Jomtien Immigration Renamed "The Gates Of Hell"

[HappyExpat57]

While this is obviously a satirical topic title, it's also very fitting. In the past, I've praised that office for their superior service. After my last visit, I'd rather chew tin foil than use them.

 

The parking lot was full of people milling about and there was no apparent order. After a bit, I saw a guy at the entry ramp who appeared to be letting people in, a few at a time. I asked him if this was the place to line up, and he started yelling at me "You must KNOW, you must KNOW!" There were others in my same situation, so we started yelling back "We DON'T know, that's why we're asking!" Thankfully, the others already in line explained to us that, yes, this long line that snaked around the parking lot was the starting point. I've been using them over 15 years, I've never seen it this bad.

 

After an hour of waiting in the heat and stopping folks trying to cut the line, I got in and was assigned my number. My mission was to get a certificate of residence for buying a motorbike. I had visited several websites to ensure I had the correct documents. Thankfully, I'm now familiar enough with unpredictability of Thai bureaucracy and came prepared. I handed the packet of necessities to the agent who looked at it and said "You will also need copies of this, this and this," pointing to several irrelevant pages of my passport. HAH! I thwarted her attempt to doc-block me, handing her ANOTHER packet that had a copy of every page of my passport and let her select what she wanted. Then she collected 300 baht (and I could swear this used to be a free service) and told me to come back at 3:00.

 

I came back at 3:50, walked up with my number, and she said "Come back at 4:00." Grrrrrr.  Waited 10 more minutes outside in the heat, went back in, and she started yelling at my "Go outside!" WHAT the HELL? I returned to the parking lot then saw they now return passports and documents OUTSIDE, just to the left of the parking lot entryway as you come in.

 

A certificate of residence used to be a simple 15 minute walk-in process. I don't know if this deluge of foreigners requiring service from this office is a temporary issue or if this is just the way it will be from now on. It will now be either an arduous task or a valid reason to hire an agent, even for a seemingly mundane document such as this.

[Henryford]

I have never had any problems at Jomtien immigration. Whether it's 90 day report, or visa extension or residence certificate i never wait for more than 20 minutes and the staff are polite and efficient.

[HappyExpat57]

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

I have never had any problems at Jomtien immigration. Whether it's 90 day report, or visa extension or residence certificate i never wait for more than 20 minutes and the staff are polite and efficient.

Neither have I - until this recent visit. I hope it is just a temporary situation.

[Caldera]

The office is simply too small for the large number of people they need to be serving nowadays.

 

I don't say something like this very often, but I do actually have some sympathy for those poor souls who have to work in that zoo every day. Going there once in a while really is bad enough, as the OP attests to.

[aldriglikvid]

Couldn't agree more. Also, the audacity of the staff to handle 8-9 "agent applications" out in the open; for every 1 legit application. I saw staff wearing legit Polo Ralph Lauren's and stamping passports with gold rings on almost every finger. It's unbelievable with kind of swamp it has turned into. 

[tomazbodner]

@HappyExpat57 Maybe time to rename to Unhappy Expat?

[scubascuba3]

I agree it's what i imagine hell to be like, you queue up for 2+ hours in the heat, no seats, then tell you to go home, we're closing, come back tomorrow and it repeats.

 

They need a troubleshooter person walking around helping falang outside, a friendly farang volunteer could do it

[Daithi85]

You could always go and arrive early instead of arriving late and having to join in the big que.

I'm no fan of immigration offices but the staff at jomtien have always been friendly and polite.

 

 

[Mickeymaus]

When I went there for my retirement extension recently I suffered a lot too waiting outside in the heat. There were some useless fans. Only if you stood directly in front of them they helped. But this wasn't possible because you had to queue. Dressed in my warm immigration outfit an unbearable situation.

 

But also some expats. My application took not even 2 minutes. But there are people that still didn't get the message that you have to copy all the pages with entries of the passport. People that didn't sign all documents at home already. That had missing documents. That... 

 

Regarding people saying that the bank documents need to be from the same day - I always do this a day before and never had a problem. And please copy all entries since the last application of your bank book and also the first page with your name.

 

Sadly I have to go there in 3 months again to show them that I kept the 800 k balance that long. They could check this at the next application. 

[scubascuba3]

3 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

You could always go and arrive early instead of arriving late and having to join in the big que.

I'm no fan of immigration offices but the staff at jomtien have always been friendly and polite.

 

 

In reality if you go earlier say 7 so at front of queue you'll have an hour and half wait, 7.30 about 2 hour wait on busy days, remember it can be busy even on "non busy days"

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Sadly I have to go there in 3 months again to show them that I kept the 800 k balance that long. They could check this at the next application. 

Don't waste your time

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Sadly I have to go there in 3 months again to show them that I kept the 800 k balance that long

Ignore it.

There is no record of it. 

[quake]

I don't believe there is any more people using that office, than there was pre covid,

They are just being lazy, and very nasty with it now.

That place is over due for a clear out of useless officers.

 

 

 

[JackGats]

Tried to do my extension on my own for the first time. For 3 years I had been using an agency. The guy I dealt with inside took against me at once. He shoved my re-entry form aside, without telling me what I should do with it. A visa is useless to me without a multiple re-entry stamp. He then said I needed to go out make copies of ALL the pages of my savings book.  My savings book was easy though, showing a balance above 1 million for the past six months and never dropping under 600k for years. He then told me the TM30 and landlord's confirmation letter I had to show for my address were no good, saying "you want long term visa, need long term contract". By this time I'd had enough. I called a cab to take me to my usual visa agency.  I'll never deal direct for anything in Thailand if I can help it.

