Using an expired Thai passport or UK passport?

[Stanaris]

I am not sure if this is the right forum for my question but here goes.

My wife's Thai passport expired just over a year ago. We are due to fly back to Thailand to visit family in about 5 weeks and her Thai friends have told her that immigration will refuse her entry.

Would it be best only to show her UK passport or could she still use her expired Thai one. I am hoping others have been through this as I would prefer 1st hand advice.

We were supposed to visit Thailand last year but due to me being hospitalised, that had to be cancelled.

Appreciate any advice and thanks in advance

[ubonjoe]

She can enter on her expired Thai passport.

You can get confirmation by checking the IATA database of requirements for entry by filling in the required info here. https://www.klm.com/travel/kz_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/travel_clinic/visaform.htm

"

Passport required.
- Nationals of Thailand are allowed to enter with an expired

passport."

[KhunBENQ]

And 5 weeks on a UK passport would mean extra effort to extend the 30 day visa exempt entry.

And tell her to use the 5 weeks to get a new passport. It's not a big thing.

Edited July 21, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[7by7]

Indeed, remember that if she were to use her British passport to enter Thailand she would, for all immigration purposes, be treated as British, not Thai.

Use the expired Thai one to enter Thailand and then renew it whilst there.

[lopburi3]

Just do not show or make any reference to having a UK passport during entry.

[Stanaris]

And 5 weeks on a UK passport would mean extra effort to extend the 30 day visa exempt entry.

And tell her to use the 5 weeks to get a new passport. It's not a big thing.

I thought it would take two months to get a thai passport renewed in the uk. She will be renewing in Thailand. We are only going for 3 weeks holiday

[Stanaris]

Indeed, remember that if she were to use her British passport to enter Thailand she would, for all immigration purposes, be treated as British, not Thai.

Use the expired Thai one to enter Thailand and then renew it whilst there.

Thanks very much for you advice

[tifino]

...but, the Passport you get stamped to leave a country, in this case starting the journey from UK, is the Passport you use to enter the next one.

...how are you going to get the UK to exit-stamp an expired Thai passport to commence travel with in the first instance?

We've been though it before, where missus leaves Australia, for Thailand, and depending on how long the trip is to go for for - dictates which (i.e.Aust or the Thai) one is used

One time, missus got both her expired ID and expired passports replaced, and did the actual trip on her OZ passport, no problemo

oh yeah! and about the 'being treated as british'... Missus always gets accosted at immigration, into why why why does she use a foriegn passport, when she born in thailand?

The officials cannot grasp the concept of us using the more convenient one at the time

Edited July 21, 2016 by tifino

[ubonjoe]

...but, the Passport you get stamped to leave a country, in this case starting the journey from UK, is the Passport you use to enter the next one.

...how are you going to get the UK to exit-stamp an expired Thai passport to commence travel with in the first instance?

We've been though it before, where missus leaves Australia, for Thailand, and depending on how long the trip is to go for for - dictates which (i.e.Aust or the Thai) one is used

One time, missus got both her expired ID and expired passports replaced, and did the actual trip on her OZ passport, no problemo

oh yeah! and about the 'being treated as british'... Missus always gets accosted at immigration, into why why why does she use a foriegn passport, when she born in thailand?

The officials cannot grasp the concept of us using the more convenient one at the time

They don't check for departure stamps on entry to the country at airports. Also she would not be able to be stamped out of the UK with her Thai passport even if it was valid since she is a UK national now and would have to use her UK passport when leaving.

[7by7]

The UK doesn't stamp passports on exit.

Routine passport checks on exiting the UK were stopped, if memory swerves, sometime in the late 1990s. Although UK Border Force do carry out random checks from time to time they don't place an exit stamp in the passport.

My wife and daughter have done the passport swap thing (leave and enter the UK with British passport, enter and leave Thailand with Thai passport) many times over the years; never had a problem.

Just remember to show the airline when checking in the passport you will be using to enter your destination so they know you don't need a visa.

[KhunBENQ]

And 5 weeks on a UK passport would mean extra effort to extend the 30 day visa exempt entry.

And tell her to use the 5 weeks to get a new passport. It's not a big thing.

I thought it would take two months to get a thai passport renewed in the uk. She will be renewing in Thailand. We are only going for 3 weeks holiday

New Thai passport about a week (or less) from application at the passport office.

The biggest effort might be driving to the passport office because not every province has one.

Only one visit necessary.

[dabhand]

Out of interest. Would a Thai be able to depart from Thailand on the noted expiry date of his Thai passport? Obviously returning on an expired passport should not be a problem as noted earlier, so leaving on the expiry date should, in theory, be OK?

A Thai/UK dual national had arrived in Thailand just before the recent holiday and is due to depart from BKK middle of next week back to the UK - using his UK passport to enter the UK.

He had planned on renewing his Thai passport, at Pattaya, in the couple of weeks he was back here but had forgotten about the long holiday weekend. A normal passport application period would have left virtually no time to arrange for a new one to be posted by EMS. it was going to be tight for him anyway, even with no holiday shutdown.

He did think about taking a chance to depart on the expiry date but, sods law it would either not be acceptable or the flight would have been delayed until the next day. In the event he obtained one in Bangkok today (he needed to update his ID card yesterday) via the fast track service - cost Bt3,000. He pitched up at the CW passport office around 7am (having left home in Pattaya at 4am) and there were already about 100 waiting for the 8am opening - about 50 for the fast track service. Processed by about 9am then new passport collected at 3pm. The time in between was not wasted as he also renewed his 5year DL at the nearby DLT office. So, worked out pretty well and arrived back in Pattaya at around 7pm looking rather tired!!

Apparently they do offer a fast track Thai passport service at the Pattaya office on 2nd Road but it is limited to 5no applications per day (fully booked for the coming days) and you still have to travel to Bangkok to pick up the new passport.

Anyway, back to the original question - would a departure on the passport expiry date have been a problem? Anyone with experience / knowledge of that?

[IMA_FARANG]

I do not know about the U.K., but I can verify they do not stamp your U.S, passport as a U.S. citizen when you leave the U.S.

For various reasons I had to travel back to the U.S. and then return to Thailand in 203 and 2014.

The only stamps for that travel ae arrival stamps in Thailand.....never one departure stamp from the U.S.