Seems like I received poor information from the uniformed Immigration official @ Chiang Mai Immigration.

This incident happened 2 weeks ago to the day, and my first entry was due to expire on May 10. i went to renew my visa a few days early just in case something like this happened.

I have a brand new Canadian passport and arrived in Chiang Mai 19 days after the double entry tourist visa was issued by the Thai consulate in Toronto. I arrived in Chiang Mai via the Korean Air flight from Seoul. I have no criminal record although I was once pulled over for speeding in the U.S. about 30 years ago...

So that's the background info. Again, I'm just relating my experience trying to renew the initial entry of my double entry tourist visa at Chiang Mai immigration as the OP has the same visa which I have.

My apologies, I went to Immigration two weeks ago Tuesday (May 7).

When does your visa expire? I assume six months from date of issue since it was done in Canada.

If it is only 90 days from date of issue then that could be reason for immigration not doing the extension because you would of only had about 11 days left on your visa.

Edited May 20, 201313 yr by ubonjoe

May 7 was the day after a holiday and it was probably jam-packed at CM Immigration. If it was the young gal with the short hair and chubby face who normally works the center (so-called "information") counter, then she may very well have said that just to get rid of you. The quality of her information is often bad.

No, not the chubby gal! A friendly middle-aged man handled my application. I speak, read and write fluent Thai having lived and worked in Thailand for many years as a younger man, so communication wasn't an issue. The Immigration bldg. was packed, but I was told by visa veterans that it wasn't much more crowded and chaotic than on normal days I.e. not days just after a holiday.

The visa expires 6 mo. after the date of issue.

The extension issue isn't a worry for me as I wasn't planning to be in Thailand for 6 months, but it might (or might not!) be an issue for the OP.

Perhaps if he know that you did not require the full period of stay suggested the use new entry as about the same cost as an extension of stay and gets you 60 days instead of only 30. Did not mean to sound like attacking you - believed you had been told that but it was not true so needed to alert other readers.