Another day in paradise - what is your experience?

[sawadee1947]

Yesterday was my yearly day to appear at Immigration Chiang Mai. It was a rainy day so I was a bit late. When I arrived around 7.15am there were already 12 people waiting. One told me he was fron Lamphun and waiting since 6 already. But anyway I was happy and expected a short procedure as they write on top of their office: ONE STOP”. 3 signs were made and I took a chair and found my place in the retirement queue. I had a chat with my colleagues around and at 8.30 an officer gave out the numbers. Actually I could not do my appointment online because due to the fact that the immigration moved from the airport to Promenada that system was shut down. When I got my number the officer told me to come back at 1pm. And same to all waiting flock. Well, driving home was ok for me because I live only in a 10 min distance. At 1pm I was back and was asked to show my documents. Because I was prepared very well, I expected to finish my work very soon, but….the officer who had to sign the visa extension was missing. Come back at 4pm. Ok, just a long drink or a coffee or two and strolling around the shopping center. At 4pm I was back and…..waiting up to 5.30pm, sitting outside on an uncomfortable chair. At last I got my passport after a Lady Officer came with many passports from where? Anyway then it was too late for my reentry visa. One officer told me then – what else – to come back the next day. What I did. Fortunately he could remember me and this time it took 3 minutes only.

When on the way to my car I was reflecting this procedure. This morning that guy went through my papers (passport copies, Visa stamp, passport original), put the reentry stamp into my passport, signed it and took the money. This took 3 minutes. If I would think that the same procedure for the visa extension, maybe 10 minutes, altogether not more than 20 minutes. Considering that they have to check their mobile between 2 customers, let’s say 30 minutes in total.

So why the heck they can’t organize themselves? Waiting at the immigration is not necessary, but maybe they want us make to hate that day or even hate them or, what is the most bad thing, even the country?

When I was going to leave I met a guy from Australia. He was sent back to Bangkok to his Embassy to let a stamp by his Embassy be certified. Well, this guy will leave this country. He will go to Cambodia, where you can have a retirement visa for 10 years.

But I am sure that the officers in their lovely new air conditioned office, separated from the sweating sheep outside, are not so much interested in what I'm thinking..

Are we not welcome in this country?

[Thongkorn]

8 years ago many of MY Friends, Expats from America, New Zealand, Australia, The UK , ALL up and left and went to vietnam , Cambodia, And now Burma, saying these Countries wanted Expats, Maybe Thailand does not want or need Foreigners living in there precious Country.

Edited September 11, 2015 by Thongkorn

[jerojero]

Yesterday was my yearly day to appear at Immigration Chiang Mai. It was a rainy day so I was a bit late. When I arrived around 7.15am there were already 12 people waiting. One told me he was fron Lamphun and waiting since 6 already. But anyway I was happy and expected a short procedure as they write on top of their office: ONE STOP”. 3 signs were made and I took a chair and found my place in the retirement queue. I had a chat with my colleagues around and at 8.30 an officer gave out the numbers. Actually I could not do my appointment online because due to the fact that the immigration moved from the airport to Promenada that system was shut down. When I got my number the officer told me to come back at 1pm. And same to all waiting flock. Well, driving home was ok for me because I live only in a 10 min distance. At 1pm I was back and was asked to show my documents. Because I was prepared very well, I expected to finish my work very soon, but….the officer who had to sign the visa extension was missing. Come back at 4pm. Ok, just a long drink or a coffee or two and strolling around the shopping center. At 4pm I was back and…..waiting up to 5.30pm, sitting outside on an uncomfortable chair. At last I got my passport after a Lady Officer came with many passports from where? Anyway then it was too late for my reentry visa. One officer told me then – what else – to come back the next day. What I did. Fortunately he could remember me and this time it took 3 minutes only.

