Should I get a new passport to apply for a 6-month tourist visa in Thailand due to many stamps in my current passport?

Admittedly my experience was in Spain. I got mine in Palma after a week. Things presumably are a little different here.

If you attempt that here in Thailand, you WILL need a police report. You'll also be without a passport for around 6 weeks or more. The UK don't just send another out on demand.

I got a new passport genuinely on that basis after a bag was stolen. I was in Spain at the time and no-one asked for a police report. A passport (UK) can be renewed any time after its issue. Any remaining time is added to the new passport up to a maximum of 9 months.

Never fake a stolen passport as you have to lodge a police report and it goes on the system that you have lost a passport. This can cause issues. Not that I am commenting or promoting this at all, but a damaged passport has to be replaced....

@Robert ******

LOL......I would rather have other stories to tell :)

Well said, but pictures of the immigration jail is also a nice memory to show and tell about to your grand children later. lol.

I had that misfortune once in Indo, luckily only for 24hrs.

I’m a newbie of Thailand and I concur with this comment!🌻

#Preach 😇

There was a post on this page about the Certificate of Residence, that the price went up to 1.000 Thb at Chang Mai Immigration. She added a picture of that shop. It was just a Visa agent, but with Immigration on the sign outside the shop. The real Immigration Office does not have any signs offering passport service. They all where uniforms and have id on the table and the only signs you see is about how polite they be, the staff structure and other things like that. You will not see a sign of paid service.

@Robert ******

ugh. That IS confusing...especially for newbies. The last time I was there, I had to move twice from the que/line I was told to wait in by folk who appeared, "officials". I wanted to ask for their ID...to ensure it was a true blue official but I dared not.

Thanks, I have seen pictures of one of the offices in the direct area of Royal Thai Immigration Office in Chang Mai. These agents pretend to be part of Immigration and that makes a lot of confusion.

@Robert ******

I have no idea...as I mentioned. phot office but they had all sorts of visual aids there to help visa applicants. Maybe it was just a non-related office that gets most of their business from immigrations. In my case, when the immigration officers pointed, directed or instructed me, along with other applicants to go to these certian places to get our paperwork, we just did it and those offices helped us/our paperwork to be processed. I asked others who said they had been living in Thailand for many years, while going through this process, about everything from what the name of these other offices were...the process...to get some sort of cllarity. Almost everyone said the same thing...it doesn't get easier, they are confused each time and advised I just roll with the punches. I'm going to continue to try and figure things out. Thx for your question.

Do I understand correctly that "co-immigration office" are actually just a copy shop, photo shop or other company that provide help to get the papers needed to get to the actual Immigration Office?

Tod Daniels ...let me first address your lack of class and decorum: I don’t know who hurt and disappointed you in your life, but I’m NOT her, okay? *So, the next time you see my name, approach me with respect.

Why would your FIRST reaction be to assume people are straight out lying, posting unintelligible, slightly embellished or incorrect information? In case you don’t realize it, that’s the way you approached me...with your rude allegations and negative attitude.

Do you truly believe that because you have never seen nor heard of something that it is any less true?!

You’re either tired of managing this page and take it out on others, or live in an unresolved, personal pain...which has nothing to do with us and everything to do with you and your unchecked baggage.

I have seen these behaviors from you before...many times, then you close down the thread/comments, like bullies do.

As for the sake of clarity concerning my remarks to Lexi:

***I was at CM immigrations about a week ago, which is located in a HUGE, 5-story mall with separately located “co-immigration offices” within the mall, referred regularly by immigration officers.

[I have no idea what the office is called but it’s where...] at one of the offices, I was sent by immigrations to pick up a copy of my 24-hour report in order to file for an extension of my passport.

Between the main immigration co-offices, one being the shop where they sent us to get copies of our passports & other documents, depending on what they asked for & photos...again, I don’t the name of this office either. In any case, throughout these halls and offices, THERE WERE ADS EVERYWHERE for easy mail-in or online passport renewal processing!***

**You mentioned your, “valid question”...okay. What’s valid?

*Try this: ask me (or anyone else who posts something) about the origin of their facts politely, SANS your accusatory, snarky, and rude overtones.

