Immigration Promenada One Stop Service 2016-2017

[Thailand]

Now i have not been to to many places in this country, so my question is .How many city's in Thailand have more than one i m office ? do the others like in Phuket , or Pattaya, have 2 ? i am sure Bangkok has more than one based on population, and now chiang mai has as well. i am sure this is a budget issue . You can bet on that.

times change .If you think this is hard try the us or some others .

All in all even though its not as good as it could be i think G4T and other agents are the wave of the future. Like all market;s the more agents the cheaper it will be as they compete for customers.G4T has done that all ready . And to be honest you have 4 options to do your 90 day report. mail . on line ,agent or in person . so where is the rub here? Its a matter of choice really. I use to do as many of you, go in early , wait most of the day, and if lucky be out and gone by 12 or if i got there late at 3. no matter if it was at the air[port im or the new one.

Old ways die hard some times. but as time goes by things change and improve . G4T and the rest provide a service. As long as you get what you want and not be stuck there all day , who really cares or why. Principal what is the real principal here? You want them to change for you ,remember we are all guest's here.

ok i am done , cant wait to here all the replies . )))

Have you used the services of the agency you refer to?

if so, did you get a receipt?

[NancyL]

I'm at Imm. Prom. now, waiting to do my retirement extension. Slept in late and joined the queue at 7:45 am. My extension doesn't expire until mid-Feb, so I figured if I didn't get a queue card today, I'd have time to come back. Many agents in the queue -- confirmed with one that they're still requiring the agents to have one person per customer turn up to collect a queue number, but it looks like the agents may send one employee out early to put bags and clothing on the stools to hold places in the queue and then the other employees arrive around 8 am.

I received queue no. 23 and everyone waiting got a queue number. They were generous with some people who lacked correct documents, giving them a queue number and telling them to return with the proper documents in the afternoon.

The 90 day report queue was very long -- nearly 150 people at the time of opening. Everyone in that queue receive a queue number. They've moved the 90 day queue to the other side, where they form their queue toward toilet doors. This means they're waiting in the open and it was cold, cold, cold for them this morning. Someone who was there last week said that's because the 90 day queue was very long last week, too, and when the 90 day queue was next to the other three queues, it extended out the covered area, up the grassy slope and ran out of space to form.

I wish I'd brought my camera today, but in light of my attracting too much attention at Imm. in the past, I thought I should leave it at home and not draw attention to myself. I'm surfing the internet in the Rim Ping restaurant now, not outside the "G4T Cafe".

[Lizard2010]

I'm at Imm. Prom. now, waiting to do my retirement extension. Slept in late and joined the queue at 7:45 am. My extension doesn't expire until mid-Feb, so I figured if I didn't get a queue card today, I'd have time to come back. Many agents in the queue -- confirmed with one that they're still requiring the agents to have one person per customer turn up to collect a queue number, but it looks like the agents may send one employee out early to put bags and clothing on the stools to hold places in the queue and then the other employees arrive around 8 am.

I received queue no. 23 and everyone waiting got a queue number. They were generous with some people who lacked correct documents, giving them a queue number and telling them to return with the proper documents in the afternoon.

The 90 day report queue was very long -- nearly 150 people at the time of opening. Everyone in that queue receive a queue number. They've moved the 90 day queue to the other side, where they form their queue toward toilet doors. This means they're waiting in the open and it was cold, cold, cold for them this morning. Someone who was there last week said that's because the 90 day queue was very long last week, too, and when the 90 day queue was next to the other three queues, it extended out the covered area, up the grassy slope and ran out of space to form.

I wish I'd brought my camera today, but in light of my attracting too much attention at Imm. in the past, I thought I should leave it at home and not draw attention to myself. I'm surfing the internet in the Rim Ping restaurant now, not outside the "G4T Cafe".

Thanks for the Real Report not just second hand

Maybe things could be changing at Prom Imm

Only time will tell

Yes it was cold this morning i actually had a teashirt on as well as my shirt

For my ride this morning at 6 45

I dont think i would have liked been in the Queues this morning

[northernjohn]

I'm at Imm. Prom. now, waiting to do my retirement extension. Slept in late and joined the queue at 7:45 am. My extension doesn't expire until mid-Feb, so I figured if I didn't get a queue card today, I'd have time to come back. Many agents in the queue -- confirmed with one that they're still requiring the agents to have one person per customer turn up to collect a queue number, but it looks like the agents may send one employee out early to put bags and clothing on the stools to hold places in the queue and then the other employees arrive around 8 am.

