BANGKOK, 18 February 2014 The Department of Consular Affairs is extending its service hour at its main office on Chaeng Watthana Road to increase its passport issuing capacity, compensating for the long backlog incurred from the prolonged shutdown of the Chaeng Watthana government complex.
Department Director-General Thongchai Chasawat said on Monday that all passport offices in the country have switched back to using the department’s online system for passport issuance, after the system was switched off on Friday due to authorities’ reclaiming of the government complex.
From today (February 18) onward, the service hours will be between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm. The number of temporary service booths at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center will be increased to 28 booths, from the current 20. These adjustments will allow the department to provide around 7,000-7500 passports per day to the public.
Mr. Thongchai noted, however, that the number of staff will be decreased at the department’s headquarters, due to safety concerns. This will result in the mailing of passports to take one day longer; those in Bangkok will receive their passports within 7 days whereas those in the province will get theirs within 9 days.
