All About the New Immigration Office

Posted by Sukhumwit Steve on September 3rd, 2010 filed in Living here

Although once conveniently located in Suan Plu in Silom, Bangkok’s Immigration office has recently moved to Chaeng Wattana Road, which is located near the former international airport Don Muang. Although getting here is not as quick or simple as taking a taxi or bus to Suan Plu, those in the know can complete the journey without too much trouble.
In order to get to Chaeng Wattana, visitors can choose from one of the minibuses that can be found at the Mo Chit Skytrain station directly to Chaeng Wattana, and the journey takes around 20 minutes as the route takes passengers along Vibhavadi-Rangsit expressway for 15 kilometres and then left onto Chaeng Wattana road. The immigration office is located on Soi 7, which is a couple of kilometres away from the main road and although many minibuses will take passengers directly there, some people may find that they need to catch a taxi the rest of the way.

Those who are travelling from parts of the city not connected by Skytrain such as Khaosan Road will probably find it easier to catch a taxi straight to Immigration. People who are keen to save a little cash should be able to find someone to share the taxi fare without too much trouble. The word for Immigration in Thai is Dor Mor and most taxi drivers should know where to go. Simply show your passport and say ‘Bai Dor Mor, Chaeng Wattana’. The fare costs something like 280 baht each way (yikes) and takes around 50 minutes.

Maps of Chaeng Wattana with the address written in Thai can be printed from www.immigration.go.th You can also contact Immigration by calling 02141 9889 (call centre 1178)

Unfortunately, most staff members at the new Immigration office speak very limited English, making it tough for non-Thai speakers to find their way around and figure out what to do. However, simply taking a few precautions can make the experience much less stressful.

The Immigration office is open from 08:30 to 12:00 and again from 13:00 to 16:30. It is best to get there early, as queues are generally much shorter before 10:00. It is better to make passport photographs and photocopies of your passport in advance, but if you forget you can take the lift or escalator down to the ground floor, where signs lead the way to a photo shop. There are also a large number of shops as well as cafes and restaurants located on the ground floor.

The immigration department can be found just to the right after you pass through the main doors.

The biggest challenge at the new Immigration building is communicating with the staff there. If you need to extend you tourist visa the process is pretty simple. Approach the information counter on your right and ask for a form to extend a tourist visa.

Go to one of the tables provided and fill in the details, gluing your photograph to the page in the gap provided (don’t worry if your photo is smaller than the gap on the page, this is never an issue). The glue provided is extremely messy, and some people prefer to bring their own tube of glue.

After completing the form, walk through the doors straight ahead to another counter, where you present your passport, state what kind of visa you need and collect a queue ticket. The main waiting room is just to the right and there are plenty of chairs provided.

You can expect to queue for anything from 20 minutes to an hour, so bring a book. When it’s your turn, submit your passport and 1,900 baht and wait to collect your passport with your shiny new visa inside. Tourists will be charged 500 baht for every day they have overstayed their visa, so make sure you know when your visa expires. Tourist visas can be extended for 30 days, while a visa-on-arrival (a visa granted when crossing the border from neighbouring countries such as Cambodia) can only be extended for 7 days, although the fee is the same.

Taxis back to the city can be caught from outside the main entrance and it’s usually pretty easy to find someone to share a taxi with, especially if you’re travelling to popular areas of Bangkok such as Khaosan Road, Sukhumvit or Silom.