Pattaya’s New Immigration Office Up And Running

[george]

Pattaya’s new Immigration office up and running

Pattaya Immigration superintendent reveals on-line visa application services coming soon

PATTAYA: -- On-line visa extensions are one of the services offered by the new Pattaya Immigration headquarters, which has just opened in extensive new premises on Beach Road.

Pol Col Itthipol Ithisarnronachai, superintendent of Pattaya Immigration, on January 10 opened the new headquarters building to reporters, inviting them on a tour of the premises and describing future plans for the service.

He said that under the policies of Pol Lt Gen Suwatt Damrongsrisakol, commander of Immigration Police, the intention is to develop the Pattaya facility as a model immigration control point. Pattaya is one of 15 centers and a prime industrial and tourism gateway that needed to be both an effective control center and to present a favorable image of Thailand to visitors.

Pattaya’s original Immigration headquarters were set up at the time when American servicemen were coming to Pattaya on R&R leave, which required more police to look after the locals and tourists, so the Thai Royal Police sent down officers to offer visa services. In 1985 the Royal Thai Police recognized the growth of Pattaya and provided a budget to build accommodation, the first of its kind in Thailand. That was at a time when Pattaya wasn’t as developed as it is today.

The old premises eventually became too small, and unsuitable for providing services to foreigner visitors even though modern services were provided using IT, cue tickets and information over the internet. There was insufficient parking, and no room for expansion. Land and buildings were donated at a new location and the move to new premises took effect from December 6.

The new premises have ample parking space and the service has a 30 million baht budget provided mostly by the private sector, with Pattaya City Council providing a 1 million baht budget for a conference room. Solar cells are being used under the government energy saving policy and a Japanese company has supplied a 1 million baht budget for this. The old premises are being utilized as a lock-up and staff residences.

“We will be the first immigration center to offer on-line visa extension applications where the applicant will submit the application over the internet,” said Pol Col Itthipol. “Immigration police will check the information overnight and be ready to extend the applicant’s visa the next day. This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

Service by officials will be improved under an internal campaign designed to make visitors using the headquarters leave with a good impression.

“I feel proud the facility has been built. It is the property of everyone, accepted by everyone and we will serve everyone and everyone will trust Pattaya Immigration Police,” said the superintendent.

Pol Col Itthipol showed reporters around the conference room, offices and service booths, and pointed out the forms where people can express their opinions or submit complaints and suggestions to improve services even further.

The new headquarters is located at Beach Road. For further details call 0 38252 750-1.

--Pattaya Mail 2006-01-20

[Boon Mee]

“We will be the first immigration center to offer on-line visa extension applications where the applicant will submit the application over the internet,” said Pol Col Itthipol. “Immigration police will check the information overnight and be ready to extend the applicant’s visa the next day. This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

Excellent news.

[paulnuek]

Immigration making things easier for us falangs

[buadhai]

Gee, it was my understanding that visas could not be extended. When I was at Immigration at Suan Plu the day before yesterday the Immigration officer to whom I spoke made it quite clear that Immigration does not have the authority to extend visas. Once a visa expires, that's it, no more. If you want another visa you have to leave the country and apply for a new one.

The only thing that Immigration can extend is the date to which you are permitted to stay.

Or, has Immigration changed their policy since last Wednesday?

[Boon Mee]

TiT

[astral]

Gee, it was my understanding that visas could not be extended. When I was at Immigration at Suan Plu the day before yesterday the Immigration officer to whom I spoke made it quite clear that Immigration does not have the authority to extend visas. Once a visa expires, that's it, no more. If you want another visa you have to leave the country and apply for a new one.

The only thing that Immigration can extend is the date to which you are permitted to stay.

Or, has Immigration changed their policy since last Wednesday?

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

PATTAYA: -- On-line visa extensions are one of the services offered by the new Pattaya Immigration headquarters, which has just opened in extensive new premises on Beach Road.

I thought they moved out of Pattaya to Jomtien last month.

Is this another location?

[lopburi3]

Actually your permission to stay in Thailand is what is being extended. You are already in Thailand so you do not need a visa to enter the country (that is what they are for). But visa is a four letter word and much easier to remember than "extension of stay".

[sajal]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

Edited January 20, 2006 by devil_dog

[lopburi3]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

Take another look at what you get and then tell us exactly what it says please. I do not believe you will find it to be a "visa".

