Got a problem, changed my name by deed poll and sent away for a new passport with new name, no problem. Got form from British embassy to transfer extension of stay stamp to new passport, so went today to do that and 90 day report at the same time. Anyway i go to transfer stamp to new passport and they ask me do you have proof of change of name? I say yes my new passport, and the form stamped and signed by the British embassy, also the deed poll signed and stamped by a notary public here in Thailand that i used to change my name on my passport along with my old passport. They tell me this isn't sufficient evidence that i am the same person, bearing in mind my old passport is only 2 years old so i haven't changed that much. So they wouldn't transfer my stamp or let me do my 90 day report, they say i need more evidence that i am me and to return in the next 7 days which is my 90 day report deadline. Question is if all these forms of ID are supposedly insufficient (never mind they're sufficient for the rest of the world) where do i stand and what can i do?

Moved to the Visas in Thailand forum.

Which immigration office was this?

I suspect part of the problem was they had never done it before.

At the moment I am at a loss as to what more you can do to prove our identity.

Was the name change document translated to Thai? Getting it translated might help.

You could call 1111 (government information hotline, including immigration) and explain the situation. If need be they can contact the immigration office and tell them what to do.

Not translated to Thai, but my new passport with new name is good enough to travel the world with but not good enough for Thai immigration. I'll go again next week and see what they say!

Spent about 2 hours on hold on the immigration line, maybe try again tomorrow. Personally i don't really care as i'm heading back to UK in June, can't deal with the stupidity here any longer.

There is a legal process which must be followed in the UK to change a name by "deed poll" . There is legal paperwork associated with the process.

If that paperwork (which MUST have been presented to obtain a new passport) had been translated and provided to immigration I doubt a "problem" would have arisen.

I am fully aware of the legal process, how do you think i received my new passport back in 2 weeks? A passport is the highest form of ID a person can possess, i can travel all over the world and use as ID, but not good enough for Thailand. Pathetic!!

Sounds like getting the name change document translated to Thai is the first thing to do.

If you're leaving in June, and if you still have your old passport why don't you just report using the old passport?

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I am fully aware of the legal process, how do you think i received my new passport back in 2 weeks? A passport is the highest form of ID a person can possess, i can travel all over the world and use as ID, but not good enough for Thailand. Pathetic!!

With that attitude you are clearly best advised to leave Thailand !

Had you presented (translated ) legal evidence of how/why the name change was accomplished I doubt there would have been a problem !

Just as a matter of interest, why did you feel the need to change the name ?

My passport is legal evidence of name change, it is a government issued document good for ID all over the world, what makes Thailand think it is not?

Sounds like getting the name change document translated to Thai is the first thing to do.

If you're leaving in June, and if you still have your old passport why don't you just report using the old passport?

I wouldn't have thought you could use the old passport as it is cancelled and no longer valid, if i can then that is what i will have to do.

What you are asking immigration to do is not the same as using your new passport to enter a country.

You are asking them to change your immigration records over to a different name. The record includes you entry. extension. permit to stay date and etc.

They also will have to do an annotation of your visa that was issued under another name into your new passport.

My new passport is however sufficient to prove my ID, something that immigration are refusing to do, even though i have all paperwork intact.

My passport is legal evidence of name change, it is a government issued document good for ID all over the world, what makes Thailand think it is not?

No one will argue against that, but like it or not you have to give whatever Immigration need to satisfy their need.

I suspect, as Ubonjoe, that they've not had this before and don't know what to do.

Bureaucracy in Thailand is a pain, but one thing I've learnt here is that spitting the dummy doesn't get you anywhere. You can argue your point about the passport until you are blue in the face, but they won't budge.

Sounds like they just want to connect the dots from your old passport to the new one. I've no idea about the name change process, but if you have a "name change document" I'd have thought that would do the job.

Sounds like getting the name change document translated to Thai is the first thing to do.

If you're leaving in June, and if you still have your old passport why don't you just report using the old passport?

I wouldn't have thought you could use the old passport as it is cancelled and no longer valid, if i can then that is what i will have to do.

Is the passport stamped as cancelled?

If not I don't see how Thai Immigration would know it was. I'm sure someone will correct me if wrong.

And if not, maybe you could exit now on the old one, get a tourist visa in Laos to cover the remainder of your stay, then re-enter on the new passport.

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My new passport is however sufficient to prove my ID, something that immigration are refusing to do, even though i have all paperwork intact.

Was this "change of name " Enrolled with the Royal Courts of Justice and published in the London Gazette?

If so you have the legal documentation which will support the change and which, if translated, would remove any "difficulty"

Passport is cancelled, they cut off the bottom corner when you pick your new one up so it cannot be used. I'll go next week and try again and if they refuse me again then to hell with them!

Was this "change of name " Enrolled with the Royal Courts of Justice and published in the London Gazette?

If so you have the legal documentation which will support the change and which, if translated, would remove any "difficulty"

No it wasn't enrolled with the Royal Courts of justice, and there is no legal requirement to do so. The passport is the same if it was enrolled or not. I have the Deed Poll signed and notarised by a lawyer in Thailand, which was sufficient for the British Government to change my name but not sufficient for Thailand to recognise it.

Passport is cancelled, they cut off the bottom corner when you pick your new one up so it cannot be used. I'll go next week and try again and if they refuse me again then to hell with them!

That sucks!

If immigration won't play ball you will have get a lawyer involved to help.

Good luck.

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Was this "change of name " Enrolled with the Royal Courts of Justice and published in the London Gazette?

If so you have the legal documentation which will support the change and which, if translated, would remove any "difficulty"

No it wasn't enrolled with the Royal Courts of justice, and there is no legal requirement to do so. The passport is the same if it was enrolled or not. I have the Deed Poll signed and notarised by a lawyer in Thailand, which was sufficient for the British Government to change my name but not sufficient for Thailand to recognise it.

So tough !

So tough !

Yeah, whatever!

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So tough !

Yeah, whatever!

Frankly, I think you were extremely fortunate to have a new passport issued on the basis of a "deed pole" exercised in Thailand .

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

There has been some good advice offered and to prevent any further inflammatory posts during the night, this topic is closed pending review by the visa mods in the morning.

My passport is legal evidence of name change, it is a government issued document good for ID all over the world, what makes Thailand think it is not?

I'm afraid your new passport is not legal evidence for Thai immigration of your name change.

Let's say you changed your name from Stan Spider (SS) to Andrew Aspen(AA). Yes, your new passport is a government-issued travel document valid for SS to travel to all countries.

Now try to look at it from immigration's point of view. AA shows up and says "I have changed my name from SS to AA. Please transfer the stamps from the old to the new passport." There is no record of the arrival of AA in the immigration database, but there is a record of the arrival of SS. How can the immigration officer (IO) be sure that there are not two persons, that AA did not steal the passport of SS, made that passport look like it had been annulled, and now pretends to be the the same person? What evidence does the IO have that the SS and AA are indeed the same person? This AA talks about a deed poll, whatever that may be, the IO never heard of it. When the IO asks AA for documents proving the name change, AA gets upset. Something can't be right here, the IO suspects, and sends AA packing.