British passport renewals – don’t get caught out!
Posted By Alec on March 21, 2010
YOU CAN NO LONGER RENEW YOUR BRITISH PASSPORT AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN BANGKOK.
If your British passport is full or is about to expire, you need to be aware of the change of procedure for applying for a new passport whilst in Thailand.
PROCESS FOR BRITISH PASSPORTS IS CHANGING
What has changed?Passports for British Nationals are no longer processed in Bangkok. They are processed and printed centrally in our Regional Passport Processing Centre in Hong Kong.
Why is this happening?
These changes are part of a global initiative to streamline the overseas passport operation; to reduce administration costs while improving security and maintaining a high quality of customer service.
How long will it take?
The Passport Processing Centre aims to issue all new passports within 10 working days after receiving the correct documentation and fee. You should however ensure that you allow time for delivery at both ends of the process as defined above.
Should you need to travel urgently the British Embassy will still be able to issue a travel document for emergency purposes.
Does it work?
From a recent customer surveys in the Nordic network we have received the following feedback:
Very user friendly, No problems very smooth, Quicker than anticipated.
In parts of the world where this service has been introduced, it has been a great success. Washington is producing passports for the whole of the Americas and Wellington covers all of Australasia with excellent results. Over 6000 passports produced per month with 90% of them in a 10 day period.
Overall Cost
If you apply for a British passport overseas you can expect to pay:
• for your passport (the fee is the same worldwide).
• The cost of sending your application to us (as you would in the UK)
• For the secure return of your passport and documents.
You can find complete details on the website of the British Embassy in Thailand: http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/
