Prom Immigration: Some Realism, Please

[northernjohn]

FWIW Greenside I would simply hand the issue to Assist Thai Visa and let them take care of it, my last retirement visa extension through them was the quickest smoothest ever. And yes, you do have to attend the Immigration office in person but only for five or ten minutes, far better than spending the whole day at Promenada waiting.

I agree it is a good idea. How ever makes no difference who does it.

You still have to wait until it is signed and returned to the Promenade.

I have heard that at times it was signed there and other times it was up tyo 6:00 before it was returned.

As Assist Thai Visa has said he will do the waiting for it.

You might inquire if done in the morning and it is taken to the airport to be signed if you can go over there and pick it up yourself.

[Kiniyeow]

Curious, Just because we live in Chiang Mai, do we have to go to the Chiang Mai office to renew our annual extensions or can we visit any immigration office? Which is the closest office to Chiang Mai that does the O-A Extensions based on retirement?

[fang37]

Live in CNX - MUST go to CNX I/O

[Tywais]

Curious, Just because we live in Chiang Mai, do we have to go to the Chiang Mai office to renew our annual extensions or can we visit any immigration office? Which is the closest office to Chiang Mai that does the O-A Extensions based on retirement?

You are required to obtain your extension in the area you reside.

[gerry123]

Please, let's not let this thread wander off into all the usual stuff about agents and how it's better elsewhere.....etc. There are several other threads running that are more appropriate for those posts and it might be helpful for anyone else seeking the same information as I'm looking for to not have to wade through 8 or 9 pages!

I really need to have my new extension tomorrow so all the alternatives are out. I don't mind doing an early morning once a year if necessary and really just wanted to get a feel for the time I should turn up at Promenada without either standing there on my own in the cold for a couple of hours or missing the boat and being handed ticket number 998.

I do have a question: Do you get a number and then have to get a queue ticket later (as was the case at the airport) or do they hand out the numbers in some way that gives you an idea of the wait time so you can go off and do something useful?

standing there on my own in the cold really come on now

[Kannikapor88]

I think the way things are that anyone on a retirement visa who is also married to a Thai National should seriously consider changing to a marriage extension. Ok; there are some differences in the paperwork etc and a few photo's needed but now the old office is nowhere near as crowded it is a lot simpler to get things done there.

Weren't immigrtion "encouraging" married retirees to go the "retired" extension way?

That's what I did.

You might be right but i've been on marriage extensions for six years and nobody there has ever tried to encourage me to swap to a retirement visa....never a word.

The Imm. Officer on my last marriage extension tried to push "Retirement" extension since its a more simple (?) procedure for Immigration but we couldnt see any advantage for us what so ever so we didnt do it and are we happy for that now ... Prom Imm. is a menace IMO ...

[Greenside]

So here's how it went this morning...

Arrived in the dark at 5:10 (or 0510 hrs, Nancy!) to find some 23 or so people already there. They were spread among the lines for 90 days (2), Tourist Visa Extensions (10) and Retirement Extensions (10). No-one in line for a Re-Entry Permit - almost changed my mind and went for one of those. That's a joke.

Of the 10 people ahead of me in the queue, 8 were Visa Agents, or more accurately there was one Agent and 7 students or friends paid to sit there as placeholders for (I think) three Agents in total. By 6:15 the line had grown to 19, 6 more of whom were holding places for Agents and at 6:50 we were up to 24 but no more placeholders as the Agents clearly know it's too late by then. The 90 Day line was 9 at 6:50 and grew to 35 by 8:00. Retirement extensions topped out at about 26 by 8:20.

Queue Numbers are given out to each line at 8:30 and the whole thing was very orderly and well handled. If you're doing a Retirement Extension and kept track of the numbers you'll see where this is heading - of the first 20 numbers allotted in our queue, at least 13 went to Visa Agents or their proxies and since I understand they reckon on processing 20 per day it's altogether possible that passport holders wanting to do their own Extension may soon be unable to get a ticket at all without an online appointment.

This is not a good state of affairs. The agents can pay people to camp out all night or at least turn up so ridiculously early that ordinary folk (especially those without transport) may soon have no option but to employ them and you know where the costs will go when there's a monopoly. Also, if as they claim the Agent with the office next door, can get your Extension done the same day (even if you show up at lunchtime) at whose expense are they reserving the the space with the immigration officer?