I received queue no. 23 and everyone waiting got a queue number. They were generous with some people who lacked correct documents, giving them a queue number and telling them to return with the proper documents in the afternoon.

The 90 day report queue was very long -- nearly 150 people at the time of opening. Everyone in that queue receive a queue number. They've moved the 90 day queue to the other side, where they form their queue toward toilet doors. This means they're waiting in the open and it was cold, cold, cold for them this morning. Someone who was there last week said that's because the 90 day queue was very long last week, too, and when the 90 day queue was next to the other three queues, it extended out the covered area, up the grassy slope and ran out of space to form.

I wish I'd brought my camera today, but in light of my attracting too much attention at Imm. in the past, I thought I should leave it at home and not draw attention to myself. I'm surfing the internet in the Rim Ping restaurant now, not outside the "G4T Cafe".

Thanks for the on the spot update. sounds like things are getting better there

arrive at 7:45 and get a number 23 not bad.

Good to hear all the approximately 150 90 day got a queue number that also is

progress. Now if only more clowns such as moe666 experienced don't show up

it will be a good day. My money says there will be problems with them.

I know from my 90 day late November that there were people in the line

with more than one 90 day report to do. The one in front of me had two

and the one in front of her had several plus she was having problems with them.

that was just the two in front of me that I could see. No telling what happened

after I left. To be honest with you the girl with two was 100% ready

and went smooth as silk.

[camsouth]

greeting all

well here is my report on the im office at prom . now my wife and i had to both go in for our 90 day. we had to file in person because we started our new extension in november ,tried to do it on line but no go . so we got there around 8 30 am. ha ha well nothing has changed much got in back of the line and yes there where a lot there so we didn't get our 90 day Q number. and i am glad i did not . so i went to the visa agent next door . lmao ok so at 9 am we gave all our paper work to them. asked how much 300 bah each so thats $17.11 usd for us both took him ten min to get the new 90 day day and we where done .

Now it seems to me that' s a pretty good idea. so by 9 30 am we where done and on our to the mall and shop, so i ask you is it worth it to go in at 5 am sit there till 8;00 am when they start giving out numbers .( i have done that as well )and i must say this is much easier and less stress full . and then sit and wait some more depending on number to be called some times afternoon or pay 300 bah . be done in 10 min.

So as i looked back as we where leaving and the office at im, and it was packed with people waiting, all of that to save a small 300 bah which is just under 2 caramel macchiato venti 's at starbucks . and some country's like russia you can only use visa agents. so all in all i am now sold on using the agent next door . To me makes no difference , the whys and hows of it ,they provide a service for a good price. cheaper than most others. for what ever the reason and how its set up i could care less/ i value my time just as much . so that's it .

Let me see if I understand this -- you got into the queue at 8:30 am -- at opening -- and there were so many people ahead of you that by the time you got to the head of the line they had handed out all the queue cards for 90 day reports? How many queue cards did they distribute for 90 day reports? In the past it's been something like 180 repothey

they do 200 to my understanding

[briley]

I suppose for Nancy or anyone else who has been recently,

Did you get asked about the TM30?

Our Condo does a report when we arrive and I have just done a 90 day internet report successfully so assume I am OK to do my extension next week without a TM30.

PS - Yes I am the owner, not renting.

Edited January 11, 2016 by briley

[NancyL]

Back home from Prom now. Was easier than I thought. Arrived at 7:45 am, got queue ticket 23, everyone in the retirement extension queue got a ticket. Meanwhile, over at the 90 day report queue in their new location in Siberia about 140 people received queue tickets. A total of 180 - 90 day reports were processed for the day, with the last one being done before 3:30 pm. (That's when I drifted in and noticed they weren't announcing 90 day report queue numbers)

They easily could have done 200 for the day, except I noticed at the end of the day they do some manual reporting. Get this -- first they sorted the applications into 2 piles. I strongly suspect male and female and counted how many in each pile and entered that info onto a paper form. Then one person started reading the country of each application who noted it in on a sheet of paper. Don't they enter these reports into a computer database where this data can be extracted? No wonder they have to stop accepting 90 day reports before 3:30 pm if they have to process these manual reports every day!

