I am applying for renewal of my half sister's thai passport (shes 5) have poa doc and letter of consent from Mum. It's not a straight forward application so I am expecting it to take longer. Does anyone have recent experience of processing time by Thai embassy London? Website says 4-6 weeks in one section and not less than 2 months in another section. Also anyone with recent experience of travelling to Thailand on expired Thai passport?

Appointment 9am friday

All done and dusted so thought I'd share my experience. We headed to London day after London atrocity. Stayed at Wembley International hotel. Cheap and comfortable.  Tube from Wembley Park, jubilee line to Westminster then District line to Gloucester road 10 minute walk to embassy. No need for appointment, took ticket. There at 9.30ish seen within 20 minutes. Whole affair took about 1 hour. Child renewal with consent form and power of attourney letter from Mum in Thailand, not straightforward as Dad has died and taabien bahn mix up etc Expected to be waiting at least 4 of 4-6 weeks quoted.  Passport arrived in 2 weeks and 3 days. Never thought I'd say this... Thai bureaucracy beat the pants of the UK on this occasion and a lovely 2 days was had by the family. 

Nice to hear some good news about the U.K. and getting a Thai passport renewed.

Seems you knew what you wanted to do and got t done.

Good for you.

 

46 minutes ago, calexapic said:

Thai bureaucracy beat the pants of the UK on this occasion.

Hear, hear - beats the dreaded "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" we Brits living in Thailand have to endure hands down IMHO!

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Hear, hear - beats the dreaded "With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience" we Brits living in Thailand have to endure hands down IMHO!

When first introduced, the Trendy experience was, indeed, pretty unpleasant. For those within easy reach of Bangkok, it is pretty painless now. Those who live far away from the capital certainly have a less convenient process to follow, but traveling to London from some parts of the UK is also no picnic, and expensive.

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

When first introduced, the Trendy experience was, indeed, pretty unpleasant. For those within easy reach of Bangkok, it is pretty painless now. Those who live far away from the capital certainly have a less convenient process to follow, but traveling to London from some parts of the UK is also no picnic, and expensive.

But if I have understood the OP correctly the Thai Embassy mailed his half-sister's new passport to her, thus necessitating only 1 trip to London. In our case here, though, a second trip to Bangkok for passport collection purposes is required.

 

Also worth bearing in mind that Thais have their passport photos taken when they submit their applications. Thus they are spared the inconvenience of having to obtain photos meeting stringent requirements beforehand.

Edited July 6, 20179 yr by OJAS

39 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Also worth bearing in mind that Thais have their passport photos taken when they submit their applications. Thus they are spared the inconvenience of having to obtain photos meeting stringent requirements beforehand.

It takes about 10 minutes to have the photos taken in Trendy building. It costs more in Trendy than the place I have my photos done (indeed, UK passport renewal overall is vastly more expensive than Thai passport renewal) but it is not "inconvenient". The only exception would be where a countersignature is required on the back of one of the photos, but that is rarely necessary.

2

6 hours ago, OJAS said:

But if I have understood the OP correctly the Thai Embassy mailed his half-sister's new passport to her, thus necessitating only 1 trip to London. In our case here, though, a second trip to Bangkok for passport collection purposes is required.

 

Also worth bearing in mind that Thais have their passport photos taken when they submit their applications. Thus they are spared the inconvenience of having to obtain photos meeting stringent requirements beforehand.

"Her" half sister ?

 

We are indeed a 4.5 hr drive from London. Prices in London are ridiculous but bargains can be found. I won't be frightened to do it again. Pleasant necessary evil of dual nationality. 

Oh and i looked into renewing at Bangkok. Apparently they will send out to address of your choosing in Thailand in 3 to 4 days 

1 hour ago, calexapic said:

Oh and i looked into renewing at Bangkok. Apparently they will send out to address of your choosing in Thailand in 3 to 4 days 

A same day service is also available at Chang Wattana. For an extra charge, but well worth it for those in a rush,

 

My son used it last year as he had returned from his studies in the UK for about 10 days during Songkran and had forgotten that the passport office was closed for an extended period. He cut it fine but made the return flight with a day to spare.