No More Re-entry Visa Counter

[FairwayJack]

This seems like another ill thought out and ill conceived idea. As southerndown has mentioned, not all Thais like Farangs in the country, and petty things like this often reinforce such beleifs.

I'd be interested to know whan they actually closed down the counter, and if they have actually given any prior warning that this was going to happen. I can imagine that this is going to cause a few problems in the coming weeks, and once again casuses further inconveniences to those that need a re-entry permit. I am glad that I have multiple rentry permit, as I can't stand going to Suan Plu. Luckikly I can do the 90 day report at Rasa tower, which is much more conveneint for me, and much less of a zoo.

The whole thing seems rather curious, given that they are now waiving visa fee's, maybe it's a cunning plan to stop people leaving the country.

Can you tell me where Rasa Tower is ?? Thx.

[mgjackson69]

Sooooo.... Legit working people cant leave the country on a whim, or in an emergency? What if I need to be in Singapore this Monday morning?

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

Of course you can leave..on a whim, or in an emergency. But if you are on a single-entry visa, or extension of stay, and do not have a re-entry permit, that visa or extension will no longer be valid for re-entry.

[mrtoad]

Can you tell me where Rasa Tower is ?? Thx.

No problem.

It is near Central Lad Phrao, on Pahonyothin Road. On the same side, abot a 10 minute walk, tops. The office is on the 16th floor.

[klons]

On the TV home page, it says one can save time by emailing the re-entry permit application to immigration at least one day

in advance and then go to counter # 7 at Suan Plu. I was wondering if anyone knew how much time can be saved by doing this?

I was just thinking if I did this, maybe they wouldn't be able to find my email and then send me to another line, so it would actually take longer. Is the pre email application worth the bother?

[Zen]

So, is it confirmed that we cannot do Re-Entry permits at Suvarnabhumi Airport anymore?

And we have to go to Suan Plu in Bangkok only?

[farangnahrak]

I am confirming that as of Jan 15th you can no longer get a re-entry visa at the airport. The airlines were as shocked as I was when I asked them about it today.

If only I knew before I showed up at the airport =(

[MeetJohnDoe]

The desk was always just a convenience for travelers/expatriates (and many didn't even know of its existence) and probably because it was so little used, they decided to close it and maybe realocate the staff to the always crowded passport control desks.

[klons]

On the TV home page, it says one can save time by emailing the re-entry permit application to immigration at least one day

in advance and then go to counter # 7 at Suan Plu. I was wondering if anyone knew how much time can be saved by doing this?

I was just thinking if I did this, maybe they wouldn't be able to find my email and then send me to another line, so it would actually take longer. Is the pre email application worth the bother?

Nevermind, I can answer my own question. I emailed my re-entry application yesterday at 7 a.m. Today at 11:20 a.m. I arrived

at Thai Immigration Suan Phlu. There was a sign outside that read Stop & Stamp. Re-Entry Online. There was a window in the

yellow wall and a bell that said ring for Officer, which I did. I handed my passport, passport visa page copies, a picture, a back-up application I had brought in case they didn't get my email and 1,000 baht for a single re-entry. In 5 minutes I had my passport back with the re-entry stamp and I was done. During the brief time I was there, no one else used this window except me. I did not have to go inside the building.

[Maestro]

Off-topic posts and replies thereto have been deleted.

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Maestro

[Maestro]

…today morning…when we went to have re-entry stamp we found that re entry counter was closed since many days,with a notice"PLEASE TAKE YOUR RE-ENTRY VISA AT IMMIGRATION OFFICE SOI SUNLUM, CONTACT 02-2873101"

Coincidentally, I left from Suvarnabhumi airport in the evening of the same day, passing through immigration at about 10 pm. I had read about the closure of the re-entry permit desk on 15 January, took the leftmost lane to check it out and saw that it was still in operation. Three foreigners were being processed as I looked in, one was just leaving with his passport in hand. The re-entry permit processing area took up the space of four immigration counters and while I had always thought that after getting the re-entry stamp one would then have to go to the back of one of the many queues to get the departure stamp I was surprised to see that this was also given at the re-entry permit desk and the foreigner was shown out directly to the airside area.

Getting my departure stamp a few minutes later I saw, in the walkway after the immigration counter, this notice pasted on the wall:

I said to myself that they must be giving a short grace period before shutting down the re-entry permit service at BKK airport definitely.

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Maestro

[rexall]

…today morning…when we went to have re-entry stamp we found that re entry counter was closed since many days,with a notice"PLEASE TAKE YOUR RE-ENTRY VISA AT IMMIGRATION OFFICE SOI SUNLUM, CONTACT 02-2873101"

Coincidentally, I left from Suvarnabhumi airport in the evening of the same day, passing through immigration at about 10 pm. I had read about the closure of the re-entry permit desk on 15 January, took the leftmost lane to check it out and saw that it was still in operation. ... <snip> ...I said to myself that they must be giving a short grace period before shutting down the re-entry permit service at BKK airport definitely.

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Maestro

Fri 3 Apr 09, 6:37 am

Hi all,

More than 2 months since this most recent post which left the issue ambiguous. Can someone confirm that re-entry permits are no longer being issued at the airport? Also, subsequent to this has been the new rule of dealing only with your local immigration office. Would that apply to re-entry permits as well?

Thanks for any info.

Aloha,

Rex

Edited April 2, 2009 by rexall

[nonthaburial]

I posted this on another forum recently but got no responses. Last week I changed my passport and went to Suan Phlu to get entry chops changed across to new passport. I noticed that they did not transfer my multi re-entry which I challenged. I was told that as my re entry was originally issued at the airport, I would need to go there to transfer it to my new passport. BUT WHERE ??????

[rexall]

Unbelievable!

[JR Texas]

It does seem very strange that the major entry / exit point for the country has closed its re-entry permit office (if I'm understanding this correctly). If a visa is provided where the re-entry stamp / visa is allowed, then why close the office at the major hub?

It was an ideally located office, so why cause inconvenience by sending people to an already overworked office 30 km's away?

There are two threads on this at the visa section of TV.

By the way, 30km away? The situation is much worse than you think for many expats.

From now on, you can only get a reentry visa at the immigration dept. that serves the province you live in. If you are registered as living in Pattaya or Chiang Mai or Bangkok or Phuket, that should not be too difficult (still crazy and hel_l).

If, however, you live in Thailand's hinterlands, especially in a province that does not have an immigration office, you are in trouble. In my case, it means a 1200 km trip just to get a freakin' reentry stamp.

This new rule is wrong/stupid beyond measure........it makes Thailand look like a 4th-world country (i.e., sub-3rd world). The people responsible for this rule should be ashamed.

The rule does not send a positive message to expats (it screams "Thailand is expat unfriendly") and makes the rule-makers look foolish.

This is one they should change as soon as possible.

[brewsterbudgen]

Make sure you allow at least 4 hours to apply, pay for and pick up your re-entry permit at Suan Plu. Yesterday was chaos!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/entry-Permit...os-t254444.html

[merijn]

If people think that they have to leave the country or they want to have e re-entry stamp in case of e emergency get a single re-entry at the same time when you get the one-year extension.

You don't have to now the dates for your trip ( leave the space open or put a ? in the space on the TM-8 and tell the officers about the reason ) and you get a single re-entry stamp in your passport with the same expiring date as your visa. ( normal practice at Phuket immigration office )

In this way you always have a re-entry stamp in your pasport in case you need it and don't have to go to the immigration office any more :-)