I asked four different Imm. officers if they have stopped accepting 90 day reports by mail at the airport office and the answer is no -- you can still send 90 day reports by mail. I asked the question in slightly different ways. The lady processing 90 day reports today was friendly and efficient. The way I asked her the question was "my 90 day report is due next month. Can I submit by post to the airport office?" She said yes, I can send by post next month, but it's better if I come to Promenada because they like to see me! Really? Another officer, I asked about 90 day reports by mail, saying I'd heard they had stopped accepting at the airport just at the first of the year. He was puzzled and asked a colleague. She asked me where I'd heard this and I said "on the internet" They had a good laugh and said it wasn't true. So, it looks like maybe Sparkles was singled out for "special treatment".

There are some changes to the office -- none made by Immigration. Still no queue-number being served board. In fact, the TV in the auxiliary waiting area now shows promotional videos for Prom. The mgt. of Prom. installed it thinking that Imm. would like to use it to display queue numbers being served. Prom. mgt has added some power points for mobile phone charging in that auxiliary waiting area now, too. And, there's a new Thai-style food court outside under the building structure in the area where the sheep and goat pen used to be located. So, you can have your choice of all the classic Thai street food at budget prices and not have to venture into the mall and pay the inflated prices at the coffee shops and western restaurants. Rim Ping Supermarket's "Bistro" continues to be an under-utilized gem for breakfast. 85 baht for eggs Florentine. Good eggs Florentine. Considering that I dined there after getting my queue number, I was still a little full when it was time for lunch at Ragu.

This time, I kept a low profile and didn't hang around the Imm. office any more than necessary, or get out of the queue. In fact, it was a pleasant day. I was able to schedule meetings at Rim Ping and Ragu with people who live on that side of town. And convince the Promenada shuttle bus driver to go a little out of his way to take me home.

[augustwest]

Sent in my 90 day January 3 and still no response. Any suggestions on what to do next? Thanks in advance

[Tywais]

Sent in my 90 day January 3 and still no response. Any suggestions on what to do next? Thanks in advance

That is only 8 days and the last few reports from members it took 2-3 weeks rather then the usual 4 days, mine included. I would wait until 4-5 days after the expiration as you have up to 7 days late to report and investigate further either by going to airport to check where it's at or to Promenada to do it in person.

[augustwest]

Thanks . Tywais

[CMBob]

I asked four different Imm. officers if they have stopped accepting 90 day reports by mail at the airport office and the answer is no -- you can still send 90 day reports by mail.

Thanks, Nancy, for the information - which corrects the one different report. I'll be mailing the reports this week.

[MadMac]

This is the second time this happens. May be caused by some misunderstanding and that face thing. I believe the holiday period was a bit dense for immigration and everyone else. When high season passes, it will hopefully be back to normal. After all it is more efficient for them to do online and mail reports rather than sit at a desk with dozens waiting.

[NancyL]

I suppose for Nancy or anyone else who has been recently,

Did you get asked about the TM30?

Our Condo does a report when we arrive and I have just done a 90 day internet report successfully so assume I am OK to do my extension next week without a TM30.

PS - Yes I am the owner, not renting.

Our condo office also files TM30 reports and they give you a copy of the screen shot of the page where your details are input as a type of receipt. I have this clipped in my passport and provided a copy with the set of documents yesterday during my retirement extension submission. The officer looked at it briefly, I think to to figure out what he was looking at, and then returned it to me as unnecessary, along with other unnecessary copies like my bankbook pages that were older than six months or so.

But, there is a second step to the interview where you move to another chair in front a computer with a camera. There, a female officer took my photo and spent several minutes apparently looking up data on the computer. She may have been checking that there is a TM 30 in their system for me. I don't know, but whatever she was doing, I passed her screening.

[SooKee]

Went there yesterday with my Thai landlord who is a good friend. Have to do my renewal in about 10 days so thought I'd do an address notification just in case. They took a TM30 from the landlord and a TM 28 from me, stapling the receipts from both into my passport explaining to the landlord that it was the best place to keep track of the submissions having been done.

[camsouth]

90 Day report by mail

Apparently Immigration (Airport) is completely swamped with 90 day Reports by mail. I have heard from 4 sources, who mailed their TM 47's by EMS or Registered Mail, who went to Immigration when they hadn't received it back after 2 weeks.

Immigration looked it up on their computer (it was recorded). They printed out a copy and stapled it into their passport. A week later they received it in the mail.

They were told, by Immigration, that the 90 day by mail may be discontinued as they do not have the staff to handle the volume of mail they are receiving. They need to hire more staff, but apparently cannot get the approval from Bangkok to hire more staff.

If you haven't received your TM 47 back yet you now know why.

[true blue]

so the gentleman at imm airport was right when he told missus about no more mail in,thought it was a lost in translation,between officer thai lady and me,easily done in los.?