When on the way to my car I was reflecting this procedure. This morning that guy went through my papers (passport copies, Visa stamp, passport original), put the reentry stamp into my passport, signed it and took the money. This took 3 minutes. If I would think that the same procedure for the visa extension, maybe 10 minutes, altogether not more than 20 minutes. Considering that they have to check their mobile between 2 customers, let’s say 30 minutes in total.

So why the heck they can’t organize themselves? Waiting at the immigration is not necessary, but maybe they want us make to hate that day or even hate them or, what is the most bad thing, even the country?

When I was going to leave I met a guy from Australia. He was sent back to Bangkok to his Embassy to let a stamp by his Embassy be certified. Well, this guy will leave this country. He will go to Cambodia, where you can have a retirement visa for 10 years.

But I am sure that the officers in their lovely new air conditioned office, separated from the sweating sheep outside, are not so much interested in what I'm thinking..

Are we not welcome in this country?

Seemingly not, but decades of inefficient bureaucracy building up brings it to what it is.... And subsequently it's a wonder anything govt related gets done at all! West Countries however also have their massive bureaucratic rules, regulations and procedures. Why do we see so many jokes about the DMV or other Govt services...

[impulse]

8 years ago many of MY Friends, Expats from America, New Zealand, Australia, The UK , ALL up and left and went to vietnam , Cambodia, And now Burma, saying these Countries wanted Expats, Maybe Thailand does not want or need Foreigners living in there precious Country.

The world is full of countries that don't want long stay foreigners except high dollar investors and technical specialists. Can't say I blame them when I see the kind of flotsam that often passes for "expats".

The good news? The door swings both ways, and there's always somewhere that wants those expat Dollars, Pounds and Euros. It's beyond me why anyone voluntarily stays in a place they don't feel welcome.

[Craig krup]

It's called "the problem of agency". Your agent doesn't have the same interests as you. The Thai state has one interest, the bureaucrats have a different interest.

[bwpage3]

It is amazing how people choose to live in Thailand then bitch about the process. Honestly, do you really think Thailand welcomes you with open arms? Thailand wants your money and not you. It has been and will always be that way. This is the way it is if you want to live in the third world.

[impulse]

It is amazing how people choose to live in Thailand then bitch about the process. Honestly, do you really think Thailand welcomes you with open arms? Thailand wants your money and not you. It has been and will always be that way. This is the way it is if you want to live in the third world.

No problem here with people griping about the process. It's a genuine PITA. Lot of things in life are a genuine PITA.

But I do have to wonder about the people who expect (in fact, demand) that it change because it's a PITA. Life's too short, and it ain't gonna happen. Accept it, or find somewhere else that doesn't make life miserable.

Edited September 11, 2015 by impulse

[CharlieH]

What you may see as a priority/important, other dont. Simple.

[johnnybgood]

Another Day in Paradise ?

Don't get me started......please

It's all good

[peterrabbit]

My friend had the same problem with immigration in Chiang Mai until someone told him about the 'other office'. According to him if you go to a different office and pay a 'processing/handling fee' of some sort, everything is expedited very quickly. TIT

[fey]

I was always intimidated by CM immigration, even after several years. My first visits were the worst.

Entering and not knowing what to do, no line, everyone staring at you like your stupid. Then just standing there and deciding whether to approach the front counter and which line to get in, and not knowing whether you were cutting off others in line, and a grumpy employee in a cop like uniform just pointing to the other side of the room like he can't speak english. Then some sympathetic foreigner finally explaining that a thai clerk comes out at set times (usually twice a day) to boot up the machine and give tickets???

Always wondered why they did not just use a ticket machine like banks do by the door where you can self-serve and then approach the counter when your number lights up. The more automated the better. That's not rocket science. Cut out the interaction factor and you solve 95% of the problem.

Just automate it and forget it.

Would save the headache for everyone involved.

For those of you who have attributed some high and mighty reason why things are difficult.