[Mickeymaus]

15 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Don't waste your time

 

12 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Ignore it.

There is no record of it. 

 

I don't know. Perhaps they get more serious about this balance check after 3 months. I can't risk my next retirement extension. Perhaps better have no money at all and use an agent...

[recom273]

2 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I thwarted her attempt to doc-block me

Thanks, I was having a crap morning until you made me chuckle with new terminology. I will certainly use in the future.

[NONG CHOK]

I started using a visa agent 7 years ago, I know it's not legal but as I'm 80 years old it suits me fine. Just a question for the detractors of visa agents, are you all squeaky clean in everything you do. Even buying booze out of hours at the shop around the corner is illegal. What about how most of us met our partners, isn't prostitution illegal too?

[Mickeymaus]

38 minutes ago, NONG CHOK said:

I started using a visa agent 7 years ago, I know it's not legal but as I'm 80 years old it suits me fine. Just a question for the detractors of visa agents, are you all squeaky clean in everything you do. Even buying booze out of hours at the shop around the corner is illegal. What about how most of us met our partners, isn't prostitution illegal too?

You can do as many illegal things as you like - as long as you are willing to live with the possible consequences. Could be deportation, could be getting sick because of STDs or whatever. The illegal thing is up to you but the punishment not anymore. 

 

"What about how most of us met our partners, isn't prostitution illegal too?" 

 

Is it really that bad? Most of them have prostitutes as partners? ????????????

[oldcpu]

1 hour ago, NONG CHOK said:

I started using a visa agent 7 years ago, I know it's not legal but as I'm 80 years old it suits me fine.

If you meet all the requirements then its NOT illegal to use an agent.  All one is doing is paying the agent to have Power of Attorney in this Visa 'permission to stay extension' (or paying the agent to obtain on one's behalf other immigration documents) and its 100% perfectly legal.   

 

Only for those who do not meet the Thai visa requirements, who manage to find an agent who can 'wiggle around' the Thai requirements and still obtain the permission to stay extension (or obtain other non-Visa related documents/approvals when one does not meet the Thai requirements), is it (IMHO) illegal.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

 

 

I don't know. Perhaps they get more serious about this balance check after 3 months. I can't risk my next retirement extension. Perhaps better have no money at all and use an agent...

I tried as an experiment not to go last time and it wasn't mentioned at the extension, they are too busy to waste time on that, you're just a number

[Smokey and the Bandit]

2 hours ago, quake said:

I don't believe there is any more people using that office, than there was pre covid,

They are just being lazy, and very nasty with it now.

That place is over due for a clear out of useless officers.

 

 

 

Recently there has been more people than usual, mainly Russians and now Chinese.

It should improve now low season is here?

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, Caldera said:

The office is simply too small for the large number of people they need to be serving nowadays.

 

I don't say something like this very often, but I do actually have some sympathy for those poor souls who have to work in that zoo every day. Going there once in a while really is bad enough, as the OP attests to.

At least the building etc., are better than the previous location out in the jungle not far from the Regents Inter. School.

 

In that old building the toilets were always out of order and there was always 2 or 3 cm of water right across the floor of the actual office. 

[Mickeymaus]

14 minutes ago, scorecard said:

At least the building etc., are better than the previous location out in the jungle not far from the Regents Inter. School.

 

In that old building the toilets were always out of order and there was always 2 or 3 cm of water right across the floor of the actual office. 

As far as I can remember - before they were in Central Pattaya. But then they got a very good offer for the land and so they moved to Jomtien.

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, Henryford said:

I have never had any problems at Jomtien immigration. Whether it's 90 day report, or visa extension or residence certificate i never wait for more than 20 minutes and the staff are polite and efficient.

You're in for a big surprise next time then.

[NextG]

12 minutes ago, ukrules said:

You're in for a big surprise next time then.

Not at all. I was there just a day or two ago for a 90 day report. Received my passport back in ten to fifteen minutes, if that. 
Didn’t go early nor have to queue for more than a couple of minutes in order to hand my passport in. 
Yes, there are quite a few obnoxious characters who work there(in particular one or two of the helpers and volunteers) but I make a point of being nice to them, regardless of how disgustingly obnoxious they might be. That’s about them, I don’t allow it to rub off on me. 

[Daithi85]

1 hour ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

Recently there has been more people than usual, mainly Russians and now Chinese.

It should improve now low season is here?

I don't think the Russians will be leaving any time soon.

[In Full Agreement]

 

This could be a sales pitch for using a visa agent who magically makes all the grief disappear. 

 

Long live visa agents...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ohyesuare]

I was there a few days ago to meet the agent for my one year Elite Visa extension because they now require a photo of you right in front of Jomtien immigration. I paid an agent to do it even though I paid 600k baht for my completely legit EV and supposedly can get express service by asking for a certain immigration officer once I enter because I loathe having to set foot near that immigration. Even for the short time I was there and even though I never even had to enter the building, I hated every minute. Miserable, rude people everywhere and a mess of disorganization. Hopefully the last time I need to go there or at least not for another year guaranteed.

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Hopefully the last time I need to go there or at least not for another year guaranteed.

Feel for you.

Sometimes we have to slum it even when we are elite. 

[topt]

6 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

(and I could swear this used to be a free service)

Apparently it is supposed to be free but it has always been 300 baht at Jomtien - well at least for last 10 or more years.