Renewing a British passport in Thailand (BKK)

[OJAS]

Update: Had a call from Bangkok telling me my passport is ready for pick up, less than 2 weeks after submission, very promt and easy, asked them about switching the visa and they said i can get a form to do it there, can anyone tell me how this works as im hoping to pick up the passport in the morning and get the visa transfered same day and then head off for a visa run, is the visa tranfer to new passport easy, and where do i need ot go in bangkok, they seemed very vague just saying i could get a from there, i have heard you need some kind of letter proving both passports belong to you, and that i need to do it in advanced

Please refer to the attached notice which the With-It Tower Mob should hand you when you collect your replacement passport.

150211 Visa Transfer Letter Final.docx

Edited June 2, 2015 by OJAS

[Jip99]

Thanks guys, I actually received an email in the end from the passport office, they firmly stated that the old passport would not be valid for use and I would not be able to travel on it after my new passport has been issued.

My feeling is the UK passport office simply don't want you to continue with your old one, they know you can actually still use your old one but would prefer to make you believe that you cant. As others have commented some have continued to use the old passport, which would mean there is no electronic cancellation (i.e. linked to any immigration computer), the only way that a passport can be canceled is to physically snip the corner, otherwise why the need to snip the corner ?

In the email they stated that the examiner "should" cancel the passport by snipping off the corners. So if I was to pick up my new passport and refuse to allow them to snip the corner off, would they refuse to give me my new passport ? I would say probably not.

When you go to collect your new passport the first thing you pass over is your old one. They then give you your new passport and some other paperwork. Once you have this and sign for it they cut the corners on your old one and pass it back to you, so in reality you have no say in the matter. When I applied a guy in the next booth was collecting his. He was ranting and raving they could not cut the corners because of some other visas he had in there. Waste of time, they cut them handed the old passport back and called security.

Yes, they have got their act together.

A year ago they just didn't bother to cut the corners on my old passport (and I was able to use it for a visit to Cambodia, saving almost 2 pages in the new passport).

[taxin]

Thanks guys, I actually received an email in the end from the passport office, they firmly stated that the old passport would not be valid for use and I would not be able to travel on it after my new passport has been issued.

My feeling is the UK passport office simply don't want you to continue with your old one, they know you can actually still use your old one but would prefer to make you believe that you cant. As others have commented some have continued to use the old passport, which would mean there is no electronic cancellation (i.e. linked to any immigration computer), the only way that a passport can be canceled is to physically snip the corner, otherwise why the need to snip the corner ?

In the email they stated that the examiner "should" cancel the passport by snipping off the corners. So if I was to pick up my new passport and refuse to allow them to snip the corner off, would they refuse to give me my new passport ? I would say probably not.

When you go to collect your new passport the first thing you pass over is your old one. They then give you your new passport and some other paperwork. Once you have this and sign for it they cut the corners on your old one and pass it back to you, so in reality you have no say in the matter. When I applied a guy in the next booth was collecting his. He was ranting and raving they could not cut the corners because of some other visas he had in there. Waste of time, they cut them handed the old passport back and called security.

Interesting, I wonder what would happen if you had a representative go in on your behalf to pick up the new passport, and they didn't have the previous passport in hand...

Transferring the stamp sounds like a real hassle, not long ago I bumped into a guy I knew in the immigration, he was all stressed and had steam coming out of his ears, said he had been at the immigration for 3 whole days trying to transfer a stamp from his old passport to another, was enough to put me off the thought of doing this.

I'm going to give the whole thing a miss and apply for my new passport at a later date.

[Jip99]

Thanks guys, I actually received an email in the end from the passport office, they firmly stated that the old passport would not be valid for use and I would not be able to travel on it after my new passport has been issued.

My feeling is the UK passport office simply don't want you to continue with your old one, they know you can actually still use your old one but would prefer to make you believe that you cant. As others have commented some have continued to use the old passport, which would mean there is no electronic cancellation (i.e. linked to any immigration computer), the only way that a passport can be canceled is to physically snip the corner, otherwise why the need to snip the corner ?

In the email they stated that the examiner "should" cancel the passport by snipping off the corners. So if I was to pick up my new passport and refuse to allow them to snip the corner off, would they refuse to give me my new passport ? I would say probably not.

When you go to collect your new passport the first thing you pass over is your old one. They then give you your new passport and some other paperwork. Once you have this and sign for it they cut the corners on your old one and pass it back to you, so in reality you have no say in the matter. When I applied a guy in the next booth was collecting his. He was ranting and raving they could not cut the corners because of some other visas he had in there. Waste of time, they cut them handed the old passport back and called security.

Interesting, I wonder what would happen if you had a representative go in on your behalf to pick up the new passport, and they didn't have the previous passport in hand...