[maderaroja]

90-day Report – Chiang Mai Immigration.

11 January, 2016, Monday. Arrived at 08.30 AM. More than 150 waiting in line.

Left. Returned.

12 January, 2016, Tuesday. Arrived 07.30 AM. Was awarded number 72. Again, more than 150 people in line.

Completed at 11.30 AM.

[NancyL]

so the gentleman at imm airport was right when he told missus about no more mail in,thought it was a lost in translation,between officer thai lady and me,easily done in los.?

No, they haven't discontinued doing 90 day reports by mail. They'd like to have more help at the airport office, they may be slow, and they'd really rather you go file in person at Promenada, but they haven't discontinued doing 90 day reports by mail.

[TheAppletons]

If there were ever a nice illustration of the law of unintended consequences in Thailand, this 90 day reporting would be it. Instead of paying for a service that should be provided quickly and free of charge at Promenada, customers are instead choosing the mail option. This has apparently resulted in a de facto shift in workload from the Promenada office to the Airport office.

Probably not what they had in mind.

[hml367]

so the gentleman at imm airport was right when he told missus about no more mail in,thought it was a lost in translation,between officer thai lady and me,easily done in los.?

No, they haven't discontinued doing 90 day reports by mail. They'd like to have more help at the airport office, they may be slow, and they'd really rather you go file in person at Promenada, but they haven't discontinued doing 90 day reports by mail.

It was not that long ago that it was being reported on ThaiVisa Chiang Mai Forum that Immigration wanted "everyone" to mail in their 90 day reports. Many posters were posting that people should "get with it" and mail their reports in.

After a bad experience with my first attempt at mail-in, and now with these reports, I am happy I did not try the mail in route again.

Fortunately for me I corrected my own error in filling in the report online and that worked for me.

Edited January 12, 2016 by hml367

[davidcnx]

I understood that a number of consulates in Chiang Mai were working with Immigration to help them adapt and introduce an online appointment system, at least for retirement visas, based on the one used by the British Embassy in Bangkok. This information was based on an email from one of the consulates and included screenshots of the whole process used by the British Embassy.

Perhaps someone who is well informed, like officers of the Expats Club, can give us a progress report?

[NancyL]

I've been encouraging people to email their consulates/embassies about the situation at Imm. Prom. ever since it was obvious that the problems weren't just temporary. You may recall there was a survey a few months ago about customer utilization and suggestions for an improved on-line queue. This survey was conducted by the CM Expats Club and results were presented to the local consuls and several Thai gov't agencies. So, as a result, many of the local consuls are working with CM Imm. in developing a new on-line queue system.

There will be a report on the status of that project at the Annual General Meeting of the CM Expats Club on Saturday, 23 January at Le Meridien Hotel. The meeting is open to CEC members, who should arrive at 8:30 am for check-in with their CEC member card and a photo I.D. if their member card lacks a photo. If a CEC member has misplaced their lifetime member card, bring a photo I.D. and lifetime member status can be looked up on the member database. The meeting starts promptly at 9 am and should conclude by 10 am so we can have a break before start our regular monthly General Meeting (open to the public) at 10:30 am.

The primary purpose of the CEC Annual General Meeting is to for the outgoing Board to review the club's activities in 2015, which have included monitoring the situation at CM Imm (as a small part of the club's activities), and to install the newly elected Board of Directors. The update about the Consular committee's project with Immigration will be a small portion of the agenda. This has not been a major area of focus of the club in 2015, but it is one that will be addressed at the AGM.

We can post an update here after that 23 January CEC AGM.

[northernjohn]

I've been encouraging people to email their consulates/embassies about the situation at Imm. Prom. ever since it was obvious that the problems weren't just temporary. You may recall there was a survey a few months ago about customer utilization and suggestions for an improved on-line queue. This survey was conducted by the CM Expats Club and results were presented to the local consuls and several Thai gov't agencies. So, as a result, many of the local consuls are working with CM Imm. in developing a new on-line queue system.

There will be a report on the status of that project at the Annual General Meeting of the CM Expats Club on Saturday, 23 January at Le Meridien Hotel. The meeting is open to CEC members, who should arrive at 8:30 am for check-in with their CEC member card and a photo I.D. if their member card lacks a photo. If a CEC member has misplaced their lifetime member card, bring a photo I.D. and lifetime member status can be looked up on the member database. The meeting starts promptly at 9 am and should conclude by 10 am so we can have a break before start our regular monthly General Meeting (open to the public) at 10:30 am.