Have to go back this PM to get the interview and will see if I can get my passport back in time to catch the mail. More later

[northernjohn]

So here's how it went this morning...

Arrived in the dark at 5:10 (or 0510 hrs, Nancy!) to find some 23 or so people already there. They were spread among the lines for 90 days (2), Tourist Visa Extensions (10) and Retirement Extensions (10). No-one in line for a Re-Entry Permit - almost changed my mind and went for one of those. That's a joke.

Of the 10 people ahead of me in the queue, 8 were Visa Agents, or more accurately there was one Agent and 7 students or friends paid to sit there as placeholders for (I think) three Agents in total. By 6:15 the line had grown to 19, 6 more of whom were holding places for Agents and at 6:50 we were up to 24 but no more placeholders as the Agents clearly know it's too late by then. The 90 Day line was 9 at 6:50 and grew to 35 by 8:00. Retirement extensions topped out at about 26 by 8:20.

Queue Numbers are given out to each line at 8:30 and the whole thing was very orderly and well handled. If you're doing a Retirement Extension and kept track of the numbers you'll see where this is heading - of the first 20 numbers allotted in our queue, at least 13 went to Visa Agents or their proxies and since I understand they reckon on processing 20 per day it's altogether possible that passport holders wanting to do their own Extension may soon be unable to get a ticket at all without an online appointment.

This is not a good state of affairs. The agents can pay people to camp out all night or at least turn up so ridiculously early that ordinary folk (especially those without transport) may soon have no option but to employ them and you know where the costs will go when there's a monopoly. Also, if as they claim the Agent with the office next door, can get your Extension done the same day (even if you show up at lunchtime) at whose expense are they reserving the the space with the immigration officer?

Have to go back this PM to get the interview and will see if I can get my passport back in time to catch the mail. More later

Thank you for your information.

When you get a chance can you tell us how long after it opened it took for you to see the agent and what time they got your Visa back to you?

[circusman]

FWIW Greenside I would simply hand the issue to Assist Thai Visa and let them take care of it, my last retirement visa extension through them was the quickest smoothest ever. And yes, you do have to attend the Immigration office in person but only for five or ten minutes, far better than spending the whole day at Promenada waiting.

Assist is not the only agent option.

[Greenside]

NorthernJohn - I expect to see the Immigration Officer sometime shortly after 1:00 (13:00, N!) how long the passport will be with them is yet to be seen.

Circusman: I'm sure TVA is a great outfit and they have many satisfied customers but under normal circumstances I don't find it too much trouble to do it myself. I'm not complaining about the lines this morning which are pretty much what I expected to find but I am concerned that Agents may soon be the only option. With the cost of the Extension and (in this instance) the Proof Of Income letter, the price of what should be a simple bureaucratic procedure is almost 5000 baht as it is, so additional spend is not welcome.

What I don't feel happy about is the way the Agents may be taking over the business.

[maybefitz]

First hand experience. I did my retirement extension at Promenada last Wednesday, 3 weeks early. I arrived at 5.30am and my wife and I grabbed chairs and joined the queue. There were 4 queues, tourist visa, retirement, 90 day day and re-entry permits, (Only 2 people in this). What was noticeable, the man at the front was farang, then 7 Thais. The Thais had up to 3 or 4 passports in their hands, I therefore assumed agency staff. I was given blue 009 number card (where the missing number went I don't know). This was exactly at 8.30 am and the queue then broke up and waited. It was noticeable that the agency people took up to 45 minutes each, possibly because they had a number of passports to process. I was eventually seen at 11.45 am, rushed through in 10 minutes or so. We were advised to return at 2pm, so we had a rather gracious lunch in Rimping. We returned at 2,00pm and watched as the senior man arrived and proceeded to sign all the passports of people waiting.and were cleared by 2.30 pm. What was noticeable was there was only 1 officer doing retirements; in the old office there used to be up to 3 desks doing this task. At only 20 per day, that's 100 a week, surely there are more than 5,000 retirees in CM? Will a backlog build up? We'll see.

[elgordo38]

NorthernJohn - I expect to see the Immigration Officer sometime shortly after 1:00 (13:00, N!) how long the passport will be with them is yet to be seen.