Transferring the stamp sounds like a real hassle, not long ago I bumped into a guy I knew in the immigration, he was all stressed and had steam coming out of his ears, said he had been at the immigration for 3 whole days trying to transfer a stamp from his old passport to another, was enough to put me off the thought of doing this.

I'm going to give the whole thing a miss and apply for my new passport at a later date.

I imagine that they would not be able to collect it. It is a requirement that the old passport is presented when collecting the new one.

Took me 25 minutes to get my stamps transferred.

There is no urgency to do this, you can simply travel with 2 passports.

Edited June 4, 2015 by Jip99

[reenatinnakor]

OK.....understand most of the information here, very informative. My passport still has another 3 years on it but only 2 blank pages left so I need a new one. The only problem I find I might have is if I don't have a Thai address with my name on it? I just have lots and lots of 30 day visa stamps, extensions and a 3 month Edu visa that runs until Sep 20th but no Thai address since I stay with my girlfriend.

So is having to give a Thai residential proof essential? It does say visa or residential permit, I'm not sure if showing the colour photocopy of the Education visa is sufficient?

I was going to get a flight to London and do the one day service but I guess can wait 3 weeks here and save the money! Any advice would be appreciated.

Name and address and/or residency evidence Please provide one of the following: • visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy) • tax record eg a letter from a tax authority • educational record eg school report • employment record eg official letter from your employer • letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department • baptismal or naming certificate • medical/health card • voter’s card • parents’ death certificates if applicable • immigration documents.

[OJAS]

OK.....understand most of the information here, very informative. My passport still has another 3 years on it but only 2 blank pages left so I need a new one. The only problem I find I might have is if I don't have a Thai address with my name on it? I just have lots and lots of 30 day visa stamps, extensions and a 3 month Edu visa that runs until Sep 20th but no Thai address since I stay with my girlfriend.

So is having to give a Thai residential proof essential? It does say visa or residential permit, I'm not sure if showing the colour photocopy of the Education visa is sufficient?

I was going to get a flight to London and do the one day service but I guess can wait 3 weeks here and save the money! Any advice would be appreciated.

Name and address and/or residency evidence Please provide one of the following: • visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy) • tax record eg a letter from a tax authority • educational record eg school report • employment record eg official letter from your employer • letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department • baptismal or naming certificate • medical/health card • voter’s card • parents’ death certificates if applicable • immigration documents.

Why not follow my suggestion at post #18 of the thread on the Thai visas, residency and work permits forum at http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/834709-british-passport-renewal-proof-address-help-please/ regarding writing a snail mail letter of complaint to HMPO about the lousy passport renewal procedures which they inflicted on us in March 2014? If you were to write now, all being well you should at least receive an acknowledgement in the post from them by September, which you could then use as the necessary proof of your address under the "letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department" heading!

[reenatinnakor]

OK.....understand most of the information here, very informative. My passport still has another 3 years on it but only 2 blank pages left so I need a new one. The only problem I find I might have is if I don't have a Thai address with my name on it? I just have lots and lots of 30 day visa stamps, extensions and a 3 month Edu visa that runs until Sep 20th but no Thai address since I stay with my girlfriend.

So is having to give a Thai residential proof essential? It does say visa or residential permit, I'm not sure if showing the colour photocopy of the Education visa is sufficient?

I was going to get a flight to London and do the one day service but I guess can wait 3 weeks here and save the money! Any advice would be appreciated.

Name and address and/or residency evidence Please provide one of the following: • visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy) • tax record eg a letter from a tax authority • educational record eg school report • employment record eg official letter from your employer • letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department • baptismal or naming certificate • medical/health card • voter’s card • parents’ death certificates if applicable • immigration documents.

Why not follow my suggestion at post #18 of the thread on the Thai visas, residency and work permits forum at http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/834709-british-passport-renewal-proof-address-help-please/ regarding writing a snail mail letter of complaint to HMPO about the lousy passport renewal procedures which they inflicted on us in March 2014? If you were to write now, all being well you should at least receive an acknowledgement in the post from them by September, which you could then use as the necessary proof of your address under the "letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department" heading!

But I can't stay here longer than September 20th! I need a new passport back hopefully within 4 weeks.

I have a joint bank account with the girlfriend that has my name on it and maybe could get a bank statement but that's not accepted as an official document.

[cheeryble]

Hi

A friend dropped off my passport application at Trendy.

I now have notification to pick up the new one.

They have asked for "your receipt of documents submitted" to take for the pick up.

The friend still has all the stuff and just sent a photo to me.

The below looks like the receipt they want.

Can anyone confirm that's it just so I'm 100% sure?

Thanks

ps this arrived July 1st.

