Getting a new Thai e-passport couldn’t be easier. It is well organised, fast and efficient. All you need is a valid Thai ID card with a 12 digit ID number and your tabian baan, the blue house book.
• Take a queue number at the local Thai passport office, fill in the applicants name, date of birth,place of birth
Step 2
• A passport officer measures the applicant’s height, captures the applicant’s bio-metric data information , this includes taking the applicant’s photograph and fingerprints.
• They will verify to certify the applicant’s information is correct.
• Apply for EMS postage service
Step 3
• Pay the Thai passport fee.
• get a receipt in some cases the applicant can use Ems to deliver the new passport.
• Processing times for Thai passports is 3 – 10 days only
What About Lost & Stolen Thai Passports – Whats The Process ?
Lost your Thailand passport, you must get a police report before you apply for a new travel document.
Thailand Passport Offices – Locations Across Thailand
Map & guidance to the various locations , where to submit my passport application in Thailand – Thai passport Office
Pattayas first passport office opens – Thai passport office location in Pattaya
How Much Does It Cost – Thailand Passport fees (2017)
e-Passport application fee : 1,000 Baht
postage service (EMS ) fee : 35 Baht
Did You Realize This – We Have 4 Different Types Of Thai Passport ?
Standard Thai passport
This is for Thai citizens & the most common passport valid for 5 years.
Dark blue passport
This is for official government use only.
Red cover
1. Close relatives of the king
2. The royal family
3. Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers.
4. House Speaker and Deputy House Speaker, Top Administrator and President of the Senate.
5. President of the Supreme Court, Vice-President of the Supreme Court and President of the Court of Appeal
6. President of the Constitutional Court and President of Administrative Court
7. Ex-Prime Minister and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
8. Supreme Commander and Army Commander
9. Diplomat who has diplomatic mission aboard
10. A diplomat who works in foreign country, his/her spouse and child/children who lives and/or studies in that country, age of children should not be over 25 years old
11. A spouse who accompanies a person specified in number 2-8
12. Any person who works for benefits of the Thai government or is under Obligations between countries or if it is necessary or builds reputation for Thailand in the world.
Green Cover
This is a temporary passport – 2 years validity. Issued for Thai monks & Hajj passports issued to Thai muslims
How Do I get Thai citizenship ?
In all cases you will also have to meet the following conditions to apply for Thai citizenship: An applicant must have lived in Thailand continuously, for at minimum of five years before applying for Thai citizenship .Must be a permanent resident & be 18 years old .
Information about how to apply for a Thai passport visit – Thai passport information.
UK passports renewals in Thailand – apply to renew a UK passport in Bangkok
how to apply for a Thai passport click here
We took a cab to Chaeng Wattana Government complex, which is the main place to get passports in Bangkok.
You can also get a passport done at Klong Toey MRT station, in one of what the government describe as “pop-up” passport offices.
The new office is in the Metro Mall area of the station, with 20 booths able to serve about 800 people a day. It is open Monday to Friday, 8.30 – 3.30
Our trip was to Chaeng Wattana , so I’ll document the experience going there.
How We Got There
The journey cost us 125 Baht, including the toll way payment, and took 15-20 minutes from the Huay Kwang area. In busy traffic allow an hour.
We got there at around 11 am, though I’d recommend getting there around 9 am if you want to be in and out sharply.
The entrance is on the main road of Chaeng Wattana . You can literally stop right outside.
You can’t miss it; it has a big water feature outside. See the picture below.
When you to the front door, go in and straight up the escalator to the second floor.
Bypass all the translation/visa touts that try to sell you their services. You’re there for a Thai passport, so you won’t need anything they have to sell; though you might want to visit the coffee shop or canteen when you have finished.
how to get a thai passport
The front entrance, on the main road
What Documents You Need to Get a Thai Passport
Thai citizen I.D. card.
Tabien Baan.
Two passport photos.
Details of your current address.
If you’re getting a Thai passport for a child and you are a foreign national, then your Thai partner must be present too.
If you are a foreign national and need to get a passport for your Thai child, take your passport along to show too.
Take photocopies of all documents with you. It’s always handy to have, just in case they ask to keep a copy.