The primary purpose of the CEC Annual General Meeting is to for the outgoing Board to review the club's activities in 2015, which have included monitoring the situation at CM Imm (as a small part of the club's activities), and to install the newly elected Board of Directors. The update about the Consular committee's project with Immigration will be a small portion of the agenda. This has not been a major area of focus of the club in 2015, but it is one that will be addressed at the AGM.

We can post an update here after that 23 January CEC AGM.

Looking forward to the information.

I am a bit concerned if it is just the conciliates talking to them. The real bottle neck is in Bangkok. Are the Embassies talking to them at that level? If Bangkok says no every thing will remain the same.

I was wondering if they do have a plan and the students are actually in training for future hire there. Or is it just another part of what ever course they are taking.

Also is there any talk of a larger office at the airport and additional staff to help with it. I have heard they are remodeling it but are they enlarging it. Do they own the property next door to it? What about the immigration across from the Promenada is there talk of using it for more services staff of course having to be provided.

I liked the idea of every one being allowed to make an appointment on line for the various things retirement, work education and what ever each one to have an officer or two if needed to handle it but it will not speed up any thing if they do not hire more staff. It will how ever give you a time to show up and hope it is OK. I have talked to people with an appointment who had to wait a half hour. Bound to have repercussions if all the time is booked up. The way people are flocking to Chiang Mai the lines are just going to grow and grow,

Pretty obvious immigration is the only big draw back.

[evenstevens]

Such a shambles and a farce. Who knows what to believe?

I have used the mailing in system twice now. First time took 15 days, second time took 7 days. Will I be third time lucky? Obviously when people are encouraged to mail in their 90 day reports it`s not going to be long before that method becomes overloaded also. My guess is that if it is discontinued we won`t be notified, people`s receipts will fail to be posted back having to chase them up and it will be reliant on Thai Visa reports again. More agro and inconvenience to endure.

Another educated guess and prospect to look forward to is if each year more Farlangs are settling in Chiang Mai then it`s not going to be long before the GT4 agency becomes overloaded too eventually leading business to the other agencies, that should please Nancy, and the whole process starting again, a vicious circle. The future in Chiang Mai is looking bleak, a survival of the fittest and psychological endurance. It enough to make you go mad, MAD MAD.

at around about 15 baht a day( any visa reputable agent) can solve your above problems, so why is c/mai future so bleak etc etc ???

[Sparkles]

The airport office has already been re modelled aka FINISHED it has grown northwards to where the coffee shop was.

As I reported on another post the day we went in car parking on site at 11.30am was available and staff were not busy.

Students are temporary ,its work experience

They,the Government, I was told dont own the property next door.I suggested that option to an officer 3 years ago.

The officer who told me no more mail ins was obviously having bad day miffed that all the "action" is at Promenada.

Interpret that comment how you like.

How do we know the bottle neck is Bangkok ? just shifting the blame ?? have said many times checking applications is purely a simple clerical function.

Talk of a long period for training is nonsense especially for 90 day reports.

While all this bubbles along people should do as Nancy,I and others have said,write to your Consulates ,don't email they can get lost

or where possible pay them a vist in person. Lets all make a concerted,positive effort to make the "system" less demeaning and time wasting.

[Trujillo]

I went to Promenada immigration yesterday to extend my curmudgeon visa.

I gathered all my paperwork at home; double-checked that I was not leaving out something, and hopped on the bike. When I arrived at the mall, I took the bike into the same place I always park. It was a little eerie since there were no cars or bikes, and only after I motored in quite a ways did I see a small cluster of bikes. I parked there.

Of course the glass doors were locked and I had to walk around the…promenade and found myself at the back of the line for old fogies. People line up the stools intended for the restaurant tables and use them as place-holders in line. I put my bag down and counted the seats to the front. It appeared that I was number 26. I wasn’t sure that was going to be good enough, but I had come with my wallet stuffed with cash in case I had to bail and go with the G4T agency.

I had arrived in line at exactly 6:50am.

The 90-day reporting line swelled after I arrived, in part because of the bevy of Chinese students who are in Thailand to study the language. I chatted with some, and I am not sure what use Thai would be in Yunan, but there they were.

That line stretched out of the back of the breezeway and far out onto the grass. I don’t know how many numbers.

