Switch between Passports while renewing a passport in Bangkok

[dmcrory]

Everyone,

I have a unique situation it goes as follows:

I have a Canada Passport that is about to expire on Sept 16, 2016 and I am presently in Phnom Penh Cambodia.

I am dual citizen Canadian and American meaning I have a Passport for each country. Is it OK to switch between my Canadian Passport to my United States Passport while renewing my Canadian Passport in the Kingdom of Thailand at the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok.

The process would go as follows:

When leaving Phnom Penh, I would stamp out of Cambodia with my present Canadian Passport which has a Cambodia Visa/Entry Stamp and then upon arriving in the Kingdom of Thailand by air switch to my United States Passport and stamp into the Kingdom of Thailand with a 30 day Visa Weaver.

Then the next day turn my Canadian Passport into the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok to be renewed while using my United States Passport during my stay in the Kingdom of Thailand.

Then upon exiting the Kingdom of Thailand by air stamp out of the Kingdom of Thailand using my US Passport which has the Visa waver entry stamp then switch back to my new Canadian Passport when entering the next country.

What is everyone's opinion on doing this?
Is this legal and a OK thing to do?

Has anyone ever done this going into Thailand and what was their experience?

Is there anything I need to know are drawbacks to doing this? How should I prepare? I can show them my application and expiring Canadian Passport.

Will Thai Immigration cause me grief? What responses should I give them?

Should I explain to the Immigration Officer up front what I am doing?

Thanks

D

[ubonjoe]

People do what you propose to do all the time. No problem to swap passports when traveling by air. Overland it is not possible.

[NanLaew]

Perfectly legal but the Canadians might want to see evidence of your legal stay in Thailand, ie. sight your US passport and maybe need copies of the data page and the Thai immigration stamps therein.

[frodo77]

I just renewed my Canadian passport in Bangkok. It takes approx 15 business days. The people at the Canadian Embassy are wonderful. I did not need to show my legal status in Thailand, and used the simplified form for Canadians outside of Canada. There is a photo shop on Sala daeng at the back of the building. Just go out the back and turn right. Its on the left-hand side next to a 7 eleven, before you reach Silom.

[NanLaew]

I just renewed my Canadian passport in Bangkok. It takes approx 15 business days. The people at the Canadian Embassy are wonderful. I did not need to show my legal status in Thailand, and used the simplified form for Canadians outside of Canada. There is a photo shop on Sala daeng at the back of the building. Just go out the back and turn right. Its on the left-hand side next to a 7 eleven, before you reach Silom.

With your single passport renewal, the embassy people would have seen the entry stamp in your old passport and noted that you were legally in the country. However, the OP's passport as submitted will not have any Thai entry stamps so they may well ask to see how he came to be in the country. It would be unlikely that they would not check this but like New Zealand, they could be less stringent than others on verifying all aspects of ones presence in Thailand. Just suggesting that the OP ensures he has BOTH his passports with him when he submits the Canadian one for renewal, just in case they ask.

[thaibry]

I just renewed my Canadian passport in Bangkok. It takes approx 15 business days. The people at the Canadian Embassy are wonderful. I did not need to show my legal status in Thailand, and used the simplified form for Canadians outside of Canada. There is a photo shop on Sala daeng at the back of the building. Just go out the back and turn right. Its on the left-hand side next to a 7 eleven, before you reach Silom.

With your single passport renewal, the embassy people would have seen the entry stamp in your old passport and noted that you were legally in the country. However, the OP's passport as submitted will not have any Thai entry stamps so they may well ask to see how he came to be in the country. It would be unlikely that they would not check this but like New Zealand, they could be less stringent than others on verifying all aspects of ones presence in Thailand. Just suggesting that the OP ensures he has BOTH his passports with him when he submits the Canadian one for renewal, just in case they ask.

What would happen if he visited a country that does not stamp your passport, for example Hong Kong or Macau?

Posted from my phone using predictive text, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors.

[dmcrory]

Thanks everyone for the great information. I will take both passports when going to renew my Canadian Passport at the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok.

D

[NanLaew]

I just renewed my Canadian passport in Bangkok. It takes approx 15 business days. The people at the Canadian Embassy are wonderful. I did not need to show my legal status in Thailand, and used the simplified form for Canadians outside of Canada. There is a photo shop on Sala daeng at the back of the building. Just go out the back and turn right. Its on the left-hand side next to a 7 eleven, before you reach Silom.

With your single passport renewal, the embassy people would have seen the entry stamp in your old passport and noted that you were legally in the country. However, the OP's passport as submitted will not have any Thai entry stamps so they may well ask to see how he came to be in the country. It would be unlikely that they would not check this but like New Zealand, they could be less stringent than others on verifying all aspects of ones presence in Thailand. Just suggesting that the OP ensures he has BOTH his passports with him when he submits the Canadian one for renewal, just in case they ask.

What would happen if he visited a country that does not stamp your passport, for example Hong Kong or Macau?

Posted from my phone using predictive text, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors.

If you are asking what would happen if he was renewing his passport in one of those countries that doesn't place entry stamps in passports I would say no idea. Maybe there's a line item in their application that asks for arrival and/or departure flight information? Maybe it asks if you are a Hong Kong and/or Macau resident and if the answer is no, what are your travel details or provide evidence of same? Some countries foreign embassies and consuls only allow new passports to be issued to recognised resident aliens of that third country and all others including tourists need to apply back home. Maybe they don't even bother to check.

But for the purposes of this specific instance of renewing in LOS where they stamp all passports (including their own), I think the OP has it covered.

Edited March 13, 2016 by NanLaew