Note: There is a copy shop there.
If you need it, do a right at the top of the escalator (same floor). Walk straight and turn the corner. You should see a nice lady boasting a 1980s-style copy machine.
So, hang a right at the top of the escalator and join the queue for the ticket window. Show your ID card, get a ticket and take a seat. Well, not you, but your Thai wife, girlfriend, friend, whatever.
thai passport office queue
Your partner will join that queue, while you watch crap TV.
To my horror, we were given number 982. The screen was showing 763!
“Holy crap”, we’ll be here all day. Let’s get a coffee” (any excuse).
There’s two coffee shops on the ground floor and a big restaurant with reasonable food options. Very handy. We spent 30 minutes downstairs having food and drinks and went back to join the queue.
To our surprise the screen was showing number 910 already!
That’s a warning for you. Don’t wander off and miss your spot. It moves fast. You’ll soon see why when you’re inside. It’s a super-efficient setup with multiple officers processing passports.
I whipped out my laptop and starting tinkering on some work as the queue quickly filtered down.
Within 20 minutes my wife had gone in to get her passport. She was out within 15 minutes!
Since first writing this post we’ve been back to get a Thai passport for my daughter at the Chaeng Wattana government complex.
It was an even faster experience than the time we went for my wife. They’ve upgraded the passport centre with lots more booths and the processing time is now faster. We were done in 30 minutes and the whole experience was a walk in the park.
thai-passport
The 3-Step Process Inside the Passport Booth
It’s pretty straight forward, so don’t worry. It’s all high-tech now: nice and private and way quicker than the UK, that’s for sure.
There’s basically 3 steps:
Step 1: For those getting an e-passport, a member of staff measures your height and takes your biometric data by picture and fingerprint. You’ll have to have your right and left index fingers done separately, twice, using a scanner too. For standard passports it’s the usual spell your name, give in your passport photo, etc.
Step 2: You then verify and sign to certify your information.
Step 3: You then apply for the postage service.
Passport Cost & Delivery/Pick Up
The cost was 1,000 Baht, and 60 Baht to post to our home within 4-6 days. Note that you pay afterwards at a separate counter on your way out. You’ll be directed there once the process is complete.
You can pick up your passport within 2 days if you don’t mind going back there, but there are some specific rules to be aware of, particularly if you are having someone else pick it up on your behalf.
If in Bangkok you can pick-up your passport 2 working days after the application date.
If you order an e-passport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up an automatic gate simulation at the Chaeng Wattana building so you can practice using it on an automated machine.
Applicants outside of Bangkok are required to apply for postage service which will take 5 – 7 working days for passport to be mailed through EMS.
*To pick-up a passport, you must bring your notification of passport pick-up together with your I.D card.
If you can’t go in person you can designate a representative. The representative must bring:
The notification of the passport pick-up date
The I.D card of the applicant and the representative
a certified copy of the representative’s I.D.card
Foreign nationals can’t collect the passport of a Thai national
canteen at chaeng wattana
The canteen serves a range of food. Cheap and fairly cheerful.
It really is an extremely efficient service. The entire process took one hour, tops.
It’s comfortable there, there’s food, coffee, TV, plenty of toilets and photocopying facilities, and even a nice mural to look at if you walk straight at the top of the escalator.
Taxis stop regularly outside so you’ll have no trouble getting home. I’m not sure what the nearest BTS/MRT station is but it’s not close.
Thai Passport Office Address
Option 1:
Chaeng Watthana, 13 Yaek 3-2-15,
แขวง ทุ่งสองห้อง เขต หลักสี่
Bangkok, 10210
Option 2:
Klong Toey MRT Station
ถนน พระรามที่ 4 คลองเตย
Bangkok, 10110
You can reserve an appointment for the Klong Toey office on the government website by clicking here.
Last Updated on May 6, 2019
If you, your partner or friend needs to get a Thai passport in Bangkok, here’s the scoop.
