Current situation in Chiang Mai for Retirement Visa extension

[AlaskaDave]

Just back from the yearly trip to Chiang Mai Immigration for renewal of my non Immigrant Retirement visa and thought I'd file a report. As you know the Immigration office has moved to a new location in the Promenada Shopping Mall and this has slowed down the process considerably. What used to take about 2-3 hours is now an all day affair.

I arrived at 6:00 am in order to secure a place in the queue. Even arriving that early I was number 16 of a total of approximately 25 people that eventually showed up. After the office opened at 8:30, we filed past some immigration officers who checked our paperwork, arranged the documents in the proper order for what I assumed was to streamline the processing time, and gave each of us a number. Because my number was so high they told me to come back after lunch, at about 1 pm.

I came back at about 1:15 and waited for about 30 minutes until it was my turn. I went to the desk and submitted my papers. The officer looked at everything but in addition to the copy of the page with my current Visa stamp also to my surprise wanted a copy of the passport page containing the original non-Immigrant visa I used to enter the country 3 years ago. I ran over to the conveniently located copy shop and was back before he finished recording my data in several books on his desk. He did not take or even look at the copy of my Tambien Baan I had prepared. All this data recording is done by hand and it takes a while. I paid the 1900 baht fee, he stapled everything together and asked me to I slide over to the next chair where a nice lady snapped a photo, entered some data into a computer and told me to come back at 4:30 to pick up my passport. Apparently the high mucky-mucks are still in the other location near the airport so this extra wait is because someone with authority must travel to Promenada to do the signing or whatever it is they do. I wasn't finished yet.

I returned at 4 pm because I had a 5 o'clock appointment. Shortly an announcement and an apology came by way of the PA system telling us the higher ups were in a meeting. 4:30 came and went and I still did not have a passport. Because I had a that 5 o'clock commitment I asked if I could return next morning for the passport. No problem they said. I did that and now have my passport and Retirement visa.

All this went without a major hitch but it took ages longer than it should have. Consistent with my previous experiences, all personnel at the Immigration office were polite and friendly. But I am glad I live only 5 minutes from the office. If you are coming to Chiang Mai from out of town, you should plan on spending the entire day here.

One can only hope that this process will get faster as the new office gets up to speed. But things happen slowly in LOS. I won't be holding my breath.

One more thing. The 90-day report is fairly quick. You needn't get there before the doors open. It is mainly the Retirement Visa queue that takes such a long time.

Cheers,

Dave

[Suradit69]

for renewal of my non Immigrant Retirement visa

Actually it's an extension of stay based on retirement. You no longer have a visa which is why you need a re-entry permit if you intend to leave the country and return later. Not just pedantic semantics. Some people think they have extended their visa and travel out of the country only to discover upon return that they've been given a 15 or 30 day visa exempt entry and that their extension of stay has been cancelled.

[DogNo1]

People have suffered having to leave the country suddenly, been refused re-entry, etc. because they misunderstood the terminology and the requirements for extensions of stay and submitting ninety-day reports, not to mention confusing visa-exempt entries with visas-on-arrival. Using the correct terminology will help to prevent misunsderstanding by TV readers. Let's do it!

[AlaskaDave]

I agree, the terminology is very convoluted and subject to misinterpretation. You're saying I don't have an actual visa anymore but only extending my stay? That's news to me. What a crazy system. Okay, so apparently what I did was secure an an extension of stay based on Retirement. The one governed by form TM 7. I'm glad we guests don't have to pass a quiz about Thai visa rules every time we apply for an extension.

Edited December 2, 2015 by AlaskaDave

[circusman]

In less than 10 minutes I did my 90 day online and one hour later had my approval and next date due. In case someone doesn't know a residency proof is done in Promenda. Took about 10 minutes if that. 500 baht and come back tomorrow please. That office is to the left of the copy shop.

[jippytum]

I wonder why your number was so high when you were only 16 in the queue .Probably agents paying a kickback and priority.

[slipperylobster]

Immigration Chiang Mai

Immigration back east

1500 baht monthly rent back east

(country house outside town)

Scenery back east

me trying to get the best of everything

[Fore Man]

I'd like to add a follow-up comment to the excellent report done by AlaskaDave.

