British Passport Renewal

I know I read somewhere here that British passport renewals are now done from Hong Kong and I've read it on the British embassy website but has anyone renewed recently by posting their passport to HK.
My passport is all but full and I don't want the long haul back to Blighty to get a new one. I have in the past renewed in BKK without a hitch but is it safe or even legal to send your passport outside of the country you are in? Would there be an issue with the new passport not having a Thai entry stamp in it? It states on the embassy website that you need to include a stamped addressed envelope, how do I get hold of HK stamps...? I've got a dozen questions and will call the embassy in the week but just wondered if anyone had renewed from HK.
Thanks.

Chriss I may be wrong, but my guess is that you send your passport to the Embassy in Bangkok, and they forward it to, and get it back from, Hong Kong.

I would be interested to hear how you get on chriss because I also need to renew mine later in the year.

As Jack says Chriss, you only deal with the British Embassy in Bangkok - same as always.
The new passport will actually be printed in HK, but it is moved there and back by the Embassy, not you.
When I originally read of this change I did post on here & was a bit sarcastic about yet another diminishing of services by the Embassy (of whom I am not a great fan !!) however Jack (as an Aussie) did say that it is something their Embassy has done for years without any issues or slowing down of service - so maybe I live in hope.
For all my lack of regard for the Embassy, credit where it is due, they handled my new passport (under the old system) with extreme efficiency.

I sent away for my daughters passport over 2 weeks ago, however it's been held up due to the embassy closure. Don't forget the extra fees, not only do you have the passport fee, there is also a courier fee to return your passport and a 860 baht courier fee for the embassy in Bangkok to send the passport to Hong Kong.

udonsmiles wrote:I would be interested to hear how you get on chriss because I also need to renew mine later in the year.

same here i,m down to my last empty page , so please keep us posted ...

Just spoken with the British embassy in BKK, I do indeed send an application form, photos and fee directly to the Hong Kong embassy, not Bangkok, in addition I need to send a photocopy of the picture page of the old passport not the actual passport, this way I actually keep my passport in the country with me. When you get your new passport it is up to you to cut the corners off the old one as they used to do in BKK, it will be electronically cancelled anyway when they issue a new one.
The embassy are partnered with DHL and to send the docs and return the new passport is 962 bht but there's not a local DHL apart from Korat, is there? Payment for the new passport is done by either credit card (in which case also send them a credit card authorisation form) or bankers draft in HK dollars.
If you use an alternative carrier than DHL you must also send one of their stamped, addressed envelope showing you have paid in full the international shipping fee.
All the forms are downloadable from the Bangkok embassy website, and all relevant info regarding fees and addresses are there too.
Oh well, here goes nothing....... hope this helps, will post again when / if I get me new passport.

Sorry forgot to add the fees for a new passport

32-page - £128.00 (6,656 THB)
48-page - £154.50 (8,034 THB)
Children - £81.50 (4,238 THB)

These are from the Bangkok website and worked out on 52bht to the £.

this link is to the fees page of the HK embassy website
http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/fees

Chriss be careful using DHL. I recently had to send my wife's Thai passport to the US Embassy in Manila for a Social Security claim. they promised to send it back as soon as possible. I sent it FedEx and a couple weeks later I got a phone call from the embassy that DHL had returned it saying "no such address" so I confirmed the address over the phone. It is the same address I have been using and in fact have been getting all my correspondence from US Social Security at that address for the last year and a half. Told him to use FedEx as they know where I'm located since they had picked up the package at my home when I sent it. He said they had a contract with DHL but he went ahead and sent it FedEx. I got it in three days. The embassy did not charge me a courier fee for the return.

BTW I'm not in a remote area, right here in Lake Garden City. I would recommend that you send it FedEx and include a prepaid FedEx envelope with it. I have heard other horror stories about DHL here in Udon.

Thanks jimbo, I was looking at either FedEx or EMS, can't be asked to go all the way to Korat fro DHL.

Just as an add to my earlier posts, when I called the embassy first thing this morning I spoke with a warm and friendly lady obviously of British nationality, she was very helpful and explained things pretty thoroughly, I called back around 11 to clarify a point and recieved the "press 1 for this or press 2 for that" recording, when I reached the passport section it merely directed me to a phone number for a company 'Cardline Services' in the UK at some ridiculously expensive cost per minute.
I just hope all the info I've gleaned so far is enough and correct, passport goes in the post on Wednesday

If ur using Fedex, DHL or UPS etc, U must declare the contents and they wont accept passports .

I know this for sure as the last 3-5 years, i have had to send my 2nd passport out of Thailand using EMS to get various work visas , as its not requiring a full inspection.

DHL and UPS ( even in Udon ) will insist on opening any packaging before , to inspect.

Well, they accepted mine. And they accepted the one returned from the US Embassy. The US Embassy will NOT send passports by EMS. I have had two Social Security checks "lost" through EMS. They finally sent the replacement checks by courier to the Embassy in Bangkok and then in a plain envelope through EMS. Those I received.

Well I still think that any decent company/business/embassy would foot the additional charges themselves.
They changed it, not us. It's for their benifit, not ours.
Surely if you take your paperwork to BKK, there is no reason they cant put it into a diplomatic bag (for free) and send it to blomin' Hong Kong if that's where they want it to go !!!!!

The Ozzie passport applications are all lodged in BKK, then the Embassy then scanns in the forms etc , all for processing back in Australia ( Jack ! its in Hobart ) takes about 5 - 7 days turn around depending on weekends and holidays etc.

No additional charges, just the fee for the passport , as if its proceesed with Oz.

wazza wrote:The Ozzie passport applications are all lodged in BKK..................... all for processing back in Australia ( Jack ! its in Hobart ).....................

Ahh! That explains it then wazz.

My recently renewed passport came back with 8 spelling errors, and they had mistakenly swapped my photo for that of a local: