Non-O retirement extension at Jomtien immigration field report

[Lagavulin]

I had an amazingly painless experience at the Jomtien (Chonburi) immigration office today and yesterday.

 

Yesterday:

arrived at 0830 to apply for extension of stay based on retirement. I submitted the following:

TM-7

Photo

Copies of Passport face page, Visa page and entrance stamp.

Income affidavit from the US Embassy

Copy of departure card

Officer then asked for a copy of my rental contract.

 

First immigration officer was very business-like but friendly.  He informed me that my landlord had never reported my address, so I needed to complete an additional form (TM-30) and pay a fine before preceding.  I was taken to another room and filled out the form. That officer then called my landlord and read her the riot act for not reporting me.  I paid the 1600 baht fine (will be deducted from this months rent), and was given a part of the TM-30 to keep in my passport.  I then went back to the first officer, showed him the TM-30 receipt and paid him 1900 baht.  He looked over all my paperwork again, took my passport and told me to pick it up the next day after 1000.  Even with the TM-30 hiccup, I was out of the office by 0915...a grand total of 45 minutes!

 

Today:

I came back at 1010 and went to see the original officer.  He returned my passport, with the extension stamp, and I was done in less than 5 minutes.  However, I needed to get a multiple re-entry permit, so I copied my new stamp and got in the line.  I submitted the following:

 

TM-8

Photo

Copies of passport face page, visa page, entrance stamp, new extension stamp.

Copy of departure card

3800 baht

 

My multiple re-entry permit was finished in under 15 minutes and I was out the door at 1040, a total of 30 minutes.

 

This was my first experience at the Jomtien immigration office, and I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth everything went.  So much better than any government office in the states!

 

 

[JackThompson]

It would appear you already had a Non-O visa or extension to start with.  If you had tried to use the Conversion desk (#7) from a TR-type entry, I guarantee you would have had a very different and unpleasant experience - especially using a US-Embassy income-letter.

 

Also very lucky with the "No TM30" fine - I have seen others hit for 5000 Baht for this (watched this in-person), and they didn't care about the landlord.  Maybe their TM-30 policy/handling has changed.

 

Some service-desks at Jomtien are great, as you experienced - others, not so much.

[Lagavulin]

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

It would appear you already had a Non-O visa or extension to start with.  If you had tried to use the Conversion desk (#7) from a TR-type entry, I guarantee you would have had a very different and unpleasant experience - especially using a US-Embassy income-letter.

 

Also very lucky with the "No TM30" fine - I have seen others hit for 5000 Baht for this (watched this in-person), and they didn't care about the landlord.  Maybe their TM-30 policy/handling has changed.

 

Some service-desks at Jomtien are great, as you experienced - others, not so much.

I'm  not sure you actually read my post. As the title says, I did indeed have a type O non-immigrant visa. I'm not sure where you got "no Tm-30 fine". I paid a 1600 baht fine.

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, Lagavulin said:

I'm  not sure you actually read my post. As the title says, I did indeed have a type O non-immigrant visa. I'm not sure where you got "no Tm-30 fine". I paid a 1600 baht fine.

Apologies - poor wording on my part - I meant fine for "did not have TM-30" - but 1600 Baht for that is a bargain. 

 

You were lucky/wise to be starting with a Non-O.  When I hear people recommend that folks show  Exempt or on TR and get a conversion, I want to scream, knowing what a nightmare that can be, depending on the office - and Jomtien is one of the worst offices for this.   

 

My post was primarily a cautionary note to anyone trying a Conversion from a TR/Exempt, and thinking they will get good service like you received in Jomtien - They Won't. 

[Chip Allen]

As noted, the "Conversion Desk" is a nightmare. The woman running the desk seems to be menopausal or just a bitch. When I tried to convert three years ago, I ended up being told to go to Laos to get my O-visa. Not a bad experience at all in the end and got to see another SE Asian country.

[Lagavulin]

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Apologies - poor wording on my part - I meant fine for "did not have TM-30" - but 1600 Baht for that is a bargain. 

 

You were lucky/wise to be starting with a Non-O.  When I hear people recommend that folks show  Exempt or on TR and get a conversion, I want to scream, knowing what a nightmare that can be, depending on the office - and Jomtien is one of the worst offices for this.   

 

My post was primarily a cautionary note to anyone trying a Conversion from a TR/Exempt, and thinking they will get good service like you received in Jomtien - They Won't. 

No worries, sorry if I came across as harsh.  It was my research here that led me to go the Non-O route, which has been very easy so far.  The minimum fine for no TM-30 is 1600, and the maximum is the 5000 you mentioned.  The lady at the TM-30 desk was very nice and I think it helped that my landlord was a complete bitch to her when she called.  I was able to play the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" and win her over. She could have easily hit me with the maximum fine since I have been in the house for 2 months now and the fine can be 1600 plus 200 baht a day.

 

 

[Pat in Pattaya]

Wooppee Doo!! What an exhilirating tale.

 

Now the highlight of your month is over what you gona do now?