I did not see it in Apple Mail and cannot see it in Junk.

I just searched Mail for the keyword collection and nothing on or near that date.

I only found it because I was thinking it should be here and looked at gmail via browser.

Anyone got a rational explanation?

I obviously didn't accidentally delete or it would have deleted from the gmail on browser right?

I now have a bit of a rush on as I believe pick up must be within a month.

Edited July 18, 2015 by cheeryble

[whatawonderfulday]

Not sure if anybody else has encountered similar difficulties but my friend has emailed Trendy ( '[email protected]' 5 times now for an appointment to renew a British passport and have had no replies. Apparently all emails were delivered to their servers.

What to do next as you can only go to Trendy with a booked appointment ?

[dabhand]

Not sure if anybody else has encountered similar difficulties but my friend has emailed Trendy (

When did he send the emails? The last couple of days have been holidays.

I set up an appointment a couple of weeks back and received a confirmed date within a couple of hours.

[dabhand]

Not sure if anybody else has encountered similar difficulties but my friend has emailed Trendy (

Double post. Also issues with initial comment format.

Edited July 31, 2015 by dabhand

[Bardeh]

Has anyone recently been to renew a passport without proof of address? We rent from a friend of my wife's and for simplicity all the bills are in her name. I can't think of an easy way to get something on short notice that they'd take as proof of address.

[JAS21]

My wife, who is a Thai National, needs to renew her UK Passport. She will need to give proof of address? Will the Blue House Book with her name in it be sufficient can anyone confirm please? thanks

[JAS21]

Help ...

I've just looked for The Trendy Building on Maps Google and it's telling me Soi 34 Suphang Alley (GPS 13.724741 100.575229) but the address is Soi 13. Anyone got GPS coordinates for it please. My wife has just e-mailed for an appointment. They probably give a map with the reply ............

Thanks

Found it .. it's called Trendy Build British and Australian Passport Suk 13. Slightly different form The Trendy Office Building which I got from the website.

PS ... does it have a car park or is it best to go by BTS ... we live Pakkret area

Edited August 31, 2015 by JAS21

[Jip99]

Help ...

I've just looked for The Trendy Building on Maps Google and it's telling me Soi 34 Suphang Alley (GPS 13.724741 100.575229) but the address is Soi 13. Anyone got GPS coordinates for it please. My wife has just e-mailed for an appointment. They probably give a map with the reply ............

Thanks

Found it .. it's called Trendy Build British and Australian Passport Suk 13. Slightly different form The Trendy Office Building which I got from the website.

PS ... does it have a car park or is it best to go by BTS ... we live Pakkret area

No car park.

[NanLaew]

Help ...

I've just looked for The Trendy Building on Maps Google and it's telling me Soi 34 Suphang Alley (GPS 13.724741 100.575229) but the address is Soi 13. Anyone got GPS coordinates for it please. My wife has just e-mailed for an appointment. They probably give a map with the reply ............

Thanks

Found it .. it's called Trendy Build British and Australian Passport Suk 13. Slightly different form The Trendy Office Building which I got from the website.

PS ... does it have a car park or is it best to go by BTS ... we live Pakkret area

No car park.

Yes it does.

But if you are only coming from Pakkret, the BTS is a no-brainer.

[JAS21]

Appointment is Thurs morning ... so BTS it is ... so I'm told!!

Edited September 1, 2015 by JAS21

[Stoker58]

How can I get a passport renewal form posted out? Download is no good. I use an iPad to access the internet and that doesn't connect to a USB printer.

[NanLaew]

How can I get a passport renewal form posted out? Download is no good. I use an iPad to access the internet and that doesn't connect to a USB printer.

You don't so I guess you need to get access to a computer and a printer then.

If I was at home, I would download one and snail-mail it to you but I am out of LOS at the moment. Maybe some other nice TV'er can assist?

[Stoker58]

How can I get a passport renewal form posted out? Download is no good. I use an iPad to access the internet and that doesn't connect to a USB printer.

You don't so I guess you need to get access to a computer and a printer then.

If I was at home, I would download one and snail-mail it to you but I am out of LOS at the moment. Maybe some other nice TV'er can assist?

Thaanks, I appreciate the thought. If I went out of my way I could find someone's office with a printer, or have someone in the UK send me a copy, but I intend to make them send me a paper copy. There are lots of people who don't have easy access to the internet and printers, and getting a passport renewed should not be dependent on either.

[NanLaew]

How can I get a passport renewal form posted out? Download is no good. I use an iPad to access the internet and that doesn't connect to a USB printer.

You don't so I guess you need to get access to a computer and a printer then.

If I was at home, I would download one and snail-mail it to you but I am out of LOS at the moment. Maybe some other nice TV'er can assist?

