90 Day Reporting - Comments And Experiences

[Loaded]

Out Tai Yai mae bahn spent 5 days at Immigration this week to extend her visa. 400 non-farang people per day but only a fraction of this processed. We helped as much as possible with connections and phone calls plus they stayed open until 9pm for the non-farang visa holders, but 5 days!!!!

[CMNightRider]

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

There seems to be a problem accessing this site. One day it works and then it doesn't work. I just tried to access this site and it wouldn't open. :-(

[chooka]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

[Sparkles]

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

There seems to be a problem accessing this site. One day it works and then it doesn't work. I just tried to access this site and it wouldn't open. :-(

working for me at 4.02 pm

[mania]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

Not quite sure what you mean by "family Visa"

But if you have a Non Imm O visa based on marriage to a Thai yes it is extended one year at a time without having to leave & start over

[CMNightRider]

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

There seems to be a problem accessing this site. One day it works and then it doesn't work. I just tried to access this site and it wouldn't open. :-(

working for me at 4.02 pm

4:40 pm and it went off again. There is something wrong with that site.

[NancyL]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

The 90-day report expiration is independent of the expiration of your visa extension. So, when you do that 90 day report around May 7th, the slip of paper they put in your passport will be stamped with a date 90 days from your report.

The question about whether you have to leave the country or not depends upon the type of visa you have and the reason it was extended previously. If it's an O visa with a permission to stay that was extended for 12-months and your reason for extension hasn't changed, then you don't need to leave the country.

Incidentally, you don't "renew" your visa -- it expired on whatever date is on the original visa. What you're really doing is "extending your permission to stay". You can keep doing that year-after-year (if you meet the qualifications) forever -- decades after your visa expired, provided you're never late in getting a new extensions.

[Tywais]

If it is a visa extension that expires on the 24th of May the 90 Day report due the 7th of May will be stamped until the permission of stay stamp expiration, that is only until the 24th. This is what they did for my last 2 to 3 extensions but when you get the extension the officer processing the extension will go ahead and stamp the 'shortened' 90 day report out to where it normally would be so don't have to get in queue again for that.

[chooka]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

Not quite sure what you mean by "family Visa"

But if you have a Non Imm O visa based on marriage to a Thai yes it is extended one year at a time without having to leave & start over

Sorry I was confusing, I had a non immigrant and got it extended for 12 month based on family ie: I have a son. Live with the mother (defacto) and son as a family. (all done through the courts and approved by immigration)

[Mapguy]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

The 90-day report expiration is independent of the expiration of your visa extension. So, when you do that 90 day report around May 7th, the slip of paper they put in your passport will be stamped with a date 90 days from your report.

The question about whether you have to leave the country or not depends upon the type of visa you have and the reason it was extended previously. If it's an O visa with a permission to stay that was extended for 12-months and your reason for extension hasn't changed, then you don't need to leave the country.

Incidentally, you don't "renew" your visa -- it expired on whatever date is on the original visa. What you're really doing is "extending your permission to stay". You can keep doing that year-after-year (if you meet the qualifications) forever -- decades after your visa expired, provided you're never late in getting a new extensions.

+1

[Mapguy]

The site --- http://www.change.or...igration-office --- was down for "routine maintenance" part of the day.

[NancyL]

If it is a visa extension that expires on the 24th of May the 90 Day report due the 7th of May will be stamped until the permission of stay stamp expiration, that is only until the 24th. This is what they did for my last 2 to 3 extensions but when you get the extension the officer processing the extension will go ahead and stamp the 'shortened' 90 day report out to where it normally would be so don't have to get in queue again for that.

Last time I did a 90 day report, the due date for the next 90 day report was after the expiration of my extension to stay. They still stamped the 90-day slip with the 90-day date, but wrote on it "visa expire --------" and listed the date, which was before the expiration date of the 90 day report.

I love the way Immigration doesn't use the correct terminology, either. My visa has long since expired. What was expiring before my next 90 days is my 12-month extension of permission to stay.

It's no wonder we foreigners talk in terms of "renewing" our "expiring visas".

