Renewing a British passport

[Vital Spark]

You probably all know that the British Embassy in Bangkok no longer renew British passports, you now have to send them to Hong Kong and it's amazingly easy and quick.

If you go to the British Embassy website you can find a link to the Hong Kong consular office, with forms you can download and information about photo sizes and quality.

I couldn't be bothered to go to a photo shop to have the pics done, and as we had all the equipment here Mr.VS took some snaps of me (with a white background) and we made sure all the measurements were OK. Job done - photos printed and trimmed. Sent everything off to HK on Friday 3rd September, got my new passport today! Really good service from the consular in Hong Kong, EMS and DHL (from HK to here).

It was certainly less hassle than travelling to BKK and the total cost for the courier service was under 1,000 baht.

Now all I've got to do is transfer my visa from the old passport to the new one. Oh, no. A trip to the immigration office in Nakhon Pathom. It should be free, but...(I'll let you know)

VS.

[lomuamart]

Interesting you say that about the renewal, VS.
I was at Imm here last week and talked briefly to a Brit who'd sent his passport off to Hong Kong recently and it had taken 3 weeks to get back to him.
He was called for his transfer of visa/ visa extension and then out before I had a chance to ask him more.
Maybe he messed up the postal system in some way?

[Vital Spark]

OK, went to the immigration department in Nakhon Pathom along with my nice, new (empty) shiny passport.

They needed photocopies of all the relevant pages from my old passport - ID page, visa page, TM card, and latest entry stamp. They also needed a photocopy of the ID page of my new passport. I didn't have all the required copies, so they sent me away to a shop round the corner. I would have been quite happy to pay 10 baht a copy to have it done there, on their machine which was just behind the desk, but this option wasn't available (lost opportunity there for a bit of extra dosh...).

Anyway, copies in hand and a form filled in, it was all done. No charge. Even a smile at one point.

All in all quite painless and free.

VS

[buksida]

Is this info still accurate? My sons passport is out in a couple of months, do I have to put his passport in the post to Hong Kong? Is it safe to send passports by mail? How do you make the payment?

[TimandT]

Take a look at

We no longer issue standard (10 year) British passports at this Embassy. You now need to apply for your passport at our Regional Passport Processing Centre in Hong Kong. They will tell you everything you need to know about applying for a new or replacement British passport.

Changes to your application from 18 August

Please note the following changes that will affect your passport application. With effect from 18 August 2011, the Regional Passport Processing Centre in Hong Kong will process your passport. The passport will be printed in the United Kingdom. You will receive two packages, one containing the supporting documents you submitted, and the second package directly from the UK with your new passport.

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... passports/
and
http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help- ... d/renewals

Edit: More info

[Spitfire]

From a slightly more personal angle Buksida (I only use bold large letters for news titles), I did mine a couple of months ago and it's easy-peezy dude. The mail is fine if you use DHL (950 ish baht) for there and back, and you should use them as they have a deal with the embassy in HK for a better price. All the forms are on the embassy site and download-able (if there is such a word), plus black and white downloads are OK too.

Actually, when you look at the C5 (I think) application form is a piece-of-piss to fill in really unless you have some odd birth places etc.

The guy in charge of it all that I dealt with is some dude called Micheal Chan who was super helpful and polite, emailed me with any extra info required or if a problem.......make sure you give them your email address.

You don't have to send the original passport, waived for those in LoS, as they accept you need it and photocopies are fine but you have to have someone (preferably British but not essential) of a reputable position countersign the application in the right section, which is right at the end of the application form that you, or whoever else, is who you/they claim to be. I sent a (w)bankers daft as it had less to go wrong with it but you should right down your passport number in pencil on the back of it in case some dimwit misplaces something, helps them know who it's from as it's basically a blank cheque for that amount.

Mine was 4 weeks 'on the dot', no complaints, good service.

[lomuamart]

4 weeks seems a pitiful amount of time to me.
But, hey ho, that's the way it is.
Just plan a month in advance of wherever you thought you were before.

[pharvey]

4 weeks seems a pitiful amount of time to me.
But, hey ho, that's the way it is.
Just plan a month in advance of wherever you thought you were before.

I believe the paperwork is done in Hong Kong, but the passports are now being printed in the UK.... hence the 4 week turnaround.

[Vital Spark]

Four weeks is the maximum - I guess they just use that in case there are any problems.

DHL informed me on a Sunday that they wanted to deliver my passport - so all in all it only took about ten days. I guess if you live near a reasonably large town (like Hua Hin) it should take the same amount of time. To be on the safe side I'd do it a month in advance.

VS

Edit re. PH's post. Maybe things have changed since I renewed mine...

[lomuamart]

Good to know for all the Brits who will need one in due course.
I've needed two whilst here. The first was painless from the BKK Embassy and the second from UKPA when back in the UK.
I suppose as you generally need 6 months validity on the passport to extend annually it shouldn't be a problem.

[buksida]

Spitfire, thanks for the detailed response, downloaded the C2 form already and it looks straightforward. Can you PM me the email addy of this Chan fellow?

A couple more Q's ... is there a DHL office in Hua Hin, if so where, if not will EMS suffice?

Bankers Draft ... never done this, I presume Doris in the K-Bank will know what I'm talking about when I ask for this in HK dollars?

No probs on the travelling, I don't think a six year old will be planning any overseas trips in the next month or so!

[bapak]

DHL had an agent at a travel agency on Phetkasem Road near the Tesaban but it has been closed for some months. Recent inquiry at DHL BKK revealed no new agent. We send quite a few packets of documents abroad by EMS and have had no problem. Moscow in 4 days and similar for UK.

[buksida]

Is there any way of tracking the application, I sent it two weeks ago but no idea if it is in process or has even arrived. Nobody responds to email, is there an online system to check progress or is a phone call to Hong Kong the only way of chasing it up?

[bapak]

Is there any way of tracking the application, I sent it two weeks ago but no idea if it is in process or has even arrived. Nobody responds to email, is there an online system to check progress or is a phone call to Hong Kong the only way of chasing it up?

How did you send it?

[buksida]

EMS, which I know I can track if I can find the receipt - was wondering if I can track the physical passport application process.