Re-entry Permits At Suvarnaphum

[rycmai]

i was told at immigration in chiang mai that i could NOT get a re-entry permit at chiang mai airport. does anyone have experience getting one at suvarnaphum airport? i recall seeing a sign on the departure level before immigration that said 're-entry permit', but now am not so sure.

[lopburi3]

You can not obtain at airport unless real emergency situation and even then it could be hard - you need to obtain where extension of stay was issued or if not an extension of stay at any full immigration office.

[lovelomsak]

I was unable to obtain a reentry at the airport a few months ago had to down to immigration office in Bangkok but it was quick no line ups.

[Lite Beer]

That service was stopped about 11 months ago.

[rycmai]

thanks for the info. but i do wonder why the service was stopped. probably coz it was too convenient !!

[dave2]

lite beer is right and i think bkk immigration moved not long ago as well

dave2

[Tod Daniels]

Does anyone know if the still run the “Express Window” for re-entry permits at Suan Plu? Or was it closed when they made the move to Changwattana?

I seem to remember you could go online, make an appointment, and then show up outside at that service window to get your re-entry permit. They weren’t taking any 'walk-up’ traffic; only people who’d made previous appointments. Also, unless I am mistaken they were open until 12 on Saturdays.

Then again I could be wrong but it’d be good to know if that service is still offered at Suan Plu..

[lopburi3]

No it is not - services for adjacent country nationals only.

[asiawatcher]

Reentries are becoming more inconvenient daily.

Having just been a day at Immigration this week renewing a Non Imm B - would suggest all in Thai Visa take a good hard look at changing rules. On my 10th Non Imm year with the usual, "we need 30 days to process" - pay more money- come back again (and again) now they request I had 400,000 in my personal Bank Account and a letter from the Bank to verify that I did have it, on original letterhead! Never struck that one before - normally company documents, work permit and all VAT and Withholding Tax receipts from the company as well as (very) large paid up capital and I employ about one hundred Thai to 4 Farang - but no, this time, proof of funds.

So - Down stairs, there are about 6 banks so if you forgot to bring you bank book with you (never needed it before!), you go there, open an account for Baht 500, get an ATM card for another 300 and then transfer from your absentee bank to the new account and then the bank offers you the letter (for 1,000 Baht) you wander back up stairs and they stamp you for 30 days for 1900 Baht and "please return" so they can extract more funds from you.

It seems to never end. Thenwhen you get the reentry and apart from re-entry cancellation service at Swampy - they now keep you as far from the airport and maximum interference to prevent re-entry permits at the new office.

I suppose soon they will move the offices to Ayutthaya and really make it a pleasant boat trip to obtain re-entry or a visa removal.

On the other note, Swampy has gone from bad to worse as usual. Now there is no entry into the terminal between gate 3 to gate 7 on the arrivals hall level from the outter road. And then joy of joys, you get in through gate three and cannot go to gate six on the inner road, or even once inside the terminal. You have to go up the ridiculous maze of moving walkways or elevators (which don't stop on the arrival halls floors), or try BS you ways past pencil neck public servants with a badge to get to anywhere sensible.

Entry, exit, reentry - all a total disaster both from point of view of immigration as well as convenience. The whole system needs to be tossed in the bin, put a broom through the 'management' of both AOT, Immigration, Ministry of Tourism and try to get some modicum of people with 'common sense' to handle these issues once and for all.

[Arkady]

Never heard of requirement for funds in personal bank account for non-imm visa and work permit. They scrutinise your company, salary, contract etc to satisfy themselves that you will continue to be paid during the course of the visa. Scrutinising bank accounts used to apply only to married and retirement visas based on the logic that they needed to be sure that people living without working had enough funds to make it through the year. 400k is the amount for a married visa and it is unreasonable to expect working people to keep that much in a bank account and produce evidence without warning.

Perhaps, now that they have closed most of the loopholes for those without WPs or PR who are under 50 and not married to Thais, they are now going to go after working expats and foreign investors. The final nutty solution to cleanse Thailand entirely of foreigners might not be far away. Maybe tourists on package holidays to Pattaya and Phuket will be next with Immigration following up on the good work of the yellow and red shirts, so that domestic Thai tourists will be able to benefit from all the low price hotel rooms as a result.

Edited December 27, 2009 by Arkady

[thailoneus]

You can not obtain at airport unless real emergency situation and even then it could be hard - you need to obtain where extension of stay was issued or if not an extension of stay at any full immigration office.

Lopbury3,

My 1st Extension of stay on a non-OA visa is due in June, and I live in Phuket. Is the Phuket office a "Full Immigration Office"?

[Lite Beer]

You can not obtain at airport unless real emergency situation and even then it could be hard - you need to obtain where extension of stay was issued or if not an extension of stay at any full immigration office.

Lopbury3,

My 1st Extension of stay on a non-OA visa is due in June, and I live in Phuket. Is the Phuket office a "Full Immigration Office"?

Yes it is. That is where you will be dealing with all your Immigration issues.

[TPI]

Reentries are becoming more inconvenient daily.

Having just been a day at Immigration this week renewing a Non Imm B - would suggest all in Thai Visa take a good hard look at changing rules. On my 10th Non Imm year with the usual, "we need 30 days to process" - pay more money- come back again (and again) now they request I had 400,000 in my personal Bank Account and a letter from the Bank to verify that I did have it, on original letterhead! Never struck that one before - normally company documents, work permit and all VAT and Withholding Tax receipts from the company as well as (very) large paid up capital and I employ about one hundred Thai to 4 Farang - but no, this time, proof of funds.

So - Down stairs, there are about 6 banks so if you forgot to bring you bank book with you (never needed it before!), you go there, open an account for Baht 500, get an ATM card for another 300 and then transfer from your absentee bank to the new account and then the bank offers you the letter (for 1,000 Baht) you wander back up stairs and they stamp you for 30 days for 1900 Baht and "please return" so they can extract more funds from you.

It seems to never end. Thenwhen you get the reentry and apart from re-entry cancellation service at Swampy - they now keep you as far from the airport and maximum interference to prevent re-entry permits at the new office.

I suppose soon they will move the offices to Ayutthaya and really make it a pleasant boat trip to obtain re-entry or a visa removal.

On the other note, Swampy has gone from bad to worse as usual. Now there is no entry into the terminal between gate 3 to gate 7 on the arrivals hall level from the outter road. And then joy of joys, you get in through gate three and cannot go to gate six on the inner road, or even once inside the terminal. You have to go up the ridiculous maze of moving walkways or elevators (which don't stop on the arrival halls floors), or try BS you ways past pencil neck public servants with a badge to get to anywhere sensible.

Entry, exit, reentry - all a total disaster both from point of view of immigration as well as convenience. The whole system needs to be tossed in the bin, put a broom through the 'management' of both AOT, Immigration, Ministry of Tourism and try to get some modicum of people with 'common sense' to handle these issues once and for all.

I guess that you forgot to mention that none of the computer systems are inter connected...Swampy is not connected to Chang Wattana, none of the outstations (CM, Tak etc ) are connected to anywhere else and to top it off I was told by Immigration that it wasn't their fault as it was a pre-packaged system bought from the USA