[Acharn]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

I ran into this when I was in a hiatus between my "supporting a Thai national" and my retirement status. The Immigration officers advised me to make visa runs until my birthday, when I would be old enough for the retirement visa. I went down to Penang and got a Double Entry Tourist Visa which was valid for a 60 day stay. At the end of the 60 days I could get it extended for up to 30 days more for 500 baht. Then I had to go down to the border, cross over and come back, and that started the second entry stay for 60 days, which I extended...

They *may* grant an extension of up to 7 days of the "Permission to stay" for 30 days that they stamp in an American passport on arrival (I think the period is the same for U.K. passports, but it varies by country -- some are allowed 60 days without getting a visa in advance). This policy, of course, is subject to change without notice depending on whether the officer got a little the night before or is starting her period.

Lots of people get multiple entry non-immigrant visas, but I didn't really qualify and was worried about future repercussions so went the tourist visa route rather than submit forged or perjured documents.

There may be some confusion of language going on here. Initially, I entered the kingdom on a 90-day non-immigrant "other" visa. At the end of the 90 days I went with my wife and documents to Immigration on Soi Suan Phlu and they extended my required departure date by 9 months. After that every year for 14 years they extended the departure date by one year, until my wife died, but I retained the same visa. When I renewed my passport they put a stamp on the first page recording the details of my visa, but I never got a new one.

After I qualified for the retirement visa (at that time there were different income requirements for under 60 and 60 or older), I got a new non-immigrant "other" visa, which has been extended (some might call it "renewed") for a year at a time for eight years. I haven't gotten a new visa -- in fact, I haven't left the country since 1997. I don't know how it works if you're on a "business" visa, with a work permit, but I bet they extend the departure date, rather than issue a new visa.

[alstaxi]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

Take another look at what you get and then tell us exactly what it says please. I do not believe you will find it to be a "visa".

[h90]

therefore it is so easy to process on the internet.

Beside that, every visa can be extended, but on tourist visa they normaly tell that they can not. I personaly was 6 month in Thailand on a tourist visa and they changed it to an non immigrant after some time. Just it cost me some money under the table....

Everything is possible..... Once I woundered why it is so easy for indian people till I saw them in the Bangkok immigration, everyone has 1000 Baht hide in his hand and ready to give.....

Gee, it was my understanding that visas could not be extended. When I was at Immigration at Suan Plu the day before yesterday the Immigration officer to whom I spoke made it quite clear that Immigration does not have the authority to extend visas. Once a visa expires, that's it, no more. If you want another visa you have to leave the country and apply for a new one.

The only thing that Immigration can extend is the date to which you are permitted to stay.

Or, has Immigration changed their policy since last Wednesday?

[buadhai]

Actually your permission to stay in Thailand is what is being extended. You are already in Thailand so you do not need a visa to enter the country (that is what they are for). But visa is a four letter word and much easier to remember than "extension of stay".

It may be easier to say, but it caused me no end of confusion because my visa expires long before my permission to stay. Because of all the talk about "visa extension" I made a special trip to Bangkok to extend mine only to be told that Immigration does not extend visas and that I have to come back again when my permission to stay is about to expire.

If people (including Thai Immigration) had been more accurate and less lazy in their use of language I would not have made this expensive and time consuming mistake.

[Beachbunny]

I thought they moved out of Pattaya to Jomtien last month.

Is this another location?

Soi 5. I was just there in December. Take Thepprasit road to the end turn left and follow around to beach road.....keep going to soi 5.

I'm not very familiar with that area, it maybe in Jomtien beach area, but I don't think it's in Jomtien municipality as that begins south of Chayapruk road.

beachbunny

[manutoo]

"... This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

The 3 times I did extension in Soi Suan Phlu, I spent less than 25 min in the immigration office, and about 1 hour on road...

So save less than 15 min on a total of 1h25, it's not bad (except if we need 15 min to fill the form on Internet ), but nothing to hit the ass on the ground (french expression )...

[rossigee]

“We will be the first immigration center to offer on-line visa extension applications where the applicant will submit the application over the internet,” said Pol Col Itthipol. “Immigration police will check the information overnight and be ready to extend the applicant’s visa the next day. This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

Excellent news.

