The Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok abruptly suspended passport replacements and renewals for holders of Passports for Visit (PV) without prior notice, effective August 19, triggering widespread alarm among Myanmar nationals and students in Thailand.
Under previous procedures, PV passport holders could renew or replace their documents directly at the embassy.
However, under the new rules, individuals seeking a replacement passport or attempting to convert their status to a Passport for Job (PJ) or Passport for Education (PE) must first submit an application for review by junta authorities in Naypyidaw.
Applicants will only be permitted to complete passport services at the embassy after receiving formal clearance from Naypyidaw.
On August 19, embassy staff accepted application forms from visitors but instructed them to return in two months to check their status, noting the requirement on their collection receipts.
"My friend went to the embassy today to replace his passport, but staff said they no longer process them as before," said a Myanmar national living in Thailand. "They made him fill out an application form and said it would be sent to Naypyidaw. They told him to check back in two months and wrote that on his receipt. We don’t even know if the approval will come through, so everyone is at a complete loss. People are in serious trouble."
According to local passport service agents, PJ and PE holders can still renew their passport booklets under existing procedures.
However, conversion to other passport categories and general renewal requirements have been significantly tightened.
"This procedural change happened very suddenly, and the embassy has not issued an official statement yet, so everyone is taking a wait-and-see approach," said a Bangkok-based passport services agent. "For people who entered Thailand on PV passports and later converted to Non-B [business/employment] or Non-ED [student] visas, these new passport requirements could cause severe delays and complications."
The policy shift follows junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok during his trip to Thailand earlier this month.
The sudden decision has left Myanmar migrant workers and students who transitioned from PV passports to legal employment or student visas increasingly anxious about their legal status in Thailand, particularly as their identity documents and visas approach expiration.
