US passport almost out of pages

[Hal65]

With regular 90 day stamping I have years left before expiration but only 1 page left. Does this mean I must renew or is there a cheaper option, preferably one that doesn't require an embassy trip?

[YetAnother]

C Mai embassy no longer adds pages; need new

[ubonjoe]

You have no other option than
getting s new passport.
They no longer add pages to US passports.
You will get a 52 page passport. The fee is is $110.

Sent from my SM-T231 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Save a trip, but still need to pay for passport, do it by mail:

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/passport-by-mail-service-adult-renew/

 

Mac

[Rama]

Stamping? Where do you do your 90 day reporting? CM immigration gives a paper that says when next 90 days is due, they don't stamp in the passport....

[overherebc]

12 minutes ago, Rama said:

Stamping? Where do you do your 90 day reporting? CM immigration gives a paper that says when next 90 days is due, they don't stamp in the passport....

Border runs with full page stickers??????

[Hal65]

I'm on education visa and they stamp every 90 days. I have to renew in Laos in 3 months though so the order of things will get a bit strange.

 

I'm thinking:

 

1. Renew now

2. Take old and new passport to the border to show the old stamp

3. Come back with a visa in the new one.

 

EDIT: From the link above, looks like they keep the old passport.

[mduras01]

Get new passport--took mine 1 week to arrive only--transfer visa to new passport at immigration and do reporting.


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[JackThompson]

4 minutes ago, Hal65 said:

I'm on education visa and they stamp every 90 days. I have to renew in Laos in 3 months though so the order of things will get a bit strange.

 

I'm thinking:

 

1. Renew now

2. Take old and new passport to the border to show the old stamp

3. Come back with a visa in the new one.

 

EDIT: From the link above, looks like they keep the old passport.

You have it right, but they will give your old passport back with a hole punched through it. 

During the time the new passport is on-order, you can either leave it with them, and they will mail both back to you (saving a trip - you pay shipping), or you can keep the old one, but requiring you return with the old one to pick the new one at the US Embassy (Bangkok) or Consulate (Chang Mai), whereupon they will punch the hole in the old one.

 

Depending on the border-crossing and time-of-day, the IO at the border-crossing may send you to the nearest immigration office to transfer your permission-of-stay to the new passport before you can stamp-out.  This "stamp-transfer" process takes several minutes.  At airports and most border-points, they do this on the spot.

[Juan B Tong]

Embassy gave me a nice polite letter asking immigration to transfer ink stamps to new passport.  It seems this has been done before. 

[CMBob]

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You will get a 52 page passport. The fee is is $110.

No big deal but I just got a new (renewal) US passport two weeks ago and there are only 17 usable pages in the new passport.  I was rather surprised it was so small (and there's no way it'll last me 10 years before I have to renew again).

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Bob

 

"17" pages???  Hmmm, typo, perhaps?

 

Mac

[4evermaat]

25 minutes ago, CMBob said:

No big deal but I just got a new (renewal) US passport two weeks ago and there are only 17 usable pages in the new passport.  I was rather surprised it was so small (and there's no way it'll last me 10 years before I have to renew again).

 

13 minutes ago, Thanyaburi Mac said:

Bob

 

"17" pages???  Hmmm, typo, perhaps?

 

Mac

Not sure why they would only issue 26 page book anymore.  It should be 52 pages or better yet 104 pages. $110 should give you that much.

[sghanchey]

All new U.S. passports have 52 pages. The old one you can keep after they punch two holes in it, meaning it is no longer valid. Any visas in the old one are still valid when presented with the new one. Appointment required for passport renewals.

 

[YetAnother]

10 hours ago, JackThompson said:

During the time the new passport is on-order, you can either leave it with them, and they will mail both back to you (saving a trip - you pay shipping), or you can keep the old one,

curious; should you surrender the old one, then wont have it to check into guesthouses,hotels , etc

[Wim1954]

16 hours ago, YetAnother said:

C Mai embassy no longer adds pages; need new

Today, tomorrow any day you need a new one go for it don't make your problem ours.

[MyFriend You]

11 hours ago, Hal65 said:

I'm on education visa and they stamp every 90 days. I have to renew in Laos in 3 months though so the order of things will get a bit strange.

 

I'm thinking:

 

1. Renew now

2. Take old and new passport to the border to show the old stamp

3. Come back with a visa in the new one.

 

EDIT: From the link above, looks like they keep the old passport.

The Embassy didn't keep my old passport, its still valid as I renewed early, I wouldn;t try to use the old internationally but have domestically in Thailand, Canbodia and Vietnam.   Will keep it as a form of Identifiation, expired or not.

[JackThompson]

42 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

curious; should you surrender the old one, then wont have it to check into guesthouses,hotels , etc

Correct.  It is technically illegal to be "on the street" without your passport (enforcement depends on the week and which police-chief).  The Embassy/Consulate will give you a letter to present to anyone who asks stating that they have your passport.  I keep Nice Color Copies of the main plus the latest stamps stashed in different places at all times - not only during passport-renewal. 

 

I have used my shrunk/laminated main-page from my wallet in many cases without issue - usually whoever just needs to put in a passport# in some form, and is happy with that.

[Suradit69]

If you intend to collect the new passport in person, they allow you to keep the old one. They'll cancel the old one when you collect the new one.

 

I did my last application at an embassy outreach in Pattaya, but agreed to pick up the new passport in Bangkok, so they kept a signed photocopy of the ID page of the old passport and I kept the old passport. No appointment to collect new passport. Just bring along the email notice you received when the new passport was ready. They then punched holes in the old passport and gave me both the new and old passport as well as the letter for immigrations.