[Lagavulin]

35 minutes ago, Pat in Pattaya said:

Wooppee Doo!! What an exhilirating tale.

 

Now the highlight of your month is over what you gona do now?

Sorry it was not exciting enough for you.  I can see how you spend most of your free time....... trolling here.

 

Since I couldnt find any similar info, I thought others might benefit from my experience and what was required.  If you dont like it, dont read it.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Lagavulin

[KiChakayan]

Thanks for reporting good experiences. As far as I am concerned I've been here for only two and a half years, but have never been treated unfairly by an IO. It is the stupid process (yearly extensions for marriage & 90 days reports) that frustrates me.

 

 

[mikebell]

Echo the above positive sentiments.  We are indeed very lucky to have to report at soi 5.  

 

Whilst we are bitching about non-workers, has anyone noticed a woman on the re-entry desk?  An older lady who appears to be completely superfluous to the process.  She spends copious amounts of time staring at her phone; wanders about a bit; visits the toilet a lot but seems to contribute nothing to the process.  Perhaps she's the boss?

[Pat in Pattaya]

7 hours ago, Lagavulin said:

Sorry it was not exciting enough for you.  I can see how you spend most of your free time....... trolling here.

 

Since I couldnt find any similar info, I thought others might benefit from my experience and what was required.  If you dont like it, dont read it.

Erh, I'm hardly ever on here, if I was I WOULD HVE SLIT MY WRISTS BY NOW..

 

Anyway, glad you had such a great time at immigration.

[jeab1980]

12 hours ago, Pat in Pattaya said:

Erh, I'm hardly ever on here, if I was I WOULD HVE SLIT MY WRISTS BY NOW..

 

Anyway, glad you had such a great time at immigration.

 Word of advise Remember dont do it cross ways do it straight up and down. Quicker bleed out that way

[quandow]

Jomtien immigration ALWAYS rocks!

[KiChakayan]

On 9/8/2017 at 10:30 PM, JackThompson said:

It would appear you already had a Non-O visa or extension to start with.  If you had tried to use the Conversion desk (#7) from a TR-type entry, I guarantee you would have had a very different and unpleasant experience - especially using a US-Embassy income-letter.

My understanding was that Non O (or O/A) + Extensions was the "normal" process flow. TV (or exempt?) + conversion to Non O + extensions was an exception. So to me it makes perfect sense that they make it more difficult.

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

My understanding was that Non O (or O/A) + Extensions was the "normal" process flow. TV (or exempt?) + conversion to Non O + extensions was an exception. So to me it makes perfect sense that they make it more difficult.

There is a printed set of requirements originating from Bangkok, which are acceptable in Bangkok and many other offices.  I received a printout of it at Jomtien's front desk.  That list includes some items not necessary for a 1-year extension, which I went to some trouble and expense obtain in order to fully comply.  But the staff at Jomtien's conversion desk has a different set of requirements which you receive when you actually show up with your documents to apply for the conversion.

 

In their custom list, proof of income is not shown, and even "MFA certified" stat-docs are not accepted when presented - even accompanied by proof from a bank-book showing the foreign-income is genuine.  It would appear that their last "new hoop," MFA-certification of income-docs (not required for annual retirement-extensions in that office, nor on the official conversion list), was not a sufficient deterrent to avoid having to "do their job" - so they now reject all income-docs entirely.  I suppose this lightens their workload considerably; during my last visits no other applicant was even in line for that desk/office for hours - so it seems to be working.

 

In fairness to the office in general, I always received good service as a Tourist obtaining extensions.  Retirees (such as the OP) also report receiving good service.  Each "service" is, essentially, it's own little fiefdom, some with "benevolent rulers" who may actually care about the well-being of Thailand, and others run by ... well, I'll let you imagine the proper descriptions.

 

I hope that the desk that handles marriage-extensions is honest, and follows the legal rules.  My only experience with them, thus far, was some rather voluminous required docs from a condo-landlord for a mere 60-day marraige-based extension.  People with absentee-landlords would never be able to meet what they required, so I assume those people now use consulate-obtained multiple-entry permissions of stay - becoming "under the radar" from a police/security/tracking perspective. 

 

I'd rather do everything "by the book" - police-visits and all - because  I respect the need for Thailand to know what foreigners live here and where.  Thailand faces real security concerns which I respect.  None of us want to live in a dangerous place littered with criminal-types on agent-bought visas.  But if the actual context of this hoop-jumping is that the legal rules are fungible, the stated-reasons for the rules are rendered a joke (such that "bad-guys" can easily buy their way around the rules), and the only real function of (some) immigration services is to obtain under-the-table money from agent-bribes for applicants who don't meet the qualifications ... "doing the right thing" seems rather pointless.

[manarak]

1 hour ago, hyku1147 said:

Sarcasm is the lowest form of whit.

that can be easily disproven by reading this forum

[bkk6060]

I had a similar experience there got everything including the ME in less then one hour.

All seemed very organized and efficient to me.