Visa Extention

[marshall]

Hey Guys anyone tell me the procedure at chiangmai immigration office. got my 60 day tourist visa in vientienne. want to extend next month at chiangmai immigration office. as i am living in chiangmai. could you tell me where the office is, and what documents i need and do i need photos. all information will be gratefully accepted. my visa runs out on the 11/03/2007 when would be the best date to go and extend thanks in advance marshall

[PeaceBlondie]

The address is easy: head toward the airport, past Airport plaza and past the weather station. Sign says "Immigration" to your left, and you go in and park. My guess is that the open-air plaza on your right is where you report for what you need.

[KhunMarco]

you need 1 picture, photocopy of various pages of your passport (they have a p.copier at 5 baht a copy), and I suggest you to ask at the counter which ones they need, 'cause it's seems they change every time , then 1900 baht and you are good to go.

If I remember correctly it's open from mon to sut, from 9am to 5pm

I usually go there when they open, cause it's cooler and it's less crowded. Anyway you'll be surprised how smooth and easy the whole thing goes. I actually enjoy going to the office they are very very polite and every time I think how things are different in my country.... brrr, shiver down my spine

Hope it helps

Edited February 18, 2007 by KhunMarco

[tux]

Hey Guys anyone tell me the procedure at chiangmai immigration office. got my 60 day tourist visa in vientienne. want to extend next month at chiangmai immigration office. as i am living in chiangmai. could you tell me where the office is, and what documents i need and do i need photos. all information will be gratefully accepted. my visa runs out on the 11/03/2007 when would be the best date to go and extend thanks in advance marshall

As you want to extend your visa you get an extension for 30 days.That costs 1000 THB.

As you're living in Chiang Mai you may live there for 30 days more.

Btw the office closes 16:30

[tux]

oops sorry it is 1.900 THB extension fee

[ProThaiExpat]

I have never been charged more than 1 baht per page of any copying done in the food shop to the rear of the immigration office for the past five years.

Yes, let them tell you what pages need copying, it varies from time to time and from officer to officer.

[KhunMarco]

I have never been charged more than 1 baht per page of any copying done in the food shop to the rear of the immigration office for the past five years.

Yes, let them tell you what pages need copying, it varies from time to time and from officer to officer.

And you are right , it is 1 baht, I got confused with the total I paid last time. Guess I should sleep instead of posting @ 4 in the morning

Edited February 19, 2007 by KhunMarco

[ThaiPauly]

Shuts at noon on Saturday

[marshall]

Shuts at noon on Saturday

Thanks guys for all your input, just one last thing my visa runs out on the 11th of march when would be the best date to go on. cheers

[KhunMarco]

Shuts at noon on Saturday

Thanks guys for all your input, just one last thing my visa runs out on the 11th of march when would be the best date to go on. cheers

If it reads "admitted until 11 March 2007, you can go on the 11th of march , or to be safe go on the 10th, you never know...

an airplane crashes in your room, stabbed in the elevator, eaten alive by a soi dog, some one actually let you cross the street on the zebra sign and you get a stroke

Edited February 19, 2007 by KhunMarco

[lotus eater]

Would it be practicable to get everything done from scratch on a single visit - on a saturday? (saturday being a shorter working day for them, but I gathered it's also a less busy day.) I mean if I took along my passport and bank book and some cash with the intention of doing all the necessary photo-copying and form-filling on the spot and leaving with the extension - on a saturday - would it be imperative to get there at their opening? are the photocpiers working on a saturday? (I'll be going for a non o visa extension.)

Khun Marco - how could you deprecate such a wonderful city as Bologna? You're lucky to have divided your life between it and Chiang Mai.

[KhunMarco]

Would it be practicable to get everything done from scratch on a single visit - on a saturday? (saturday being a shorter working day for them, but I gathered it's also a less busy day.) I mean if I took along my passport and bank book and some cash with the intention of doing all the necessary photo-copying and form-filling on the spot and leaving with the extension - on a saturday - would it be imperative to get there at their opening? are the photocpiers working on a saturday? (I'll be going for a non o visa extension.)

Khun Marco - how could you deprecate such a wonderful city as Bologna? You're lucky to have divided your life between it and Chiang Mai.

I can only speak for the 30 days extension on a tourist visa, sorry that's all I've done(should be no different, i guess). It usually takes 30 min, max 1 hour if really crowded. I 'm not 100% positive, but I think the snack bar with the copier is open on a Sat. So it's not mandatory (compulsory? heck this English is tough...) to go at 9 am, take your time, just don't wait till the last minute

About Bologna, 1st, thanks for the nice words, I know I'm a lucky guy, I divide my life bet. two of the most beautiful countries in the world.

My remark was about the general behavior of the people working in what we call "statal offices": imm. office, post off, tax office etc. They are always pissed off, and treat you like a scumbag, they don't seem to understand, they are paid by the people..oh don't get me started, pretty boring stuff and depressing as well. Better remember Italy for it's culture, landscapes, food (yum yum)...

