Bangkok Immigration Update Please

[TravelerEastWest]

Bangkok Immigration Update please

My wife and I will be going today or tomorrow by taxi to extend my non O visa - usually at Chaengwattana.

Is Chaengwattana open?

Or should we go to Suanplu?

Thank you!

[Mario2008]

Cheang Wattana is open, but you can also use Suan Plu. The choice is yours.

[TravelerEastWest]

Cheang Wattana is open, but you can also use Suan Plu. The choice is yours.

Mario2008,

Thank you very much for your quick response!

I prefer Chaeng Wattana unless the nearby area is flooded.

One more thought is the way to Chaeng Wattana dry or do we need to take an Army truck from the road?

[Mario2008]

The road is not dry, but reported passable since yesterday.

You can take the army truck or the bus from Victory monument.

See: http://bangkok.immig....th/intro1.html for details and map.

[lopburi3]

US Embassy checked with them yesterday and most officers are still working at Suan Plu so I would go there where it is dry. Chiang Wattana is still a lake but now passable for cars but am sure no taxi will take you there.

[TravelerEastWest]

US Embassy checked with them yesterday and most officers are still working at Suan Plu so I would go there where it is dry. Chiang Wattana is still a lake but now passable for cars but am sure no taxi will take you there.

Actually not that wet and taxis had no problems - both ours and others.

[lopburi3]

That is good to know as photo taken by Embassy of MFA building showed it as a lake but as we know photos can and do lie. Also taxi may be more competitive now but several weeks ago they would not go anywhere near water. Were there any facilities open (banks/copy shops)?

In any event all services will return to Chiang Watanna after November 9th so no more choice then.

[ineedavisa]

Has anyone been there these days? Is it possible for Jazz to drive through?

[lopburi3]

Reports Friday was dry.

[canopy]

I was there Friday. While the immigration facility itself is dry, a lot of roads in that area are deep under water. There are a lot of building sites pumping water right onto the roads and military vehicles trolling around. So depending on how you come in and go out you may encounter passable water or even impassable water that a car or pickup cannot get through. I would recommend sticking to suan plu unless you are knowledgeable about the area and are good at rerouting around the problem areas. Otherwise you may have a problem or you may not--all depends on your route. I ended up having problems and losing a license plate driving through the water so wish I hadn't gone there. I didn't know in advance it was flooded or that suan plu was open. I've never been a fan of the new location so just one more reason I think they made a mistake selecting that site.

Edited November 27, 2011 by canopy

[ineedavisa]

I come from Fashion Island, the Lak Si direction, would that have problem?

[lopburi3]

Believe Ram Intra still has flooding as is the tunnel at Lak Si but are passable AFAIK (not the tunnel) but have not seen anything in last day or two.

[ineedavisa]

Thanks for all the informations !

[Mario2008]

Due to the situation on Chaengwattana Road is nearly back to be normal,

extra services above from 1-2 will be opened until Friday 9th December, 2011

at 16:30 PM. Then we will move back to Government Complex on Chaengwattana Road

for normal services from Tuesday 13th December, 2011

Now, Chaengwattana Rd. at the entrance of Government Complex the water level dropped almost to normal, small cars can pass.

In case of visitors wishing to contact Immigration Division 1 at Government Complex, please take the military trucks or other service vehicles which are available at the front of MAKRO STORES,Chaengwattana Branch.

Click here to see route map.

Or traveling from the Victory Monument. Can take a bus No.166 , please look at the front of a bus will show destination at Government Complex. The first bus from Victory Monument start at 7:00 am. and leave every 40 minutes. Bus No.166 leave from the Government Complex at the bus station (in front of The Golden Place supermartket) final at 6.00 pm.

Or take the other public bus service , van and taxi (service as usual).

From immigration website.

[AyG]

I'm rather confused. The Immigration department appears to be saying to take a military truck from Makro to Immigration, suggesting that there's still heavy flooding at the complex.

Posters here are saying that you can get to the complex by car or taxi.

Which is right?

And if you can get there by car, is there anywhere to park? I presume that the multistorey car park is packed with cars parked there to escape the floods.

[Mario2008]

They might have forgeten to adjust that part. But maybe there is still some flooding coming from the Thonburi side, but there should be not much flooding coming from the Laksi side.