Many of us are often critical about service at Thai Immigration offices, so I want to give credit where it is due for prompt, efficient & polite service, and some useful information about transfer of extension to a new passport.

We called round to the Phuket office at about 13.30 today expecting to be stuck there for the rest of the afternoon. I came prepared to apply for a new one year extension, given that my present stamp was only valid until the expiry date of my current passport (next week). The office was not too busy and an officier who usually deals with me ushered me over to his disk right away. In just 5 minutes he made all the stamps into my new passport. I indicated I wanted to apply for my next one year extension, but he kept on saying 'not yet'.

When I inspected my new details on my new passport I was surprised that my stamp was now valid into next year. I had not realised that the balance of my last one year extension would be credited to me on my new passport. I had thought I would have to start again on my old passport expiry date. But no, last year's extension expiry date was preserved. This might be useful for other TV member to know. If I had know, it would have saved me a lot of effort getting the paperwork together for the next extension.

Good to hear.

Visits to Immigration should be easy.

I just hear this weekend (Thai News) that head of immigration in Bangkok have been transferred to an inactive post because his superiors not were happy with his work. Maybe its a few more who have found out they better do their duty than to end up in the same situation.