My wife needed a renewal and I decided it was worth going along to see how the service matched up to the UK. Apologies in advance for a couple of the poor-quality pictures — a mixture of poor light and a bad phone.
e-Passport Application for Thai Nationals Living Abroad
– Required documents for e-passport application while abroad
– List of Thai Embassies and Consulates-general abroad
Required documents for e- Passport application while abroad
Types of e-Passport
Required Documents
(Applicants must apply in person at the Thai embassies /
consulates-general abroad )
1. Ordinary e-Passport
1.1 General Applicants
1.1.1 Aplicant’s previous Thai Passport or a certified copy
1.1.2 Thai Citizenship I.D.Card/House Registration
which contains the 13-digit Personal Number
1.2 Applicants under 20 Years of Age
1.2.1 Previous Thai Passport (If applicable)
1.2.2 Birth Certificate or Thai Citizenship I.D.Card/House Registration which contains the 13-digit Personal Number
1.2.3 Valid Passports or Citizenship I.D.Cards of applicant’s parents
or legal guardian
1.2.4 Applicant’s parents or legal guardian must appear and sign
the parental consent form
1.2.5 If the applicant’s parents or legal guardian live in Thailand,
they can sign the parental consent form at the Passport
Division, Department of Consular Affairs, Chaengwattana
Road, Bangkok. However, if they are not in the Kingdom, they
must sign the parental consent form at the nearest Thai
embassy or consulate-general
Notes :
– A child who was born to either or both Thai parents is qualified for Thai citizenship and is, therefore, eligible to a Thai passport.
– If a child was born to a Thai mother outside the Kingdom, the mother will have to notify the Thai embassy and/or consulate-general so that a Birth Certificate can be issued to prove that the child holds a Thai nationality.
– If a child was born to a Thai father who did not sign a marriage certificate with a foreign mother, he/she will be qualified for Thai citizenship by
(1) the subsequent marriage of the parents
(2) Legitimate Child Registration made on application by the Thai father
(3) a court order on the legitimate child of the father.
2. Buddhist Monk
e-Passport
2. Buddhist Monks
2.1 an official letter from Sangha Supreme Council granting
the applicant permission to travel abroad
2.2 Buddhist monk identification card
2.3 a copy of House/Temple Registration
2.4 Previous Thai Passport or a certified copy
3.Official e-Passport
3. Official e- Passport
3.1 an official letter from the Office of Civil Service Commission or the applicant’s ministry granting the applicant permission to continue studying aboard.
3.2 a copy of Thai House Registration or the Thai Citizenship I.D.Card
3.3 applicant’s previous Official Passport
Additional Documents (If applicable)
1) Change of Name Certificate
– Required if an applicant’s current name or surname does not match
that in the Passport or the amendments made in the Passport
2) Marriage Certificate
– Required if a female applicant has taken her spouse’s surname
– Required if an applicant is under 20 and his/her mother’s surname
does not match that of the applicant
3. Divorce Certificate
– Required if a female applicant’s surname has changed from the
surname shown on her Passport due to a divorce
4. Memorandum of Divorce
– Required to prove sole custody of accompanying parent if the
applicant is under 20 years of age
5. Adoption/Legal Custody Certificate
– Required if an applicant is under 20 years of age whose birth
parents had legally given up the applicant for adoption, or his/her
parents are not married, and the applicant is in the father’s custody.
6. Alien Certificate of the applicant’s parents (only for applicants under
20 years of age)
– Required only if the parents are aliens
List of Thai Embassies and Consulates-general abroad
************Important Notice and Warning to e-Passport Holders***********
In applying for a Passport, it is illegal to use documents that belong to another person and/or forge your documents; these offenses are punishable under Thai Law.
Applicants must apply for a Passport well in advance of their impending traveling date. Applicants applying in Bangkok can pick-up their Passports 2 working days after the application date. Applicants outside of Bangkok will receive their Passports by express – mailing within 5-7 working days.
Travelers who will leave the country for a long period of time should register with the Thai embassy or consulate-general at the country in which you are staying. You must also notify the embassy or consulate-general of changes to your address so that they may contact you in case of an emergency.
Your Passport is a valuable document and should not be possessed by any other person. Thai nationals can only hold one Passport. If you lose your Passport, you must immediately notify the Passport Division, local police, or the Thai embassy or consulate-general.
Please avoid applying for a Passport at the beginning of the week (especially on a Monday) because there are many applicants during those days which slow down the application process.
