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/

NOTE: If you have obtained a visa prior to arrival (ie from the Thai embassy in Laos or another country), you need not worry as this will rule will not affect you.

Although this change took place several months ago, many people are still unaware of it and are subsequently getting caught out. It is also fair to say that it is causing bad feeling towards the Thai government with some visitors.

However, there is a very good reason for the new rule. It is first worth explaining that when you arrive in Thailand without a visa and you get a stamp in your passport for either 15 or 30 days, this stamp in itself is not a visa. You get this stamp under the ‘TOURIST EXEMPTION RULE‘. That is to say that whilst you have arrived in Thailand without a visa, the government will ‘kindly waiver’ your need for a visa as you are here for a short period for the purpose of tourism.

If you intend to stay for a longer period, for tourism, you should apply for a tourist visa with the Thai embassy/consulate in your home country (or another country) before you travel to Thailand. This tourist visa will grant you 90days of stay (though you will generally get a stamp of 60days on arrival and will have to extend it to the full 90days at a local immigration office while in Thailand). Obviously, if you are in Thailand for other reasons then there are other relevant types of visa that apply.

With that in mind, the change in the rule was made in an effort to reduce the number of foreigners simply abusing the ‘TOURIST EXEMPTION RULE’ time an time again, back to back, without ever obtaining a proper visa of any sort. Many people would do monthly ‘border runs’, leaving the country for a couple of hours and then coming straight back for a new stamp.

It is unfortunate that this change has been made, for those who were genuinely entering Thailand via a land route, while touring a number of countries in the Indochina region, for example.

For those who merely used ‘border runs’ as a way to extend their stay in Thailand, it should be noted that it is cheaper, and arguably less hassle, to just go to the Thai embassy in Laos or another neighbouring country and obtain a tourist visa. Whilst this may take more time (as an over night stay is usually required) it only has to be done once every 3 months.

It is easy to crirtisise or to feel cheated, in some way, when one is adversely affected by a new rule. This is natural. It is human nature. However it is worth remembering how lucky many of us are to have the freedom to move around the world with the relative ease that we do. Many are not so fortunate.

Although currently still in development, the Visa Section of the main site will soon have complete information on all types of visa available and which one is right for your trip you, whether you are a in Thailand for tourism, work or retirement.

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