Getting 30-day extension in CM at the last minute

[placnx]

A friend is coming to visit Chiangmai soon, and he plans to get a 30-day extension on the day his visa-exempt permission to stay expires. So does he have to start the process before 8:30AM? Can it be all done on the last day of permitted stay? What documents need to be submitted or shown beyond the TM7 and passport?

[novacova]

11 minutes ago, placnx said:

A friend is coming to visit Chiangmai soon, and he plans to get a 30-day extension on the day his visa-exempt permission to stay expires. So does he have to start the process before 8:30AM? Can it be all done on the last day of permitted stay? What documents need to be submitted or shown beyond the TM7 and passport?

Photo copies of front page and entry stamp, signed.

Passport photo.

tm30 recipe.

It would be a good idea to have two photo copies of everything. 

Can apply up to two weeks before expiry of entry stamp, personally wouldn’t wait until the last day.

 

Edited January 7 by novacova

[ChaiyaTH]

Nonsense to have 2 copies of everything, 1 is asked for. Just passport copy, TM30 and 1900 baht. Can be last minute, even after lunch.

Edited January 7 by ChaiyaTH

[khunJam]

2 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Nonsense to have 2 copies of everything, 1 is asked for. Just passport copy, TM30 and 1900 baht. Can be last minute, even after lunch.

I went in the Chiang Mai immigration last July for a 90 day retirement and brought with me 1 copy of the required documents and they wanted 2 copies of everything. This was after I received clearance from the inspection tent out front. So better make 2 copies of all the documents. Also make copies of the TM-30. I got there at 8:00 am and it was getting crowded by 8:30. 

[placnx]

5 hours ago, novacova said:

Photo copies of front page and entry stamp, signed.

Passport photo.

tm30 recipe.

It would be a good idea to have two photo copies of everything. 

Can apply up to two weeks before expiry of entry stamp, personally wouldn’t wait until the last day.

 

Actually my friend is staying at the hotel next door. Would a hotel also provide a TM30?

[Upnotover]

4 hours ago, placnx said:

Actually my friend is staying at the hotel next door. Would a hotel also provide a TM30?

Yes.  They are obliged to, and 99% likely they will do it online so no reason not to immediately give him a printour of the entry into the system.

[lordblackader]

10 hours ago, khunJam said:

I went in the Chiang Mai immigration last July for a 90 day retirement and brought with me 1 copy of the required documents and they wanted 2 copies of everything. This was after I received clearance from the inspection tent out front. So better make 2 copies of all the documents. Also make copies of the TM-30. I got there at 8:00 am and it was getting crowded by 8:30. 

 Then do the 90 day at Central Festival - the only thing they require is the form and it takes no more than five minutes in and out. 

[lordblackader]

13 hours ago, placnx said:

A friend is coming to visit Chiangmai soon, and he plans to get a 30-day extension on the day his visa-exempt permission to stay expires. So does he have to start the process before 8:30AM? Can it be all done on the last day of permitted stay? What documents need to be submitted or shown beyond the TM7 and passport?

 

He can do it after he arrives or the last day. Would recommend doing it at Central Festival Immigration - easier and quicker and make sure he has a copy of the TM30 - it's the first thing they'll look for. Also no need to do it at 8:30 at Central Festival - just turn up whenever. 

[khunJam]

23 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

 Then do the 90 day at Central Festival - the only thing they require is the form and it takes no more than five minutes in and out. 

Sorry let me clarify. This wasn’t a 90 day report. I went in doing a non-o retirement. They wanted 2 copies of everything and it took a lot longer than 5 minutes. Not long ago I did the 90 day report at the main office walk up window, probably took about a minute or two. 

[novacova]

8 hours ago, placnx said:

Actually my friend is staying at the hotel next door. Would a hotel also provide a TM30?

 

3 hours ago, Upnotover said:

Yes.  They are obliged to, and 99% likely they will do it online so no reason not to immediately give him a printour of the entry into the system.

The accommodation reports your stay to the immigration, the accommodation can provide you a screenshot as proof that they made the report. You will still need to acquire the tm30 receipt from the tm30 office in the back of the IO.

[chuang]

Why argue over 1 or 2 copies...bring along 3 they don't cost you a limb...

[alex8912]

14 hours ago, khunJam said:

I went in the Chiang Mai immigration last July for a 90 day retirement and brought with me 1 copy of the required documents and they wanted 2 copies of everything. This was after I received clearance from the inspection tent out front. So better make 2 copies of all the documents. Also make copies of the TM-30. I got there at 8:00 am and it was getting crowded by 8:30. 

If you stay at a hotel the night (s) before going to immigration why would you need a copy of a TM30 when you arrive at immigration. They would already have this information. 

[khunJam]

1 minute ago, alex8912 said:

If you stay at a hotel the night (s) before going to immigration why would you need a copy of a TM30 when you arrive at immigration. They would already have this information. 

It’s a requirement to have the receipt for extensions and change of visa status. Why don’t they look in their system themselves? I don’t know and I didn’t ask. 

[placnx]

3 hours ago, lordblackader said:

 

He can do it after he arrives or the last day. Would recommend doing it at Central Festival Immigration - easier and quicker and make sure he has a copy of the TM30 - it's the first thing they'll look for. Also no need to do it at 8:30 at Central Festival - just turn up whenever. 

Thank you for this valuable suggestion. I found this very thorough link about getting an extension at Central Festival:

https://dropinblog.com/blog/30-day-visa-extension-chiang-mai-thailand/

It's somewhat dated since the online TM30 site has changed since 2022.

[placnx]

3 hours ago, novacova said:

 

The accommodation reports your stay to the immigration, the accommodation can provide you a screenshot as proof that they made the report. You will still need to acquire the tm30 receipt from the tm30 office in the back of the IO.

In my experience a copy of the screenshot which says "informed" in lower right corner is equivalent to a physical receipt from the TM30 office in back of CM Immigration.

[brianthainess]

20 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Nonsense to have 2 copies of everything, 1 is asked for. Just passport copy, TM30 and 1900 baht. Can be last minute, even after lunch.

Oh yes you wouldn't want to waste money on two more copies 10b max and correct me if I'm wrong but a visa exempt extension is 2,000, not 1,900. 

[brianthainess]

6 hours ago, chuang said:

Why argue over 1 or 2 copies...bring along 3 they don't cost you a limb...

Exactly and going by the list by Novacova it would just be 2 more Oh the expense 😱 run for the hills that would cost me 6b.

[flexomike]

On 1/7/2024 at 11:00 PM, khunJam said:

I went in the Chiang Mai immigration last July for a 90 day retirement and brought with me 1 copy of the required documents and they wanted 2 copies of everything. This was after I received clearance from the inspection tent out front. So better make 2 copies of all the documents. Also make copies of the TM-30. I got there at 8:00 am and it was getting crowded by 8:30. 

You were getting a O visa OP is just getting a 30 day extension of a visa exempt entry, two different scenarios