Agreed. Glad to hear it. It'll be nice when I can just put my passport number and/or tax number on an application form (whether on-line or in my local immigration office), and have them and/or their systems take care of the rest (within 10 minutes, or 24 hours I don't care).

Let's hope the Pattaya model proves itself quickly and spreads quickly to the offices in the south quickly. I had nearly resigned myself to the fact that I would have to waste several days a year gathering, stamping, signing, submitting and checking back every 30 days on sets of photocopied paperwork for the next few years of my life

[Artisan]

This is typically pure, and poor, speculative journalism by the Pattaya Mail. All I can say is don't hold your breath on this. Yes, the new Immigration Office is on Soi 5 in Jomtien and not on Beach Road. The article doesn't even mention Jomtien.

I'm very sceptical about this. How do we show a doctor's certificate, bank letter, bank passbook, Embassy letter, photographs etc. etc. over the Internet?

[rono]

This is typically pure, and poor, speculative journalism by the Pattaya Mail. All I can say is don't hold your breath on this. Yes, the new Immigration Office is on Soi 5 in Jomtien and not on Beach Road. The article doesn't even mention Jomtien.

I'm very sceptical about this. How do we show a doctor's certificate, bank letter, bank passbook, Embassy letter, photographs etc. etc. over the Internet?

How about a scanner, webcam, maybe skype?

[Artisan]

Did you know that, as long as you are over 50 years old, and even though you have insufficient savings or income, you can receive a 12-month extension of stay to your visa from Pattaya Immigration. It is necessary to open a savings account in a particular bank in Pattaya and then they will deposit 800,000 baht in this bank and this deposit can be used to satisfy the criteria. This will cost you 15,000 baht for the use of this money for 24 hours. However, you cannot withdraw this money as the account is frozen and the money can can only be removed by the Immigration Office.....but I'm sure that you knew that already.

This is typically pure, and poor, speculative journalism by the Pattaya Mail. All I can say is don't hold your breath on this. Yes, the new Immigration Office is on Soi 5 in Jomtien and not on Beach Road. The article doesn't even mention Jomtien.

I'm very sceptical about this. How do we show a doctor's certificate, bank letter, bank passbook, Embassy letter, photographs etc. etc. over the Internet?

How about a scanner, webcam, maybe skype?

Yes, you're right but all of this will take time, probably longer than just taking the originals in with your application......and whoever heard of the Immigration Officers working overnight?

[Artisan]

Another Immigration story....... I forgot to do my 90-day reporting on Friday 16th December last year so I went on Monday 19th December. I was welcomed by a trainee who asked me if I needed any help. I explained why I was there and apologised that I was a little late in reporting my 90-days. She said that my oversight will cost me 2,000 baht and pointed to a female Immigration Officer sitting at a nearby desk. I completed the form and moved over to this Immigration Officer, who had four trainees standing beside her desk.

She had been told already about my forgetfullness and said that I would have to pay a 2,000 baht fine. I said that I knew that there was a temporary 7-day period of grace in this 90-day reporting (still operating at the time of my reporting) and that I need not pay this fine this time. Her response was that, as it was nearly Christmas, I should give her trainees "something for Christmas"! Just then my 3-year old daughter, who had been inspecting the water dispenser, joined me and so I said that didn't she think that my little girl would like something for Christmas also. The trainees sloped off and the 90-day slip of paper was stapled into my passport.

[mouse]

Actually I do not mind the annual ritual of getting the forms together and trotting the 300km rountrip to present everything and then pick the new extension of stay up within one month. What is killing me are the 90 day reporting trips. Although registered mail is an authorized method or even allowing a friend to carry the form there for me, I have not yet progressed to that point of trust within Thailand.

Would it not be nice if we could fill out an online .pdf or .doc version of the TM 47 form, attach a scan of our revelant passport pages, a photo (if desired) and email the whole package to the Immigration website. Kind of like signing in to a website. Immgration in turn would log our extension into their system and would in turn issue us a small slip of paper indicating the 90 day reporting had been met with some type of code that could be checked.

Or better yet do away with the whole 90 day reporting requirement and make that a requirement only if you change residence for more than 72 hours.

Keep in mind that the "Bad Guys" do not worry about breaking immigration rules, especially if you consider that some of these zealots will even kill themselves in their pursuit of harming others.

[Michel Chantraine]

This is not April 1st?? who can believe that?