It’s a shame that immigration can’t be bothered, or are too stubborn to actually update their website. The woman in line behind me had the list printed from the site in which it listed what you needed to provide to immigration, including a medical certificate and a document showing no criminal record. She also had a rental agreement for her apartment, which someone had told her she needed. There were various other rumors floating about I happened to earwig. How many numbers they gave out, that you could still do retirement at the airport immigration, “medical cases” were taking up valuable retirement numbers, how immigration “changes their requirements” every year, etc.

One thing that is worth noting is that all agents, including G4T, can only stand in line for one person, unlike the prior situation at the airport office where an agent would come in with two fistfuls of Burmese passports. However, there still exists a degree of unfairness; the man in front of me was extending his own retirement visa, but also was doing something with the passports of his wife and their four kids (his own kids, not acquired by a Thai woman). They did not have to be in line, but he said they were on “standby” to come later if need be. I don’t know what that was all about, but I didn’t press him on the issue – he was some Christian mainliner and wasn’t very friendly after we chatted earlier and I dropped the F-Bomb as an adjective. He had a friend there in the 90-day line, (“friend” meaning they had just met but because they both were sucking off the same teat, they were instantly “in” with each other). The “friend” spent most of the time reading the Bible, rather conspicuously I might add. “Look everyone! I’m reading the Bible, and there’s hardly any light!” (no pun intended). I instantly regretted not bringing my hardback copy of the Noble Koran and how that would have gone down if I had left that as a place-holder on my stool next to his. . . .

A man about three places in front of me had prepared, and I’m not making this up, his passport and a blank retirement extension form, that was all. I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought was going to happen when they called his number. Did he think one of the nice, helpful immigration fairies would flutter over and wave his magic wand and all his documents would marvelously appear, signed, sealed and delivered (with a medium blue background too)?

Anyway, people started standing up and so I stood up too, then looked up at the head of the line and saw that nothing was happening so the sheep sat down again. Finally, we all stood up and the line was really slow; they were checking documents before giving out numbers. The woman behind me was fidgeting and nervous then mentioned that she’d forgotten to bring her pension statement from the US Consulate (cue Thai slide whistle sound effect, canned laughter).

As we were getting closer, the guy in front was saying that the number lady only had a few cards left in her hand. He said, “I see number 27,” which almost momentarily made me feel good – until the man in front of me got his number card (No. 30) and the lady gazed at me with that quasi-blank, “I think I’ll have a cookie now” look and said, “All full! No more numbers today!”

The first thing I thought was, “OF COURSE YOU’RE FULL,” but the only thing that spat out of my mouth was, “YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!” Another cookie smile.

So I turned around and announced to the crowd, “That’s it; no more numbers!” to a mixture of confused looks and consternation. I’m sure the Jesus-man ahead of me was fully aware that it was in fact Jesus that had allowed him to pass and the F-Bomb heathen (that’s me) to be cast out of the flock.

So I turned on my heels and walked straight into the waiting arms of Our G4T the Redeemer, who received me with warmth and tenderness.

I asked a very pregnant lady with those totally black contact lenses that make you look either like an insect or a zombie if I could get my extension done with them today. She looked through my papers and everything was good. Obviously I didn’t have an appointment with G4T, but they took me right away. More on this presently.

So I coughed up three large for the privilege of allowing them to do my extension and another 500 for the multiple re-entry permit. I was instructed to wait for them to call me, “at about 2pm” (It was a bit after 8:30am then) to come back.

So I walked over to the Rimping “Le Bistro” or something like that, and ordered their eggs Florentine because I remember someone posting that it was worth eating (and because I don’t ever recall eating that before, most likely because I have never been to Florentine).

It was tasty but nothing I would go back and order again. The single egg was either from a dwarf chicken or a big pigeon. I made a rough calculation and came up with:

1 small egg: 3 baht

1 tablespoon spinach: 2 baht

1 small puffy round piece of bread: 3 baht

1 tablespoon Hollandaise sauce: 2 baht

2 tablespoons lettuce with ½ teaspoon vinaigrette: 2 baht

Total food cost: 12 baht

The menu price is 85 baht but actually you will be paying 93.50 baht. I am aware there are overhead costs – rent, salaries, electricity, etc. but …well, it makes you think.

So I started to walk out to my motorbike and passed the entrance where I had driven in (and the exit I thought I would be taking out). Across both were thick ropes that had been put up since I had parked. They were hard to see and once inside the parking garage I looked back and could barely seem them as they were pale concrete colored. If I had not walked by them (and paid attention) I would certainly have driven right into them. If I had driven my scooter I would probably have garroted myself; as it was I had taken the chopper – who knows what would have happened there.

