thecolonel wrote:My agent assured me that during application process not only would i get my current passport back but that i could travel to another country on it too(just needed to be back for collection 'window' of 30 days from arrival of new one)
Was involved in some FB chatter yesterday with some guys(one Aussie i think) who strongly believe you cannot make foreign travel during whole application process
I have been around the net and UK passport site and im still not seeing it in crystal clear words whether i can or not
One section said dont leave the UK, but im not in UK
Also this ....
Do not book travel until you have a valid passport - your new passport will not have the same number as your old one.
But im told my current passport is valid until new one is collected and then corners are cut. So what is the defintion of "valid".They need to make that clear
What im not seeing is .....once you apply to renew your passport, you will NOT be able to travel internationally until your new passport has been collected and your old passport has been cancelled. During renewal process your current passport can only be used for identification purposes only and not for travel to other countries
Something like that ....
Has anyone on here travelled to another country while applying or can clarify in anyway?
This is important to me as i may wait until i know im going to be here for 4 months solid but equally ideally id like to get this done and out of the way now
Concerned re Agent doesnt really know the full details (as she was wrong about countersignatory for renewal)
You can’t travel with it after you’ve applied for a new one - but you will be able to keep your existing passport for ID purposes.
Seems clear enough. I expect that at some stage during renewal your passport details are updated in one or more databases which foreign immigration services may have access to.
Thank you hhinner
Small print never my speciality
(Plus for some reason I was not on that page)
sateeb wrote:/\ I must say that I was a bit concerned with your initial post. Am I right in assuming that you have not had previous dealings with this agent? With an important document like ones passport I would never engage the services of an untested agent, hence the reason I used Key Visa in Patts. It was no great hardship for me to travel down there and return to collect as I don't trust the Thai postal system(previous bad experiences with EMS).
The countersignatory mishap with the agent would have been a massive red flag.
I'm sure in the end all will be well, as for travelling with your soon to be replaced passport I wouldn't risk it without first contacting the Embassy Bangkok.DocumentaryServices@fcdo.gov.uk
No previous dealings
Sounded reliable on first meeting
But became suspicious hence my posting for back up comments on here...twice!
sateeb wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:45 pm
Coming up to 6 weeks(Friday) for my renewal with Key Visa. On 2nd June I got an e mail from the passport office informing me that my passport had been forwarded. I sent an enquiry to Darren and he said should be ready in 3 weeks,24th June. Fingers crossed. Will update about visa transfer when I can.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Coming up to 13 weeks since my application and my PP is still in Liverpool. Looks like I will have to re-schedule my UK flight, miss out on a reunion that I organized and loose 700 quid on a short trip to Greece. This after staff repeatedly assured me, "No problem, 10 weeks". THIS AFTER ME TELLING THEM MY FLIGHT DATES
Subsequent polite e mails returned with a terse " We are not the passport office, you pay us 5,000baht to transport your PP to BKK!" Well excuse me all over the place, I merely asked if they had a contact within VFS Global to check on progress.
I have my own theory as to why it took so long for my PP to get from Pattaya to BKK.
Definitely a double thumbs down
CAVEAT EMPTOR
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
I have a friend who applied on her own with all the hassle that goes with it. She emailed me today to say that it's now been 6 weeks. They took the fee pretty quick.
So I don't believe it's the fault of agents.
Edit: When I renewed my pp over a year ago, I also got a mail from the pp office saying that I should have my passport in 3 weeks. I got that mail one week AFTER I received my new pp. That was with KeyVisa.
/\ Although I can't prove it, I suspect KV dragged their feet taking my PP to VFS Global. I dropped it off with them on the 13th May and got a mail from VFS on the 2nd June informing me it had been forwarded to HMPO for processing. HMPO received it on 7th June and from what I can gather from my mails from HMPO THAT is when the 10 week clock starts ticking.
When I applied KV had a banner at the top of their page advising to allow 10 weeks for processing that has now been removed.
I do understand that HMPO have been inundated with applications but the attitude and unwillingness to assist from the staff at KV was underwhelming at best.
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
/\ They will never filch my pennies again. 16 weeks it took and I ended up having to go to Key Visa to pick up my old passport and then off to VFS to pick up my "Brexit" PP as they didn't have the staff in BKK to fulfill their promised obligations. I had an interesting chat with one of the girls in the office that confirmed my suspicions. They initially held onto my passport for nearly 2 weeks before forwarding it to BKK.
If your renewal is a little time sensitive, caveat emptor.
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
Ours took nearly three months, but that was largely the fault of the British government and lack of staff/high demand/new year office closures, not the visa agent.
Agree though, if it is urgent, best to do it yourself.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
I've always used Key Visa. Last renewal was November/December 2020 and I received it in 2 weeks which was really fast. A week after I'd received it I got an email from the passport office pointing out a delay and informing me that it should arrive in 2 - 3 weeks time.
Gave me a laugh at the time.
I have heard since that the UK is taking up to 3 months for a turn-around which tells me that even doing it yourself isn't going to help much.
It’s definitely in your interest to renew your passport in plenty of time - most countries insist on a minimum of 6 months validity to travel so this should be your default to renew your passport and allowing for 3 months processing that would be starting 9 months before expiry.
I agree with Dannie Boy, start 9 months before expiry. (Mine was full and actually had 18 months to go)
I made an appointment at Trendy Building, Bangkok for mid-August 2022. Took all the required paperwork and collected my new passport one week ago. Mid November 2022.
If you don't want to visit Bangkok twice, use an agent, otherwise it's a reasonably straight forward procedure.
If you are going to extend your visa and your passport will expire during the next extension the immigration office will only extend until the expiry of your current passport. Even when you get the new passport and get the visa extension transferred they will not make up the lost months as I discovered when I could not get my new passport before I had to renew my extension.
Submitted in December last year it took ten weeks before the new passport arrived as per guidance at the time. I did it all myself, not that hard really, and suffered the trip to Bangkok each time to take and later collect my passport.
It was not the fault of either Thai Immigration or VFS as the information is clear however I now find that when I return I will have to enter as a tourist and get a new Non Imm O visa. Was contemplating the LTR as I satisfy the income requirement but not sure if I can clear all the other hoops involved.
