know asap.

Thanks

[Jip99]

hi all if anyone can help with info: regarding address i have the following:-

a. letter from the British Embassy in Bangkok stating my name address and passport No, (dated jan this year)

b. letter of residency from Thai immigrations translated into English valid for 30 days, ( as my appointment is the 17th Nov ) so valid.

will that cover the requirements as i dont want to travel all the way there and have a drama of some sort.

if anyone can let me know asap.

Thanks

Yes - both should be fine.

It is HMPO that will decide on acceptability - Trendy only process and check that you have some form of paperwork re address proof. They asked me if I was happy with what I was submitting - that was it.

You wioll be OK.

[Jip99]

hi all if anyone can help with info: regarding address i have the following:-

a. letter from the British Embassy in Bangkok stating my name address and passport No, (dated jan this year)

b. letter of residency from Thai immigrations translated into English valid for 30 days, ( as my appointment is the 17th Nov ) so valid.

will that cover the requirements as i dont want to travel all the way there and have a drama of some sort.

if anyone can let me know asap.

Thanks

Yes - both should be fine.

It is HMPO that will decide on acceptability - Trendy only process and check that you have some form of paperwork re address proof. They asked me if I was happy with what I was submitting - that was it.

You will be OK.

[sandyf]

I had an appointment yesterday at Trendy to renew my UK passport and was in and out in 5 minutes with every thing approved. Now just have to wait for 6 weeks or so for an email to go collect.

Quite easy really!

BTW for the proof of my address I used a copy of my last P60 from my pension provider and a copy of each of my Thai driving licences.

A Driving Licence, as well as the Yellow Book, are only any good if less than a year old.

And you need to get them both translated as well, I believe.

That applies to virtually any document originating in Thailand. I had my electricity bill translated.

Not a great deal of choice as I have no UK correspondence to my Thai address.

[steviewonder46]

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i had my appointment today.i went down there for my 8.50 am meeting as stated on my e mail with my copy of the email i was sent.(which they didnt even look at).i was seen within 5 minutes..i was told it would take betwwen 6-12 weeks..i told the lady that after 6 weeks i would be overstayed.she told me to take my letter and reciept to immigration..she didnt say if this would aboid my aoverstay fine ...has anyone done this and if so have immigration been kind to them and not charged them overstay?..after all it's not our fault the whole system is a cluster <deleted>.

oh yeah..i forgot to mention...i went in at 8.50 and was out by 9.10...so it was really quick..hopefully this is a taste of things to come...i can only hope....always look on the bright side of life..(whistle whistle)

trendy always have been quick, but then basically they only count your papers and issue a receipt.

Leads one to wonder as to why it takes so long to get an appointment.

heres a silver lining story...(kinda)..i got a call from trendy last tuesday..and they saidthey've got my passport(and it wasn'teven the minimum 6 weeks wait..it was 5..amazing).thanks god as my visa runs out on the 8th November..anyway,i went down there,picked up my passport..happy dayys.i've just got 1 dilemma left(sorry guys).ive been told i need to take my police report down with me when i get my visa stamp from immigration but all i can find is the translated on that i was required to get.do you think this is ok or will i have a problem?(and if so..any solutions?).i've looked everywhere and cant find it..i'm trying to remember if they took it from me at trendy buildingas its not like me to misplace an important document..do they do keep the original ever?

[digitalchromakey]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

i had my appointment today.i went down there for my 8.50 am meeting as stated on my e mail with my copy of the email i was sent.(which they didnt even look at).i was seen within 5 minutes..i was told it would take betwwen 6-12 weeks..i told the lady that after 6 weeks i would be overstayed.she told me to take my letter and reciept to immigration..she didnt say if this would aboid my aoverstay fine ...has anyone done this and if so have immigration been kind to them and not charged them overstay?..after all it's not our fault the whole system is a cluster <deleted>.

oh yeah..i forgot to mention...i went in at 8.50 and was out by 9.10...so it was really quick..hopefully this is a taste of things to come...i can only hope....always look on the bright side of life..(whistle whistle)

trendy always have been quick, but then basically they only count your papers and issue a receipt.

Leads one to wonder as to why it takes so long to get an appointment.

heres a silver lining story...(kinda)..i got a call from trendy last tuesday..and they saidthey've got my passport(and it wasn'teven the minimum 6 weeks wait..it was 5..amazing).thanks god as my visa runs out on the 8th November..anyway,i went down there,picked up my passport..happy dayys.i've just got 1 dilemma left(sorry guys).ive been told i need to take my police report down with me when i get my visa stamp from immigration but all i can find is the translated on that i was required to get.do you think this is ok or will i have a problem?(and if so..any solutions?).i've looked everywhere and cant find it..i'm trying to remember if they took it from me at trendy buildingas its not like me to misplace an important document..do they do keep the original ever?

There have been other posts on this thread from members with lost passports who wrote that trendy took the lost passport police report and forwarded it to HMPO Liverpool; it came back to trendy under separate cover about a week later.

Maybe if you get transfer pro forma from the Consular Section of the British Embassy in Bangkok along with a couple of photo copies you might be alright getting the stamp transfer into your new passport if trendy haven't coughed up the original by then.

Good news re the turnaround time.