[triffid]

I asked this question elsewhere but failed to have it noticed or answered. Is it correct that this report is due 90 days after the date of either the last such report or the last entry to Thailand - whichever is later? So if I leave the country within 90 days f the last report I can throw away the slip CM immigration stapled in my passport.

[uptheos]

I asked this question elsewhere but failed to have it noticed or answered. Is it correct that this report is due 90 days after the date of either the last such report or the last entry to Thailand - whichever is later? So if I leave the country within 90 days f the last report I can throw away the slip CM immigration stapled in my passport.

Don't throw it away, it does no harm and at least they can see you have been reporting.

Yes, if you leave the country within the 90 day period, the clock starts ticking from when you next enter the country.

[Sicarius]

I have a 90day touristvisa. I have extended it for the 30days, but I really would like to stay only about 10-15 days more. Is it possible to extend it 1 more time at the immigration without having to get a new visa?

[circusman]

My next 90 day report is on the 7th May. My one yr family visa expires on the 24th may. When I report will they give me 90 days or just the 17 days up until the visa expires?

Another question, Can this visa be extended for another year or do I have to leave the country and get another non immigrant and then start over again?

The 90-day report expiration is independent of the expiration of your visa extension. So, when you do that 90 day report around May 7th, the slip of paper they put in your passport will be stamped with a date 90 days from your report.

The question about whether you have to leave the country or not depends upon the type of visa you have and the reason it was extended previously. If it's an O visa with a permission to stay that was extended for 12-months and your reason for extension hasn't changed, then you don't need to leave the country.

Incidentally, you don't "renew" your visa -- it expired on whatever date is on the original visa. What you're really doing is "extending your permission to stay". You can keep doing that year-after-year (if you meet the qualifications) forever -- decades after your visa expired, provided you're never late in getting a new extensions.

+1

I can't quite grasp what good putting a +1 after someone's post adds to the forum.

[Mario2008]

I have a 90day touristvisa. I have extended it for the 30days, but I really would like to stay only about 10-15 days more. Is it possible to extend it 1 more time at the immigration without having to get a new visa?

Wrong thread, but the answer is no. The most you can get is an additional 7 days.

Depending on your nationality, you can go to Mai Sai and cross the border and come back and get another 15 days. Will cost 500 baht for visa into Myanmar.

[RPCVguy]

Some good points, but I suspect that a fair number of people did not do the paperwork right or did not include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and immigration just got fed up with it.

They told me about 6 months back when my return slip was lost in the post (the only time I didn't send the return envelope registered), that they were "fed up with people not including a registered return envelope." They said so many get lost in the post and then when people come back to find out the new date and get another slip, that it slowed things down there and furthermore something like 80% of people coming in didn't bring their passport with them. So many people thought that they will make a photocopy of the date they assigned -- not so, they start the process over.

Thanks for suggesting some possible reasons for the new problems.

I live 100 Km out of Chiang Mai and have been mailing my 90-day report at least 3 or 4 times a year for most of the 5+ years I've been living here. I've married to a woman nearly my age and as a retiree we get to stay within a few blocks of our home week-in and week-out for many months on end. Our post office is only 2 blocks away, and I'm still the only ex-pat registered as living in the district - so I'm well known locally.

No problems at the immigration office on the annual trips into Chiang Mai - other than arriving early to get a low number for being seen.

#1) I am reading on some comments that people are having appointments now for their annual extension of stay paperwork. Is this now a requirement? and if so, how does one begin to seek an appointment?

#2) When I mailed in my last 90-day TM-47 on January 9th via EMS (and as always with a self addressed, pre-printed and stamped return envelope) I'd not heard of the new hassles as to Chiang Mai and mail. Subsequent reports said that because I lived so far away, my report would continue to be processed. Yes, I have my receipt, and EMS shows it was delivered to immigration on January 10th, but concerned, I called on Monday AM of the 14th (reprot date stamped as Sunday the 13th) and was told to allow a few weeks and since I live outside Chiang Mai, it would indeed be mailed back to me.

