Report on Chaeng Wattana Visit Wednesday Oct 24th

[Nyezhov]

I arrived at CW at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, October 24th.

 

Upon arrival, I went to the Information Desk on the right side of the lobby, and was directed to get a Que number for Area C, initial application for Extension based on Retirement.

 

I was number 34 and was called in about 45 minutes. I handed the lady in a White badged shirt, the IO, a copy of my Income Affidavit, Lease, Application Form, Passport, and Copies of Passport, Visa and TM 6. Her English was adequate, she was stern and not super friendly, just businesslike.

 

She looked at all my documents and asked me for a receipt that a TM30 was filed. I told her I was sorry and didn’t think I needed one and that my Landlord has mailed it in. She handed me a TM30 form and told me to take it to my Condo office to register. I told her fine, and I asked her how to do it and she began highlighting and writing little notes in Thai. I thanked her and told her I would have to come back tomorrow because I lived in Thonburi, at which point she said “oh, far” and began talking to the other workers.  I heard the words “falang”, “american”, “Thonburi” with the usual “ehs”, “kahs” and “mmmmms”. She then said “let me call friend, I ask” and she made a phone call. She then told me to go to Area J1. She then made another phone call and I heard the same words. She looked at my papers again, put them in order, clipped them and asked me for the original Income Affidavit which she also clipped. I asked if I would get that back and she said “my boss certify and then you use when you come back”. She told me to see “her friend” in Area J1 and come back to see her, “no Que”.

 

I misinterpreted her here because she meant just go see the lady in J1, I mistakenly got a Que number, 74. They were on 18 at that area. The receipt book was being used as folks were being fined on the spot for failure to report in 24 hours. My lease was signed the 18th, yesterday was the 25th in my case.

 

Time dragged on. Right after lunch, the que in J1 hit like 32. At about 4 pm, with the Que at 50ish, I  went back to see the lady in C1 and told her that I was still waiting and she said to me “why you que number, just see my friend”. Thinking fast, I apologized and said that I know what she said but did not want to be rude and cut in line. She began chatting with the lady behind her (I heard the words Falang, Que and American and ahh, mmm, eh, ka, etc), and another lady chimed in and started smiling at me whether from amusement, sympathy or approval I dont know), and then she made another phone call to “her friend”. She then told me I would have to wait, and asked me if I had paid. I responded, no.

She then asked me for the papers she had clipped together (“Give me papers”) and began stamping them. She asked me for my picture of me, glued it on the application, and made me face the camera at her desk for another picture. She then took my Income affidavits, original and copy, stamped the copy and handed it to a “trainee” (in a red vest that said Trainee) who scurried away. She then asked me “what is exchange rate” and I showed her on Google that it was 32. She then wrote on the original affidavit the words x 32=100,000B (number changed for privacy). The trainee had brought the copy to a woman in the left corner of the area (there were four white shirted ladies) who signed it. She brought it back and my IO told me it was my copy, that I should bring it with me when I come back and it is “OK, boss sign it”.

 

She then asked me for my phone number which I wrote under my picture. She said “I will call you”.

 

She then copied my lease and asked me to draw a map of where I lived and handed me a ruler. She began typing in the computer and said “you pay now”. I gave her 2000B and a Trainee scurred off with it to the same corner where the lady signed my income affidavit. I then signed copies of my passport, lease, application, Income affidavit, etc on this little blue stamp that she put on all the papers.

 

My IO lady then told me, “you need come back November 8, no leave Thailand. You answer phone, Immigration come visit you in condo few days, maybe I dont know. No leave.” I said (obviously), OK. The trainee came back with a blue slip and the IO lady said “I approve you 90 days, come back here November 8th, get Que number for here, bring passport, no wait, just come”. She then told me to go back to J1 and bring the regisitration slip to her and she would give me my receipt. 

 

At exactly 4:50pm my number got called at J1. The guy before me got hit hard, I saw him counting out like 4000B. I greeted the J1 girl and showed her in Thai what I had translated out, ie I am here to get a registration slip for the lady in C1, my landlord mailed it, etc. She said “OK, I know, sorry for wait” and filled out my registration slip and handed it to me.

 

I went back to the lady in C1 and gave her the slip. She said “You no pay, right?”. I said no, but I can if you need to, she said, “No, is OK, you no pay”. By that I know she was referring to non registration fine. She then handed me the blue slip and a copy of my registration form. She told me to keep the blue slip with my passport as well as the registration. She told me to come back and see them November 8th, and to answer the phone for Immigration, “they come visit you condo. You answer phone OK they call”. I then thanked her and waied her and her coworkers, and left for the 1 hour and 45 minute Grab ride back home. 

 

My observations:

 

The place was a madhouse. There were still at least 150 people left at 5pm, especially in the 90 day report area. It appeared less organized than a DMV in the states, but not as bad as I thought, nor as good as others may say.