So I found a way out (looked like for employees) and went home.

At around 2pm I had not gotten a call so I drove back and walked into the G4T office and said, “How’s it goin’?” A skinny, pimply guy who had been fielding questions at the desk outside of immigration earlier in the morning repeated to himself, “How’s it goin’?” while getting my stuff.

I needed to sign some extra copies of my passport (you need an extra set of copies for your re-entry permit in addition to the ones for the extension), recite at least one key verse from the Koran and dance an Irish jig while juggling two eggs and an apple. Well, not that last part.

The young lad escorted me into the CHAMBER OF RUBBER STAMPERS and right up to the retirement desk. Photo taken (glasses off, for some reason). Then off to the re-entry desk where some Japanese gentleman was talking to the Pol. Sub. Lt. about golf in pretty decent Thai. There were some old clubs by the wall tied together with an old Tesco bag.

The cherubim-looking fellow next to Pol. Sub. Lt. (if you’ve been there, you know who I mean) processed my papers while Pol. Sub. Lt. questioned me about golf. I looked at the clubs that someone had given him that day and told him they were a bit on the old side; several irons, a putter and a driver. He said he was a beginner and I said, jokingly, that I could give him lessons. Pol. Sub. Lt. asked where one could find a driving range, I suggested Gymkhana. Suddenly he was telling me that I would be giving him golf lessons (he’s now taking photos of my re-entry form with my phone number and his handwritten “Golf” next to it) as if it’s a done deal. He is Pol. Sub. Lt. and I take his name card and then tell him I will charge him for lessons. Without missing a beat he smiles and says, “How much?” To which I reply, “I haven’t thought about it,” but I am actually thinking, “How about 3,000 baht plus a 500 baht tip?”

So I went back with the lad to the G4T office to retrieve my bank books and asked him why he was helping out at the immigration outside desk if his agency had nothing to do with immigration. His mouth moved as if actual words were coming out instead of the string of random syllables of nonsense he was spouting. It mumbled something like, “Weo wa see uh, oh duh ei, uh hu….”

I then asked him what “G” stood for. “That’s the name of my boss who owns the shop,” he said.

“So he’s connected with immigration, right?”

“Oh, no, no.”

“A friend of someone in immigration?”

“Oh, no, no.”

So, inside I talked to the black-eyed woman and she said the same thing, although as I tried to push passed the “press release” replies, her formerly good English ability suddenly took a rather abrupt nosedive. I felt like either they were telling the truth or had told me as much truth as they were willing to tell.

She also told me that they will have someone stand in line for each “appointment” someone has made for them (regarding retirement) and I was able to get served on that day because “someone had canceled,” and if that person had not canceled, I would have had to come back the following day. It could have been true, I can’t say.

Outside G4T I see Mr. No. 30 and his brood. There are actually only two teenage kids and a wife, not sure what happened to the other two children of the corn. He said he arrived in line about 10 minutes before I did. God’s will, I guess. It was about 2:45pm and he still did not have his extension. I left.

Overall, I got a real sense that immigration as a whole does not see the current situation as problematic. Yes, there are lots of people, and some do not make it on that day. The early old bird gets the worm; that’s how it is and how it’s always been. I think they would say, “We are doing a little better now. It is what it is.“

It does seem, however, that at any random time, you look around and there does not seem to be much activity. Maybe they are using some Zen document checking and stamping technique, I’m not sure.

One little tidbit of information I think a lot of retirees forget is that when you get your new, one-year extension, your 90-day requirement DOES NOT CHANGE. Apparently, a lot of people think, understandably so, that their ticker resets after the extension. It does not. I brought this up with Pol. Sub. Lt. and it took about four attempts to even get him to understand what I was driving at. A 25-watt bulb finally went off over his head and he smiled and knew that would benefit everyone. Alas, that’s not how things are done – thought exiting other ear, thank you.

Extra credit tip:

The woman in line behind me was given her extension that day even though she did not get a number and did not go through an agent.

How?

Highlight the invisible text below for the answer:

She had a bus ticket for that evening to Kanchanaburi. They said they would process her after all the others that day, about 3pm.

So if you want to keep an ace in the hole, hang on to any long distance bus ticket and act panicked and weepy if you miss getting a number; show the ticket but do not let them study it for dates. Pass go, collect 200 dollars….

So what are the requirements?

The same as in the thread “Documents Required…” which have not changed for me for the past three years in Chiang Mai:

1. Application form (TM7 printed double sided) (I just downloaded the form from their website and typed in the information.)

