Strange situation at chiang mai immigration

[thaiboy11]

Hello guy. Today i come at 11am at chiang mai immigration for extend my non o 60 days and when i arrived the girl at the counter she say cannot now you need to come back tomorow and pick up number at 6 am or come back monday. But my visa finish on sundays and she say. The officer say to me you no have overstay if you come on monday . So now i stay at the hotel near airport and come back tomorow 6am say as she say . It happend to everyone or just me

[harrry]

If you report on the first day the office is open if your visa expires when the office is closed you are not considered as overstaying.

[lopburi3]

They are very busy at that location so often people will have to come back another day if they do not arrive early. As long as you obtain extension on first workday after expiration there will not be any overstay.

[thaiboy11]

You know where can take ticket at 6 am inside immigration ??

[ubonjoe]

That happens all the time there. You have to get there early to get a number.

As said if no luck tomorrow go back on Monday and you will no be fined for overstay.

[thaiboy11]

6 am should be good do you think guys ? Thank you

[phuket Mike]

Last time I was there a few months back I got there at 5.30 and got ticket number 1. When you get there the queue starts at the door so make sure you get a seat. When the door opens at 8-8.30 you will be given a number.

[bertty]

Will it be open at 6am ?

[thaiboy11]

The police say open 5 am

[thaiboy11]

So just wait at the door and when they open ask the counter ticket for number ??? And one thing. Where to found cheap ipad mini connector near the airport. Because last time at computer plaza i found 100b. Thx you

[NancyL]

What is so strange about this? It's part of expat culture in Chiang Mai.

Don't worry. Just show up at 5:30 am and soon you'll figure out what to do. It's the retirees who really have it bad. There are more queue tickets given out for tourist visa extensions than for retirement extensions -- different counters process these extensions. Us oldsters have to really fight it out. If we get there by 6:30 am, we're out of luck. You could probably push your luck and get there at 6:30 am, but why not come at 5:30 am and watch the old folks in hand-to-hand combat?

Edited September 18, 2014 by NancyL

[Thai Visa Service]

This country is going downhill.

[Songhua]

What is so strange about this? It's part of expat culture in Chiang Mai.

Don't worry. Just show up at 5:30 am and soon you'll figure out what to do. It's the retirees who really have it bad. There are more queue tickets given out for tourist visa extensions than for retirement extensions -- different counters process these extensions. Us oldsters have to really fight it out. If we get there by 6:30 am, we're out of luck. You could probably push your luck and get there at 6:30 am, but why not come at 5:30 am and watch the old folks in hand-to-hand combat?

Lol Nancy. You sure they're not just doing tai-chi?

[thaiboy11]

sad to my litle son 4 year old wake up early to show to immigration i put alarm 5h30 i stay at b2 airport 20m walk from office immigration

[JimGant]

Another reason, if you're intending to retire in CM, to get a Non Imm O-A visa. The additional hassle of getting an O-A (medical, police, notarization) seems worth putting off your first visit to CM Immigration for an extension by two years. And maybe by then they'll have their new facility -- or is that just a rumor?

[moe666]

Another reason, if you're intending to retire in CM, to get a Non Imm O-A visa. The additional hassle of getting an O-A (medical, police, notarization) seems worth putting off your first visit to CM Immigration for an extension by two years. And maybe by then they'll have their new facility -- or is that just a rumor?

heheheh I did get a online Q spot this year

[Suradit69]

This country is going downhill.

Very nice comment from a TV sponsor.

[NancyL]

Another reason, if you're intending to retire in CM, to get a Non Imm O-A visa. The additional hassle of getting an O-A (medical, police, notarization) seems worth putting off your first visit to CM Immigration for an extension by two years. And maybe by then they'll have their new facility -- or is that just a rumor?

heheheh I did get a online Q spot this year

Yup, these are two ways to avoid the need to arrive at 5 am to get in for a retirement visa extension. Unfortunately that on-line queue can only be booked 100 days in advance and you have to be on your computer right at the stroke of midnight when they open up the slots for the 100th day, because they usually fill within the first minute or two.

Another way to avoid to the need to arrive at 5 am is to hire a visa agent. Fortunately, there are several reputable agents in town and since they're competitive their rates are fairly reasonable. A fraction of the rate I've seen quoted for places like Phuket and Pattaya.

You don't have to arrive at 5 am to do 90 day reports. They can be done by mail or you can come during the day and the wait is much shorter, although here lately that wait time has been stretching out, too.

Tourist visa extensions are processed at a different counter, but now that we're getting into high season, the tourists are going to have to join the grey-haired early birds to get the queue tickets, too.

[garyinhuahin]

Added to my list of reasons I don't stay in Chiang Mai...