Circusman: I'm sure TVA is a great outfit and they have many satisfied customers but under normal circumstances I don't find it too much trouble to do it myself. I'm not complaining about the lines this morning which are pretty much what I expected to find but I am concerned that Agents may soon be the only option. With the cost of the Extension and (in this instance) the Proof Of Income letter, the price of what should be a simple bureaucratic procedure is almost 5000 baht as it is, so additional spend is not welcome.

What I don't feel happy about is the way the Agents may be taking over the business.

Thats where this whole thing is headed. I do not feel happy either. They are opportunists rushing in to take advantage of a bad situation. Opportunism for profit is now a world wide mantra. Everybody is jumping on the Uber Rabbit bandwagon.

[Duvidl]

The situation could be solved by simply having more immigration officers to handle the increasing number of expats wanting extensions. Why do the powers-that-be in Bangkok not do something about this? I've heard that Chiang Mai Immigration has been requesting additional help for over a year now, but nothing has been done. Maybe they could eliminate the useless 90-day reporting and re-assign those officers to do extensions? I mean, is this rocket science we're dealing with?

[elgordo38]

We are all in uncharted territory except for the horror stories we hear on TV. Its nice to hear personal experiences but it fluctuates from day to day. Like the lottery your day may be a winner. I have to go next month and cringe every time I think of it. I am already looking at my options for next year and they seem rather limited except for the fact I will be a year older and closer to the expiry date on my bar code of life. There seems to be underlying factors at play here especially when you consider a Visa agent has set up business right next door to a business that is downsizing in a market that is rapidly expanding hmmm. Welcome to the Uber/Task Rabbit world way of doing business. I do not know why immigration has deteriorated in this manner but I get that "being mentally whipped" feeling. If the visa agents start gaining more traction well you know what happens next in monopolistic cases. Everybody wants to get on the rags to riches bandwagon regardless of who you shaft. Being a senior today no longer has its privileges. We are fair game maybe even more so as we are defined as having money. Oh well another sunny day is upon us. We need more rain.

[elgordo38]

The situation could be solved by simply having more immigration officers to handle the increasing number of expats wanting extensions. Why do the powers-that-be in Bangkok not do something about this? I've heard that Chiang Mai Immigration has been requesting additional help for over a year now, but nothing has been done. Maybe they could eliminate the useless 90-day reporting and re-assign those officers to do extensions? I mean, is this rocket science we're dealing with?

The word does sound familiar to rocket but its pocket science. For some unknown reason CM is in Bangkok's crosshairs. What has happened is that they have split their operation in 2 as well as their staff but have hired no one to do the heavy lifting at the most important end. The airport seems staff heavy while the Prom is staff light and most of the signers needed are housed at the airport thus the delay in getting back your passport. All you can do is jump through the hurdles and hope like hell no new ones are added. This seems to be turning into a spectator sport.

Edited August 25, 2015 by elgordo38

[sammygood]

EMS post not simplier ?

[Duvidl]

EMS post not simplier ?

For retirement extension immigration requires that you appear in person to have your picture taken.

[MaeJoMTB]

Curious, Just because we live in Chiang Mai, do we have to go to the Chiang Mai office to renew our annual extensions or can we visit any immigration office? Which is the closest office to Chiang Mai that does the O-A Extensions based on retirement?

You can go to any immigration office, as long as you live in the area.

(a week in a guest house should do it)

Then just fill in the change of address form a week or so later.

[Duvidl]

Curious, Just because we live in Chiang Mai, do we have to go to the Chiang Mai office to renew our annual extensions or can we visit any immigration office? Which is the closest office to Chiang Mai that does the O-A Extensions based on retirement?

You can go to any immigration office, as long as you live in the area.

(a week in a guest house should do it)

Then just fill in the change of address form a week or so later.

Really? They require a rental contract now for a retirement extension in Chiang Mai. Is this bot the case at other immigration offices?

[MaeJoMTB]

Curious, Just because we live in Chiang Mai, do we have to go to the Chiang Mai office to renew our annual extensions or can we visit any immigration office? Which is the closest office to Chiang Mai that does the O-A Extensions based on retirement?

You can go to any immigration office, as long as you live in the area.

(a week in a guest house should do it)

Then just fill in the change of address form a week or so later.

