It's that time of year, for me, again.  Last year we arrived just before 8am and joined the line in the lobby of Immigration.  Of course, the early-birds with a ticket went in first when it opened, so we were still #200 in the queue (for a Work/Teacher's Extension - Desk N).  We were done by 3pm.

 

I've never fancied joining the early queuers, but I'm considering it this year, especially as the online appointments for this category are already full. I have some questions.

 

• Is the 5am line only at one of the entrances or are there lines at all the entrances?
• Do you need to show any documentation to get an early queue ticket or can anyone wait in line and get one?
• What time do they start handing out the early queue tickets?  
• After you have your ticket, can you go and come back at 8am?

 

Thanks

Im not doing it anymore but when i did i would always pop in around closing time. They seem to all work as slowly as possible until its time to go home then they haul ass. That was years ago, i know it hasnt changed

Serious question:  Why not be there at 3pm before they stop accepting applications for the day?  I thought I read that they don't leave until all applications are processed?  I never did it because of the horrific traffic in the evening, but now, with the new monorail to get to the BTS, it seems appealing compared to an early morning arrival.  

Just now, ricklev said:

Serious question:  Why not be there at 3pm before they stop accepting applications for the day?  I thought I read that they don't leave until all applications are processed?  I never did it because of the horrific traffic in the evening, but now, with the new monorail to get to the BTS, it seems appealing compared to an early morning arrival.  

 

That's certainly an option.  A colleague did his yesterday and arrived at 9am - he wasn't finished until after 7pm!  Makes me wonder how late the people who arrived later in the morning or in the afternoon were finished -10pm?  At least the traffic is better then.

23 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's that time of year, for me, again.  Last year we arrived just before 8am and joined the line in the lobby of Immigration.  Of course, the early-birds with a ticket went in first when it opened, so we were still #200 in the queue (for a Work/Teacher's Extension - Desk N).  We were done by 3pm.

 

I've never fancied joining the early queuers, but I'm considering it this year, especially as the online appointments for this category are already full. I have some questions.

 

• Is the 5am line only at one of the entrances or are there lines at all the entrances?
• Do you need to show any documentation to get an early queue ticket or can anyone wait in line and get one?
• What time do they start handing out the early queue tickets?  
• After you have your ticket, can you go and come back at 8am?

 

Thanks

If you get there early, the earliest i havebeen there is 0545 all entrances were open

 

You go to the entrance for immigration and there is a temperay desk with 2 IO sat there handing out tickets

You need to show your documents if any are missing they give you a blank form and you have to fill it in before the give a queue ticket, last time at 0600 i weas given ticket number 240

the first 200 tickets get a seat and are allowed in first when doors open, numbers above 200 are supposed to line up in 3 different queues depending on your number, no o ne seemed to bother and just joined a queue.

Once inside you queue again to get a number for the section you need.

If you have an apoitment then there is a queue for that and last time let in after the first 200, there is also a queue for the elderly with wheel chair who are also let in early

 

Yes after the ticket you can go off and grab a coffee, even at that time someof the food/coffee  stuff opens, the all seem open by 0700

 

Once you get a ticket from inside there is a Q code on it,  once the main door opens and once they start work, by scanning the code you can see what number they are currently processing so no need to sit for hours in that office

32 minutes ago, ricklev said:

  Why not be there at 3pm before they stop accepting applications for the day?  I thought I read that they don't leave until all applications are processed? 

That's correct. 

The only rider is that if extremely busy they could (not likely) stop issuing que ticket bit prior to 3pm.

 

@brewsterbudgen just my 2 pence worth. 

I wouldn't dream of doing the plan in your OP.

Rather arrive at say 1.30pm.

The long que out side of office for reopening (1pm) will be gone. 

Then obtain your queque # 

Pretty sure they have a tracking system in place to check status of ticket #,s

You could kill some time in food court

 

Edit: I see @howerde has outlined Q code alert. 

Just to let everyone know about the queue handing out times at Chaengwattana 

They give out queue numbers until 3:30PM for every section EXCEPT Section N (the ED/teacher) section <- that section they stop giving queues out when they close at 12 for lunch.

IF you get a queue number you will be served that day, I've seen sections be open to 7:30-8;00 handling the people getting extensions 

Lesson learned.  Never go on the day after a Public Holiday.

 

I got to CW at 5.30am and joined the line behind a gaggle of mostly Chinese students sitting (not lined up) outside the door.  When they handed out the 'early tickets' at 6am I was happy to get #138, and found my chair.  Some places open downstairs so could get a coffee and croissant.

 

At 8am there was a huge melee of people waiting although everyone was given a ticket.  I smugly was the 138th person let in and got my queue number for the N section (students & teachers).  My smugness soon disappeared when I was given #224!  137 people ahead of me in the 'early' queue (and not all for Section N) and yet I was now #224.  Obviously some shenanigans with schools/agents getting one early queue ticket for many individual appointments!  Outrageous!  Who do I complain to?

Anyway, despite trading my #224 for #178 I wasn't seen until 3.30pm and was out of there at 4pm.  10.5 fun-filled hours.

 

 

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Lesson learned.  Never go on the day after a Public Holiday.