After waiting a month I called again. Immigration asked for my passport #, and then cited my name and that my 90-day paperwork had been processed. They then suggested that maybe my post office had mis-handled it... check with them. That was not much of a problem, the post office gets all my mail to me. Nothing, including voter paperwork from my country has ever gotten lost - but I went to the post office. The same clerk as always was not only able to recall my visit and mailing of the EMS, he was able to re-print the receipt - and show that EMS certified it was delivered on the 10th. Together, the clerk and I called immigration again, but were asked to call back the next morning after 10PM. This time the clerk did the talking to immigration, reaffirmed I'd placed a self addressed stamped envelope inside (my EMS receipt included showing that extra 10 baht purchase) and then he verbally reconfirmed my address with immigration. They were telling him that a replacement form would be mailed to me, and I could understand enough of the conversation that I know this is what was happening.

Friday was 2 weeks since that transaction, and nothing has arrived. I am sympathetic to the situation as described in the City Life interview of Police Colonel Prachak Awaiyawanont - but I am concerned that once his staff began filtering which mail to process and which to not process, that somebody has made an error they do not want to admit. What am I to do? I've no slip of paper for my passport, and only this receipt and a photo of the old slip to suggest when my next 90-day report is due. Is there anyone to call besides the people who are already overworked - who may be held accountable for making some error?

Is there someone here who has advice that may allow me to get this resolved remotely? Getting in and out of Chiang Mai is an arduous journey involving motorcycle to songtail into the city, with then local transport again - Or getting in via bus so late as to require an overnight stay.

[RPCVguy]

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

Isn't Change.org a petition site for action in the USA? Maybe it is more widespread, but really... who would appropriately deliver a petition here?

[hellodolly]

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

Isn't Change.org a petition site for action in the USA? Maybe it is more widespread, but really... who would appropriately deliver a petition here?

According to the article it is a Thai thing.

Extremely laughable. They need 297 more signatures to give them 500. It could be a American thing I guess it does not say what the petition is. It could be to have Obama step down.

Just a cut and paste with a very open intelligent article.

The commissioner says to write letters to the Prime Minister. Makes a lot more sense than signing a petition for an unknown purpose. Kinda like meeting a bar girl and marrying her next week.

That is not a slam against bar girls just the hello I love you lets get married today ladies. They don't all work in bars and they aren't all in Thailand in fact they are in different countries all over the world

Edited February 18, 2013 by onthedarkside
spelling corrected - marring to marrying

[RPCVguy]

Thanks for suggesting some possible reasons for the new problems.

I live 100 Km out of Chiang Mai and have been mailing my 90-day report at least 3 or 4 times a year for most of the 5+ years I've been living here. I've married to a woman nearly my age and as a retiree we get to stay within a few blocks of our home week-in and week-out for many months on end. Our post office is only 2 blocks away, and I'm still the only ex-pat registered as living in the district - so I'm well known locally.

No problems at the immigration office on the annual trips into Chiang Mai - other than arriving early to get a low number for being seen.

#1) I am reading on some comments that people are having appointments now for their annual extension of stay paperwork. Is this now a requirement? and if so, how does one begin to seek an appointment?

#2) When I mailed in my last 90-day TM-47 on January 9th via EMS (and as always with a self addressed, pre-printed and stamped return envelope) I'd not heard of the new hassles as to Chiang Mai and mail. Subsequent reports said that because I lived so far away, my report would continue to be processed. Yes, I have my receipt, and EMS shows it was delivered to immigration on January 10th, but concerned, I called on Monday AM of the 14th (reprot date stamped as Sunday the 13th) and was told to allow a few weeks and since I live outside Chiang Mai, it would indeed be mailed back to me.

After waiting a month I called again. Immigration asked for my passport #, and then cited my name and that my 90-day paperwork had been processed. They then suggested that maybe my post office had mis-handled it... check with them. That was not much of a problem, the post office gets all my mail to me. Nothing, including voter paperwork from my country has ever gotten lost - but I went to the post office. The same clerk as always was not only able to recall my visit and mailing of the EMS, he was able to re-print the receipt - and show that EMS certified it was delivered on the 10th. Together, the clerk and I called immigration again, but were asked to call back the next morning after 10PM. This time the clerk did the talking to immigration, reaffirmed I'd placed a self addressed stamped envelope inside (my EMS receipt included showing that extra 10 baht purchase) and then he verbally reconfirmed my address with immigration. They were telling him that a replacement form would be mailed to me, and I could understand enough of the conversation that I know this is what was happening.