I had exactly the same experience last week in extending my stay based on retirement, but also needed to obtain a TM 8, Re-entry Permit, costing an additional THB 3,900. I also had a high queue number for my TM 7 processing and needed to return at 1 PM. But in my case, my passport was taken to the old airport office and arrived back at Promenada by 4:00 PM. Only at that point could I begin processing my TM 8 application. I had been advised earlier that afternoon that I would most likely have return to Promenada another day to take care of the TM 8, because normally there isn't sufficient time remaining in their office hours to get it done the same day. I was fortunate and able to complete my Re-entry permit by 4:30 PM and take care of everything in one business day..

Two fine points need to be made: first, your time of arrival at Promenada determines your queue order when the officers walk outside to check your paperwork and hand out queue cards. I arrived at 7:15 AM and it was plain to see that 20 applicants had arrived there before me...as there were 20 wooden benches lined up in a long row, all with people seated in them, or reserved with some personal item. There was no favored queue system or trickery involved...get there early and you will get a low queue number.

The other point is that you could indeed devote the whole day getting your extension of stay from Promenada, if you arrive later in the queue and are given a high number. Most of that time however is yours to do other things. We left the area at 8:45 AM, came back for the 1:00 appointment, and then returned again at 4:00 PM. The 'dead times' in between are yours to fill doing other things, eating breakfast/lunch/running other errands etc. and yes, you may have to come back another day to complete TM 8 processing.

The system isn't ideal but indeed the Immigration staff is professional and polite, and does their best to accommodate each applicant. It would be a huge help if some official at Promenada could be authorized to approve extension applications, eliminating the need to send passports to and from the airport office.

We witnessed an unsavory event when one frustrated and surly applicant lashed out at the staff, calling them "a**holes" out loud. I have to comment that the staff refused to be flustered and acted professionally despite this ugly outburst. My hat is off to them for their deportment. Act couteously and show respect in your behavior and dress, offer a genuine smile, and the staff will gladly reciprocate. I too was frustrated at the long wait and loss of a whole day, but realized that the staff is doing the best it can given their lack of sufficient staffing. It could be worse, and I consider myself fortunate to be covered by the Chiang Mai immigration office.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Fore Man

[bangmai]

I agree, the terminology is very convoluted and subject to misinterpretation. You're saying I don't have an actual visa anymore but only extending my stay? That's news to me. What a crazy system. Okay, so apparently what I did was secure an an extension of stay based on Retirement. The one governed by form TM 7. I'm glad we guests don't have to pass a quiz about Thai visa rules every time we apply for an extension.

What if you had gotten there at 10am? Did you see anyone get turned away? BTW, thanks for the helpful report. The airport office would have been so much more convenient, and I even put my money in banks at AP Plaza in case they decided I needed to return to my bank. Not to mention things taking two steps backwards after the move.

[morpho]

I agree, the terminology is very convoluted and subject to misinterpretation. You're saying I don't have an actual visa anymore but only extending my stay? That's news to me. What a crazy system. Okay, so apparently what I did was secure an an extension of stay based on Retirement. The one governed by form TM 7. I'm glad we guests don't have to pass a quiz about Thai visa rules every time we apply for an extension.

What if you had gotten there at 10am? Did you see anyone get turned away? BTW, thanks for the helpful report. The airport office would have been so much more convenient, and I even put my money in banks at AP Plaza in case they decided I needed to return to my bank. Not to mention things taking two steps backwards after the move.

I think they shut down the queue at some point in the morning, especially if a certain number of people have already showed up. Arriving at 10 and you might be turned away and told to show up another day.

I was #1 to extend my retirement visa (because my agent had gotten #1 somehow...I actually showed up when the doors opened) in late October. Took less than 30 minutes to process getting my visa stamped into my passport but as pointed out previously, the snag now is that the immigration office chief has to sign the visa. So I was told to come back after 1 PM to pick up my signed visa. As long as the requirement for the head honcho to sign the visa is in place, it looks like this will continue to be an all day affair.

In the past, I was able to get both my retirement visa extension and a multiple entry permit in one day...and usually before noon. But in October I had to go back another day to get my re-entry permit the week after I got my visa. I arrived without my agent right before the doors opened and was #1 to get a re-entry permit. The downside was that I also needed a 90-day and there was a line of more than 100 people to get a 90-day. I was told to complete my re-entry permit process and get a new number for my 90-day. It took less than 20 minutes to get my re-entry permit and then I got my 90-day number...something like #120...and then the waiting began as I was told to come back in the afternoon. Ended up staying at the office and talking with another guy who was in the same boat I was. We finally got out of there at about 3 that afternoon. I think there were about 200 people there that day to get a 90-day. The week before when I renewed my visa, I think there was probably less 30 people there to get their 90-day and they all were outta there by noon. So much depends on how many people show up on a given day as to how long you will be there...and the number of people can obviously vary widely.

