UK passport renewal has not arrived

[dozer]

n

[blue05]

some bar talk yesterday so please take with a pinch of salt , one guy was adamant that you could get new passports issued in Bangkok. I told him he was speaking bollocks and everything had reverted to UK

Any experts here know the score?

[buksida]

Yes, you have to go to Bangkok now to apply and collect but the application is still processed in the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y ... _new/adult

[blue05]

Yes, you have to go to Bangkok now to apply and collect but the application is still processed in the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y ... _new/adult

just seems a total con and HK was much better, photocopy your entire passport including blank pages in colour- yeah really

[Nereus]

Yes, you have to go to Bangkok now to apply and collect but the application is still processed in the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports/y ... _new/adult

just seems a total con and HK was much better, photocopy your entire passport including blank pages in colour- yeah really

You can`t say "black and white", it`s racist.

[STEVE G]

...just seems a total con and HK was much better,....

Yes, in continental Europe, you used to get them from Paris and about four years ago for my last one it took less than a week including time in the post, now they seem to have cocked the whole system up.

[caller]

Cut's, cut's and more cut's! That would normally be the bottom line. But in this case it's coupled with a determination to cut back on abuse. Years ago, the humble Brit passport was a difficult thing to counterfeit or forge, not any more though. In wide circulation in the UK and it starts from somewhere......

I'll give you an example. Yonks ago I went on a training course with immigration where we were each given a British passport and asked to identify the fakes. I couldn't see anything wrong with mine and there wasn't, nor was there for most of the class, although some thought theirs to be a fake. Those that were dodgy were quite crude and easily spotted.

Did a similar thing less yonks ago, everyone was given a Brit passport and again asked to spot the fakes. I couldn't see anything wrong with mine, looked for the obvious stuff - stitching, watermarks, print, spelling errors and the like. A few were identified, but it turned out everyone of us had been given a fake.

The problem had shifted from forged or counterfeit foreign passports and ID cards to British passports. Modern technology is a wonderful thing.

[chopsticks]

Don't leave the renewal until the last few weeks of expiry as you can renew up to 9 months in advance and the expiry date will be up to 10 years 9 months ahead.

[lomuamart]

I think you can renew whenever you like but you'll only get a maximum of an extra 9 months if applicable.

[chopsticks]

I think you can renew whenever you like but you'll only get a maximum of an extra 9 months if applicable.

Yes, that's correct - so no need to wait until approaching the expiry date - do it in advance any time you want when you won't be travelling for a while and is most convenient. If you happen to be in UK you can pay extra and get it returned within one week or as quickly as 4 hours depending how much extra you are prepared to pay.

[lomuamart]

I was back in the UK last Aug/Sept with an expiry date of May this year on my passport. Stupidly, I didn't bother renewing it whilst there - and I could have got to Peterborough easily, paid a bit more and got the new passport quickly by appointment. The web site was saying 4 weeks for a postal application and I wasn't there for that length of time so didn't fancy that option.
So, did the renewal back here just before they changed the goalposts to applying in BKK. I can sympathise with those who who are stuck in this quagmire and can only re-iterate that it's best to renew if you happen to be back in the UK even if you're losing a few years off a valid passport and end up paying more.
I appreciate that there are cost cutting exercises but when the renewal was done at the BKK Embassy, the procedure was easy and years ago my passport was renewed within a couple of weeks.

[Pagey]

This is reported on Sky News today, not sure how it works or if it will help anyone here.

The increase has in part been blamed on the closure of regional application offices at embassies across the world. Theresa May announced British citizens abroad would automatically get a 12-month extension.

Full story here, apparently backlog is a whopping 480,000.

http://news.sky.com/story/1283985/passp ... of-backlog

[Pagey]

Just found this on Gov.uk website. It looks like the one year free extension can be obtained in Bkk.



If you’re renewing an existing British passport you can apply for it to be extended for 12 months. You won’t be charged any extra fees.

The service is by appointment only. To apply, phone your nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission and select the ‘Consular Services’ option. Appointments can be made from Monday 16 June.

Website page : https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

[richard]

Got a friend struggling at the moment and in danger of having to pay 500 bht day overstay. I'm sure I read somewhere that Thai immigration were being lenient with people that were experiencing problems with obtaining a new passport on time. Anybody read that too and if so where?

[MwD]

Just embarked on trying to renew my son's passport, 1st problem is trying to obtain an appointment with the new Visa Application Centre in BKK to submit the application.

As instructed, sent an email last week requesting an appointment towards end of June, this was their response, they took 3 days to respond:

"Dear Sir/Madam,

We sorry to said. An appointment on June was full."

That was it! Have replied to request when appointments are available, no response, been over a week now. No local phone number to ring...it's a joke.

So, plan well ahead if you need to renew any passports.