[TheFishman1]

I did the computer appointment for 9:30 am Monday I'll see if it works for retirement visa

[thaiboy11]

hello guys another sh..t i go there 6 am i got number 236 yhey say come back 1 pm ok i show my paper to the guys at the desk birth certificate house book of my son and his passport thai . and house book and id copy of my gf . and contract i rend the house in san kampeng and he say i need to have letter fro; the child court and i ask him can i do now he say yes you have time , at the court they say to me imposible to have this today you need wait 90 days , so i dont know what can i do seam they want more paper than they show on them website just for 60 days non 0 extension thai child , i will back there after and hope i meet nice officer because my visa finish on sundays

[Frank James]

What is so strange about this? It's part of expat culture in Chiang Mai.

Don't worry. Just show up at 5:30 am and soon you'll figure out what to do. It's the retirees who really have it bad. There are more queue tickets given out for tourist visa extensions than for retirement extensions -- different counters process these extensions. Us oldsters have to really fight it out. If we get there by 6:30 am, we're out of luck. You could probably push your luck and get there at 6:30 am, but why not come at 5:30 am and watch the old folks in hand-to-hand combat?

Lol Nancy. You sure they're not just doing tai-chi?

Preparing for the annual extension (retirement) at CM Imm. is the biggest event of my year, and I always get very (unnecessarily) keyed up about it. Get all of the documents and photo ready, be in line by 6:30 at the latest (6:00 is much safer). I'm so glad to have gotten that done last month. The online Q system is a magical procees, as described above. No chance that most of us will ever be able to score one of those appointments. Maybe next year.

I was there two afternoons ago for the 90 day report, and saw several people accompanied by agents. Again I must ask: if the client must accompany the agent to the Imm. office, why hire an agent at all? It's not hard to run the gauntlet on your own if you have all of the proper documents. Maybe these people had complicated situations? Interesting as always to observe all of the goings on there. Best farang/centric free show in town.

[VINCENT2012]

i think they try to make you crasy more than everything.

change....go strait to bangkok and do it there

[Frank James]

Reading back through the posts, it does look like thaiboy could benefit from using an agent, as he has a complicated situation. Good luck, thaiboy.

[thaiboy11]

really i dont know what they try to do , ok i have 25 year old 2 thai child i contct siam legal in cm she say she contact immigration and i just need my passport birth cert and house book of him why they want more paper everyday

[moe666]

Reading back through the posts, it does look like thaiboy could benefit from using an agent, as he has a complicated situation. Good luck, thaiboy.

I do not think complicated he doesn't know what he needs are what to do, he waits until the day of extension to go to court daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[moe666]

What is so strange about this? It's part of expat culture in Chiang Mai.

Don't worry. Just show up at 5:30 am and soon you'll figure out what to do. It's the retirees who really have it bad. There are more queue tickets given out for tourist visa extensions than for retirement extensions -- different counters process these extensions. Us oldsters have to really fight it out. If we get there by 6:30 am, we're out of luck. You could probably push your luck and get there at 6:30 am, but why not come at 5:30 am and watch the old folks in hand-to-hand combat?

Lol Nancy. You sure they're not just doing tai-chi?

Preparing for the annual extension (retirement) at CM Imm. is the biggest event of my year, and I always get very (unnecessarily) keyed up about it. Get all of the documents and photo ready, be in line by 6:30 at the latest (6:00 is much safer). I'm so glad to have gotten that done last month. The online Q system is a magical procees, as described above. No chance that most of us will ever be able to score one of those appointments. Maybe next year.

I was there two afternoons ago for the 90 day report, and saw several people accompanied by agents. Again I must ask: if the client must accompany the agent to the Imm. office, why hire an agent at all? It's not hard to run the gauntlet on your own if you have all of the proper documents. Maybe these people had complicated situations? Interesting as always to observe all of the goings on there. Best farang/centric free show in town.

I lucked out on online Q went on line on a Saturday, the actual day I wanted was outside the 100days and just cut back one day and wala there was 4 or 5 open spots, just the luck of the draw or maybe the agents took a day off before grabbing the spots

[Donnievino]

What a ridiculous system. Get there at 6 am and wait 2 - 2 1/2 hours to get in the door. You get a number and then you wait inside to get another number. They tell you what time to come back. You come back wait an hour or so to talk to immigration officer. They tell you to come back in hour to pick up visa. You come back in hour and wait an hour to finally get your visa. Have they ever heard of a website reservation system like the US Consulate has. I know if I want to go into business in Thailand it will be the rubber stamp business. Every bureaucrat has at least twenty on their desk.

[umbanda]

In Chiang Rai Immigration office you need to show up at 6:00 AM...if you want to share coffee and have a nice chat with the officers to kill time before they open and get you out in 5 minutes....But do not get so much excited with all the attention you will get....

The only and very nice and cute officer.... is the head of the office..and she is married.....Well....nothing is perfect!

[TheKnave]

This country is going downhill.

Very nice comment from a TV sponsor.

Hope there's nothing expensive/fragile near your computer - that knee-jerk could be costly...

Nothing, if not predictable.