 

If you got to kill a day, at least there are places to eat and stuff to browse. Bring a book. I walked all around the place up and down the stairs, around and around. Good excersize.

 

I was shocked at the way foreigners were dressed. Girls with their asses hanging out of shorts, cameltoe yoga pants, guys with wife beaters and tattoos, ball caps on backwards. While I am fat, hideous and generally repulsive, I was conservatively dressed with a collared shirt, my sleeves were rolled down to hide my tattoos, I have a military style haircut, I wore closed toe shoes, was clean shaven, had clean fingernails and wore cologne. In fairness, most of the older guys there were conservatively dressed. I feel that my mode of dress and my attitude assisted made the process easier.

 

At no time did I express any frustration, lose my temper, seem angry or acting like I was questioning their authority. I did not question anything, did everything they asked,  and thanked everyone profusely in a polite, Thai manner. I have no complaints about the treatment I received (other than being stuck there so long but I was prepared for that) and feel that I did well by not having to pay a fine for not “registering”.

I asked no questions about the future of Income Affidavits for these reasons:

 

I was there to make sure I got my application approved. Plus I think I was being cut a break by not getting an administratively imposed fine which I saw numerous people paying, it would have been unfair, but I would have been stuck with it. In addition I dont think my IO would have known anyway and her level of English was such as to make any pronouncement on policies obscure. I find it hard to beleive that anything being said by any IO about the issue is credible simply because they dont have the English skills to explain a non announced policy. Even the Thai Immigration website is poorly translated. But thats just my opinion.

 

I guess the upshot of all of this is that at least as of yesterday, at CW, my IO lady required a receipt for the filed TM30 by my landlord and failing that, I had to register myself. I assume it behooves one who is seeking a long term residence to obtain a reciept for the TM30 or file one yourself, as it could result in a fine, or at least a longer wait in Immigration.

 

The above represents my experience.  I stayed home today waiting for Immigration to call, which is OK, my pad needed a cleaning ????

 

YMMV.

[mark5335]

Nice report. I was at Counter J1 this morning filing a TM30 with my TW. Arrived at 9am and was done by 11am. The queue doing 90 Day Reports over at Counter A looked horrendous, easily several hundred people in the queue there.

[Nyezhov]

2 minutes ago, mark5335 said:

Nice report. I was at Counter J1 this morning filing a TM30 with my TW. Arrived at 9am and was done by 11am. The queue doing 90 Day Reports over at Counter A looked horrendous, easily several hundred people in the queue there.

I think my problem with the time at J1 was the fact that it was a day after a holiday and all the hotels and apartments sent their runners in. The 90 day area was scary.

[brewsterbudgen]

So is it now official that Chaengwattana now require TM30 receipts for all extension renewals?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Nyezhov]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

So is it now official that Chaengwattana now require TM30 receipts for all extension renewals?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Mine was an Initial Application. I am not qualified to comment on what is official or not. On the other hand, fool me once shame on me and I will have a TM30 receipt in my possession for anything to do with Immigration in the future, if merely just to save time. 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

So is it now official that Chaengwattana now require TM30 receipts for all extension renewals?

The OP was applying for a 90 day non immigrant visa entry for retirement.

Not the first of needing it for those. No report of it being needed for an extension application.

[grego49]

I was at Jomtien on Monday morning at one stage you couldnt get up the stairs to get a ticket,it was packed,

[WorriedNoodle]

26 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The OP was applying for a 90 day non immigrant visa entry for retirement.

Not the first of needing it for those. No report of it being needed for an extension application.

I was asked to show my TM30 receipt when I did my retirement extension there back in August. I had one so it wasn't an issue. However my previous extension was done in another province the year before so I don't know if that was reason or not?

[mark5335]

19 minutes ago, WorriedNoodle said:

I was asked to show my TM30 receipt when I did my retirement extension there back in August. I had one so it wasn't an issue. However my previous extension was done in another province the year before so I don't know if that was reason or not?

Were you also required to file a TM28 since your previous extension was done in another province? The reason I ask is that when I submitted my TM30 today (upon return yesterday from an overseas trip) I also tried to submit a TM28 for change of address from another province back to Bangkok. The IO at the reception was not helpful and kept asking why my retirement extension had been done in another province as she didn't seem impressed by my remark that up-country life was too quiet for me so I returned to Bangkok. Eventually she instructed me to go to Counter A and join the extremely long 90 Day Report queue and try to file a TM28 there. When I saw the length of the queue I aborted and decided not to bother with the TM28 at present.

 

[loumaripol]

I am confused by the need for the TM30. Any clarification would be appreciated.

My wife and I are US citizens, We own our condo and are currently remaining in Thailand with annual Extensions of Stay to our Non-O Visa for retirement. My wife most recently obtained her extension in August. No mention of the TM30 was made.

 

Is it now required for the Alien to have a copy properly approved TM 30? I assume our Juristic Person would be able to provide it.

 

Many thanks!