90 day reporting by EMS mail to Chang Wattana - Office closed

[brewsterbudgen]

So it is 100% confirmed that 90-day reports cannot be mailed to Chaengwhattana?

If you have the EMS slip, then surely when it's time to report again, that will suffice as "proof" that you mailed the report in?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I don't know, and didn't say, what would happen to 90-day reports mailed to CW right now. Obviously, the Immigration Office there isn't open for the time being, and we don't exactly know for now when it will be.

I do know two things: the Immigration staff at Lad Prao and Suksawat both said DON'T mail 90-day reports to them at those locations.

Personally, I wouldn't advise mailing to CW right now because of the uncertainty factor. But I also don't know what's happening with whatever mail that's being addressed there during the period of their closure. Others in other threads have reported mailing to CW during January and NOT getting their 90-day slips in return mail, at least as yet.

[ubonjoe]

So it is 100% confirmed that 90-day reports cannot be mailed to Chaengwhattana?

If you have the EMS slip, then surely when it's time to report again, that will suffice as "proof" that you mailed the report in?

You can still mail them to CW if you want to. But you may not get a receipt back for a while.

If you don't have a receipt back when your next report is due you would have to do it in person to sort it out.

[Pib]

TallGuy,

Good report in your post #30 above. I need to do my 90 day report in a week or so and will use the Suksawat office since it's on the west side of Bangkok where I live. It will be a closer and faster drive for me compare to CW. I located it using Google Maps and below is a picture of the front of Major Hollywood Suksawat. The GPS coordinates are 13 degrees 39 minutes' 43.20 seconds North, 100 degrees 31 minutes 01.42 seconds East per Google Maps.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Yup, that's the place. Shows up in a Google Maps search using the term "Major Hollywood Suksawat Rat Burana".

I guess I also should have mentioned, considering the vast differences in waiting times and queues and general atmosphere between Imperial Lad Prao (bad) and Major Hollywood Suksawat (good) as reported by members here, it seems to me that Major Hollywood would be a preferred location for most folks in central BKK -- even if Lad Prao is, just based on location alone, a convenient trip.

[ricklev]

Wow, that place does look sad.

[Pib]

Wow, that place does look sad.

And please don't go there...will just make the queue line longer for my 90 day report.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Wow, that place does look sad.

Looks worse than the photo in-person... And inside the building is no pleasure either.

But...it is QUICK.. That's its saving grace.

[samtam]

Thanks Tall Guy. Brilliant report. I will head there tomorrow, and drop a visit report too. Will be a good exercise to locate this location for when I have to do my Extension of Stay in mid May.....(I truly hope not, and that CW will have reopened).

[CaptHaddock]

I also had a good experience getting my visa extension stamp in the passport at Suksawat last week. As TallGuy says, the place looks run down and disorganized. But, in fact, it is well organized and runs very efficiently. Some of the staff were all-business, but others were notably friendly.

[pmarlin]

While I had to wait about 20 min to do my report at Lad Prao It was still very easy and cheaper. took Sukhumvit MRT to Lad Prao MRT. something like 15 baht each way because of the senior discount plus 60 baht taxi fare each way. Total time about one hour and 150 baht.

Edited February 11, 2014 by pmarlin

[samtam]

Made my 90 day report this morning. Left Sathorn Tai by taxi at 10.20 am and was at Major Hollywood Suksawat at 10.35 am, (having gone via Narathiwat, Rama III, Bhumipol 1 bridge*. Located the LHS glassed office under a desk labelled "J" to have the passports and TM.47 checked. All OK, and given a ticket to wait at window B9 (B8-B12 I think are all 90 day) in the right hand glassed office. 5 people in front of me and in front of each of the 90 day report windows. Took about 20 minutes. Left Major Hollywood Suksawat at about 11.00 am by taxi back to Sathorn and base, arriving at 11.35 am. Traffic leading up to Narathiwat/Sathorn crossing was slow as usual, and this delayed the return journey. Taxi there THB91 baht, back THB125 baht plus tips. Based on others experience of it being a breeze, I would concur, except I think going in the afternoon may be quicker than in the morning; there were queues at thew windows and there was no favouritism to "whiteys", as one person experienced.