How fantastic it will be to see the day when I will no longer witness or be party of the ridicule and unnecessary harassing ways in which people are attacked the way the are in this group. One can dream...🦄

There are multiple instances of these behaviors...go back and FACT CHECK my claims...and review your comments (and like attitudes from other members) towards certain group member questions.

Finally, T...do your research. Tons of signs, advertisements and such are displayed throughout the CM immigrations location for various visa assistance.

Idk...ask around...maybe ask your CM cohorts if they’ve seen such signs and ads, but whatever you do, please stop what you’ve been doing...it’s disrespectful, ugly, unnecessary, lacks professionalism and just ain’t cool.🕊

@Indigo ****

It is a valid question. You said you say a sign IN the thai immigration office about passport renewal online.

My question is WHAT on gods green earth does immigrations have to do with passport renewals for foreigner?

Excuse me?

And why would thai immigrations have a sign up about passport renewals? Seeing as immigrations doesn't renew passports?

I will double check at the consulate. I have been told the same thing - but looked at their website and read on this forum that Australian consulate is different-- Will let you know in 2 weeks time

I recommend you to double check. Maybe for US citizens the rules are different, but I was told you can only get a METV if you're Australian or have official residence in Australia.

It's called a Multi Entry visa in fact.

Excellent!!!

@Mic****

, thanks.

Yes you can get a 6 month tourist fairly easily in Australia, but there are a few requirements, including have 8k AUD in a bank account. Look up the canberra website and check the requirements.

Oh well if you have never had issues then I am sure no one else will......Sigh.....

No misinformation here ;)

@Michael *******

my passport is riddled with Thai Visas -- doesn't seem to make a difference. I know there are others on this forum that have it the same. Perhaps you have a poor understand of the word 'FACT' or when it is all in caps it has different meaning???

Anyway - it seems the OP's original inquiry has been adequately satisfied and that you'll not give it a rest. So here you go.

You are right - about most everything, Its is truly astonishing they have not renamed the Earth or entire solar system after you. If you want to put together an online petition - I will sign it. You the man, the big daddy, the one.

I hope that will provide for you some consolation and you will be able to move on and misinform some other poor schmucks.

She said in her post....."I will be applying for the 6 month tourist visa instead, and am worried that they will deny me the visa (even though I will have all of the appropriate paperwork) due to having many stamps in and out of Thailand in the past few years in this passport"..........The answer to this question....is YES, get a new passport. What happens on arrival at the airport is a whole nother story. She only asked about getting the visa and for that getting a new passport will 100% improve her chances of getting that visa. FACT :)

@Michael *******

- Immigration has access to the history of entry/exit from Thailand. An empty passport is useful at the embassy where they do not have access to that history.. Hence - getting the visa and getting into Thailand have two different checks. A visa doesn't guarantee you right to enter Thailand.

Regarding: " It is 100% factual. " It is not fact - it's impression, conclusion, or observation -- Although sometimes facts can be those things and sometimes those things can be fact -- they are not one-in-the-same.

@Michael *******

sure. A visa on a new passport is as valid as a visa on an old one!

My point is when the IO sees that the old passport was still valid for 3 years, it might draw his attention. Changing passport to hide past visas is not exactly a secret trick...

How would a new passport look suspicious.....?? A visa is still valid even if you get a new passport.

@Michael *******

On the other side, a new passport could invite suspicion from the IO especially if it was changed before the expiration date....

Changing passport if your visa is not fully legal might work ...or not!

@Terary *********

It is 100% factual. Getting a new passport greatly reduces the chance of having issues when applying for a visa. Maybe comment when you are sure what you are saying.

@Michael Lucken -- Why would you say that? It's certainly not factual.

