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Thai girl getting a passport


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Short of driving or taking a bus all the way to Bangkok or close to Bangkok what does a Thai girl living in Pattaya do to get a passport? Is there a place in the Pattaya area she can go just like we guys can go to Immigration in Jomtien to renew our retirement visas?

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As far as I am aware its bangkok or nothing!

 

The whole proceedure is fairly simmple and she will walk away with her passport in a few hours.

 

This was three years ago though.

 

cheers

rodney

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Short of driving or taking a bus all the way to Bangkok or close to Bangkok what does a Thai girl living in Pattaya do to get a passport? Is there a place in the Pattaya area she can go just like we guys can go to Immigration in Jomtien to renew our retirement visas?

 

To answer directly, she prays for an immaculate miracle. But it probably won't work.

 

She has to go to Bangkok, the closest place the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a passport office. The closest one to Pattaya is in the Central (department store) Bang Na building on the seventh floor. Central is at Kilo 3 of the Bang Na-Trad highway, i.e. you don't have to go into Bangkok proper, but just go up the highway almost to Bangkok, 3 kilometres before the entrance to the main expressway.

 

Specific instructions if you're driving: Around Kilo 8, around the Nation Building, start thinking about taking one of the several off-roads to get onto the Frontage Road. That's what you want to do. Continue up the Frontage Road to about Kilo 2, when you'll see a big jeezly U-Turn bridge going over the main highway, and specifically saying "Central Bang Na" because they built it. Take the U-turn to the opposite Frontage Road, get in the left lane and prepare to turn left into Central.

 

If you're on a bus, tell the driver you want to go to Central and he'll let you out at the closest pedestrian bridge over the highway. Or get out and catch a took-took.

 

When you're finished at the passport office, you're already on the road heading back to Pattaya. Buses (will) stop right in front of Central if you want one. You can be back for lunch easy.

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Joekicker......Thanks for the detailed info. What would you say is the average time it takes to get there by bus? Also-----You mentioned someone should easily get back to Pattaya by 12 if they leave at 6 a.m. Think the passport office will often have a long line there?

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Joekicker......Thanks for the detailed info. What would you say is the average time it takes to get there by bus? Also-----You mentioned someone should easily get back to Pattaya by 12 if they leave at 6 a.m. Think the passport office will often have a long line there?

 

The bloody highway these days is really unpredictable. It SHOULD take 90 minutes absolute max either way on the blue bus. Make sure she squares it with the driver that he is going up the Bang Na-Trad, and can drop her at Central Bang Na. There are occasional buses that take different routes, I think, like past the airport which is not what she wants.

 

The passport office is brilliantly organised. They don't do lines, they do groups.

 

Does she have an old passport? I can't see the original post. (I just looked at it.) You indicate she does. If so, it's just walk right in and start the process. But if not, add 10, 15 minutes, as she'll have to show her ID card, tapian ban... I think that's all but do check to make certain -- I can help with geography but I'm not a govt bureaucrat, PLEASE check first. For sure she'll need the tapian ban (house book) especially if it's her first passport, not a lot of use going without it. I THINK (again, please check) she doesn't need it if it's a passport renewal.

 

There are pages on the procedures at the foreign ministry website:

http://www.mfa.go.th and of course it's in two languages (or more).

 

No pics needed, they take them there, digital ones, this I know certainly. Once the paperwork is straightened out, she joins the next group at the first station, the previous group moves to Station 2, etc. Real assembly-line, cattle-car stuff, completely impersonal but faster than a speeding bullet.

 

I THINK she has to wait a week for the passport now, unless it's an emergency, but they'll mail it if she sets that up. It's open, transparent, pretty friendly, bribe-free and about as good as a government operation gets anywhere in the world.

 

I haven't been for a couple of years but I think it's still 1,007 baht (sic). I'm not sure if they add for the mail, which would be registered of course. We live nearby and always have gone to pick it up.

Edited by joekicker
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joekicker,

 

Very helpful post. If I may presume a bit further on your knowledge of the subject, am I correct in assuming there are more central passport offices if you are staying in the Soi 4 Sukh area.?

 

In my TG's case it would be a 1st passport so she will need ID, tapian ban(house book) going there. Is the house book some kind of a birth certificate I wonder?

 

:D

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Very helpful post. If I may presume a bit further on your knowledge of the subject, am I correct in assuming there are more central passport offices if you are staying in the Soi 4 Sukh area.?

 

Well, there are other passport offices. There is one out in the north end, in Nonthaburi, I know that. I'm sorry but you'll have to look them up on the www.mfa.go.th website for the exact locations. I think the one in Bang Na is the only one inside a Central store. At the website, click on "Thai pasports" then call her over, because I think the info is only available in Thai, which makes sense.

 

There are a fair number of passport offices around the country.

 

In my TG's case it would be a 1st passport so she will need ID, tapian ban(house book) going there. Is the house book some kind of a birth certificate I wonder?

 

No, it's a residence book. ("Papers, please.") Most people live officially with their families, so several/many people may share the same book. There is one per house, apartment, etc. Most people just keep their official residences at their original home until something important like getting married, and most TG use their mom and dad's book, with an entry inside for them.

 

It determines where the constituency/district where you vote, though, which is why so many TG head up-country for election day.

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Joekicker.....do you know how often these buses run? For example if the 6 a.m. bus is full, is there another bus leaving at 6:30 a.m. a girl can get on? Reason I"m asking is I have a schedule from a friend of mine for going to and from the new airport. YOu can even get picked up at your hotel or condo and there is a 6 am. departure out of Pattaya and if you miss that you must wait until 9 a.m.

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Joekicker.....do you know how often these buses run? For example if the 6 a.m. bus is full, is there another

 

Watching the buses pour out of the Ekamai bus station just while I'm waiting for one red light makes me believe they must be running every 15, 20 minutes during the day, maybe more often, to any given Pattaya station. A hell of a lot more often than 3 hours. It's almost like a city bus, these air-con runs Pattaya-to-Bangkok and return. I would guess 20 minutes but it's just a WAG.

 

Like I say, make sure she checks she's on the right one, which goes up the Bang Na-Trat highway and will drop her at Central, on its way to the Ekamai terminal.

 

Give them a call: 02-391-9829 for the air-con terminal.

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