Really? They require a rental contract now for a retirement extension in Chiang Mai. Is this bot the case at other immigration offices?

Most guesthouse will provide you with a rental contract for 200bht.

Maybe you would need to rent for 1 month, most contracts only specify 1 months notice.

[chiang mai]

FWIW Greenside I would simply hand the issue to Assist Thai Visa and let them take care of it, my last retirement visa extension through them was the quickest smoothest ever. And yes, you do have to attend the Immigration office in person but only for five or ten minutes, far better than spending the whole day at Promenada waiting.

Assist is not the only agent option.

Sure, but it's the one I use and trust hence my recommendation.

[scooterboy]

^^Yes, that's one of the next alternatives I'm looking at, especially for next year - if things are the same (or worse, perhaps?) at the Proms.

Example : near to extension time, rent a week in a cheap(ish) guest house, B&B place or whatever, reasonably near to an Immigration Office.

Use the first day to register your new address at the Immi Office.

Two or three days thereafter, try to get your extension done, using the new address info.

If successful, repeat the following year.........could be the start of a trend.....

If not, then it's back to the Proms and/or Visa Agent.

I can still distinctly remember the great service at Jomtien Immi Office, where they had everything off to a tee - and with a minimal waiting time, too. Best of all NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY- just walk in, almost anytime during the day! Still the same, perhaps - though I haven't been there for quite a number of years....

Edited August 25, 2015 by scooterboy

[Tywais]

Keep in mind if you register at another immigration using the 'rental' method you are required to file your 90 day reports at the same office. This looks like a hazardous precedent to set. No telling how it could backfire on the individual and everyone as a whole if they catch on.

[MaeJoMTB]

Keep in mind if you register at another immigration using the 'rental' method you are required to file your 90 day reports at the same office. This looks like a hazardous precedent to set. No telling how it could backfire on the individual and everyone as a whole if they catch on.

As far as I can see, no limit on the number of times you change your address.

What if you retire in Thailand, but want to live a nomadic lifestyle, a week in each town.

90 day report made in the area of current address, no need to report change of address if staying in a hotel or guesthouse, they do it for all guests.

[TheAppletons]

Really? They require a rental contract now for a retirement extension in Chiang Mai. Is this bot the case at other immigration offices?

Since when?

[MaeJoMTB]

Really? They require a rental contract now for a retirement extension in Chiang Mai. Is this bot the case at other immigration offices?

Since when?

Since 2 years ago in Chiang Mai.

They make their own rules up as they go along.

[chiang mai]

A rental contract, a lease or other proof of residence, oddly enough these things are not required when using an agent for retirement visa extension.

[Dante99]

A rental contract, a lease or other proof of residence, oddly enough these things are not required when using an agent for retirement visa extension.

They are not required from everyone doing it themselves either, not me nor anybody I know has been asked for that information, ever.

[chiang mai]

A rental contract, a lease or other proof of residence, oddly enough these things are not required when using an agent for retirement visa extension.

They are not required from everyone doing it themselves either, not me nor anybody I know has been asked for that information, ever.

I believe I was one of the first people to post on TVF that I had been asked for such documents, this despite eleven prior successful and uneventful annual extensions. It came as a surprise at the time that the information was asked for and the extension interview was actually suspended whilst I went home to get my lease. When I posted about that experience hardly anyone believed me, eventually others were asked for the same thing, exactly why some people are required to produce that paperwork and others not, remains a mystery.

[MaeJoMTB]

A rental contract, a lease or other proof of residence, oddly enough these things are not required when using an agent for retirement visa extension.

They are not required from everyone doing it themselves either, not me nor anybody I know has been asked for that information, ever.

I believe I was one of the first people to post on TVF that I had been asked for such documents, this despite eleven prior successful and uneventful annual extensions. It came as a surprise at the time that the information was asked for and the extension interview was actually suspended whilst I went home to get my lease. When I posted about that experience hardly anyone believed me, eventually others were asked for the same thing, exactly why some people are required to produce that paperwork and others not, remains a mystery.

Me too, about 2-3 years ago, didn't even have a rental agreement, was sent away to get one from the landlady.

Never asked for one before.

They also started asking for my kids birth certificates the next year, again sent away to get them.