Current situation at Trendy Building (Renew UK passport)

[Brigand]

Hi folks,

Has anyone out there been and done their renew passport there recently as have to do mine soon? Would just like to know if anything has changed recently or any new requirements have emerged. Also, anyone know how long it takes to get the passport back at the moment? I'm guessing that it isn't that busy there at the moment but if anyone has a heads-up on these things or anything else relevant ... then it would be appreciated. I read Richard Barrow's blog on him doing his passport but it's from last year. 

[Almudena]

Renewed mine mid June and was told by VFS it would take a while.  I was gobsmacked when the new passport arrived within 3 weeks.  You also now have to make an appointment for the collection as well.  

[Brigand]

Thanks for the info on collection.

[vistana]

Need to renew my British passport, but the e-mail address I have keeps coming back as unreachable! can anyone tell me what the current e-mail address is to send to Trendy House... giving the three dates and times. 

 

Thanks 

[john terry1001]

You need to make an appointment at Trendy to take your completed application there. I am going on Friday next week and there was a three week wait for appointments. When you ask for a date and time remember they are currently only open three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm told it's currently taking 6-8 weeks to get your new passport. Vistana, you need to take you application to Trendy in person. Email address is in the attachment. Overseas British passport applications - general info.docx

Edited September 22, 2020 by john terry1001

[ubonjoe]

39 minutes ago, vistana said:

Need to renew my British passport, but the e-mail address I have keeps coming back as unreachable! can anyone tell me what the current e-mail address is to send to Trendy House... giving the three dates and times. 

Go through the steps here to get the info you need. https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

[pontious]

If you do not / cannot wait for an appointment you can use the 'walk in without an appointment' service. The charge is Baht 1560.

[Brigand]

I know you can get the photos done at the place on the ground floor but then that's a bit of an issue if you need them to be countersigned. How strict are they on the "significant appearance change" ... does it have to be a ludicrous difference or just something like you lost weight or gained it. Has anyone had any experience/issues on that or was it pretty lax?

[Almudena]

You don't need the photo's countersigned, VFS staff will verify that and the copies against the original documents on behalf of the HMPO as that's what they are paid to do. 

[2530Ubon]

The only difference now, is they are based on the 28th floor, not the 8th. Due to covid working space apparently.

[1DegreeN]

I've just renewed my UK passport. After 2 weeks got an email from HMPO saying it would take 8 weeks and the next day got text and email from VFS that my new passport was ready for collection. VFS very quiet, as you can imagine. 30  minutes to complete submission and collection.

[Bredbury Blue]

Posted earlier this week

 

 

 

[darrendsd]

19 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

The only difference now, is they are based on the 28th floor, not the 8th. Due to covid working space apparently.

They have been on the 28th floor for years - at least 5 years as that's the first time i went there

[chilly07]

Using a trusted agent is easier

[2530Ubon]

7 hours ago, darrendsd said:

They have been on the 28th floor for years - at least 5 years as that's the first time i went there

Perhaps they moved up and down - I did mine last year on the 8th floor, as did Richard Barrow;

The Trendy Office Building is a short walk down Sukhumwit Soi 13 on your right (see map). If going by Skytrain, you can either get off at BTS Nana (5-minute walk) or BTS Asok (7-minute walk). I prefer the latter. The VFS office is on the 8th floor. Go in, turn right and walk towards the back. If there’s a long queue for the express lift (like below), just take the lift on the right by the Dental Clinic. There’s usually no-one there but it stops at more floors.

[essox essox]

On 9/22/2020 at 12:05 PM, vistana said:

Need to renew my British passport, but the e-mail address I have keeps coming back as unreachable! can anyone tell me what the current e-mail address is to send to Trendy House... giving the three dates and times. 

 

Thanks 

try googling V F S

[essox essox]

On 9/22/2020 at 11:58 AM, Brigand said:

Thanks for the info on collection.

THEY WILL NO POST......one has to go trendy and collect as one has to sign for new passport

....

[Bredbury Blue]

On 9/22/2020 at 11:51 AM, Almudena said:

You also now have to make an appointment for the collection as well.  

Not currently necessary to make an appointment to collect, just go straight in.

[Bredbury Blue]

Currently they tell you it will take 6 to 8 weeks to receive the passport and in fact I received an official letter to tell me that, but it actually arrived after about 3 weeks. As it's all done by DHL you can track every step and I received a few emails telling me stuff like it'd been dispatched to the UK, received in UK, dispatched from UK.

