Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Application Procedure
• e-Passport for applicants under 20 years of age
• e-Passport for applicants wishing to travel to perform Hajj
• e-Passport Application for Thai Nationals Living Abroad
• Application to extend the validity, renew and/or append additional pages to e-Passports
• e-Passport Pick-Up
• Legalizing and amendments to e-Passports
• Lost or stolen Passports
• Visas
• Others

Application Procedure

How to apply for an e-passport and what types of document are required to apply?
-Please see  General Requirements for the Ordinary e-Passports Application

Applicants under 20 years of age

Can applicants under 20 years of age use the same e-Passport as their parents?    
- No, applicants (no matter how old) are required to hold their own e- Passport.

If a 10-year old applicant applies for an e-Passport, is it necessary for  the parents to come in person to sign the parental consent form?
- Applicants under the age of 15 must be accompanied by parents or a legal guardian.
If parents cannot appear, at least one parent must accompany the child when applying for
an e- Passport. If both parents cannot appear at the same time, one parent must accompany the applicant on the date of the application and as well bring a notarized parental consent form signed by the non- appearing parent. (parental consent form).

If an applicant is over 15 years of age but still has not reached the age of majority   wishes to apply for an e-Passport, what will the applicant need to do?
- Applicants over 15 years of age but have not reached the age of 20 can apply for an         e-Passport without parental accompaniment but will need to bring a letter of consent from their parents or a legal guardian.
- For more details, please see  General Requirements for the Ordinary e-Passports Application

e-Passport for applicants wishing to travel to perform Hajj

What types of documents are needed for applicants who are applying for an e-Passport to travel to perform Hajj?
   - Applicants will need to present the same set of documents as the general applicants to apply for an e-Passport.  However, applicants will also need to show a letter of guarantee from Chula Rachamontri or from a Provincial Islamic Committee to certify the applicants’ intension to travel to perform Hajj.

e-Passport Application for Thai Nationals Living Abroad

Is it possible to apply for a new e-Passport or an extension of validity in a foreign country?
- Yes, it is possible to apply for a new e-Passport at a Thai embassy or consulate-general but it is not possible to extend the validity of an e-Passport.

Can I apply for a Thai e-Passport if I am already holding a foreign  Passport?
-Yes, if you are a Thai national, you may apply for a Thai e-Passport.  However, many countries will not recognize dual citizenship. Therefore, you may be required to give up other nationalities before you can apply for a Passport from that country.

If I do not live near a Thai embassy and /or consulate- general / cannot travel to apply for an e-Passport /extension of validity in person, would it be possible to apply by mail?
- The applicant must apply in person because the applicant’s biometric data (picture and fingerprints) has to be captured into a microchip which will then be embedded into the e-Passport.

What to do when you have already applied for an e-Passport at a Thai embassy or consulate-general but there is an urgent need to use a Passport to travel and cannot wait for the new e-Passport to be issued.   
- Thai embassies and consulate-generals abroad can issue a temporary Passport which is valid for   1 year.  The application fee is 200 Baht and when the applicant receives his/her new e-Passport, the temporary Passport will be cancelled

To apply for an extension of validity, a new e-Passport, or appending   additional pages to e-Passports

When do applicants apply for an extension of validity ?
- Extension of an e-Passport’s validity is not allowed.

If you are running out of pages on your e-Passport, is it possible to  append   additional pages?
- No.

What to do when the pages on your e-Passport are worn-out or torn?
- You must apply for a new e-Passport.

E-passport Pick-Up

How to designate a representative to pick-up your e-Passport?
-If picking-up in person or if you have designated a member of your immediate family to pick-up your e-Passport, you or the designated person will need to present your Citizenship Card  together with the notification of e-Passport pick-up date
-If you have designated a person who is not a member of your immediate family to pick-up     your e-Passport, the designated person will need to present your Citizenship I.D.Card, notification of e-Passport pick-up date, and as well the designated person’s Citizenship I.D.Card.

Is there a postage service to deliver your e-Passport?
- Yes, you must notify your intension to use the postage service at the time of application. 35 baht charge will be collected for a postage service to an applicant.

Legalizing and Amendments to e-Passport

If a Passport holder has a sex-change, is it possible to change the title in his/her e-Passport?
- No. Thai Law only recognizes the sex of a person at birth. A transsexual may face difficulties in entering into other countries due to different identities on passport from the real one.

Lost or Stolen Passport

What to do when you lose your Passport?
-Lost/stolen domestically: must file a police report then bring that report to apply for a new e-Passport and cancel the misplaced Passport.
-Lost/stolen in a foreign country: must file a lost Passport report to local authorities and bring that report together with documents proving the applicant’s Thai nationality or other Residential Registration documents such as Citizenship Card and House Registration to the nearest Thai embassy or consulate-general to apply for a new e-Passport.

However, if the passport is lost and a new e-Passport has not been issued but there is an urgent need to return to Thailand, the Thai embassy or consulate-general will issue a Certificate of Identity (CI).  The CI will only be valid for the distressed person to return to Thailand and will expire once the distressed person arrives in Thailand.

Visas

If a Passport expires but still contains a Visa which is still valid, is it then possible to append an old Passport to a new one?
-No, but an applicant may request to record endorsements from the old Passport which still has a valid visa to the new e-Passport.  Therefore, the applicant can present the old passport which has a valid visa to foreign immigration together with the new e-Passport.

Others

Why is it required for travelers to hold Passports that will be valid for longer than 6 months before traveling abroad?
- It is the norm of many countries to require travelers to hold Passports that will be valid for longer than 6 months before leaving the country.  If a Passport will expire in less than 6 months, the traveler must apply for a new e-Passport.  Before traveling, travelers must check with the embassy or consulate-general of the country/countries in which they wish to travel to find out their requirements.
Should you have further questions, please contact the Department of Consular Affairs located at 123 Chaengwattana Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210 or alternatively, you can reach us at Tel: 0-2981-7171 or 0-2981-7276-7 Fax: 0-2981-7256 or by e-mail at [email protected]