Friday was 2 weeks since that transaction, and nothing has arrived. I am sympathetic to the situation as described in the City Life interview of Police Colonel Prachak Awaiyawanont - but I am concerned that once his staff began filtering which mail to process and which to not process, that somebody has made an error they do not want to admit. What am I to do? I've no slip of paper for my passport, and only this receipt and a photo of the old slip to suggest when my next 90-day report is due. Is there anyone to call besides the people who are already overworked - who may be held accountable for making some error?

Is there someone here who has advice that may allow me to get this resolved remotely? Getting in and out of Chiang Mai is an arduous journey involving motorcycle to songtail into the city, with then local transport again - Or getting in via bus so late as to require an overnight stay.

I found the article on our local Immigration Office to be very

informative. From postings on Chiang Mai portion of Thai Visa Forum

I would have expected a ground swell of support for doing something to

improve the situation at the Immigration Office.

However, in looking at the petition site this morning found that only 95

persons have chosen to sign. So I guess the silence speaks volumes

about the real level of concern?

You can check the statistics at:

http://www.change.or...igration-office

Isn't Change.org a petition site for action in the USA? Maybe it is more widespread, but really... who would appropriately deliver a petition here?

According to the article it is a Thai thing.

Extremely laughable. They need 297 more signatures to give them 500. It could be a American thing I guess it does not say what the petition is. It could be to have Obama step down.

Just a cut and paste with a very open intelligent article.

The commissioner says to write letters to the Prime Minister. Makes a lot more sense than signing a petition for an unknown purpose. Kinda like meeting a bar girl and marring her next week.

That is not a slam against bar girls just the hello I love you lets get married today ladies. They don't all work in bars and they aren't all in Thailand in fact they are in different countries all over the world

Thanks for the reply to my comment #349... I am seriously hoping for usable suggestions on my earlier comment = #348

[onthedarkside]

All the posts making fun of a member's genuine typing mistake have been removed, and typing error corrected.

[trainman34014]

Went in today for 90 day report at 10.30 and out by 11am. Machine not working so queue at middle counter for 90 day number and just 5 in front of me so no real problems. However; a total of seven Farang tried to push in at 90 day counter without ticket just while I was waiting so heaven knows how many try to push in in a whole day. All it does is causes delays as the Sgt on the desk is constantly taking time to tell them and go and queue for a ticket. Now I know this is not entirely the punters fault as on occasions when I've been in the machine has been working and at other times there are no tickets issued at all and you can just walk up to the 90 day report counter and get served. Some consistency would help in the handling procedures but hey; TIT and I am always glad to be out in half an hour or less. Parking anywhere in the immediate area seems to have been getting a lot worse in the last year or so and today I was parked at Central Plaza as little other option apart from the Airport.

[NancyL]

It would really help if they put a "Get your queue numbers here" sign right over that center counter during the times they aren't using the ticket machine.

About that petition -- it was started by Khun Pim, the editor of CityLife magazine. She's very reputable -- and not an American. A quick look at the change.org website shows how these on-line petitions can make a big difference all over the world. It's definitely not just an "American" thing.

[uptheos]

It would really help if they put a "Get your queue numbers here" sign right over that center counter during the times they aren't using the ticket machine.

About that petition -- it was started by Khun Pim, the editor of CityLife magazine. She's very reputable -- and not an American. A quick look at the change.org website shows how these on-line petitions can make a big difference all over the world. It's definitely not just an "American" thing.

Agree, it would be helpful if they did something and be a little pro active for crying out loud. That's what makes me wonder what all the petitioning is about? I don't mind petitioning against trafficking, torture or even double pricing.........but pleading on behalf of better conditions for immigration, when they can't even help themselves - no thank you.

As trainman said in post 353 he's always glad to be out in half an hour or less, so what's the big deal?

Edited February 18, 2013 by uptheos

[circusman]

Going in soon for 90 day ritual. Which is the arrival card number? Is it the number under the bar code on the departure card?