Also, be aware that if you sit in the extra seating area just off the main office, there is no speaker in there so you can hear your 90-day number being called. If you miss your turn as a result, you can still get processed but it's at the whim of the staff as to when.

[Dumbastheycome]

for renewal of my non Immigrant Retirement visa

Actually it's an extension of stay based on retirement. You no longer have a visa which is why you need a re-entry permit if you intend to leave the country and return later. Not just pedantic semantics. Some people think they have extended their visa and travel out of the country only to discover upon return that they've been given a 15 or 30 day visa exempt entry and that their extension of stay has been cancelled.

And that despite the extension stamp also contains an advisory about requiring a re-entry permit!

[Dumbastheycome]

for renewal of my non Immigrant Retirement visa

Actually it's an extension of stay based on retirement. You no longer have a visa which is why you need a re-entry permit if you intend to leave the country and return later. Not just pedantic semantics. Some people think they have extended their visa and travel out of the country only to discover upon return that they've been given a 15 or 30 day visa exempt entry and that their extension of stay has been cancelled.

And that despite the extension stamp also contains an advisory about requiring a re-entry permit!

[morpho]

I'd like to add a follow-up comment to the excellent report done by AlaskaDave.

I had exactly the same experience last week in extending my stay based on retirement, but also needed to obtain a TM 8, Re-entry Permit, costing an additional THB 3,900. I also had a high queue number for my TM 7 processing and needed to return at 1 PM. But in my case, my passport was taken to the old airport office and arrived back at Promenada by 4:00 PM. Only at that point could I begin processing my TM 8 application. I had been advised earlier that afternoon that I would most likely have return to Promenada another day to take care of the TM 8, because normally there isn't sufficient time remaining in their office hours to get it done the same day. I was fortunate and able to complete my Re-entry permit by 4:30 PM and take care of everything in one business day..

Two fine points need to be made: first, your time of arrival at Promenada determines your queue order when the officers walk outside to check your paperwork and hand out queue cards. I arrived at 7:15 AM and it was plain to see that 20 applicants had arrived there before me...as there were 20 wooden benches lined up in a long row, all with people seated in them, or reserved with some personal item. There was no favored queue system or trickery involved...get there early and you will get a low queue number.

The other point is that you could indeed devote the whole day getting your extension of stay from Promenada, if you arrive later in the queue and are given a high number. Most of that time however is yours to do other things. We left the area at 8:45 AM, came back for the 1:00 appointment, and then returned again at 4:00 PM. The 'dead times' in between are yours to fill doing other things, eating breakfast/lunch/running other errands etc. and yes, you may have to come back another day to complete TM 8 processing.

The system isn't ideal but indeed the Immigration staff is professional and polite, and does their best to accommodate each applicant. It would be a huge help if some official at Promenada could be authorized to approve extension applications, eliminating the need to send passports to and from the airport office.

We witnessed an unsavory event when one frustrated and surly applicant lashed out at the staff, calling them "a**holes" out loud. I have to comment that the staff refused to be flustered and acted professionally despite this ugly outburst. My hat is off to them for their deportment. Act couteously and show respect in your behavior and dress, offer a genuine smile, and the staff will gladly reciprocate. I too was frustrated at the long wait and loss of a whole day, but realized that the staff is doing the best it can given their lack of sufficient staffing. It could be worse, and I consider myself fortunate to be covered by the Chiang Mai immigration office.

As cumbersome as the process is now, I completely agree that the staff (except for one surly female staff member) were very professional, courteous and efficient when I was there on two occasions in late October. They have a thankless job but they get 5 stars (out of 5) from me.

Edited December 3, 2015 by morpho

[RPCVguy]

I too would like to comment on the new system. For people coming from out of town by bus (like me) it adds another layer of uncertainty as to how to plan. What had been possible as a very long day trip (so long as I secured an early afternoon appointment in their system - allowing AM for getting the financial papers from the bank.) One day in-and-out could be planned by buying the return bus ticket on the last bus in advance. Now that is no longer certain since even a 4:30 completion of the papers and return of the passport risks not getting to arcade in time for the bus.

