A Cheap-charlie Report On His Visa Extension Experience.

[clarkey]

Hi guys, I took a trip to the new Immigration Dept.Office today to extend my visa..

I kicked the day off with a healthy, home made breaky, expecting to have a very long and frustrating day on my hands.

Being the cheap Charley that I am most of the time, having lots of time on my hands and enjoying the challenge of the unknown and the thrill of playing the game like an average local, I took on the task from Victory Monument by bus.

I left Victory Monument at about 7.30am and was back at Victory Monument at 11am, a happy chappy.

It only took this long due to me hanging around the Immigration Office for an extra half hour or more chating to a guy.

The new Immigration Office experience was nothing but a happy, friendly and very easy going experience.

I would have been in the office all of half an hour all up. I was getting a 30 day extension to my double entry tourist visa.

So credit where its due I reckon.. Well done to the Thai's for efficiency I wasn't expecting.

The bus from Victory Monument cost less than 20baht. Once you get to the main road entrance off Chaeng Wattana Road there is shuttle buses to take you around to the various Departments in the sprawling area.

I have extended Visa's in many countries and have put up with circus like antics from people who think a they have gone to a wrestling match, Manila and Cairo bring back special memories, so well done to Thailand for making this boring necessity a happy and pain free experience.

[MrRichard2009]

I extended my non IM O today and the guy doing that was 30 min late and some lady chatted with the final guy we had to see for 15 min about nonsense holding up everyone ..... It's all the luck of the draw man.

[MrHammer]

Have to agree, the new immigration is working very well. Much better than the old one. Of course, you may still run into the occasional paper-dictator, but that's the same all over the world. Credit where its due.

[daledg]

Can you give details as to which bus to take, and where to catch it?

[clarkey]

I took bus 166 from Victory Monument.

If your coming from the BTS station to the bus stop, its the one on the far side of the round-a-bout on the left hand side.

The 166 bus is clearly marked with English signboards, on the side announcing "Wattana Road"... and various other destinations..

The bus then heads off from Vic Mon and up the expressway...

As soon as the bus leaves the expressway and onto Wattana Road get off the bus, cross the road to the bus stop there and wait for a #52 bus (they come along every 5 or 10 minutes... This bus will take you the 3 or 4 k's down to the Esso service station (on your left) where you want to get off and from there if you look across the road is the sprawling Government Offices.

Cross Wattana road from the Esso Servo and into the Main road of the Government Offices area.. There you will find modern buses waiting to shuttle you to the Immigration Office which is 1 km or more down the road..

Once you get to the Immigration Building then theres plenty of signs announcing which way to go...

I hope this helps.