Easiest Way Toget To Immigration At Chaeng Watthana Soi 7 ?

[w11guy]

I need to go to Immigration at Chaeng Watthana Soi 7 tomorrow. I've read some other posts about how to get there but they are mostly confusing and contradictory. I live in Silom so would like to get a skytrain to Mo Chit for the first part of the journey. Is it easy enough to get a taxi from there to teh immigration office? Do most taxi drivers know where it is? When the taxi driver drops me off, where exactly do I need to go? Where is the entrance? Is it signposted clearly? Anything I should look out for?

Thanks.

[lopburi3]

It is at the end of Chiang Watanna, Soi 7 (and many taxi drivers do not know the way but should get you on Chiang Watanna OK). Entrance to Soi 7 is six lanes adjacent (west) to CAT Hqs so they should be able to find that.

At end of Soi you turn right at South end of huge building and enter the 1st floor drive up center entrance. Inside the doors keep right and immigration will be just before you get to the huge open area. Information counter and forms are available in first room and if you have filled out you go through airport type security entry to main room and get queue ticket from counter to right/front.

[Richard4849]

It is at the end of Chiang Watanna, Soi 7 (and many taxi drivers do not know the way but should get you on Chiang Watanna OK). Entrance to Soi 7 is six lanes adjacent (west) to CAT Hqs so they should be able to find that.

At end of Soi you turn right at South end of huge building and enter the 1st floor drive up center entrance. Inside the doors keep right and immigration will be just before you get to the huge open area. Information counter and forms are available in first room and if you have filled out you go through airport type security entry to main room and get queue ticket from counter to right/front.

Tell the taxi driver "Chaengwattana Soi Jet" or "Soon Ratchagan" (Government Complex). From there, it is at the very back. You'll have no problems.

[w11guy]

ok, thanks guys. Hopefully I'll get there ok in the morning.

[Mrjlh]

If your going there from Silom easiest to just take a taxi. Metered from Chang Rd and tollway is only 215B plus toll of 45+10 so Silom won't be much different. Go to Bldg "C" at very end. If you do BTS, metered taxi is 115B from Mo Chit.

[lopburi3]

Meter taxi down to five baht? Meter means it varies by route/distance/traffic conditions/time. You can not fix exact amounts. On a long run like that many different roads can be used and traffic varies greatly so any amount will just be an 'about' figure. Even a short (same route) trip can be 15 minutes one day and over an hour the next so there can be a noticeable difference in fare.

[Tod Daniels]

You can take the BTS (Sky Train) to Mo Chit; exit on the Chatuchak Park side and get into ANY of the grey mini-vans parked there which say "Government Complex". For 25baht they'll drop you at the mouth of Soi 7. You can walk down that soi (past the moto-taxi guys) and catch a free shuttle bus which will take you to the door of the building.

You can also take the real train for (I think) 14 baht to Laksi station and catch a moto-taxi there too. It's an interesting ride.

I've taken metered taxis from Asok/Sukhumvit using the expressway, (DON'T take the left side which says Changwattana, but use the one which says DinDaeng and then you can take the elevated tollway. Yes it costs more but nobody uses it much and you can really make some good time!). Take the SECOND exit to Changwattana from there and you miss all the traffic lites.

I've reached Changwattana in as little as 15 minutes once I've gotten on the expressway. Sadly, sometimes it takes longer than that just to get to the entrance of the expressway on Sukhumvit Road, lol.

[w11guy]

It is at the end of Chiang Watanna, Soi 7 (and many taxi drivers do not know the way but should get you on Chiang Watanna OK). Entrance to Soi 7 is six lanes adjacent (west) to CAT Hqs so they should be able to find that.

At end of Soi you turn right at South end of huge building and enter the 1st floor drive up center entrance. Inside the doors keep right and immigration will be just before you get to the huge open area. Information counter and forms are available in first room and if you have filled out you go through airport type security entry to main room and get queue ticket from counter to right/front.

Tell the taxi driver "Chaengwattana Soi Jet" or "Soon Ratchagan" (Government Complex). From there, it is at the very back. You'll have no problems.

The journey was very straightforward. I got the skytrain to Mo Chit and then tried to get a taxi. First one didn't know where I wanted to go. 2nd one knew where the road was but didn't know what immigration was. So I said "Soon Ratchagan", as suggested by Richard (thanks), and he instantly knew where it was. Taxi took about 15 mins and was 97 baht. We went normal road, not expressway, and traffic was very light.

He dropped me off at main entrance and I went in there and turned left and walked to the end. You don't need to use the South entrance, as it's just as easy to get to it from the main entrance. The inside is huge and a big open space. Big enough for a football match to be played there!!!