Edited February 20, 2007 by KhunMarco

[sceadugenga]

you need 1 picture, photocopy of various pages of your passport (they have a p.copier at 5 baht a copy), and I suggest you to ask at the counter which ones they need, 'cause it's seems they change every time , then 1900 baht and you are good to go.

If I remember correctly it's open from mon to sut, from 9am to 5pm

I usually go there when they open, cause it's cooler and it's less crowded. Anyway you'll be surprised how smooth and easy the whole thing goes. I actually enjoy going to the office they are very very polite and every time I think how things are different in my country.... brrr, shiver down my spine

Hope it helps

As a former visa runner renewing the 60day tourist visa will be a new experience for me as well. I was under the impression I just carried out a similar procedure to a visa run, head for Mae Sai, (from Chiang Rai) cross into Myanmar and get a stamp on the way back.

So what's this go to the immigration office and pay money bit? Is this only if you can't get to a border? I know where the main immigration office is at Mae Sai but intended to go to the border post.

[KhunMarco]

As a former visa runner renewing the 60day tourist visa will be a new experience for me as well. I was under the impression I just carried out a similar procedure to a visa run, head for Mae Sai, (from Chiang Rai) cross into Myanmar and get a stamp on the way back.

So what's this go to the immigration office and pay money bit? Is this only if you can't get to a border? I know where the main immigration office is at Mae Sai but intended to go to the border post.

The visit to the Imm. off. is for extending your 60 day tourist visa (or whatever visa you have), this way you only have to go to the border each 90 days. You might wonder ,why not going directly to the border each 60 days?

In my case, I have a triple entry tourist visa, since I want to stay here 9 months each year:

1st entry 60 + 30 extens = 90 ----> go to border

2nd entry 60 + 30 extens = 90 ----> go to border

3rd entry 60 + 30 extens = 90 ----> go to Italy

total 270 (about 9 months) , that does the trick for me.

Plus, if you consider, going to Mae Sai is about 600-700 baht (by mini van) + 500 to cross the border, and it's a wasted day in my book.

You quickly do the math and you'll see why it's a common choice to extend at the office.

Hope it answers your question.

Edited February 21, 2007 by KhunMarco

[sceadugenga]

"head for Mae Sai, (from Chiang Rai) cross into Myanmar and get a stamp on the way back."

The option of driving to Chiang Mai is a lot more difficult than Mae Sai for me.

So can I renew at the border with out going through the Chiang Mai immigration office procedure?

I have a single entry 60 day tourist visa, courtesy of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane.

Don't worry if your not sure, I have a similar query in the Visa section.

[KhunMarco]

"head for Mae Sai, (from Chiang Rai) cross into Myanmar and get a stamp on the way back."

The option of driving to Chiang Mai is a lot more difficult than Mae Sai for me.

So can I renew at the border with out going through the Chiang Mai immigration office procedure?

I have a single entry 60 day tourist visa, courtesy of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane.

Don't worry if your not sure, I have a similar query in the Visa section.

Well in that case, you have 2 options, you can go to an immigration office near you, I think in Chiang Rai there should be one, and you can apply for an extension there, then after 30 days you can go to the border and once you come back to the Thai side they should grant you a stamp for 30 days as a tourist (that's not a visa).

Totaling 60 days

Or you can go straight to the border

Totaling 30 days

They don't release visas in Tachileik as far as I know.

Double check my information because I'm not sure and I don't want to screw your staying.

Edited February 21, 2007 by KhunMarco

[sceadugenga]

Thanks Marco, no Tachilek isn't an option, there isn't even a Thai consulate there to my knowledge.

I only need thirty days, not even that as I leave for Australia on the 9th of next month and my visa expires on the 26th of this month.

A visa exemption for that period doesn't appear to be an option either, as a long term 'visa runner' it's only 60 days since my last exemption expired.

No office in Chiang Rai, I had to go to Mae Sai for my 'bai rabrong tin tee yu' certificate when I bought my car.

[sceadugenga]

Thanks Marco, no Tachilek isn't an option, there isn't even a Thai consulate there to my knowledge.

I only need thirty days, not even that as I leave for Australia on the 9th of next month and my visa expires on the 26th of this month.

A visa exemption for that period doesn't appear to be an option either, as a long term 'visa runner' it's only 60 days since my last exemption expired.

No office in Chiang Rai, I had to go to Mae Sai for my 'bai rabrong tin tee yu' certificate when I bought my car.

Just go back from Mae Sai. I went straight to the main immigration office and informed an officer my tourist visa had nearly expired and I wished to extend it for thirty days. He told me to go to the border, leave the country and I would be granted a thirty day exemption when I returned. I decided it was in my interests to tell him it was less than ninety days from my last exemption and he said it wouldn't be a problem. There was no charge for this. I progressed to the border, received my exemption, picked up a few DVDs and three liters of Scotch and now write this from the comfort of my Chiang Rai home.

Edited February 22, 2007 by sceadugenga