Hi my Thai partner and I live in New Zealand but visit Thailand 3 or 4 times a year with stays ranging from 1-3 months. Up until now I have just been entering on a visa exempt 30 day entry then dealing with extensions from there. There must be a better way and would appreciate any advice

You should obtain a tourist visa from the Thai Embassy/Consulate before leaving NZ

The visa will provide an initial 60 day stay which can be extended by 30 days at any immigration office for a fee of 1900 Bht

thanks oncearugge. What is the best office to get extensions? The BKK one means dedicating most of a day. I've heard Jomtien is far easier

thanks oncearugge. What is the best office to get extensions? The BKK one means dedicating most of a day. I've heard Jomtien is far easier

I have no idea having never used those offices .

However, I do not believe "dedicating most of a day" is needed to obtain a simple 30 day, routine, extension to a tourist visa entry.

Edited November 17, 201510 yr by oncearugge

thanks oncearugge. What is the best office to get extensions? The BKK one means dedicating most of a day. I've heard Jomtien is far easier

I have no idea having never used those offices .

However, I do not believe "dedicating most of a day" is needed to obtain a simple 30 day, routine, extension to a tourist visa entry.

on the contrary, I've twice extended 30 days in bkk and dealt with the mass amounts of people at this office and spent far more than half a day there and when travel is included it adds another hour or two depending on traffic. As I spend time in Jomtien and also Chiang Rai on most visits I am interested in how long the process is in these places. Appreciate your help and hopefully someone else who reads this can comment on these other offices

Edited November 17, 201510 yr by retoohs

I think you will find that it will be quicker in Jomtien or Chiang Rai.

You can apply at any immigration office if you have a local address to put on the application form and possibley proof of it.

Chiang Rai would be the best office to do the extension. I have never had to wait longer than 15 minutes at that office, although I've made a conscious effort to avoid days and times that I suspected would be busy.

In my experience: Jomtien 45 mins to 3 hours, depending on backlog - faster recently. You can get there early, but the "approval person" may arrive 1 hour after everyone else, so the passports pile-up on their desk. More recently, I show up just after the lunch-break. New: per UbonJoe above - be prepared to show a letter from your land-lord stating where you live and/or receipt of payment (I will take both).

BKK was in a 8AM and out just after Noon. 1.5 hours to get to my number for the initial interview, but again, the big wait was for the "approval person" to sign off, before your passport is returned to you. I was crossing my fingers they got to me before the lunch-break, and barely made it.

In all cases, I avoid Monday and Friday or days adjacent to other holidays, as the influx includes those whose permission-of-stay expiry falls on the closed-days.