[RPCVguy]

No processing by mail, no matter where within the Chiang Mai Immigration territory one lives. This is the interpretation cited point blank by phone yesterday. Chiang Mai Immigration is NOT processing any TM47s by mail, at least not returning any paperwork - forcing followup phone calls and the need to come in so as to report as due within the next 90 days. This news yesterday after the intermediate conversations since mid-January that mail for out-of-towners was still being honored... as spelled out on their site at http://chiangmaiimm.com/en/notification-of-staying-in-the-kingdom-over-90-days.html

Regarding my first question above, the same site accepts appointments, but the earliest slot still available is May 10th...

Since I don't travel overnight easily any more, looks like I'll be taking a 5:30 AM motorcycle trip over to the next valley so as to catch a songtail by 6AM, to have a chance to get to immigration in time to get paperwork done and maybe get home again 14 hours later. :-(

[RPCVguy]

Seeing no responses to my posts above, I tried finding the thread that I'd read back on January 12th... because at the time there were posts saying that living outside of Chiang Mai meant the postal option continued to be a viable option.

Those posts have either all been deleted - or there are still threads beyond this one and the following:

1) Postal 90 Day Reporting In Cm (Started by gennisis, 2012-11-28 17:16 )

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/601301-postal-90-day-reporting-in-cm/page-3

2) 90 Day Report - Procedures (Started by Tywais, 2012-05-23 18:50 )

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/557382-90-day-report-procedures/

3) 90 Day Immigration Report... (Started by westbounder, 2013-02-01 15:02 )

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/616179-90-day-immigration-report/

4) Notification Of Staying In The Kingdom Over 90 Days By Registered Mail (Started by BobTH, 2013-02-17 14:55)

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/619960-notification-of-staying-in-the-kingdom-over-90-days-by-registered-mail/?p=6137460

... and 5) Immigration Free-For-All ( Started by mgbcnx, 2013-01-08 17:15 )

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/610462-immigration-free-for-all/page-5

Of interest in my search is that there is a gap in this thread from "Posted 2012-12-27 19:04:48" where the next post is not until "Posted 2013-01-15 05:17:21" ... yet it is a hot topic on each side of those dates. Hmmm so was all evidence of conflicting messaging deleted from the record? Looks like to me.

Back to the present, and how to deal with the chaos. It is interesting to see how many are willing to farm out the process to agents. Yes - the thousand baht a year seems fair - if these people are honest and competent, but even if that's who they are today, how long will that continue? So I've another month to figure a way forward - one that still does not require me to book and travel the hours each way and stay a night to boot.

Sure would like to see some of the ideas implemented I've read in the various threads... online reporting OR only reporting a change, OR ... the office staffed to the levels recomended, in a facility large enough to have it all working. Someday ... LOL

[jackr]

^^ I would just go with Assist and save all that hassle; can't see them introducing reporting online or making a drastic change in our favour anytime soon.

Was in there the other day; well over an hour and late in the day to boot. Just the old guy processing, sometimes 15 mins between ticket numbers. Lots of fun.

[hellodolly]

No processing by mail, no matter where within the Chiang Mai Immigration territory one lives. This is the interpretation cited point blank by phone yesterday. Chiang Mai Immigration is NOT processing any TM47s by mail, at least not returning any paperwork - forcing followup phone calls and the need to come in so as to report as due within the next 90 days. This news yesterday after the intermediate conversations since mid-January that mail for out-of-towners was still being honored... as spelled out on their site at http://chiangmaiimm.com/en/notification-of-staying-in-the-kingdom-over-90-days.html Regarding my first question above, the same site accepts appointments, but the earliest slot still available is May 10th... Since I don't travel overnight easily any more, looks like I'll be taking a 5:30 AM motorcycle trip over to the next valley so as to catch a songtail by 6AM, to have a chance to get to immigration in time to get paperwork done and maybe get home again 14 hours later. :-(

Well I am by no means an expert on the subject but I believe if transportation is a problem for you. Sickness or what ever a younger person can take it in for you. Surprised uptheos hasn't told you about paying to have it done. There is apparently several services that do it.