It's not about the country wanting or needing something or a particular kind of expat, it's just poor miserable employees and dealing with people with little or no education. Therefore, it's not gonna git fixed anytime soon and no revolution is coming that's gonna suddenly change the system to be "friendly to foreigners".

Edited September 11, 2015 by fey

[SantiSuk]

Don't generalize guys - you are all talking about Chiang Mai, not Thailand.

I do not recognise the pain of your immigration experience one iota. Usually takes less than 20 minutes and always less than 45 in my part of Isaan. There is rarely anyone else before me when I go into Sisaket Immigration if I go in the afternoon.

It beggars belief how immigration in CM can muck up the process so comprehensively. And you are the guys that have some consular representation in your town too. We all know that many embassies do sweet FA for their citizens, but you'd think the local reps would do something on a local level.

[impulse]

It's not about the country wanting or needing something or a particular kind of expat, it's just poor miserable employees and dealing with people with little or no education. Therefore, it's not gonna git fixed anytime soon and no revolution is coming that's gonna suddenly change the system to be "friendly to foreigners".

Not so sure. As a BOI employee, I'm entitled to use the OneStop in BKK, and it's pretty much a breeze once a year. I also hear good things about the "Elite" program and how those "particular expats" get pretty good treatment.

So they are capable of making it pretty painless for some "particular expats". Probably not the ones who contend immigration employees are miserable and uneducated, though.

Edited September 12, 2015 by impulse

[jerome2]

Youre lucky ...in Loei they want the bank letter made the same day... homemade law i think...

[puukao]

This is supposed to be paradise, and I'm supposed to be in eternal bliss. This immigration stuff is driving me crazy!!!! Seems to be always an issue......

I'm buying the Elite Card...

and tomorrow i'm buying the 40 baht soup instead of my normal 35 baht bowl.

people will notice!!!!!

[Suradit69]

8 years ago many of MY Friends, Expats from America, New Zealand, Australia, The UK , ALL up and left and went to vietnam , Cambodia, And now Burma, saying these Countries wanted Expats, Maybe Thailand does not want or need Foreigners living in there precious Country.

The world is full of countries that don't want long stay foreigners except high dollar investors and technical specialists. Can't say I blame them when I see the kind of flotsam that often passes for "expats".

The good news? The door swings both ways, and there's always somewhere that wants those expat Dollars, Pounds and Euros. It's beyond me why anyone voluntarily stays in a place they don't feel welcome.

Yes, expecting Thailand to be a paradise is like some kid getting all excitied about a trip to Disney Land.

I enjoy my life in Thailand and can honestly say I've never experienced any problems with immigrations. I don't expect everyone in Thailand ( or anywhere else for that matter) to be all that ecstatic about whether I stay or leave. This ceaseless need some farang have to be loved, needed and appreciated by everyone is really pretty silly. If you decided to leave your home country, either because you wanted to get away from something or you wanted to find something denied you at home, you may have set your expectations at unrealistic levels.

People who enjoy life in Thailand are not the ones wearing rose-colored glasses. The ones who think they're going to be living in paradise have the rose-tinted specs on. Depending on what you want, Thailand can be a great place to live or a disappointment. No need to get all emotional about it. If it isn't your cup of tea, move on. If you were unhappy at home and unhappy here, the odds are that you'll be just finding more reasons to be unhappy wherever you go.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Suradit69

[quandow]

After nine years in Thailand, I'm moving to Mexico in about a month. Since Jomtien Immigration has absolutely STREAMLINED their extension of stay/90 day reporting (and some day perhaps more success with their online process), the only two thing keeping me needing to leave are 1) the fact I can't play music in public without fear of arrest and, 2) Jomtien beach is a sewer.

I've done my fair share of paying through the nose and spending hours of frustration at my embassy and immigration. As well, I've whinged plenty about Thai bureaucracy, their educational system, ad nauseam.