[HashBrownHarry]

I used an agent as it was cheaper than 2 trips to BKK for me ( and less hassle ) process took 5-6 weeks.

[Almudena]

9 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Not currently necessary to make an appointment to collect, just go straight in.

That's what argued with the VFS woman when phoned me to say that my passport was ready.  She said it was due to social distancing.  It was no problem though as she gave me an appointment the following day. 

[Bredbury Blue]

I attended the appointment for my son's passport and was specifically told no need to queue.

We could collect M W or F between 1 to 3pm no appointment.

 

My wife went to collect the passport and just went straight in and was sent to a counter immediately.

 

All in the past month.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Bredbury Blue

[Almudena]

1 hour ago, Bredbury Blue said:

I attended the appointment for my son's passport and was specifically told no need to queue.

We could collect M W or F between 1 to 3pm no appointment.

 

My wife went to collect the passport and just went straight in and was sent to a counter immediately.

 

All in the past month.

Fair enough, but that was the case back in July when I collected mine. 

[brewsterbudgen]

On 9/23/2020 at 10:17 AM, darrendsd said:

They have been on the 28th floor for years - at least 5 years as that's the first time i went there

The passport office moved the 8th floor a few years ago.

[Sir Dude]

I went and did my application for a new passport on Wednesday so will give an up-to-date brief report for any interested. VFS office has temporarily moved to the 28th floor from their usual place on the 8th and there is a notice up explaining everything and where to go (maybe it's been there for a while though). Went in with all the required documents and was in there for about 20 minutes, pretty quick if you are organised with all the right paperwork done.

 

Spoke to the woman dealing with me and the following was what I was told:

1 - No need to countersign photos 

2 - No need to make an appointment to collect it but was told come on a Mon/Wed/Fri between 13:00-15:00 after being notified it was there 

3 - Would take 4 weeks

4 - Got an application number texted to me same day in the afternoon that they forward to the HMPO (for tracking or contact I guess)

 

As proof of address I used a confirmation letter of employment from my employer which also said where I lived plus I gave them a copy of my Thai driver license as your address should be on the back in English (apparently that is fine for address proof).

 

Filling in the passport application form was a breeze really as if you are just renewing for yourself as an adult, then it's only sections 1, 2, 3 and 9.

 

As for countersigning photos (just to be clear the staff member didn't obviously say the following), then I guess you might have to get it done if you have gone the whole 9 yards and changed gender or something radical like so and you turn up dressed as a female and your old passport has some stubbly gruff looking guy pictured and your name was Derek ... but now has been officially changed to Michelle (or vice versa woman to man). Could be an interview there too but other than that sort of level, then I think you're good-to-go on this one.

 

Overall though, very professional and no messing around by VFS if you have what they need. Done without any drama, nice. Good time to go get it done as very few people there.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Sir Dude

[Brigand]

Thanks for all the replies and some good current useful info there.

[IGCKorat]

I have now received my appointment at Trendy, and I'm determined to have all the paperwork in order to avoid any unnecessary stress which is usually associated with this kind of thing.  To that end, perhaps someone can answer this question, regarding providing photocopies of the expiring passport.  I read on a blog that you need to provide a colour copy of "every single page".  Does that mean you need to copy every page individually,  or can you open the passport and have two pages on one A4 sheet?  Anything else that comes to mind that you might consider useful would be much appreciated. 

 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, IGCKorat said:

Does that mean you need to copy every page individually,  or can you open the passport and have two pages on one A4 sheet? 

Two pages per sheet will be accepted.

[Bredbury Blue]

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Two pages per sheet will be accepted.

And they require EVERY internal page of the passport including the information pages.

[kwak250]

4 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

And they require EVERY internal page of the passport including the information pages.

I have to go to Trendy soon and want to be sure 2 pages on 1 A4 are accepted?

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Two pages per sheet will be accepted.

Is this correct ?

just about to do some photo copying tomorrow

Also the 2 English people i knew have got back to the u.k and now i am the only farang in the village .

how can i get my photos and my 2 sons first passports signed ?

10 years ago i used my Doctor to sign who is Thai and it was sent to Hong kong.

Can anyone let me know if my Thai Doctor or even the village head man would be accepted as a counter signature