my old non-imm-O is on my old passport and i now have a new passport. when i went to renew my retirement visa they said i need a letter from the embassy that i have a new passport. is this for real? never had this situation before. i've been here for more than 10 years.

You were not attempting to "renew" a visa !

You were applying for an extension of stay based on retirement !

The letter confirming a new passport has been issued is a requirement which will, clearly, have to be met.

Most Embassy's issue these letters free of charge. Inquire at the consular section of your countries Embassy.

Edited April 3, 201511 yr by nzexpat

muchas gracias

Such a requirement seems nonsensical

- by definition, a passport is a document, in a universally recognized format, which is intended to speak for itself. A letter could take many different formats and would be much easier to forge.

- to the OP: Is there some information which you have not disclosed, e.g. you got a new passport well before the expiry date of your previous one, the immigration officer had some reason to think that it might not be authentic, or you said something that angered or annoyed him ?

" you got a new passport well before the expiry date of your previous one"

yes, this is correct, but she did not make a point of that nor did she open the two passports

the way she gave me instructions for getting the letter from the embassy it seemed like standard policy

thank you very much for your input

Such a requirement seems nonsensical

- by definition, a passport is a document, in a universally recognized format, which is intended to speak for itself. A letter could take many different formats and would be much easier to forge.

- to the OP: Is there some information which you have not disclosed, e.g. you got a new passport well before the expiry date of your previous one, the immigration officer had some reason to think that it might not be authentic, or you said something that angered or annoyed him ?

The letter from the embassy has been a immigration requirement for many years. Not all immigration offices ask for it though.

It has nothing to do with anything else than being a requirement.

"It has nothing to do with anything else than being a requirement."

yes, that is the way it seemed - the way she told me to get the letter

so i guess i go for long drive to bangkok tuesday

thank you for your clear and unambiguous statement

I have been in Thailand for almost twenty years, on what must be my fourth passport. I have been living here in both in an employed, and now,, retired, capacity. I have lived in three different Immigration Districts, including my current one. where I have done one renewal. And, I have never heard of this requirement for a letter. There must be more here than meets the eye.

Is it possible to get a list of which Districts do, or do not, require this ?

"It has nothing to do with anything else than being a requirement."

yes, that is the way it seemed - the way she told me to get the letter

so i guess i go for long drive to bangkok tuesday

thank you for your clear and unambiguous statement

With some nationalities, the letter automatically comes with the replacement passport.

For some where it doesn't - like with the UK replacement passport then you can get the required pro-forma by email without having to actually bowl up at the British Embassy.

The US Embassy and the US Consulates automatically issue this letter when you collect you new passport from them.

can anyone suggest a format for the letter?

i will go to the embassy tue and want to be ready in case they don't know what i am talking about

can anyone suggest a format for the letter?

i will go to the embassy tue and want to be ready in case they don't know what i am talking about

They will know what is needed. You can be sure you will not be the first to ask for one.

I don't understand why embassies don't just give you the letter with the new passport. My embassy gives one with the new passport.

can anyone suggest a format for the letter?

i will go to the embassy tue and want to be ready in case they don't know what i am talking about

They will know what is needed. You can be sure you will not be the first to ask for one.

I don't understand why embassies don't just give you the letter with the new passport. My embassy gives one with the new passport.

My Embassy (British) doesn't issue passports any more; but they still do the pro forma on request

Such a requirement seems nonsensical

- by definition, a passport is a document, in a universally recognized format, which is intended to speak for itself. A letter could take many different formats and would be much easier to forge.

- to the OP: Is there some information which you have not disclosed, e.g. you got a new passport well before the expiry date of your previous one, the immigration officer had some reason to think that it might not be authentic, or you said something that angered or annoyed him ?

The letter says something like: Mr. xxxx got a new passport with Nr. xxxxx because the old Passport Nr. xxxxx expired, we ask the commander of the immigration if they can transfer their Visa to the new one.....

I don't see much sense in requesting that letter.

The OP jumped off the page at me because I picked up my new Canadian passport a couple of days ago. While I was unaware of this possible requirement (if that is gramatically correct !), the clerk at the Embassy did not ask me if I wanted such a letter, or give me one as a matter of course. To the Canadians reading this: has Thai Immigration ever asked you for a letter authenticating your passport ? With all due respect to the Americans, I am putting together the OP's comment that the Immigration Officer told him to get a letter without even opening his passport, and Digitalchromakey's comment that some embassies hand out a letter as a matter of course with every new passport. I am led to the conclusion that this supposed requirement depends on country of origin, perhaps combined with some of the factors I mentioned in my first reply above.

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The OP jumped off the page at me because I picked up my new Canadian passport a couple of days ago. While I was unaware of this possible requirement (if that is gramatically correct !), the clerk at the Embassy did not ask me if I wanted such a letter, or give me one as a matter of course. To the Canadians reading this: has Thai Immigration ever asked you for a letter authenticating your passport ? With all due respect to the Americans, I am putting together the OP's comment that the Immigration Officer told him to get a letter without even opening his passport, and Digitalchromakey's comment that some embassies hand out a letter as a matter of course with every new passport. I am led to the conclusion that this supposed requirement depends on country of origin, perhaps combined with some of the factors I mentioned in my first reply above.

It is a long standing "requirement" which was not always enforced by all immigration offices . You may be "lucky" but I would advice securing the letter to avoid possible disappointment and inconvenience

can anyone suggest a format for the letter?

i will go to the embassy tue and want to be ready in case they don't know what i am talking about

They will know what is needed. You can be sure you will not be the first to ask for one.

I don't understand why embassies don't just give you the letter with the new passport. My embassy gives one with the new passport.

"My embassy gives one with the new passport."

Yes, when I got my new passport a few months ago the embassy automatically included a letter addressed to immigrations. Since it has been a requirement for many years you would think all embassies operating in Bangkok would realize this.

my old non-imm-O is on my old passport and i now have a new passport.

Depending on how long ago you got the new passport you should probably have done the transfer of the extension to the new passport earlier.

Edited April 3, 201511 yr by Suradit69

DONE!

many thanks to all participants for the very useful information provided in this forum

happy happy

DONE!

many thanks to all participants for the very useful information provided in this forum

happy happy

Was this the British Embassy? If so did you make an appointment and did you take an application form with you or did they give you one to fill out then and there?

DONE!

many thanks to all participants for the very useful information provided in this forum

happy happy

Was this the British Embassy? If so did you make an appointment and did you take an application form with you or did they give you one to fill out then and there?

According to the attached notice which the With-It Tower Mob issue with new passports the Embassy do require you to complete some application form before you trot along to them in person for the letter. The Embassy did, however, inform me by email a few weeks ago that no prior appointment was needed for this particular service.

150211 Visa Transfer Letter Final.docx

DONE!

many thanks to all participants for the very useful information provided in this forum

happy happy

Was this the British Embassy? If so did you make an appointment and did you take an application form with you or did they give you one to fill out then and there?

According to the attached notice which the With-It Tower Mob issue with new passports the Embassy do require you to complete some application form before you trot along to them in person for the letter. The Embassy did, however, inform me by email a few weeks ago that no prior appointment was needed for this particular service.

Note that British Embassy states that there is no need to attend in person to obtain the signed transfer pro forma, it can also be easily effected via email or by post.