Passport Amendments/ Pages Appending / Cancellation/ Disposal

      -  Passport  Amendments
      -  Appending Additional Pages to Passports
      -  Passport Cancellation
      -  Passport Disposal
      -  Lost / Stolen Passports
      -  Suggestions to Impending Travelers

e-Passport Amendments

                     Changes to the applicant’s name, surname, and/or marital status onto e-Passports are not allowed because the bearer’s information can only be captured in the microchip once to comply with the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  Amendments, therefore, cannot be made on the microchip. However, there are two pieces of information that are not captured in the microchip.  The following two amendments can be made onto the e-Passport:

                     1. Signature Change
                     2. Record endorsements from the applicant’s previous Passport which still has valid visas onto the new e-Passport (instead of appending the two passports together)

Appending additional pages to e-Passports

E-passport bearers who frequently travel in and out of Thailand will run out of visa pages before their e-Passports expire. In the past, it was possible to append additional visa pages to the non-electronic Passports; however, for e-Passports, bearers cannot apply to append additional visa pages due to the following reasons:

1. Many foreign embassies and consulate-generals will not issue visas on the appended additional visa pages as this practice does not comply with international standards and is easily forged.
2. Immigration officers find it hard to search for applicable visas on the appended additional visa pages.
3. Appending additional visa pages will make the e-Passport thicker than the machines’ reading slots at the immigration checkpoints; therefore, not being able to place the e-Passports on the readers will make it difficult to read the information in the microchip and will inconvenience the e-Passport bearers at immigration checkpoints.

e-Passport Cancellation

The Passport Division will cancel the previous Passport when an applicant receives his/her new e-Passport.  An applicant who submitted application in Bangkok is required to present the valid previous passport to the Passport Office’s personnel for cancellation when the applicant picks up a new e-Passport. If an applicant applies for postage service or submits an e-passport application at the Passport Office outside Bangkok, he/she is required to present the valid previous passport to the Office’s personnel for cancellation on the application day.

e-Passport Disposal

If an applicant does not pick-up up his/her e-Passport within 90 days, the Passport Division reserves its right to determine whether to dispose of the e-Passport.

Lost / Stolen Passports

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 I.D.Card and House Registration to the nearest Thai embassy or consulate-general to apply for a new e-Passport.
• Certificate of Identity (CI) : 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 applicable Thai embassy or consulate-general will issue a Certificate of Identity (CI). The CI only allows the distressed person to return to Thailand and will expire once the CI holder arrives in Thailand.

Suggestions to Impending Travelers

Before leaving the Kingdom, make a copy of the page in your valid Passport which contains your picture and personal information,  as well, a copy of your valid Citizenship I.D.Card.   Keep these copies separate from their originals and record.  Record the relevant address and contact information of the Thai embassy and/or consulate-general in the country  (or countries) in which you intend to visit and/or will be passing through (see further details).

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.