 

I got to CW at 5.30am and joined the line behind a gaggle of mostly Chinese students sitting (not lined up) outside the door.  When they handed out the 'early tickets' at 6am I was happy to get #138, and found my chair.  Some places open downstairs so could get a coffee and croissant.

 

At 8am there was a huge melee of people waiting although everyone was given a ticket.  I smugly was the 138th person let in and got my queue number for the N section (students & teachers).  My smugness soon disappeared when I was given #224!  137 people ahead of me in the 'early' queue (and not all for Section N) and yet I was now #224.  Obviously some shenanigans with schools/agents getting one early queue ticket for many individual appointments!  Outrageous!  Who do I complain to?

Anyway, despite trading my #224 for #178 I wasn't seen until 3.30pm and was out of there at 4pm.  10.5 fun-filled hours.

 

 

I feel your pain. That is a long 10 hours!

Move. My extension took 20 minutes without an appointment.

12 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Move. My extension took 20 minutes without an appointment.

Same. I wonder why so?

5 minutes ago, NativeBob said:

Same. I wonder why so?

Not living in one of the largest cities in the world.

 

Are people in BKK able to use the office in Chon Buri? Not sure of the rules because I never needed to know.

23 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Are people in BKK able to use the office in Chon Buri? Not sure of the rules because I never needed to know

You obtain extension at immigration office where you are living. 

Or in some cases where you are working. 

You cannot just apply anywhere. 

2 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Not living in one of the largest cities in the world.

 

Are people in BKK able to use the office in Chon Buri? Not sure of the rules because I never needed to know.

Unfortunately "NO". I bumped into this twice - while I was on Samui on vacation - I thought it was just IO in the bad mood. But next - Chon Buri, and IO was very strict to me, she even took pictures of my passports and me. I guess she thought something fishy. 

2 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Move. My extension took 20 minutes without an appointment.

 

I have moved and now live in Rayong, but my employer is based in Bangkok, so that's where I have to go for my annual extension.

5 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Lesson learned.  Never go on the day after a Public Holiday.

 

 

A good general rule with any government office that you need to visit is to not go after a public holiday, as you mentioned, but also not worth it on a Monday or Friday either unless you're in the back end of nowhere. Best time to go is Tuesday to Thursday early doors... not guaranteed though, especially at somewhere like CW in BBK, but it's a good rule of thumb for the least hassle. It goes without saying that you should have everything squared away document wise before interacting with anyone, as I see so many frustrated and unorganised people that rock up without the reqiuired documents and have to prat around for a long while getting it done locally to the office... newbie mistake.

On 9/18/2025 at 8:50 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

It's that time of year, for me, again.  Last year we arrived just before 8am and joined the line in the lobby of Immigration.  Of course, the early-birds with a ticket went in first when it opened, so we were still #200 in the queue (for a Work/Teacher's Extension - Desk N).  We were done by 3pm.

 

I've never fancied joining the early queuers, but I'm considering it this year, especially as the online appointments for this category are already full. I have some questions.

 

• Is the 5am line only at one of the entrances or are there lines at all the entrances?
• Do you need to show any documentation to get an early queue ticket or can anyone wait in line and get one?
• What time do they start handing out the early queue tickets?  
• After you have your ticket, can you go and come back at 8am?

 

Thanks

 

 

OMG.....I know we have a three hour round trip for visa stuff, but we use it to do shopping and things....make a day of it. But we are only in the IO for 30/40 mins, though it seems like a lifetime.

 

What you have to do is an absolute nightmare......can paying an agent get you out of all this?

12 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

OMG.....I know we have a three hour round trip for visa stuff, but we use it to do shopping and things....make a day of it. But we are only in the IO for 30/40 mins, though it seems like a lifetime.

 

What you have to do is an absolute nightmare......can paying an agent get you out of all this?

 

My employer's HR person assists me, but I need to be there for the photo.  It's my 18th year of doing it and it never used to be this bad - especially when it was in Suan Plu.   The solution, I am told, is to try and make an appointment at midnight a month before, but it fills up very quickly. 

6 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

A good general rule with any government office that you need to visit is to not go after a public holiday, as you mentioned, but also not worth it on a Monday or Friday either unless you're in the back end of nowhere

I've tended to follow this line of 'conventional wisdom'. I wonder about it, though. Last year at CW I had to do an in-person 90-dayer after a new passport, and was planning to do the extension stamp transfer after. But nope, I was told by the 90 day report IO to get the stamp transferred first. 

 

(Luckily, the L desks section did me a solid and I got the transfer without much of a wait, went back to the B desk, for 90-day reports with an appointment, and got the 90-dayer done.)

 

Upshot is, this was a Friday. And though I did have an appointment I noticed that the CW office was not crowded, not crowded at all. Kind of remarkable. Almost everytime I've been out there in recent years it seems it's always heaving with applicants in all sections. But I went out there that day on a Friday, and observed the number of applicants was much lower that what I'd seen in a long time.

 

I know it sounds counterintuitive. But if many people avoid going out there on a Friday--talking about Friday, this might not apply to Monday--because they don't want to go when they assume it'll be packed, maybe Friday is not a bad day to go.