In first it could be better to take care the pharangs from the North, 5 times (5 months) last year to get my 1 year visa which 12-5 = 7 months, + to pay the work permit 5 times... if you don't want to loose your number, and "the cherry on the cake" (french), most of us must go every three months to signe one paper as we did'nt change our address, so, difficult to think that this "dream" will be come a reality!!!

[sajal]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

Take another look at what you get and then tell us exactly what it says please. I do not believe you will find it to be a "visa".

ahhhh...just looked....its "Extention of stay permitted upto ........" and then a re-entry permit stamp.

but i had got tourist visa converted to a business visa while i was here first time without leaving....

[lopburi3]

Immigration can certainly extend visas if you meet the criteria, and you

apply BEFORE it expires.

I have lived in Thailand on the same Non-Immigrant visa for several years,

and it HAS been extended year by year. So no new policy here.

I think you misunderestood the Immigration Officer, or vice versa.

im here on work permit and when( EDIT before) it expires, i just land up at the one stop center with all the documentation and get a fresh visa without paying any tea money and without leaving the kingdom.

but the case might be diferent for tourist visa???

Take another look at what you get and then tell us exactly what it says please. I do not believe you will find it to be a "visa".

ahhhh...just looked....its "Extention of stay permitted upto ........" and then a re-entry permit stamp.

but i had got tourist visa converted to a business visa while i was here first time without leaving....

Yes a valid visa can be converted with a TM.86 and the fee is 2,000 baht. An entry without visa such as the 30 day stamp can not.

[klongmaster]

“We will be the first immigration center to offer on-line visa extension applications where the applicant will submit the application over the internet,” said Pol Col Itthipol. “Immigration police will check the information overnight and be ready to extend the applicant’s visa the next day. This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

seems most here have missed the point...

in Pattaya...not Bkk!... you can apply online, but the next day you must visit the imm office where they will issue the extension in 10 minutes

[Shrednyneas]

Sorry,

I don’t understand a lot of problems here. I’m just talking about myself now. I’m under the jurisdiction of Mae Sai Immigration. I had in the beginning a lot of problems there, not because of the Thai, but because of the black gossip some people of my nationality put in the ear of an Immigration Officer. Then one of the Immigration Officers checked me out, asked Thai people around me, what thy thought about me and said later smiling to my wife;: when the people in the village said, because they don’t know my Falang Name: Oh, you mean Lung ….., he knew enough. Never have problems with this office, they know everything about me, made no problem about me being late for the 90 days, because I was running from doctor to doctor. Their only reaction was they would pray for me that I got rid as soon as possible from this skin problem. And I don’t pay, or ever have paid thee money. Of course my pension is high enough and all that kind of things, but sometimes I have the feeling that a lot of Farangs live in an other Thailand then me.

[Shrednyneas]

I have another nice story about Thai Immigration. Freshly married I went to my homeland, but in a town in Chiang Rain Province they made a mistake in our marriage papers. My embassy and the Thai authorities did everything to correct this mistake as soon as possible(A.S.A.P.). But when I got the corrected papers in my home country, it was just 11 hours before my flight “back home” was due. So, I just arrive again as a tourist in Bangkok, 5 a.m. in the morning. I told the Immigration Officer laughing with tongue in cheek about Murphy’s law and showed her my marriage papers. You know what I got? A tourist visa for one month? No; a tourist visa without an expiring date and an: “Go to Mae Sai and tell them the problem. A big smile and I was dismissed very clearly with the best wishes of a Bangkok Immigration Officer to an unknown Falang. And so are many of my experiences here in Thailand. You understand now I like them?

[marshall stanley]

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php

This is the web site for Thai Immigration

They have cleaned up the site and now have comprehensive informantion which should answer anyone's questions on the matter of visa's, extentions, etc....

Good luck

[Shrednyneas]

Marshall,

Thank you for cutting short all this blah-blah. I have an other advise for all the Falang here: If you have a proboem and you are decent, just talk it over with your Immigration Officer. O.K. Be decently dressed. That doesn't mean, you need a bussiness suite. Just show up clean and try to explain politely your problem. I think in the most places they just will try to help you. Just my opnion.

[Backpack_thailand]

Praise be to Buddha that I don't have to go through all this visa bu**sh*t anymore (WP + Non Imm for a few years now!).

Online extensions sounds like a great idea but you just know it's gonna go tits up somewhere along the way...