As AlaskaDave posted:

"I returned at 4 pm because I had a 5 o'clock appointment. Shortly an announcement and an apology came by way of the PA system telling us the higher ups were in a meeting. 4:30 came and went and I still did not have a passport."

Sorry news for me indeed. I for one dislike every trip to the city. Overnight stay for me requires carting medical equipment - or getting a very non-productive night's sleep.
The Chiang Mai Immigration Office is part of a governmental system and subject to all the shortfalls of a bureaucracy - sadly so. At least the staff have always been professional - a small miracle considering the large numbers of people who transit their office each day.

[bangmai]

Apparently, things have changed a lot since October..hopefully for the better. There seems to have been a period, when no agent=no extension.

[bazza40]

My visa extension in November at Promenada took about 15 minutes one day, then another 15 minutes the next day for the multiple re-entry permit. That's because I paid an agent.

It depends on individual circumstances and willingness to spend hours in queues. However, agents obviously get preference. Bitching and moaning about corruption may give some satisfaction, but it's not going to change the system.

[DogNo1]

You cannot extend your visa. Your visa is cancelled when you receive an extension of stay. You cannot "get a 90-day." You must make a ninety-day report. No wonder posters are fooled into thinking that the ninety-day report is some kind of permission!

[DogNo1]

A visa is a permission to ENTER the country. When you get an extension of stay, your visa is cancelled and you cannot enter the country again without a re-entry permit, a new visa or a visa-exempt entry.

An extension of stay is permission to STAY in the country. You cannot re-enter the country during your period of stay without a re-entry permit. If you don't have one, you must enter on a new visa or on a visa-exempt entry, both of which restart your period of stay.

A ninety-day report notifies immigration that you have been in the country for ninety days. It is required but has no significance other than notifying immigration of your presence in the country.

[camsouth]

I agree, the terminology is very convoluted and subject to misinterpretation. You're saying I don't have an actual visa anymore but only extending my stay? That's news to me. What a crazy system. Okay, so apparently what I did was secure an an extension of stay based on Retirement. The one governed by form TM 7. I'm glad we guests don't have to pass a quiz about Thai visa rules every time we apply for an extension.

What if you had gotten there at 10am? Did you see anyone get turned away? BTW, thanks for the helpful report. The airport office would have been so much more convenient, and I even put my money in banks at AP Plaza in case they decided I needed to return to my bank. Not to mention things taking two steps backwards after the move.

I think they shut down the queue at some point in the morning, especially if a certain number of people have already showed up. Arriving at 10 and you might be turned away and told to show up another day.

I was #1 to extend my retirement visa (because my agent had gotten #1 somehow...I actually showed up when the doors opened) in late October. Took less than 30 minutes to process getting my visa stamped into my passport but as pointed out previously, the snag now is that the immigration office chief has to sign the visa. So I was told to come back after 1 PM to pick up my signed visa. As long as the requirement for the head honcho to sign the visa is in place, it looks like this will continue to be an all day affair.

In the past, I was able to get both my retirement visa extension and a multiple entry permit in one day...and usually before noon. But in October I had to go back another day to get my re-entry permit the week after I got my visa. I arrived without my agent right before the doors opened and was #1 to get a re-entry permit. The downside was that I also needed a 90-day and there was a line of more than 100 people to get a 90-day. I was told to complete my re-entry permit process and get a new number for my 90-day. It took less than 20 minutes to get my re-entry permit and then I got my 90-day number...something like #120...and then the waiting began as I was told to come back in the afternoon. Ended up staying at the office and talking with another guy who was in the same boat I was. We finally got out of there at about 3 that afternoon. I think there were about 200 people there that day to get a 90-day. The week before when I renewed my visa, I think there was probably less 30 people there to get their 90-day and they all were outta there by noon. So much depends on how many people show up on a given day as to how long you will be there...and the number of people can obviously vary widely.

Also, be aware that if you sit in the extra seating area just off the main office, there is no speaker in there so you can hear your 90-day number being called. If you miss your turn as a result, you can still get processed but it's at the whim of the staff as to when.

well i to did mine in oct extention of stay based on retirement. i was #1 in the Q that day as well , with out agents used . what was funny was the look on the agents when the showed up that i was already there , with wife for same . we did the 1 yr extension and her 90 day report and 2 multi entry 's and was out by 3 pm done with all 3

[bazza40]

A visa is a permission to ENTER the country. When you get an extension of stay, your visa is cancelled and you cannot enter the country again without a re-entry permit, a new visa or a visa-exempt entry.