* as soon as you come off the bridge artery you can see the Major Hollywood building, and your driver needs to take the very first U-turn, which is feasible if the traffic isn't too heavy, which was the case.

Obviously not hugely onerous, but the mail-in facility when it resumes, will be the way I proceed in the future.

Edited February 11, 2014 by samtam

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Samtam, yep, that's correct.

--Once the taxi comes down off the bridge exit ramp, they do need to immediately get over in the far lane in order to make a U-turn to go onto the far side the street where Major Hollywood is located. Or, you could stay on the same side you come off the bridge on, go about a block ahead and get off there. There's an overhead walkway bridge there to safely cross. But our taxi did the quickie U-turn.

--I agree about the morning vs. the afternoon. Apart from not wanting to get up and out early, I figured by going just after lunch-time I'd miss any lines or queues that would be waiting there in the morning with a lot of people arriving at opening time or soon thereafter. And indeed, as I mentioned, no lines or queues at all for me when I went Monday at 1:30 pm.

[ricklev]

Out of curiousity I checked my EMS tracking today. Happy to see it now indicates successful delivery.

Help | Contact Us

Search Result : EI698812696TH

DATETIME Scan Location Description Delivery Status January 30, 2014
12:51:21 SINDHORN Accept January 30, 2014
15:16:20 SINDHORN Items Into Container January 30, 2014
15:59:31 SINDHORN Dispatch January 30, 2014
17:00:07 RONG MUANG Container Received January 30, 2014
17:46:28 RONG MUANG Items Into Container January 30, 2014
17:47:45 RONG MUANG Dispatch January 31, 2014
07:35:58 LAK SI Container Received January 31, 2014
12:31:05 LAK SI Out for Delivery January 31, 2014
09:00-11:59 LAK SI Delivery Status Government/Public Company closed January 31, 2014
09:00-11:59 LAK SI Delivery Status Successful Recipient Name

[Pib]

TallGuy,

Good report in your post #30 above. I need to do my 90 day report in a week or so and will use the Suksawat office since it's on the west side of Bangkok where I live. It will be a closer and faster drive for me compare to CW. I located it using Google Maps and below is a picture of the front of Major Hollywood Suksawat. The GPS coordinates are 13 degrees 39 minutes' 43.20 seconds North, 100 degrees 31 minutes 01.42 seconds East per Google Maps.

Capture.JPG

Did my 90 day address reporting today at the Suksawat office. For me living in western Bangkok it didn't take me long to drive to the office in this Major Hollywood mall through lite traffic...plenty of parking in the back of he mall. From the parking lot you walk right into the immigration office which has an entrance on the back of the mall....or enter through the front of the mall if arriving via taxi. It's definitely a very busy immigration office for their standard customers; but not for customers who would normally be going to CW you'll see the CW temporary folks setup on cheap tables/chairs just outside the main office. There will be a small sign on the wall in this temporary area saying 90 Day Reports which today was desk "J".

No one was at desk J but another immigration officer said just wait and someone will be there soon. Within about 2 minutes an immigration officer showed up, checked my passport against the info on the 90 day report, then handed me a queue ticket out of a cardboard box which said B044 and pointed me to the main office inside/just a few steps away with tons of customers and immigration officers. I took my 20 or so steps into the main office, saw B044 being displayed on the display over one counter windows, walked up and handed the immigration clerk my paperwork, and I kid you not within 15 seconds she had updated her computer and handed me back by passport with new 90 day reporting receipt. I'm done.

Then spent a few minutes walking around the mall and it's a truly sad, sad mall. Other than the theaters upstairs there is very little there...you can tell it was probably a busy little mall in the past but now its really sad. But for the immigration office on the ground floor the office is super fast for 90 day reporting. In terms of other farangs there who would normally must go to CW I would say there were maybe a half dozen of us there either during a 90 day report, re-entry permit, or something like that.

Today was the fastest 90 day report I've done since being in Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What time did you arrive at Suksawat, Pib?

Was it morning? If so, sounds like the mornings are as quiet there for farang stuff as when I was there in early afternoon.

[Pib]

What time did you arrive at Suksawat, Pib?

Was it morning? If so, sounds like the mornings are as quiet there for farang stuff as when I was there in early afternoon.

