Chaengwattana Immigration First-time Observations, Parking, & Improvements

[tengmoh]

My first virgin post after years of freeloading. Hope it's helpful to some.

Some observations from today's visit to collect Non-O visa extension (1yr) & to apply for multiple re-entry. Done in under 2 hrs.

8:30am leave home (bottom of Ekkamai-Ramintra Rd)

9:15am arrive & park free in front of building B

9:20am submit passport for visa extension collection

10:20am collected (not during 14:00-15:00 window as advertised at Suanplu!!)

10:25am submit TM.8 visa re-entry

11:00am collected & drive home with wife and baby in tow

TRAFFIC, FINDING PREMISES, PARKING

Shockingly light traffic northbound Ekkamai-Ramintra until Ramintra>roundabout>ChaengWattana Rd.

After Viphavadee crossover, stick to left lane (Soi 5 sign easy to spot). Drive past TOT entrances, Post Office HQ & primary PO branch, CAT entrances, and see new temporary English sign for Immigration Bureau to turn left into Soi 7 (several km's from Soi 5 fyi).

Drive straight 2km following same temporary English signs to unmarked Building B (the huge one at the end on right). Arrived to find ~40 cars/vans parked free in single row configuration, right on the median, and some parallel-parked, all in front of building's main sweeping entrance (east side of building). VERY pleasant surprise to find easy free parking vs Suanplu. According to The Nation's map, there is a huge parking building (in Thai on map) on the western side of Building B but I suspect it's more for staffers. Still I didn't mind the convenience of the uncovered lot directly in front of the entrance for free!

Immigration is on same ground floor upon entering at the far left end of the cavernous, light-filled atrium. Pretty darn gorgeous architectural roof-shades in the huge atrium for a Thai government building. Plenty of food/snack vendors in the main hall and ATMs in the lower basement floor.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Nice and clean. After the small entrance area (several people filling out forms), it opens up into a big area with 3-4 officers waiting to receive, provide queue stubs and direct traffic flow. Maybe it was the politician on the premises doing an inspection, but I was so surprised to find how friendlier the greeting staff were, before I even uttered a word of Thai. Many seemed helpful out front but it was the same surly staffers in the cubicled-zones segregated by color-coded functions in English.

Sadly the digital queue number displays were not in place yet (bar 1 cubicle) so it was hilarious to witness the officials attempting to call out numbers in first Thai followed by varying degrees of success in muted English.

FYI visa extensions collections (YELLOW) were adjacent to the visa re-entry submissions (BLUE) and passport collections for re-entry (RED), so one had to concentrate a bit to listen to the queue number callouts from competing officers (ha), causing some confusion.

CROWDS (9:20am)

I assumed the worst, having arrived later than the usual opening hours crowd, but the whole area was so sparse. 7 people in front of me at visa extension and less than 10 at the re-entry submission/collection area. Perhaps the other farangs were still in traffic or perhaps it was due to the absence of Burmese/Laotian/Khmer crowds who are still being processed by Suanplu? Regardless, it was an easy place to wait out the processing, even with my toddler running around in the bright, well a/c'd expanse.

VISA EXTENSION SUBMISSION/COLLECTION TIMES ELIMINATED!

I had photographed the sign from Suanplu, which declared the following rules effective March 2009:

for passport submissions 08:30-12:00 must collect 14:00-15:00

for passport submission 13:00-15:00 must collect 16:00-17:00

So I braced myself for a wasted day with insufficient time for a post collection multiple re-entry request. But the staffer told me to just wait a bit for the notification of approval. The previous dictated hours were removed as they predicted the bottlenecks would be less (again redirected Suanplu traffic for neighbouring citizens).

IMPROVEMENT! ONLY RE-ENTRY APPLICATION FORM PLUS PHOTO REQUIRED

In another surprising streamlined move, they only require the TM.8 form without the need for all the tedious photocopies of passport pages, as I had asked where I could photocopy my newly stamped visa extension page in the building. But they explained it was no longer a required addendum; only the photograph. I also saw again the poster advertising online application pre-processing for various visas but haven't tried it myself (www.bangkok-immigration.com).

90 DAY REPORTING BY MAIL

Doh! The new mailing address was the only thing I forgot to request in my shocked state of decent efficiency today. Perhaps someone else might post it soon.

PS even as we left, the crowd hadn't really gotten bigger at all. Really strange day.

[jamesjdaly]

Tengmoh

It sounds as if you applied for your extension at Suan Plu (just before it closed) and received the extension at CW? Are you sure that soi 7 is several kms past soi 5? I doesn't seem so on a map or Google earth. Google earth measures 1 km after soi 5.

Edited September 30, 2009 by jamesjdaly

[tengmoh]

Tengmoh

It sounds as if you applied for your extension at Suan Plu (just before it closed) and received the extension at CW? Are you sure that soi 7 is several kms past soi 5? I doesn't seem so on a map or Google earth. Google earth measures 1 km after soi 5.

Yes, that's correct. Suanplu submission and potluck on where to go for approval/rejection on 30th.

On google earth, I too thought it would be close by but it is a good distance from soi 5. Somewhere between 1-2 km seems right but it was a mighty crawl in traffic. From the Viphawadee bridge flyover from Ramintra, you can see Soi 5 on the downslope. But then many large entrances pop up, making one believe it's possibly soi 7 (I mistakenly enter the Post Office HQ and asked the guard so as not to overshoot my target). I knew it was just before the Ministry of Consular Affairs (Thai passport issuance) but that would be too late.

Just keep an eye out for the huge CAT main entrance sign, but after that CAT has another smaller entrance. Soi 7 is just barely beyond that and the blue soi 7 sign is clearly visible as long as you're in the left lane, ...along with the temporary painted signs in English ("Immigration Bureau").

[Pib]

Tengmoh,

Outstanding report. And glad to hear a person can actually find parking versus the Suan Plu never-happen-parking scenario. Big Thanks on the great report.

Cheers,

Pib

Edited September 30, 2009 by Pib

[thaiphoon]

Excellent report, thank you. I am sure others will find the information useful.

[Pawpcorn]

Now if we can get a first hand report on someone using the "one-stop-shop" near BTS Mo Chit, for a 90 day residence report...

[jamesjdaly]

^^The Phaholyothin underground station is much closer than the skytrain Mor Chit station.

[tengmoh]

Thanks, all. A worrisome day, especially about traffic and crowds, turned into a surprising good day. I absolutely hated trying to find parking in and around Suanplu. So for all the drivers out there, no need to fret.

A friend also suggested the One Stop Service for 90 day reporting. What is the average time spent doing it there? Or is doing it by post as my friend does all the time just easier (once new address is confirmed)?

AVOIDING OVER 90DAY PENALTY TIP:

An immigration official, who lives in the same building as said friend, stated that if one were to just leave the country (fly/drive) within a week of the 90d reporting mark, nothing would come of it and the penalty fee could be avoided.

[lopburi3]

Rasa Tower 90 day reporting can be no wait up to an hour in my experience (have been using since before they moved there from Ratchada). The down side is that there are no queue number lights so you have to be close enough to see a small card at the counter to have any idea of count. Seating is limited in that area (and entire room can be full). Number call is without microphone, in Thai, and next number called within two or three seconds if you are not Johnny on the spot.

[metisdead]

I used the 1 Stop Visa place in Rasa Tower early September for my 90 day report. Traffic on Ram Intra that day was a crawl, finally got to Rasa Tower received my parking ticket at 11:25, got up top and parked 10 minutes later. Walked into the 1 stop visa at 11:40, and was walking back out at 11:55, all done.