In the retrospect of KNOWING I'm leaving soon, it's really not that bad a place. I just moved into a condo on the beach (BEAUTIFUL view!) and feel great sorrow about leaving. If it weren't for the two reasons above, I'd happily live out the rest of my days here, but those are deal-breakers for me.

Up to you . . .

[ggt]

My experience at immigration was a bit nerve racking...yet there was a kindly patent ex-pat working there to soothe nerves as the cattle were moved from desk to desk...

Reason I left Thailand for green pastures had more to do with my expectation and disappointment than anything else...I had lived in Thailand for 3 years a few decades ago and could not have been happier...

Thailand has changed drastically over that time...more crime, accidents, scams, and down right hostility toward foreigners in many locations...

Got tired of the attempts to rip me off on almost every transaction involving baht...

So, cut my loses and moved on...very glad I did...more health environment, agreeable food, and relaxed culture...

The down side...there are no young women calling out to tell me I am a handsome man...

[thaibeachlovers]

It is amazing how people choose to live in Thailand then bitch about the process. Honestly, do you really think Thailand welcomes you with open arms? Thailand wants your money and not you. It has been and will always be that way. This is the way it is if you want to live in the third world.

One or two days of being buggered around by bureaucrats that don't care about me doesn't affect my desire to stay in Thailand the other 363 days of the year.

They may want my money, but they get not much.

They don't treat me any worse than the bureaucrats that control my life in my own country, so why would I single out Thai ones as being worse?

[sawadee1947]

After nine years in Thailand, I'm moving to Mexico in about a month. Since Jomtien Immigration has absolutely STREAMLINED their extension of stay/90 day reporting (and some day perhaps more success with their online process), the only two thing keeping me needing to leave are 1) the fact I can't play music in public without fear of arrest and, 2) Jomtien beach is a sewer.

I've done my fair share of paying through the nose and spending hours of frustration at my embassy and immigration. As well, I've whinged plenty about Thai bureaucracy, their educational system, ad nauseam.

In the retrospect of KNOWING I'm leaving soon, it's really not that bad a place. I just moved into a condo on the beach (BEAUTIFUL view!) and feel great sorrow about leaving. If it weren't for the two reasons above, I'd happily live out the rest of my days here, but those are deal-breakers for me.

Up to you . . .

Can you give me some more informatiom about Mexico (to my personal account please)

[williamgeorgeallen]

chiang mai sounds pretty bad. sitting in the heat while the staff sit in air conditioning. this is to insulting for me, seems they have made it pretty clear. I have been in pattaya 8 years and the immigration service is now very good, perhaps due to the shear volume of people they process.

[williamgeorgeallen]

My experience at immigration was a bit nerve racking...yet there was a kindly patent ex-pat working there to soothe nerves as the cattle were moved from desk to desk...

Reason I left Thailand for green pastures had more to do with my expectation and disappointment than anything else...I had lived in Thailand for 3 years a few decades ago and could not have been happier...

Thailand has changed drastically over that time...more crime, accidents, scams, and down right hostility toward foreigners in many locations...

Got tired of the attempts to rip me off on almost every transaction involving baht...

So, cut my loses and moved on...very glad I did...more health environment, agreeable food, and relaxed culture...

The down side...there are no young women calling out to tell me I am a handsome man...

would be interesting to hear where you found greener pastures I still enjoy thaialnd but may look at moving on eventually.

[Roota]

. . . ALL up and left and went to vietnam , Cambodia, And now Burma

Tired of dealing with Thai bureaucracy and so moving to Vietnam, Cambodia, or Burma ... the mind boggles.

[Jeffkp]

After nine years in Thailand, I'm moving to Mexico in about a month. Since Jomtien Immigration has absolutely STREAMLINED their extension of stay/90 day reporting (and some day perhaps more success with their online process), the only two thing keeping me needing to leave are 1) the fact I can't play music in public without fear of arrest and, 2) Jomtien beach is a sewer.

