New passport application rejected - visa expires next week!

[virgomjh]

Would be grateful for any advice! My friend used a Pattaya agent to get his British passport renewed. Application was sent start of this month and was assured he would have new passport in hand before his SETV expires 7fth April. He chased agent last week but was told it was being processed and not to worry.

 

He has just received email from passport office saying his photos do not meet regulations (he was slightly smiling apparently). The agent should of course have checked the validity of the application and photos before sending as part of the service but that is another issue. So he now has to send new photos to UK, and earliest realistic date he will receive the new passport back will be 20th April - around 2 weeks after his visa expires!

 

The agent has his old passport which is not due to expire for a while but only has half a blank page left. Passport office has advised that the old passport has been cancelled so cannot be used for travel. But would it be possible for him to use the old passport to get a 30 day extension locally? He is thinking that local immigration will not need to check the status of his old passport for this, and if the extension date precedes the new passport date, it wont raise eyebrows when he uses new passport for the next visa application. He is thinking that if local immigration do check and find it is expired, he can show them the letters stating that his new passport application is invalid, so he assumed his old passport would be valid for this. Will this work? If not, please has anyone got any other ideas? He is very worried.

[elviajero]

41 minutes ago, virgomjh said:

But would it be possible for him to use the old passport to get a 30 day extension locally?

As long as the passport hasn't had the corner cut off, and they can fit the extension stamp in the remaining space (size varies depending the office) in the passport, I would have thought it possible. He should apply for the extension a few days early in case theres a problem in which case he could get an Emergency Travel Document (temp passport) and use that for the extension.

[BritTim]

Usually, I think the extension in the old passport should not be an issue. Most offices will find a way to fit the extension stamp in a half page.

As a practical matter, a border hop for a visa exempt entry should also work. Although, technically, you should not do that, in practice, the immigration database is not aware of the cancellation. This assumes the passport still has 6 months validity. Since a visa will not fit, the best places to get this done would be Malaysia, Hong Kong (best of all) or Ho Chi Minh City.

[Suradit69]

6 hours ago, virgomjh said:

around 2 weeks after his visa expires!

Presumably you mean 2 weeks after his current permission to stay expires??  The SETV was finished as soon as he used it to enter the country, so it's expiration is irrelevant.

 

If he hasn't already obtained one 30 day extension of his permission to stay, he shouldn't have a problem.

Why not send the visa agent to immigrations to get it for him. Most visa agents can find a way to smooth over potential issues if they arise ... and he obviously owes the client that much.

[colinthailand20005]

What I want to know is why has the agent got the old passport?

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, colinthailand20005 said:

What I want to know is why has the agent got the old passport?

Because they would need it to pickup the new passport.

[Formaleins]

10 minutes ago, colinthailand20005 said:

What I want to know is why has the agent got the old passport?

The Passport agency does not keep the expired passport - They do usually ask for your permission to cut the corner off the it when you collect your new one. (UK Passport)

[DGS1244]

13 minutes ago, colinthailand20005 said:

What I want to know is why has the agent got the old passport?

Agreed. There is no reason for the agent to have the passport,even the embassy does not require it, also you can now renew your UK passport online, you do not need to go to Bangkok to do it.

 

[prakhonchai nick]

5 minutes ago, DGS1244 said:

Agreed. There is no reason for the agent to have the passport,even the embassy does not require it, also you can now renew your UK passport online, you do not need to go to Bangkok to do it.

 

Since when?...details please.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, DGS1244 said:

Agreed. There is no reason for the agent to have the passport,even the embassy does not require it, also you can now renew your UK passport online, you do not need to go to Bangkok to do it.

The agent needed the passport to pickup the new passport.

You cannot apply online for a UK passport here.

See: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y

[DGS1244]

Just now, prakhonchai nick said:

Since when?...details please.

Quoted on their website last Monday.

[prakhonchai nick]

9 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

The Passport agency does not keep the expired passport - They do usually ask for your permission to cut the corner off the it when you collect your new one. (UK Passport)

Ask permission?   VFS just do it automatically when you show it to collect the new passport.!

[prakhonchai nick]

1 minute ago, DGS1244 said:

Quoted on their website last Monday.

Just looked and I see no change. Still necessary to process everything through VFS.

[DGS1244]

1 minute ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Just looked and I see no change. Still necessary to process everything through VFS.

Well it is there, which is probably why we have company in Chiang Mai advertising and offering to renew your passport for you without you needing to leave Chang Mai. 