An extension of stay is permission to STAY in the country. You cannot re-enter the country during your period of stay without a re-entry permit. If you don't have one, you must enter on a new visa or on a visa-exempt entry, both of which restart your period of stay.

A ninety-day report notifies immigration that you have been in the country for ninety days. It is required but has no significance other than notifying immigration of your presence in the country.

Whatever you say. This is why I employ an agent, so I don't have to understand all the technical BS.

[Dan5]

In less than 10 minutes I did my 90 day online and one hour later had my approval and next date due. In case someone doesn't know a residency proof is done in Promenda. Took about 10 minutes if that. 500 baht and come back tomorrow please. That office is to the left of the copy shop.

When you do the 90 day online, do you receive something as proof you did the report? What is the URL for doing the online report?

[ubonjoe]

In less than 10 minutes I did my 90 day online and one hour later had my approval and next date due. In case someone doesn't know a residency proof is done in Promenda. Took about 10 minutes if that. 500 baht and come back tomorrow please. That office is to the left of the copy shop.

When you do the 90 day online, do you receive something as proof you did the report? What is the URL for doing the online report?

After the report is approved you can print out the receipt by going back on the online reporting site.

URL: https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn90online

There is more info about online reporting in the pinned topic about it.

[moe666]

A visa is a permission to ENTER the country. When you get an extension of stay, your visa is cancelled and you cannot enter the country again without a re-entry permit, a new visa or a visa-exempt entry.

An extension of stay is permission to STAY in the country. You cannot re-enter the country during your period of stay without a re-entry permit. If you don't have one, you must enter on a new visa or on a visa-exempt entry, both of which restart your period of stay.

A ninety-day report notifies immigration that you have been in the country for ninety days. It is required but has no significance other than notifying immigration of your presence in the country.

Whatever you say. This is why I employ an agent, so I don't have to understand all the technical BS.

I want to understand the system thats why I do my own I live here so should make an effort to understand whats required

[Si Thea01]

I agree, the terminology is very convoluted and subject to misinterpretation. You're saying I don't have an actual visa anymore but only extending my stay? That's news to me. What a crazy system. Okay, so apparently what I did was secure an an extension of stay based on Retirement. The one governed by form TM 7. I'm glad we guests don't have to pass a quiz about Thai visa rules every time we apply for an extension.

SSSSSHHHHHHH. Don't give them any ideas.

[RPCVguy]

I too would like to comment on the new system. For people coming from out of town by bus (like me) it adds another layer of uncertainty as to how to plan. What had been possible as a very long day trip (so long as I secured an early afternoon appointment in their system - allowing AM for getting the financial papers from the bank.) One day in-and-out could be planned by buying the return bus ticket on the last bus in advance. Now that is no longer certain since even a 4:30 completion of the papers and return of the passport risks not getting to arcade in time for the bus.

As AlaskaDave posted:

"I returned at 4 pm because I had a 5 o'clock appointment. Shortly an announcement and an apology came by way of the PA system telling us the higher ups were in a meeting. 4:30 came and went and I still did not have a passport."

Sorry news for me indeed. I for one dislike every trip to the city. Overnight stay for me requires carting medical equipment - or getting a very non-productive night's sleep.

The Chiang Mai Immigration Office is part of a governmental system and subject to all the shortfalls of a bureaucracy - sadly so. At least the staff have always been professional - a small miracle considering the large numbers of people who transit their office each day.

After forgetting until too late last year, I had multiple reminder alarms set for this week to start booking an appointment. The queue online system was not working and when I searched I found

"Posted 2015-08-06 17:51:45

"Today at the Promenada office I asked an officer about the online queue system and he said it was "closed permanently". He said there were two reasons. Since the move to the new office they had no space for more than one officer to process applications, and they had no time to process the applicants with appointments and the applicants without appointments. They had also received complaints that people were unable to get an online reservation. If you are already booked, then you will be seen at the appointed time, but no new appointments will be accepted.

The officer spoke good English, as did his assistant, who agreed with him. So there doesn't seem to be any case for misunderstanding.

This seems like a big step backwards to me, as they still have the same number of applications to process."

Ah well, next we'll need to bring tents so we can camp there for the 30-days of trying ...