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Do I need a new passport for my Thai visa application in Bangkok?

Passport Requirements Thai Visa Rules American Citizens in Thailand US Consulate Services Visa Extensions Border Runs and Visa Exemptions Travel to Laos from Thailand

Dec 15, 2017

7 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Do I need a new passport? What is the process in BKK? (I'm American)

My passport has 1 full blank page and 2 half used pages.

My plan is to enter Laos on Jan3 to obtain a Thai TR visa but I now realize that both Laos and Thailand will issue me the full-page sticker style visas. I do have 2 blank "endorsements" pages in the back of my passport.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The original poster (OP) is concerned about needing a new passport due to limited blank pages before applying for a Thai TR visa via Laos. Comments indicate that at least 4 full pages are generally required for visa processing and suggest seeking a passport extension at the US embassy in Bangkok if applicable. Discussions on border bounces as a temporary solution and the importance of using full visa pages rather than endorsement pages were also highlighted.

Martin **********

4 full pages required. I booked visa run yesterday

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ฟิลลิปน์ **************

you can get up to 2 page extensions (amendments) from the american embassy in BKK or Chiang Mai. have to submit your passport with the paper work. will get back in 1 or 2 days. if you have already added extra pages then it will be denied and you need a new passport.

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Tod *********

@ฟิลลิปน์ *************

, That is incorrect information :/ .

All US consulates in the world stopped adding extra pages to passports back on December 31, 2015 :O

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Layne ********

I did this a year ago and they had signs everywhere saying they were stopping this practice. It's worth checking.

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ฟิลลิปน์ **************

each amendment gives you 24 more pages.

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ฟิลลิปน์ **************

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Jason ******

You will get turned away from Laos at the border, if you don't have at least 1 full blank page, NOT the Endorsement page. Endorsement page will not be used for any Visa or stamps. If you have small spaces on previous pages they will find a space to put your stamp. But if you only have 1 blank page, that is reserved for your Laos visa.... you may have a problem if you apply for Thai Visa because you will get rejected due to not having another blank page.

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Tod *********

you make an appointment with the American Citizen Services Office of the US Consulate here in Bangkok, then go apply for a new passport. (mark the box stating you want the large 52 page passport because it's the same price as the small one when you renew overseas).

It takes about 10 working days BUT we got Christmas and New Years just around the corner. They send you an SMS / email when your new passport is in and you go get it. They give you a letter to immigration's asking that they transfer any stamps and the cancel your old passport when you get the new one

This tells you what to do to get a new passport in Bangkok

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Tod *********

If you are on a long term extension of stay, then go get the stamps transferred. If you're here on 30 day visa exempt entries, or tourist visas just fly out and they'll move the stamps at the airport

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Jason ******

Is it important to take the letter you get with your new passport to immigration office in changwattana to transfer the stamp to the new passport? What if you show up at the airport flying out with your old canceled passport and your new passport without any transferred stamp and extension stamp in it?

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

think ill do the border bounce up north then renew passport after in CM so there is no time crunch.

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Tod *********

don't forget you can renew your passport from the US consulate up in Chiang Mai too :)

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Tod *********

yep, I almost mentioned that, you could go to the Mae Sai - Tachiliek border with burma and for $10 USD get stamped in&out of burma and back into thailand (y)

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

Tachileik would also a good, cheap and hassle-free (meaning, no proof of funds/travel/etc needed) option, yeah Tod? Though it is one heck of a haul from BKK but luckily I plan to move to CM first week of Jan anyway...

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Tod *********

, the down side is, IF you border bounce at a Lao or Cambodia you'll need a visa from them.

The easiest way to border bounce from Bangkok would be to fly to Kuala Lumpur in the morning and then right back that afternoon. You don't need a visa to get into malaysia. In reality you really don't even need to get stamped in or out of malaysia as long as you keep your boarding passes to show the immigration officer when you come back to thailand and stamp in.

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Tod *********

, you can have TWO 30 day visa exempt entries by land in a calendar year.

There is no official limit on the number you can get when you fly in.

I edited the earlier post to show "by land"

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

Tod Daniels to be clear i can have "unlimited" visa exempts, rather it's the 2 land crossings in the calendar year that is the point to be aware of, correct?

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Tod *********

Ryan Getz, good thinking (y) If you haven't gotten two visa exempt entries by land already this year, you could do a border bounce, get a 30 day visa exempt and if you needed extend that by 30 more days too.

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

or i could do a border bounce (is that the right term?) and get 30 day exempt instead for now to put off the new passport ordeal for the time being...?

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Tod *********

here's where you make an appointment

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Tod *********

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Tod *********

you need to look at the blank page you have and make sure it's not one that says "endorsements" because you can't get visas or entry stamps on them

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Tod *********

they did stamps for a while when they ran out of stickers just before they went to bar coded stickers. You can't get stamps anymore.

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

one of my TR visas is a half page stamp and one is a full-page sticker. Any chance I could request the stamp vs sticker?

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Tod *********

then I highly doubt you're gonna get a thai exit stamp, a visa for lao, a lao entry stamp, a lao exit stamp, a visa for thailand AND a new entry stamp in that space. :/

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Ry**

ORIGINAL POSTER

1 blank Visa page. 2 unused endorsement pages.

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Ry**

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