Bangkok Immigration opens temporary office: Announcement

[haroldcane]

is this office open todays D-day?

[ubonjoe]

Yes it should be open today but not tomorrow because it is holiday.

[fishbrando]

My tourist visa expired today of all days, so I had to go get a 30-day extension.

My journey:

• 08:00 Jumped on the BTS to Mo Chit, then transferred to bus #27 (air conditioned 14 baht)
  • Brought:
    • Passport
    • 1900 Baht
    • photocopies of passport photo, visa, entry stamp, and departure form
    • Small passport photo
    • Pen
    • Hard folder to hold all papers
• 08:50 Arrived at Big C Ladphrao.
  • Wandered around a bit looking for foreign-looking people.
  • Had no idea where to go so I waited with a small crowd of 30-40 people in front of the Big C entrance.
• 09:02 Big C doors open
  • Everyone starts rushing towards the escalators, half walking and half running.
  • The crowd runs up to the 5th floor, then starts moving around quickly.
  • Eventually we all run right into the men's bathroom and everyone laughs because no one knows where they are going.
  • We wait at a barricade for a while until a staff member tells us that we can't enter the Immigration office that way (it was for staff only?)
  • The crowd is directed towards the parking structure next to "Red Cyber Academy" http://i.imgur.com/sOadqiph.jpg
  • Wait in the parking structure - long line already - luckily it is not too hot in the morning.
  • Some pushing/shoving in the line.
  • Someone comes out and calls, "Raengngan! Labor only!"
  • Then a bunch of people leave the line, more pushing/shoving as it compacts to a new size.
• 09:25 Immigration doors open
  • Everyone rushes into the office, lots of pushing along the way. http://i.imgur.com/2hBnluUh.jpg
  • More pushing/shoving inside as everyone rushes to the proper line.
  • I wait in the long "Tourist Visa Extension" line, then suddenly someone calls out "Tourist Visa Extension!" so I jump over to a much shorter line.
  • Grab my form, go back to the end of the line, fill it out standing using my hard paper folder to write on.
  • Return to the same staff member.
  • She helps me glue my photo to the application and has me sign all photocopies and put my mobile # on the application.
  • Then she staples everything together with a number on top and directs me to the waiting area doors.
• 09:50 Get in line and wait for the main immigration waiting area to open
  • Long line forms, with people sitting in chairs along the wall.
• 10:15 Main immigration waiting area opens
  • Staff member with bullhorn comes out with whiteboard, writes a list of numbers on it, says that these numbers are allowed to enter.
  • Free-for-all as everyone starts shoving their way towards the door.
  • Staff member starts yelling at everyone to calm down (jai yen yen), says there is no need to rush, tells people to get back in line to no avail.
  • Staff members are checking numbers as people go in.
  • I finally shove my way in - tight squeeze! - suddenly everything is very civilized.
  • The waiting room is very clean and has chairs, air conditioning, and a fan blowing.
• 10:20 Numbers start being called out
  • Everything is orderly: http://i.imgur.com/mpam8Gbh.jpg
• 10:33 My number is called
  • Go to window, hand over papers and payment
  • Get my number back stapled to my 100 baht bill (change)
  • Told to wait 15 minutes
• 10:50 Received my passport back
  • A staff member secretly held up a whiteboard with certain numbers written on it with no verbal announcement.
  • I held up my number, he gestured me to come over.
  • I hand him my number and he hands me the passport and receipt through the very edge of the window.
  • I can't really see him, just his hand.
  • I felt like I was doing some sort of shady deal.
  • Exited immigration, back through the parking lot to the mall
• Afterwards
  • Wandered around the mall a bit, noticed it was pretty ghetto, thus, just my kind of place!
  • Saw the ice skating rink on the 4th floor, resisted temptation to go.
  • Ate some fries at McDonalds.
  • Grabbed a taxi and took the highway back to Phloen Chit BTS station (30 min). Wanted to go to Siam, but traffic was jammed up.

Overall, not as bad as I expected, though it took quite a while. The staff members were very helpful - they looked harried but were nice. There was definitely a lack of information at all times, especially at the beginning, so hopefully the above will help! There was also lots of pushing and shoving, so a less able-bodied person might have to hang back a bit.

[ubonjoe]

CW is reopening on the 16th see: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?/topic/688137-Bangkok-Immigration-will-reopen-at-Cheang-Wattana-on-16-Dec.

[Bpuumike]

The OP does state "TEMPORARY RE-LOCATION UNTIL CHIANG WATTANA IMMIGRATION CAN OPEN AGAIN" - although I suspect that this actually means "TEMPORARY RE-LOCATION UNTIL CHIANG WATTANA IMMIGRATION CAN RESUME NORMAL SERVICE" (in other words, it is still open after a fashion).

Anyway, we must all have our fingers firmly crossed that the unruly mobs don't descend en masse to the alternative location.

They did at Chamchurrri the day after I was there.

When I left they were already diverting traffic and the street behind them was heavily sandbagged so maybe they're expecting bullets to start flying.

[ubonjoe]

This topic is out of date. See: Immigration services at Cheang Wattana now suspended

This topic closed to prevent confusion.