Got there around 11:45am.

[brewsterbudgen]

So is it confirmed - no 90-day reporting by mail in Bangkok currently?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

None to Lad Prao and Suksawat for sure.

Obviously, CW is still closed. But I think it remains unclear just what is happening with any 90 day mail being sent there during the closure.

I don't believe we've yet seen a single post from anyone having gotten back a 90 day receipt from a mailed submission sent to CW during the most recent closure.

Are any mail-ins being saved up for subsequent processing somewhere? Who knows... In the absence of any clarity, I wouldn't be chancing CW right now.

[brewsterbudgen]

None to Lad Prao and Suksawat for sure.

Obviously, CW is still closed. But I think it remains unclear just what is happening with any 90 day mail being sent there during the closure.

I don't believe we've yet seen a single post from anyone having gotten back a 90 day receipt from a mailed submission sent to CW during the most recent closure.

Are any mail-ins being saved up for subsequent processing somewhere? Who knows... In the absence of any clarity, I wouldn't be chancing CW right now.

Cheers. I guess it will be interesting to see what will happen if someone makes a report by mail to CW and doesn't receive their confirmation back, but keeps the EMS receipt and sends it off with the next 90-day report (assuming CW has re-opned by then).

[ubonjoe]

If you haven't received the receipt for the report within 30 days the rules state that you should contact immigration.

You can't just include the receipt for mailing it with your next report.

[brewsterbudgen]

If you haven't received the receipt for the report within 30 days the rules state that you should contact immigration.

You can't just include the receipt for mailing it with your next report.

Contact Immigration by post?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That's why I said, right now with CW continuing to be closed, it's probably safer to just bite the bullet and make an inperson trip to Suksawat or Lad Prao... The Suksuwat office is really quick and easy, once you get there.

[ubonjoe]

If you haven't received the receipt for the report within 30 days the rules state that you should contact immigration.

You can't just include the receipt for mailing it with your next report.

Contact Immigration by post?

By phone or in person.

Waiting for reply mail over 1 month, please contact Immigration Office with your registered mail receipt.

http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=90days

[OJAS]

1. I checked with the Immigration staff at Major Hollywood, and asked about mailing in 90-day reports to them instead. And the lady handling 90-day reports there repeated what the staff at the other substitute Immigration Office at Imperial World Lad Prao had told me previously -- that neither Suksawat nor Lad Prao are accepting mailed-in 90-day reports. They want people doing them in-person for those two locations.

Out of curiosity does this literally mean that you are now required physically to go to Suksawat or Lad Prao yourself, and that neither office is allowing a proxy to submit a 90-day report on your behalf any longer?

[ubonjoe]

You can still send somebody to do it for you.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Yep, it could be a wife or signif other, a household employee or just a trustworthy friend.

But keep in mind, if you use another person for this, you'll be handing over your passport to them. So make sure it's someone you trust.

The 90-day reporting process allows someone to go on your behalf. Other Immigration things like retirement extensions do not.

[OJAS]

But presumably there would be nothing to stop a particular office from introducing a local rule prohibiting 90-day reporting by proxy (just as both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, for example, have done in the case of mailed-in reporting), despite what the 1979 Immigration Act and/or related Police Orders might say? After all TIT, and anything is possible!

I just wonder whether there might be a case for proxy reporting to be limited to, say, 1 report per proxy for as long as mailed-in reporting was not possible at Bangkok? That would still mean that your wife or girlfriend could report on your behalf, yet minimise the risk of finding yourself stuck at the back of a long queue consisting mainly of agents each seeking multiple reports on behalf of a whole army of foreigners, should you be reporting in person. But,as I have already said, TIT and this would likely be an exception to the "anything is possible" rule in practice!

Edited February 23, 2014 by OJAS

[ubonjoe]

My wife does most of my 90 reports. The only one I have done myself in the past year and a half is when I did my extension.

When we asked immigration about her doing them they said that she was the only that could do it for me.

At many immigration offices you will people with a stack of reports they are doing for employees of a company.

[olddoc]

i have never experienced any difficulty with 90 day reporting. I do not use mail and either I or my wife got to the office. Simple, all achieved in less than 5 minutes.

Before you ask ------Phuket !