Integrity Legal

The authors have noticed an upsurge of those asking about how to go about replacing a lost passport while traveling in the Kingdom of Thailand. This post is a brief overview of what needs to be done when one loses their United States Passport in Thailand.

In order to receive a new passport one must go to the American Citizen Services (ACS) section of the United States Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. This office is located near the Consular Section of the US Embassy, in fact the two rooms are adjoining once one is inside the compound. It is wise to first make an ACS appointment by going to the US Embassy website here

In many cases, people do not plan to lose their travel documents so making an appointment may not be feasible. The United States Embassy website provides the following suggestion:

“When traveling, please remember to carry a photocopy of your passport separately from your passport. In the event of loss or theft, the copy will help facilitate issuance of an emergency passport.”

For those thinking of traveling, keep the above quote in mind as it can save a great deal of time at the Embassy.

At one time, the American Citizen Services Section in Bangkok, Thailand was considered to be one of the worst for customer service when compared against its counterparts in the region. However, over the past 5 years, this office has done a great deal to improve customer service and efficiency. It is now a very customer-friendly office that provides fast effective service.  If an online appointment is set in advance then one could expect to be in and out in relatively short order, depending upon the service sought.

For those who lose their passport, they have the option of either applying for a new passport or applying for an emergency passport. Under limited circumstances, the Embassy will expeditiously issue Emergency Passports that have a very short validity period.

In order to obtain a new passport one will need to provide proof of citizenship such as a Naturalization Certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, a Birth Certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Drivers License. Again, due to the likely unavailability of these documents it is always wise to have a copy of the previous passport.

Once the new travel document is issued, one needs to have their Thai Immigration entry stamps replicated in the new passport. Therefore, a trip to Thai Immigration will be necessary. For those with a long term Thai visa, the visa will need to be duplicated in the new passport.

For those in Northern Thailand, the American Citizen Services Unit at the United States Consulate-General in Chiang Mai also could assist with passport issuance. See their website here.

Tags: ACS, American Citizen Services, American Embassy Bangkok, American Embassy Thailand, Lost Passport, Thai Visa, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, us passport