Waited 30 mins to be seen and then 30 mins to get permission to stay extended. Everything was sorted in about 5 mins but I had to wait for the person who took the money to come back with the receipt. I don't know why that bit took so long. So while I was waiting, the immigration officer carried on with her work, which involved flicking through folders that were 2-3" thick. They looked like visa applications and had all sorts of things in them - application form, photocopies of passport and other ID, photocopies of flight tickets, photos of family, etc. It must be a full-time job for some people to get a visa. I felt sorry for them that they had to do so much work. Sometimes we don't realise how lucky we are being farang.

Anyway, got a taxi back to Mo Chit. Took about 40 mins and cost 160 baht.

I asked if I had to report back there every 90 days or if I could do it by post or use the one-stop shop at Mo Chit. She didn't seem to understand and kept saying "yes, 90 days". I can't remember where I read it, but they also have a monthly mobile immigration office at Bumrungrad hospital. Maybe they have them other places as well.

A final note. When you print your appliaction form it needs to be printed double sided so that it's on one sheet of paper. Printing it on 2 sheets is not accepted. I only spotted this just before leaving, so printed it off on one sheet. But when I got there I showed the 2=page form to the reception woman, because I had already stuck my photo on it. She said I couldn't use it. So I just transferred the photo to the new form.

Oh, one final, final note. LOL. There were another two forms to fill in that the immigration officer gave me. Same sort of questions.

It was much more straightforward than I was expecting.

Now I can sit back and relax.

Edited April 25, 2011 by w11guy

[TimTang]

The easiest way to get there and avoid any confusion with taxi drivers is as follows:

1. Take subway to Bangsue

2. Cross the road to the "OLD" train station and buy a ticket to Laksi - 2 baht

3. At Laksi cross the road behind the station and walk through the little village, over the foot bridge, and eventually to the next soi.

4. There you can get a motorcycle taxi for 10 baht to immigration.

5. If there is no motorcycle taxi there at the time just proceed left down the soi and one will eventually come along or you can just walk there in about 15 minutes.

Total cost: 52 baht there; 70 baht back (for some reason the same train ride back is 20 baht instead of 2)

Edited June 21, 2011 by TimTang

[welo]

@TimTang

Thank you for this interesting option! Do you know how often the trains go (approx.) and how long they take? Assuming that they don't go very often, do you have a schedule?

[welo]

Went to immigration in CW today, by bus.

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but there is currently a direct bus going to Victory Monument, No 166. It takes the Si Rat tollway and is therefore a good option.

Schedule is as shown on the photo, basically every 60 minutes, and every 30 minutes during late afternoon. They go directly from the eastern entrance of the building (where the shuttle buses leave as well).

The sign also mentions a date of 1.July-31.July 2011. Not sure if this relates to the operating times of the buses, and if they are only a 1 month promotional thingy, or if the service keeps going after that.

Would be nice if other could report if the sign is still there on Monday or not. If so... keep reading

My bus (at 12:30) was a standard Bangkok bus, a 'red' bus, so no costs(!) but also no aircon . Easily got a seat. The bus turned left on the main road (Chaeng Wattana Road) and left again after 3 km on the Si-Rat tollway (not Don Muang). Was about 40 minutes to Victory Monument. But the last km off the tollway alone took at least 10 minutes due to traffic.

Didn't think non-aircon buses can go on the tollway. Windows all open, we were flying past a couple of cars

They have air-con buses going at 15:45, 16:45, 17:45, 19:15 (from CW -> VM)

Check the photo. Left column is CW, right column VM.

Note:

The official 166 bus from Victory Monument is a blue air-con bus that goes to Chaeng Watthana Road (17B) and does *not* pass the eastern part of CW Road where the government complex is located *at all*. Coming from Si Rat tollway it will turn left instead. If you get out on the first stop just off the tollway, a taxi is about 4km (55B in light traffic) to the Government Complex. Total time for me was about 30 minutes from Victory Monument (arriving 11:00)

Not sure how to keep the official buses and those that go to the Government Complex apart when departing from Victory Monument. I'm sure they have a sign, probably in Thai

Edited July 29, 2011 by welo

[jpinx]

I posted somewhere else that there is an easy option from BTS MoChit to take a dirty white bus 52 or 56 - can't remember which - and it will drop you at Soi7 CW.

here it is....

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4564931

I wonder how I make that into a nice neat link on a word like "here" ?

Ah-ha

here it is

Edited July 29, 2011 by jpinx

[antaray]

Hi

Does anybody know what bus number (I mean minibus) from Mo Chit BTS or Jaktujak goes to Immigration?

[thaibeachlovers]

Hi

Does anybody know what bus number (I mean minibus) from Mo Chit BTS or Jaktujak goes to Immigration?

I've tried that and it's confusing. Apparently they have Government Complex in English on the route sign.

Easiest way I've been is train to Laksi, go to the main rd and wait for bus 52. No bus stop, but they let you on. I think bus 356 also stops there. Otherwise taxi from in front of the station.