Immigration

[samuibeachcomber]

anyone know for sure if they are open or closed today for chinese new year.supposed to do 90 report today.have called no answer but they could be busy.thanks any info.

[Mario2008]

Only in the 4 most Southern provinces is Chinese new year a government holiday.

[Tropicalevo]

Found this site for holidays in Thailand

Chinese New Year

The beginning of the Chinese lunar year is celebrated in the Chinatowns of every city throughout Thailand. Some businesses close for the day, but it is not a national holiday.

Chinese New Year 2012

Monday, 23 January 2012

Mind you - the folk in immigration are a law unto themselves. They might eat some dim sum and then go around collecting their red envelopes

[insertmembernamehere]

Regarding the loud, pushy, outside-the-office-every-20-minutes-for-a-smoke, arrogant official who works at Samui Immigration; if anyone knows which day is his usual day off, PM me.

The next time I need to go, I want to be sure that someone else serves me.

He was in classic form today, ranting, abusing, puffing .... and the last target when I was there was one white-haired, wizened old man who after coming under the withering attack of repeated shouts of, "YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR SEVEN DAYS! YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR SEVEN DAYS!" came out of the office behind the front desk muttering (loudly), "dam_n Hitler!"

Come on! Badgering new age backpacking DNA-altered (for the better) youths is one thing, but a seriously senior citizen? Wow! A little respect might be nice.

[marstons]

That would be Nok off Saturday and Sunday i beleive. give it ago on his days off.

[insertmembernamehere]

Nok is a man's name?

[yorkie100]

That would be Nok off Saturday and Sunday i beleive. give it ago on his days off.

[marstons]

Nok is a man's name?

Yes and ladies, and a birds.

[robsamui]

That would be Nok off Saturday and Sunday i beleive. give it ago on his days off.

Oh what!

Nok it off mate!

Edited January 25, 2012 by Rooo
Fixed duplicate quote.

[Rooo]

A slanderous post removed. Please be aware of this:

6) Not to post comments that could be reasonably construed as defamation or libel.Defamation is the issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm. Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper.

[NHJ]

i must add Kee Nok had the same behaviour when i asked to transfer my stamp from my old passport to my new, he shouted YOu go border, you go border like a pig.

result at the border the officers were not too busy and transfered my stamp but i had to wait 15 minutes...

hopefully he is now behind his desk counting passport stamp and not counting money this office was extorting to "facilitate" the approval of extension ^^

[insertmembernamehere]

How interesting....

My passport expires near the end of this year, and according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website, one requirement for my type of visa is: "Passport with validity of not less than 18 months."

My visa was up at the end of this month, so I took all the paperwork I had, including a fixed term deposit account with exactly 800,000 baht which I had opened at the first of October (to satisfy the unwritten "three months before you apply" rule) and went to the immigration office 2 weeks early to ask.

As luck would have it, Bezerko was not in the office (what day was that?) and I spoke to the man who has a desk in the corner in the partitioned area. He was not happy that I had opened the account in a city outside of Samui, but seemed to indicate that they would give me the time for my visa up to the time my passport was valid.

When I came on the appointed day, I was chagrined to see Bezerko there and more ashed to be told to go in the "break room" to present my things. He looked at my bank book and the bank certificate of validity (obtained from and headed by the Samui branch of the bank) and said, "Oh, huh...You have something else? (bankbook)" Of course I have another account in the same bank from which I use to live off of (can't touch the fixed term account, obviously), and I pulled out that book. Because of an unplanned transaction, I had quite a large amount in that account as well. I assume he was looking at how much "shake down" money he might be able to squeeze out of me.

Eventually, I came back and was presented with the passport and everything as it should be. Now....looking at the above post, I wonder what will happen when I go to transfer the visa to the new passport. I asked Bezerko at the time if everything was going to be okay, and he said yes.

By the way, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website states regarding the financial requirement: "A copy of bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling (sic) not less than 800,000 Baht."

No where does it say anything about this three-month rule. Of course, it maybe the case that I do actually need 18 months on my passport and they do this "til the end of validity" system just to put you in the position to roger you.

[itishothere]

Sounds to me like your visa has expired and that you are now here on an extension of stay based on retirement. Many people on here have had many subsequent extensions of stay based on an expired visa, so not too sure what you are concerned about. And, as far as I am aware, it is extensions that need the 3 month seasoning and that a Retirement Visa applied for in your own country does not need this time. I am sure the guys in the Visa section of this Forum will be able to clarify the situation for you.

Visas (even expired ones) get transferred all the time into new passports.

Immigration have always been fine with me. Turn up with the right paperwork, act politely and accept it will take some time, always seems to work with me.

Edited January 26, 2012 by itishothere

[insertmembernamehere]

I suppose it is the semantics of "extension of stay" based on a Retirement Visa. So I guess technically, we are talking about an "extension."

Yes, be polite and have your papers in order. But the funny thing was, Bezerko was, minutes before defaming an old man, shouting at someone else who was questioning/complaining in a normal voice, "YOU MUST BE POLITE! YOU MUST BE POLITE!" and on and on....What is the Thai for, "the pot calling the kettle black"?

[PoorSucker]

Did he ask you for 5.000 baht for the extension?

[Rooo]

They stuck my old passport with the original visa to my new one.

[insertmembernamehere]

No, I was charged 1,900 for the extension and 3,800 for the multiple reentry permit, both of which are the fees posted right outside the front door. He didn't really have a leg to stand on for a shakedown right then, but I am sure he was thinking back and remembers all the people who have that potential. We'll see, but I anticipate this transfer happening outside of Samui, since I can't get my new passport from here.