Where did you apply, my good sir? I am also awaiting the final tick of approval.

Congrats

@Rickard ******

on the approval! How many days in total were you on the "pending approval" stage?

@Tammi ****

I applied on Monday and went from Pending Document Check into Pending Approval this morning.

Congrats! After the document check stage, how long was it waiting in Pending Approval before you received the final issuance success email?

Hi

@Holp *****

—quick question, did your application get passed Pending Document Check to Pending Approval, or were any documents requested first? Trying to confirm what stage of the process they cancelled your application. I also have a pending application.

@Holp *****

This is definitely the issue. Even if your US passport was issued in Bangkok, the issuing authority is still from the United States and should be entered as such. The consulate officers have no method of modifying your entered application data and you will therefore have to submit a new application, unfortunately.

@Lee **********

cat got your tongue?

the cat will have to train meow thai

Thank you for the reply! I am hoping that is the case as it would simplify the swap a lot. I'm honestly not sure how passport renewals work when overseas when it comes to visas. If I have a new one delivered here, do you know if I can even exit on the old one? Or must I present the new passport on exit?

Good luck on your Smart-S application. It is definitely a rare visa type and I have found its rarity can cause some confusion from immigration officers at the airport on entry and exit. Often they need to pull over a supervisor and confirm its multi-entry status, and even confirm how to stamp it.

I'm looking at swapping to the DTV via the "overseas employer" route to have some more certainty. While it's nice to have a 1-year period of stay over the 180 days from the DTV, the 5-year the DTV offers does give me some more confidence when it comes to stability of life here. If eligible, I think the DTV is easier to apply for, too. My Smart-S (1-year type via incubator endorsement) took quite a bit of preparation.

The Smart-S visa extension is rather complex and it requires a lot of paperwork and effort to satisfy the requirements for its 2-year extension. Though it is a good visa to have once finally stamped.

@Steve *******

1-year Smart-S visa type, stamp has multiple-entry built into visa itself with no re-entry permit needed. Each new "Smart-S" entry-stamp when I enter is dated exactly to the visa's expiration date in March.

Do you think it would be okay to leave on the old visa and passport, apply at an overseas consulate, and then return on the newly issued DTV visa within my new passport? Or is it more complicated, and I need to transfer over the old visa and cancel it before leaving? Not sure the "best" way to approach it!