 

If I had wanted them to mail the new passport, they would have kept the old one when I applied, but I didn't like the idea of being without any passport for a couple of weeks.

 

Make sure you check the requirements for the passport photo. They won't accept one that isn't exactly as stated. Most places that do passport photos will know what is required if you tell them it's for a US passport.

 

 

 

 

 

[natway09]

Just go get or organize through US embassy.

What could be easier ???

[skatewash]

21 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

If you intend to collect the new passport in person, they allow you to keep the old one. They'll cancel the old one when you collect the new one.

 

I did my last application at an embassy outreach in Pattaya, but agreed to pick up the new passport in Bangkok, so they kept a signed photocopy of the ID page of the old passport and I kept the old passport. No appointment to collect new passport. Just bring along the email notice you received when the new passport was ready. They then punched holes in the old passport and gave me both the new and old passport as well as the letter for immigrations.

 

If I had wanted them to mail the new passport, they would have kept the old one when I applied, but I didn't like the idea of being without any passport for a couple of weeks.

 

Make sure you check the requirements for the passport photo. They won't accept one that isn't exactly as stated. Most places that do passport photos will know what is required if you tell them it's for a US passport.

 

 

 

 

 

This seems like the most sensible approach to me and one that I'll probably use when the time comes.  

I just don't like having my passport out of my possession for any length of time.  I don't even like having it overnight at the immigration office when doing my retirement extension.  At least immigration gives me a receipt for my passport, but I still don't like it ;-)

I would recommend spending the extra $30 to get the passport card as well.  I never intend to use it to enter Mexico or Canada from a US land border, but it can be very useful to have two government-issued ID cards.  I remember when getting my Florida Driver's License that I had to show two different government-issued ID cards (passport and passport card did the trick).  I've heard that it takes a significantly longer time to receive a passport card than it does a passport, but am willing to wait for that since I'll have my old valid passport in my possession while I'm waiting.

I've heard if you renew a UK passport early you get to keep up to 9 months of validity which is added to your new passport expiration date.  I'm pretty sure that's not the case with US passports, but I'm willing to sacrifice the last six months of validity just to avoid any possible hassles. 

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, overherebc said:

Border runs with full page stickers??????

You mean Laos?

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, CMBob said:

No big deal but I just got a new (renewal) US passport two weeks ago and there are only 17 usable pages in the new passport.  I was rather surprised it was so small (and there's no way it'll last me 10 years before I have to renew again).

I take it that the 52 page passport is for Americans, not for people from the UK? So why have you only got 17 pages?

[skatewash]

8 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

I take it that the 52 page passport is for Americans, not for people from the UK? So why have you only got 17 pages?

Apparently he got the regular 28-page US passport, although a free upgrade to the 52-page passport should have been offered by checking a box on the application form.  It is my understanding that if you apply for a US passport outside the US you will get the 52-page version by default.

As to how he ended up with only 17 "usable" pages, usable being the key word:

 

Quote

Prior to January 1st, 2016, the standard passport book came with 28 pages that were used for visas and entry/exit stamps. Of those 28 pages, only 17 that were valid for the visas and stamps. After January 1st, 2016 passports issued are the 28 page book with the free option to get the 52 page passport book. 

-- https://www.passportsonline.org/52-page-passport-book/

[ThaiWai]

6 hours ago, CMBob said:

No big deal but I just got a new (renewal) US passport two weeks ago and there are only 17 usable pages in the new passport.  I was rather surprised it was so small (and there's no way it'll last me 10 years before I have to renew again).

17 usable pages???? Was it dipped in an apple pie or something?  

[JackThompson]

49 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

17 usable pages???? Was it dipped in an apple pie or something?  

Those older passports had many pages marked not to use for visas.  Yes, it was silly - no idea why they printed them that way.

[LawrenceN]

7 hours ago, sghanchey said:

All new U.S. passports have 52 pages. The old one you can keep after they punch two holes in it, meaning it is no longer valid. Any visas in the old one are still valid when presented with the new one. Appointment required for passport renewals.

 

This info is out of date. See above post about renewal by mail. Also, not "all" new passports have 52 pages. You have to check the box on the application for the thicker passport, though the cost is the same. I'm sure of this info for two reasons: 1) I got a new passport last December, and 2) I'm a warden (volunteer) for the Consulate. They keep us up-to-date, and expect us wardens to help get the word out.

[skatewash]

1 hour ago, ThaiWai said:

17 usable pages???? Was it dipped in an apple pie or something?  

The only pages that are usable for visas and stamps are ones titled at the top Visas.  Of my 52-page passport only 41 of those pages can be used for visas.  The other pages are used for notices (2 pages), photo ID (2 pages), personal data and emergency contact (1 page), important information (3 pages), and endorsements (3 pages).
 

[skatewash]

12 minutes ago, LawrenceN said:

This info is out of date. See above post about renewal by mail. Also, not "all" new passports have 52 pages. You have to check the box on the application for the thicker passport, though the cost is the same. I'm sure of this info for two reasons: 1) I got a new passport last December, and 2) I'm a warden (volunteer) for the Consulate. They keep us up-to-date, and expect us wardens to help get the word out.

My understanding was that for passports applied for from outside the US after 1 January 2016 (the date after which you could no longer add additional pages to your existing passport) you would automatically get the 52-page version.  However, why rely on that happening, when as you point out, it's very easy to request the thicker passport by checking the appropriate box on the application?

[bangkoken]

Renewal through the mail in Thailand is not a very good idea. Make an appointment and take yourself to the American Embassy. Quick & easy.