[al007]

No forward planning

[steve187]

16 minutes ago, DGS1244 said:

Agreed. There is no reason for the agent to have the passport,even the embassy does not require it, also you can now renew your UK passport online, you do not need to go to Bangkok to do it.

 

not in Thailand

[hdkane]

Go to the embassy and insert some new pages....a one day trip.

[virgomjh]

Thanks a lot for all your feedback - I will pass it on to my friend and suggest that he retrieves his old passport and use that to apply for an extension as discussed.

 

Do you know whether his new passport start date will be set at the date UK passport office received the application  in early March, or at the grant date when they have received the new photos? If it is the former, do you think it might look a bit odd when he applies for a new visa to have an extension stamp dated in the old passport after the date the new passport was issued?

 

 

42 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Why not send the visa agent to immigrations to get it for him. Most visa agents can find a way to smooth over potential issues if they arise ... and he obviously owes the client that much.

My friend is in Nakhon Si Thammarat and agent is in Pattaya so he has to decide quickly whether to ask agent to DHL the old passport so he can do application himself or whether to DHL photos for the application so the agent can do it.

My friend thought that he would have to apply for the extension in person - so is it acceptable for an agent to do this for him?

If he can get the agent to do it I agree that is the least the agent should do in the circumstances!

 

[phuketrichard]

i would get a 30 day extension the old passport. Immigration would have no way of knowing he applied for a new passport.

 

[CGW]

19 minutes ago, hdkane said:

Go to the embassy and insert some new pages....a one day trip.

Not possible with a UK passport!

[mirage]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Because they would need it to pickup the new passport.

It says on the UK government site that you have to send your old passport. Surely thats not a good idea. 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, mirage said:

It says on the UK government site that you have to send your old passport. Surely thats not a good idea. 

Not for UK passports applied for here. You make color copies of your old passport when you submit the application. See: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y/thailand/renewing_new/adult

[Old Croc]

58 minutes ago, hdkane said:

Go to the embassy and insert some new pages....a one day trip.

 

39 minutes ago, CGW said:

Not possible with a UK passport!

Also no longer possible with US passports.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/news/visa-pages-no-longer-issued.html

[Jackie66]

Not sure about UK but German embassy does offer the normal passport which takes a few weeks and then there is the 1 year validity passport which takes just a few days and also emergency passport but that is basically to travel back to Germany. As far as i understood it the 1 year passport is valid for any travel not just back to Germany.

 

Maybe UK offers something similar?

 

[meatboy]

op.post page 1,line 9.

passport office has advised,the OLD PASSPORT HAS BEEN CANCELLED so CANNOT be used for travel.

if the corner has been cut and his old passport stamped cancelled.wether immigration would except it.

who was the agent?

[CGW]

I would forget about doing anything "illegal" some things you don't mess with, passport and right to hold #1

[Nong Khai Man]

3 hours ago, hdkane said:

Go to the embassy and insert some new pages....a one day trip.

The U.K Does NOT Insert EXTRA Pages.....One Thing that " Baffles " me on the Passport Renewal Application form is....."You MUST Apply in Person,But If You CAN'T Somebody else can do it for you " What Say YOU, Ubonjoe ??

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

The U.K Does NOT Insert EXTRA Pages.....One Thing that " Baffles " me on the Passport Renewal Application form is....."You MUST Apply in Person,But If You CAN'T Somebody else can do it for you " What Say YOU, Ubonjoe ??

You cam designate somebody to do the application for you. That is why agents can do them for you.

Same for picking up the passport but they need your old passport to do it since they will cut the corners off and stamp it cancelled.

[sanemax]

4 hours ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Ask permission?   VFS just do it automatically when you show it to collect the new passport.!

As I recall, they do actually ask your written permission to cut the corner off your PP

   Maybe its because , as they are not official British Embassy staff , they do not have the legal right to deface a UK PP.

Although, if you refuse to give them permission to do so, they will not give you your new PP

   

 

[sanemax]

2 hours ago, meatboy said:

passport office has advised,the OLD PASSPORT HAS BEEN CANCELLED so CANNOT be used for travel.

if the corner has been cut and his old passport stamped cancelled.wether immigration would except it.

 

    The old PP's corner is only cut off when the new one has been received .

That is the moment the old PP becomes invalid .

I know the UK says that you cannot travel on old PP after you have applied for a new one, but, I beg to differ