Bangkok Immigration Location

[CrankyCarrot]

I want to make sure I have this right before I go chuffing off on the train out of Bangkok, so:

In order to get to immigration where I can extend my tourist visa for 30 days, I catch the train to Don Mueang airport and get off one or two stations before, right?

When searching it in Google, I come up with this place

Is that it?

Also, it seems like there are or were two immigration offices in BKK. Is there one closer to where I'm staying? - (main shopping district with MBK)

How do you guys normally get there?

[lopburi3]

If using train it is Lak Si station and taxi or motorcycle taxi from there (it is probably further in sun that you should be walking). Immigration Soi 7 is left immediately after passing CAT (large sign over entrance) going West on Chiang Watanna Road. You go to end of Soi (six lanes) and turn right to center second floor entry of the huge building. Immigration will be inside to the right just before open space area. This is the only office taking care of immigration matters for tourist extension of stay in Bangkok.

I always take a taxi.

[CrankyCarrot]

Thanks Lopburi,

You're probably right about walking that far in the sun - according to G maps it's about 3.4km

Do you know how much should I expect to pay for a taxi from Lak Si station Vs the city?

Also immigration is closed for the Budda holiday tomorrow, right?

[lopburi3]

Closed. Expect taxi would be under 50 baht going - likely more return as don't believe any easy way to turn (but could be a back access I am not aware of) and traffic usually fairly heavy in that area. From town likely 250 and perhaps tolls.

[jpinx]

For reference (cos I think I am too late for the OP) you can get an off-white bus at MoChit bus station - number 56 from memory - which will drag your sorry a*s all along Chang Wattana road. The same bus stops just below Mo Chit BTS and beside MRT jatujakPark (Why do they give two adjoining stations different names?). Ask to get off at immigrations and take a motorbike. That is the cheapest way I know to get there. :jap:

[CrankyCarrot]

Not too late @jpinx - immigration's closed today, so it's gonna have to be tomorrow.

That train can get pretty packed and slow, but then I guess so too can the buses. I'll have to get there by hook or by crook anyway, so I'll probably just take a book and get a taxi from the Lak Si station.

[Cameron38]

I don't think that's the only office to get your visa extended. Last year my friend got his US 60 day Tourist VISA extended another 30 days at the Bangkok Office of Immigration Bureau on Soi Suan Plu, off South Sathorn Road. 662-287-3101-10

[Maestro]

We don't know the travel plans of Cameron38, do we? From his post I did not get the impression that he falls into the category of people who plan to stay in Thailand on tourist visas or visa-exempt entries for an indefinite period.

So what if he plans to fly to Malaysia 45 days after his first arrival in Thailand, later fly back to Thailand and within 30 days return home to the US? You know, like a normal tourist might do.

[Cameron38]

Maestro, I think you meant to post that comment in Thread I started, not this one.

[lopburi3]

I don't think that's the only office to get your visa extended. Last year my friend got his US 60 day Tourist VISA extended another 30 days at the Bangkok Office of Immigration Bureau on Soi Suan Plu, off South Sathorn Road. 662-287-3101-10

Suan Plu is the old immigration office and takes care of land border nationals only during the work week; except for Saturday morning providing re-entry permits to all.

[Mario2008]

Bankok Immigration states this on their website:

Sunday = Closed

Saturday Open 8.30 - 12.00 a.m

at Immigration Division1 (Soi SuanPlu)

- Counter 6 service for visa extension of Tourist visa,Transit visa, without visa and visa on arrival.

- Counter 7 for Re-entry permit

http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php (on the top right side)

It suggest they indeed also extend torist visas there (saturday only)

But the comment by Cameron38 is the first report of someone using this service. I would recommend to check first with immigration if they still offer this service.

[CrankyCarrot]

Well, for what it's worth here's my trip report:

I took the train to Lak Si Station from Hua Lamphung for the princely sum of 4 baht, then a motorbike taxi from there to the immigration for 40 (the return motorbike taxi only cost 20). Bangkok Immigration is inside an impressive, stadium-sized building that has a bunch of other government offices and a few cafes and shops (mostly downstairs). I arrived and took a ticket at about 3pm, then sat patiently in the waiting room ...for 3.5 hours

At 6.30pm - an hour and a half after official office closing time - the automated voice box (which has the most violent pronunciation of the number 8 I've ever heard) called my number and I trotted into the relevant cubicle. The woman looked over my forms and photocopies and berated me for not providing all the relevant photocopies. I'd brought two copies off my passport photo ID page, a passport photo, the application to extend filled out and the cash. What I was SUPPOSED to have was the following, so anyone reading this can prepare adequately and avoid a stern lecturing.

1 x Passport photo

1 x Photocopy of passport photo ID page

1 x Photocopy of arrival stamp in passport

1 x Photocopy of the white arrival card you receive when entering the country

1900 baht cash money

I know this info is available online somewhere and it's my fault for not making sure I had everything, so save your angry words. I heard enough of them from the woman working overtime at immigration yesterday, who told me I should have got everything sorted out downstairs at the copy shop before they closed at 4.30pm. It was pretty frustrating for me as well, especially since I'd showed all my documents to another worker before taking a ticket (again, 3 and a half hours earlier) and she'd looked through everything and said it was fine.

"Next time you not come after 5pm!" said another office worker who was listening in from across the room. "I didn't! I've been here since 3.30" I replied. Everybody seemed to lighten up after that and the relevant extra copies were fetched by an office assistant for an extra 20 baht.

Maybe they were especially backed up when I went in but still, I'd recommend anybody doing an extension at the Bangkok Immigration branch near Lak Si station take a nice thick book with them, and maybe some snacks. They have a few copies of the Bangkok Post and The Nation hanging up on some racks, and despite what it looks like there's nothing to stop you going out and grabbing a coffee downstairs and stretching your legs -- just be aware that most of those shops shut by the 4.30pm - 5pm mark, and you can conceivably still be waiting around for 2 hours after that (there is a 7/11 for emergency supplies that stays open until at least 7pm from what I saw though)

By contrast, the last time I extended in Phuket, the entire procedure was over inside about half an hour. If you have the option, I'd say get this sort of thing taken care of in a smaller office and, once again, make sure you have all the relevant documentation with you.

Cheers

[Mario2008]

If you went yesterday, it was the first day after a 4 day holiday. Not a very good time to apply.

[CrankyCarrot]

Bingo - that explains it.

[Maestro]

Maestro, I think you meant to post that comment in Thread I started, not this one.

Yes, you're right. Seems I had too many threads open simultaneously on my screen and posted my reply into the wrong thread. Sorry about that. Good that you caught it. (For anybody wondering, this is the thread where it should have gone)