Yes this is true, and they might have gotten her a new one possibly. But a long history of stamps is not a good thing to have in your passport these days. I am considering a new passport for this reason :)

I think the school was suggesting a new passport so they could get around the limit of ED visas issued to study a specific subject when she was going to get a new ED visa at the thai consulate.

Immigration can use the bar code to scan all that.

Yeah they can check manually i'v been arrested for that

Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't it the case that the immigration officer has to manually search for that info if s/he is suspicious. In other words, if they quickly flip through a passport, see that it's not full of stamps, they are much less likely to go and manually search the user's (or alien's, to use immigration speak) entry history?

@Robert ***********

. Exactly. I have all mine from 41 years,and as I have dual nationalities it's a good collection and holds lots of memories. Would NOT throw them away..!

Glen Shkolar I've NEVER heard of anybody destroying their old passport and I have been asked to produce my expired USA passport from the Thai consulate in Hong Kong years ago.

@Glen ********

exactly 🙂

@Hannes *******

yeah there is alway the risk of differing requirements depending what Embassy or Consulate you apply...as well as their different interpretations and flexibility offered...hence the reasons to always check first :))

@Glen ********

no problem. It might be different in mainland China from other parts of the world.

@Hannes *******

good to know, thanks for sharing 🙂

@Glen ********

the 1-year-old was in the list, and since mine was 1.5, they said "if" .

@Hannes *******

it’s interesting, I’ve never been asked for previous passport in nearly 20 years of travel 🙂

Never heard of it before...is it in their list of requirements or is something they verbally asks for?

You also said they asked “if” you had it, so why if you had said you had destroyed it (as it’s no longer needed)...would that have prevented them from processing your application?

@Glen ********

1 month ago

I always carry my old passport after renewal, just in case.

@Glen ********

Beijing

Interesting - which Embassy was that and how long ago?

David Karnovski Yes David Karnovski im afraid they can as i know firsthand as happened to a friend and he had necessry doc and he was a long termer too

David Karnovski they can and they have denied people entry who met the 3-proof-ofz. Remember holding a valid visa for thailand does not mean you get into the country.

Jim James that’s stating the obvious...they are all adults here, and it is my opinion they will be fine (so long as they have the required proofs, as I previously mentioned, if questioned)..and I stand by my opinion...no promised any guarantees...not even me 🙂

@Glen ********

. Yes,but,in saying people will be fine is to do just that,and No one knows whatsoever if that's the case.

Jim James we gave our opinion...no one mentioned the word “guarantee”...except you

@Glen ********

. Nobody can guarantee anybody's going to be fine under her circumstances, except the immigration officer at the boarder.

She maybe fine and may not..!

Fortunately one shoe doesn't fit all,

So long as you have a clean passport and proofs, will be fine.

Sometimes we worry for nothing 😊

@Toby *******

agree, but many people on here have obtained new passport due to warning stamps in previous and entered with no problems...that’s the consistent story anyway!

@Glen ********

would be interesting for the op to report back and let us know how she got on

Toby Lerone yes people are questioned often but the ones that are denied are because they do not have their required proofs (mostly), as I said, so if he has his required proofs then he will be fine.

You will find no significant reporting of refusal for any other reasons - in this forum or any other!

@Glen ********

Perhaps but I cannot help but notice the amount of people being taken to the side when entering the country and interviewed regarding the amount of entries in a specific time frame. More and more people are being denied you only have to look on this group for examples. As well as what you mentioned the proofs and onward travel ticket. Ultimately it is down to the individual IO so there is some luck involved too.

@Toby *******

won’t be any problems entering the country if they have a visa and their required proofs if asked - there has been no large scale reporting of people being denied entry with a valid visa.

There is the odd refusal mostly due to not having required proofs (funds etc).

The problem is not going to be issuing a visa. The problem is likely to be at the immigration check point when entering Thailand who can see your travel records. By all means try and get a new passport and go that way but I’m just stating most people these days have a problem when entering the country rather than getting the actual visa.