kamonratsu Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Is it possible to renew a passport at the British Embassy, Bangkok, without returning to the UK? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatbrit Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Not at the Embassy but you can renew a UK passport without returning home. The link provides instructions https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 The embassy has not done passports for a few years now. You have to apply for it at the VFS offices in the Trendy building. Go through the steps here for info and form: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamonratsu Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Thank you. So I DO have to return to the UK to collect then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 No need to go to the UK. You will keep your existing passport after you apply and your new one will be sent to the office where you apply by courier then you pick it up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatbrit Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Thank you. So I DO have to return to the UK to collect then? NO ! You collect from the Trendy Building in Bangkok which is the same place which the passport application is lodged. Follow the instructions in the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamonratsu Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Cheers, much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
personchester Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Go to the Trendy Building in Bangkok with the requested application procedures and the entire copy of your passport, the VSF office will then send the application procedure to the HMPO office in Liverpool they will produce the new passport and will sent it to the VSF Trendy Office in Bangkok. The VSF office when received the new passport will inform you via email or via telephone in order to collect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jip99 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Note that ALL pages (including blank pages) from your existing passport needs to be photocopied in colour. This also applies to whatever you are submitting by way of proof of address. Take note of the precise requirements for photograph sizes - white or grey background (not blue) - most Kodak shops are pretty good if you tell them the photos are needed for a UK passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderkheiyw Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Better to get your photos done on the ground floor of the Trendy building - ignore that bit where they say 'don't accept services from the ground floor they are touts and the only approved services are done on the 28th floor' there are no services on the 28th floor and they send you back to the ground floor if they think your photos are not 100% guaranteed !! By the elevators they have got everything you need including translation services for documents in Thai that might be needed for proof of address (my bank statement was fine b.t.w) - just wished I had done my full passport colour photocopy there because they charged me the earth locally and a colour photocopier took some finding - Oh I have got a print-scanner but they say 'full colour photocopy' you know how fussy the English are - better to do it exactly how it is printed, and do not photoshop anything - especially the Thai shops that stick a preset shirt on top of your body - it won't do, think English! Overall the staff were very nice and seemed to take to my 'fake English charm' - why do we do that?? especially my running down to the ground floor to re-do my photos, they were very nice and didn't cancel the appointment for that. Just waiting for the return now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke000 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 What happens to your old passport? If you have a few pages left and you apply for a new passport. Will they keep or invalidate the old one ? I would like to get a new PP and then start using it when the old one is full. I dont want to go to Thai immigration to get my current visa transferred to my new passport . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expatbrit Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 What happens to your old passport? If you have a few pages left and you apply for a new passport. Will they keep or invalidate the old one ? I would like to get a new PP and then start using it when the old one is full. I dont want to go to Thai immigration to get my current visa transferred to my new passport . If you get a new passport the old on is cancelled. Valid visas are not transferred and remain valid even if in a cancelled passport. To use a visa contained in a cancelled passport both the cancelled and new passport should be presented to the immigration officer at the airport or land border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neitmoj Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I renewed mine in April, following exactly the procedures described in several posts. Two visits to Bangkok are necessary. Too bad if you live a long way away. My new passport arrived in just under two weeks. I got an email, went back to the Trendy building, and collected the thing. Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. You can use it for ID purposes (e.g., boarding domestic flights within Thailand) but not for international travel. Check none of your nearest and dearest back in the UK plans to die on you during those two weeks. The whole procedure is a colossal pain compared to sending the application off to Hong Kong as before, but I suppose it helps cut down on fraudulent applications since it's designed to check you are the person you claim to be and still alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke000 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I renewed mine in April, following exactly the procedures described in several posts. Two visits to Bangkok are necessary. Too bad if you live a long way away. My new passport arrived in just under two weeks. I got an email, went back to the Trendy building, and collected the thing. Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. You can use it for ID purposes (e.g., boarding domestic flights within Thailand) but not for international travel. Check none of your nearest and dearest back in the UK plans to die on you during those two weeks. The whole procedure is a colossal pain compared to sending the application off to Hong Kong as before, but I suppose it helps cut down on fraudulent applications since it's designed to check you are the person you claim to be and still alive. So, when you leave Thailand , do they put the departure stamp in your new passport ? If you had some space still left in your old passport, would they put the departure stamp in the old passport ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I renewed mine in April, following exactly the procedures described in several posts. Two visits to Bangkok are necessary. Too bad if you live a long way away. My new passport arrived in just under two weeks. I got an email, went back to the Trendy building, and collected the thing. Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. You can use it for ID purposes (e.g., boarding domestic flights within Thailand) but not for international travel. Check none of your nearest and dearest back in the UK plans to die on you during those two weeks. The whole procedure is a colossal pain compared to sending the application off to Hong Kong as before, but I suppose it helps cut down on fraudulent applications since it's designed to check you are the person you claim to be and still alive. So, when you leave Thailand , do they put the departure stamp in your new passport ? If you had some space still left in your old passport, would they put the departure stamp in the old passport ? If you are on a visa or visa exempt entry they will move your current entry stamp from your old passport to the new one and stamp you out in the new one. The cannot stamp you out in a cancelled passport. If you are on a long term extension of say (90 or more days). You have to go to immigration to have your stamps transferred to the new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. Since when has a "mandatory personal interview" formed part of the UK passport renewal application approval process? My understanding is that HMPO's Liverpool office cancel your old passport electronically (thus rendering it useless for foreign travel) when they process your payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiBiker Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. There's no 'mandatory personal interview' involved. A member of staff will check your application form, photos and documents, but there's no interview involved. You don't even have to go yourself - someone else can deliver the application on your behalf. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jip99 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Your old passport is canceled the moment your application is approved in a mandatory personal interview. Since when has a "mandatory personal interview" formed part of the UK passport renewal application approval process? My understanding is that HMPO's Liverpool office cancel your old passport electronically (thus rendering it useless for foreign travel) when they process your payment. I am not actually convinced that they do. I traveled to Cambodia (admittedly overland - but my passport was scanned on the immigration system) on my old passport just after my new one arrived - I wanted to 'test' the system. Not sure I would have tried it through Suvarnabhumi. The corners are cut off the old one, when the new passport is collected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrChopper Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. I know it is not on the list, but can a lease contract be used for this if you have nothing else? If not for people with none of the other listed items, what is the solution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jip99 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. I know it is not on the list, but can a lease contract be used for this if you have nothing else? If not for people with none of the other listed items, what is the solution? There are solutions. Liverpool generally seem to be OK if you show you are trying. They accepted a proposal from me to supply a copy of a friend's wife's ID card with her signing a certification to say he resided with her at XYZ. Personally, I would prepare a covering letter saying that you have no correspondence addressed to you and the only evidence of your address is the rental agreement. If you can get your landlord to sign something like the above you should be home and dry. Note that any copies of submitted documents should be in colour AND translated if not in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrChopper Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. I know it is not on the list, but can a lease contract be used for this if you have nothing else? If not for people with none of the other listed items, what is the solution? I just noticed this 'visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)' - is a copy of a non immigrant visa enough? there's no address details on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC1 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 This thread might be useful to the OP http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?/topic/862459-Renewing-British-Passport-in-Bangkok---a-success-story 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. I know it is not on the list, but can a lease contract be used for this if you have nothing else? If not for people with none of the other listed items, what is the solution? One possible solution would be for them to send a snail mail letter to HMPO in the UK complaining about the excessively onerous passport renewal procedures to which we are now subject (with particular regard, perhaps, to the requirement to provide proof of address). If they were to do this at least 3 months ahead of when they plan to submit their renewal application, all being well they should by then have received back in the post at least an interim acknowledgement from HMPO bearing their name and address, which they could then include with their renewal application as the necessary proof of address! Edited November 24, 2015 by OJAS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritTim Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 One possible solution would be for them to send a snail mail letter to HMPO in the UK complaining about the excessively onerous passport renewal procedures to which we are now subject (with particular regard, perhaps, to the requirement to provide proof of address). If they were to do this at least 3 months ahead of when they plan to submit their renewal application, all being well they should by then have received back in the post at least an interim acknowledgement from HMPO bearing their name and address, which they could then include with their renewal application as the necessary proof of address! This gave me a good laugh. I love the concept. It would be a great way for a criminal to get the required official letter for proof of address in countries where mail-in applications are allowed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnybay Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Thank you. So I DO have to return to the UK to collect then? Read the information in the links provided, its not rocket science Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrChopper Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Take special note of the requirement for proof of your Thailand address. For some, that can be a bit of an obstacle. It is a ridiculous requirement when you cannot receive your new passport by mail, but must pick it up from the VFS office. I know it is not on the list, but can a lease contract be used for this if you have nothing else? If not for people with none of the other listed items, what is the solution? I just noticed this 'visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)' - is a copy of a non immigrant visa enough? there's no address details on there. I submitted my application this morning with a colour copy of my non-o to show residency. I did not provide any proof of address. This was accepted without issue by the nice friendly VFS operative. In the next booth a cantankerous old man was shouting, bitching and moaning. He seemed to think that him having photos that were the wrong size was the fault of the young lady trying to help him. When she told him he needed colour copies of every page of his passport he loudly asked her three times if she was joking. She calmly told him she was not joking, that the instructions are clearly noted on the website and that he would need proof of address. The moral of the story? It's nice to be nice, and it gets you a long way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kan Win Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Did mine today and it was smooth as silk. Win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaiyenyen Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Has anyone used a 5yr Thai driving license as proof of address when applying for a new passport? Was it accepted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 13 minutes ago, jaiyenyen said: Has anyone used a 5yr Thai driving license as proof of address when applying for a new passport? Was it accepted? Yes it has been accepted after both sides of it was translated to English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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