Thaanks, I appreciate the thought. If I went out of my way I could find someone's office with a printer, or have someone in the UK send me a copy, but I intend to make them send me a paper copy. There are lots of people who don't have easy access to the internet and printers, and getting a passport renewed should not be dependent on either.

Good luck with making them do anything other than their SOP but if you do manage to get some sanity out of them and get the form mailed, make sure you post so that others similarly challenged have a shot.

If it is still mission impossible by the middle of the month, PM me as I will be home and I have a couple that I printed out about 8 months ago when I was renewing my passports. I can post them to you.

Edited September 2, 2015 by NanLaew

[Stoker58]

Leaning hard on them right now. There's just something grossly unreasonable about the fact that they want a paper form sent to them with tons of photocopies, and then expect people to travel to Bangkok in person, but they can't be bothered putting a single form in the post.

There's the discrimination angle too. If you live in the UK they'll post a form to you, but not in Thailand. We're not second class citizens just because we live abroad, and we shouldn't accept a second class service.

[Richard W]

There's the discrimination angle too. If you live in the UK they'll post a form to you, but not in Thailand. We're not second class citizens just because we live abroad, and we shouldn't accept a second class service.

I think you'll find that living abroad does reduce one's status. Pension rights and voting rights are diminished, and you'll be aware that being born abroad further diminishes one's right to citizenship.

[JAS21]

Jesus ... what's all the complaining ... my wife, who is Thai downloaded and printed out the form on Sunday ... filled it in and got a friend to sign her new photo etc, unfortunately ten years wear and tear made it necessary . She e-mailed VFS on Sunday evening for an appointment and has now just got back from them having had the paperwork accepted. They told her maybe up to four weeks before she gets her new passport.

Edited September 3, 2015 by JAS21

[partington]

Update: Had a call from Bangkok telling me my passport is ready for pick up, less than 2 weeks after submission, very promt and easy, asked them about switching the visa and they said i can get a form to do it there, can anyone tell me how this works as im hoping to pick up the passport in the morning and get the visa transfered same day and then head off for a visa run, is the visa tranfer to new passport easy, and where do i need ot go in bangkok, they seemed very vague just saying i could get a from there, i have heard you need some kind of letter proving both passports belong to you, and that i need to do it in advanced

The stamps cannot be transferred at VFS, only at immigration.

This would normally be your local immigration office. Depending on their practice you may need to get a letter from the British Embassy 'certifying' the new passport (you will need an appointment for that). My immigration didn't need such letter but I have heard of several that do.

You can do your visa run anyway - just take both passports.

When you collect your passport the will also give you an envelope explaining what to do next. The form you are talking about (they give you this with your new passport) is the confirmation that you have been issued with a new passport. You fill this in and then have three choices, you can take it to the British Embassy to get it signed and stamped, you can fill it in and post it to the Embassy or you can email it to them. I posted mine and it was back within three days, took it to immigration along with the other paperwork required and they transfered everything, no problem

This has now changed, but of course they do not inform you!

Now at VFS they hand you the British Embassy letter/form confirming the renewal of your passport, and you fill it in. Then you go to the British Embassy at 8 a.m, and they tell you, no it has changed now, you do not need us to do anything, just take the filled in form to the Immigration Office.

So be warned the letter/form the VFS hand you does NOT need to be taken to the Embassy any more. It already has a printed "request by the vice consul" on the bottom and can just be filled in at your leisure and used to transfer your stamps at Immigration.

I did this yesterday at Chaengwattana Bangkok, and it was fine. Be warned the transfer is treated the same as a retirement extension, and so you go into the long queue for these.

Also for Chaengwattana the form for transferring stamps is the version addressed to "Inspector Sub-division 2" - they didn't accept the version addressed to "Inspector Division 1" that I downloaded and had filled in.

BangkokVisaTransferForm.pdf

Edited September 3, 2015 by partington

[JAS21]

Just a quick update ...paperwork left at Trendy 3rd Sept ... informed on 21st that passport was ready ... so 18 days ... picked it up today ...Mrs JAS now has her new 10 year passport.

[arthurwait]

Do you need to book an appointment to renew a British passport or can you just turn up at the building ?

If you have to book an appointment do you have to do this in person or by phone or Email ?

Thanks.

[jacky54]

seems far easier and cheaper to get it done when back home, and no silly photocopies either

[Jip99]

Do you need to book an appointment to renew a British passport or can you just turn up at the building ?

If you have to book an appointment do you have to do this in person or by phone or Email ?

Thanks.

Book online.

Go to VFS website

[Jip99]

seems far easier and cheaper to get it done when back home, and no silly photocopies either

It does if you ignore the cost of flights.

In cost terms you can get a premium same day service for the cost of a standard application in Thailand.