I've done my fair share of paying through the nose and spending hours of frustration at my embassy and immigration. As well, I've whinged plenty about Thai bureaucracy, their educational system, ad nauseam.

In the retrospect of KNOWING I'm leaving soon, it's really not that bad a place. I just moved into a condo on the beach (BEAUTIFUL view!) and feel great sorrow about leaving. If it weren't for the two reasons above, I'd happily live out the rest of my days here, but those are deal-breakers for me.

Up to you . . .

And you think Mexico will be better?????

[Jeffkp]

Did my 90 day check-in Thursday in Chiang Mai. Arrived at 8:30 and was out by 9:30. Efficient and organized. MUCH better than their old office.If you want aircon, there's a whole mall to cool in.

[steven100]

Think of it like this ..... what a boring day it could have been if none of that happened to you !!

[impulse]

Youre lucky ...in Loei they want the bank letter made the same day... homemade law i think...

It's not luck. Our company hires people whose job it is to know the pulse of immigration this week. They show up at OneStop hours ahead of us to get a number so we don't have to wait in line. For 90 day reports, they pick up my passport at my office, and it shows up the next day on my desk, all stamped (and whatever else they do). If a bank letter from that day is required, they make sure it's in the package they bring to immigration.

Every year, I make a token appearance at the OneStop to prove I'm alive and the face on the passport picture is mine. Our nice immigration person has already submitted my relevant documents that she has prepared and vetted long before I get there (and I have signed- at a time cost of about 15 seconds). I wait until it's my turn, then stand up, then sit back down again. Sometimes, I have to go to the counter so they can get a closer look at me- sometimes, I never leave my seat.

And they do the same for our expat employees all over Thailand, not just the BKK office expats.

Money solves just about all of our immigration irritations. Not my money, mind you.

Hard to believe with all the complaining here on TVF (and I'm not faulting the complaining- it's valid), that some enterprising person hasn't capitalized on the market to hook up some nice immigration ladies like we have, with those expats who dread the 90 day and annual immigration grind... Seems like there's some opportunity there. Maybe not Immigration Attorney $$$ money, but a decent little cash machine.

Edited September 12, 2015 by impulse

[impulse]

Think of it like this ..... what a boring day it could have been if none of that happened to you !!

Here's another way to look at it. Remember how much time, money and effort you put into scoring with the ladies back home?

Look at the immigration experience as a kind of trade-off.

[fang37]

All this agency stuff of taking care of visas reminds me of when I first arrived in LOS. Initially, the songtaew driver picked you up for the visa run. Then, we were told that the company would take care of operations. They were extremely efficient - passports were updated in quick time.

Why?

The company had counterfeit stamps made up - the passports never left their offices.

Of course, in time, the authorities became aware of this illegal operation.

No problem for the company. The expats/tourists now had legal problems. Some even left the country & got new passports.

[NoshowJones]

After nine years in Thailand, I'm moving to Mexico in about a month. Since Jomtien Immigration has absolutely STREAMLINED their extension of stay/90 day reporting (and some day perhaps more success with their online process), the only two thing keeping me needing to leave are 1) the fact I can't play music in public without fear of arrest and, 2) Jomtien beach is a sewer.

I've done my fair share of paying through the nose and spending hours of frustration at my embassy and immigration. As well, I've whinged plenty about Thai bureaucracy, their educational system, ad nauseam.

In the retrospect of KNOWING I'm leaving soon, it's really not that bad a place. I just moved into a condo on the beach (BEAUTIFUL view!) and feel great sorrow about leaving. If it weren't for the two reasons above, I'd happily live out the rest of my days here, but those are deal-breakers for me.

Up to you . . .

e 1) the fact I can't play music in public without fear of arrest???? Never heard of this, we get "music" played on traveling pick ups, does that count?

Just where do you want to play music in public anyway? Do you mean busking? You would need a work permit. Or maybe you mean blaring it out of speakers Thai style.