Did my yearly extension of permission to stay (by reason of retirement) at the new Immigration Head Office in Hua Hin today. Couldn't have been quicker or easier. I was in and out in less than 15 minutes.

 

I supplied the following:

 

Form TM-7, duly completed with photo attached on the back

Original passport (obviously) with copies of the relevant pages

Original bank book showing 800K+ balance for more than 2 months (a year, as it happens) plus copies

Supporting letter from the bank

Copies of the Blue Book for the house I live in (I had the original but they didn't want to see it)

Copies of my daughter's Thai ID (she's the house master in the Blue Book)

Hand-drawn map showing the location of the house

 

As I say, the whole process took less than 15 minutes - there was no-one ahead of me in the queue, so that helped. The new office is excellent - loads of parking spaces (mostly empty). Inside it's also spacious, comfortable and with excellent air conditioning (the A/C in the old office left a little to be desired). 

 

Interestingly enough, no mention was made of the requirement to keep 800K in the bank for 3 months and 400K for the rest of the year - an oversight, perhaps?

 

Anyway the entire experience was quick, easy, painless and pleasant.

 

From an ergonomic point of view the new building is not excellent. Access for wheelchair users or walking wounded is difficult with having the main office on the first floor (second floor to our US cousins). The staff are good but they have been hived off with a poorly designed building with insufficient car parking. The exit onto a main road with a blind curve to the right is an accident waiting to happen.

Petertheeater,,, You must be a real cheer germ

Probably one of the better offices here.  I've been using them since they were at the Singkhon border.  They've been through several moves over the years and I believe, at last, this is their final destination.

 

One of the few offices that apply common sense.

 

"Anyway the entire experience was quick, easy, painless and pleasant."

 

As it should be in any civilised country. Thanks for the report.

Lucky you Grove Hill. We were there today for the fourth visit in a little over a week to extend my marriage visa. We followed the check list both in Thai and English to the letter. They are both incomplete and misleading. Staff was surly and unhelpful. The first visit entailed my bringing the mountain of paperwork required and asking the clerk to please go over it and let me know if it was complete or not before I asked my wife to take time off from her work at her Bangkok office and drive down for the presentation. I was told that everything was fine except for a couple of items that needed correcting which I did. Wrong. I won’t go into all of the changes and moving of the goal posts that we went through but it was worse than a root canal! Finally got it all done today but as usual the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and every agent has a different take on things. But the building is nice????

I've used them for almost 20 years, non-o extended for retirement and for marriage.  Non-o with a work permit, etc etc.  Not once in that time have I had any reason to complain and I'm sure other Hua Hinners would back me up in general.  I guess you were just unlucky.

 

You also have to bear in mind that extensions based upon marriage are approved in Bangkok and cannot be approved locally.

 

Hope you feel better after your next visit.

I have to go next month - my thanks for the great update.

4 hours ago, HHTel said:

You also have to bear in mind that extensions based upon marriage are approved in Bangkok and cannot be approved locally.

Marriage extensions have always been more fraught with difficulties and potential frustrations than retirement extensions and that is true in all areas of the country, not just Hua Hin, since as @HHTel so rightly states, they all have to comply with whatever requirements Bangkok comes up with.

11 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Marriage extensions have always been more fraught with difficulties and potential frustrations than retirement extensions and that is true in all areas of the country, not just Hua Hin, since as @HHTel so rightly states, they all have to comply with whatever requirements Bangkok comes up with.

Not all applications are sent to Bangkok. Only those within the central region of the country are sent to Immigration Division 3 in Bangkok. For the Northeast they are send to division 4,  North division 5 and the South division 6.

Did mine at Hua Hin 3 months ago. Same experience. Excellent. But they did tell me verbally to return on 90 days to "show my passbook" with 800,000 still. So I shall pop in on Monday.