How busy is Chiang Mai Immigration now?

[RamenRaven]

Now that it's July 2022, what time should we arrive for visa renewals (marriage, education, or other 1-year visas requiring lots of paperwork)?

 

The Thailand Pass is no longer required, so many people have been arriving in Thailand again. That probably also means more visa applicants at immigration too.

 

Should we arrive around 5-6 am like in the mid-2010s, or would 8-9 am work just fine?

[night_rider]

I just did a Covid extension.

 

For the application I arrived at 8:30 AM and was there 75 minutes.

 

For the stamp, two weeks later, I arrived around 10 AM and was there 45 minutes. Lunch at Immigration is at Noon.

 

Hope that helps.

[RamenRaven]

Thanks. I had just heard from a Burmese friend that this week, he was at Chiang Mai Immigration since 5:30 am and was stuck there for the whole day, just like during pre-pandemic times.

 

But the queue for migrant workers from neighboring countries is different.

[jimmym40]

I did a one year renewal on 6 Jul.    Went in at 1.00 and was out at 2.05

 

Be aware.    Imm will be closed from 13 - 17 Jul.

[arithai12]

There has been no need to arrive pre-dawn since many years. If you arrive very early (like 7am) you will be sure to be processed on the same day, but you may have a longer wait. Some prefer to arrive late, and have a shorter wait but also the risk that they run out of numbers.

They start giving queue numbers at 8am (btw, not exactly in the order of arrival but in order of seating place).

 

This said, the last two years I have used the online appointment system, works nicely but you many need to book well in advance.

 

In general, note that the satellite office is open at Central Festival, for a number of services - however not for the extension that OP needs. There was a topic on that.

 

[TheAppletons]

I extended a visa exempt entry last Tuesday.  Arrived at approx 0915, done by 1030.

[Dmaxdan]

You can book an appointment online now.

It would be worth looking if any are available when you plan to go.

[JimTripper]

Lol. I remember back in the day the famous advice to "arrive early at first light" to avoid the line.

 

I used to go in an hour or two before closing and was out within an hour. Nobody there. Why? Everybody lined up early first thing in the morning ????.

[Mac Mickmanus]

41 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Lol. I remember back in the day the famous advice to "arrive early at first light" to avoid the line.

 

I used to go in an hour or two before closing and was out within an hour. Nobody there. Why? Everybody lined up early first thing in the morning ????.

You wasn't there when they would only process a certain amount of visa extensions  per day and you had to get there at 3 AM to stand in line to get a place number . 

   Once they had handed out all the numbers (50-100) , they turned everyone else away .

   Even getting there at 9 AM and it was full and no more numbers being handed out for the rest of the day 

[JimTripper]

20 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

You wasn't there when they would only process a certain amount of visa extensions  per day and you had to get there at 3 AM to stand in line to get a place number . 

   Once they had handed out all the numbers (50-100) , they turned everyone else away .

   Even getting there at 9 AM and it was full and no more numbers being handed out for the rest of the day 

I think they just said that so people did not wait around all day and take up the chairs.

 

When the people were processed they gave out more numbers as room became available. Obviously, they don't just sit there with nothing to do.

 

So, if you get there right before closing everyone is processed and you skip the line.

[Mac Mickmanus]

9 hours ago, JimTripper said:

I think they just said that so people did not wait around all day and take up the chairs.

 

When the people were processed they gave out more numbers as room became available. Obviously, they don't just sit there with nothing to do.

 

So, if you get there right before closing everyone is processed and you skip the line.

No, I have been there at 8 AM when all the days tickets had been given out and people were turned away and told to come back the next day .

  They calculated my many visas they could process in one day (each one taking 20 minutes) and gave out queue numbers accordingly) .

  This was because previously , it often took them to 7 PM to process all the extensions , so they only processed the number of people and they closed on time (5 PM) .

  If they could process 60 applicants per day, they gave out 60 queue numbers .

   Quite often saw people turned away when they arrived later in the day .

  Saying that , that was for a time at the old immigration office and you were correct at other times , before they had queue numbers , you could indeed go at about 3 PM and get processed there and then . 

  I once went 20 minutes before closing time and the immigration assistant filled all the forms out and processed my visa extension within about 20 minutes 

[RamenRaven]

Online appointment booking for Chiang Mai Immigration - is it this link?

 

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/

[Mahseer]

12 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

Online appointment booking for Chiang Mai Immigration - is it this link?

This worked a year back. https://cmimm.net