2. 4x6 cm photograph with medium blue background

3. Copy of the applicant's passport (Front page, first visa and re-entry permit, current visa extension and re-entry permit, and the previous year’s visa extension and re-entry permit. You also need all of this for a re-entry permit too.)

4. Proof of income, e.g., retirement pension, interest earnings or dividends, etc.; and/or

5. Certificate of local bank account deposit together with copies of bank account records (Bank statement and bank book(s). I used two fixed term accounts of 800,000 baht, which was shown in two consecutive bank books. They did NOT want to see any additional accounts for “living expenses” or anything like that.)

[TheAppletons]

Nice trip report, Trujillo!

[northernjohn]

I went to Promenada immigration yesterday to extend my curmudgeon visa.

I gathered all my paperwork at home; double-checked that I was not leaving out something, and hopped on the bike. When I arrived at the mall, I took the bike into the same place I always park. It was a little eerie since there were no cars or bikes, and only after I motored in quite a ways did I see a small cluster of bikes. I parked there.

Of course the glass doors were locked and I had to walk around the…promenade and found myself at the back of the line for old fogies. People line up the stools intended for the restaurant tables and use them as place-holders in line. I put my bag down and counted the seats to the front. It appeared that I was number 26. I wasn’t sure that was going to be good enough, but I had come with my wallet stuffed with cash in case I had to bail and go with the G4T agency.

I had arrived in line at exactly 6:50am.

The 90-day reporting line swelled after I arrived, in part because of the bevy of Chinese students who are in Thailand to study the language. I chatted with some, and I am not sure what use Thai would be in Yunan, but there they were.

That line stretched out of the back of the breezeway and far out onto the grass. I don’t know how many numbers.

It’s a shame that immigration can’t be bothered, or are too stubborn to actually update their website. The woman in line behind me had the list printed from the site in which it listed what you needed to provide to immigration, including a medical certificate and a document showing no criminal record. She also had a rental agreement for her apartment, which someone had told her she needed. There were various other rumors floating about I happened to earwig. How many numbers they gave out, that you could still do retirement at the airport immigration, “medical cases” were taking up valuable retirement numbers, how immigration “changes their requirements” every year, etc.

One thing that is worth noting is that all agents, including G4T, can only stand in line for one person, unlike the prior situation at the airport office where an agent would come in with two fistfuls of Burmese passports. However, there still exists a degree of unfairness; the man in front of me was extending his own retirement visa, but also was doing something with the passports of his wife and their four kids (his own kids, not acquired by a Thai woman). They did not have to be in line, but he said they were on “standby” to come later if need be. I don’t know what that was all about, but I didn’t press him on the issue – he was some Christian mainliner and wasn’t very friendly after we chatted earlier and I dropped the F-Bomb as an adjective. He had a friend there in the 90-day line, (“friend” meaning they had just met but because they both were sucking off the same teat, they were instantly “in” with each other). The “friend” spent most of the time reading the Bible, rather conspicuously I might add. “Look everyone! I’m reading the Bible, and there’s hardly any light!” (no pun intended). I instantly regretted not bringing my hardback copy of the Noble Koran and how that would have gone down if I had left that as a place-holder on my stool next to his. . . .

A man about three places in front of me had prepared, and I’m not making this up, his passport and a blank retirement extension form, that was all. I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought was going to happen when they called his number. Did he think one of the nice, helpful immigration fairies would flutter over and wave his magic wand and all his documents would marvelously appear, signed, sealed and delivered (with a medium blue background too)?

Anyway, people started standing up and so I stood up too, then looked up at the head of the line and saw that nothing was happening so the sheep sat down again. Finally, we all stood up and the line was really slow; they were checking documents before giving out numbers. The woman behind me was fidgeting and nervous then mentioned that she’d forgotten to bring her pension statement from the US Consulate (cue Thai slide whistle sound effect, canned laughter).

As we were getting closer, the guy in front was saying that the number lady only had a few cards left in her hand. He said, “I see number 27,” which almost momentarily made me feel good – until the man in front of me got his number card (No. 30) and the lady gazed at me with that quasi-blank, “I think I’ll have a cookie now” look and said, “All full! No more numbers today!”

The first thing I thought was, “OF COURSE YOU’RE FULL,” but the only thing that spat out of my mouth was, “YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!” Another cookie smile.

So I turned around and announced to the crowd, “That’s it; no more numbers!” to a mixture of confused looks and consternation. I’m sure the Jesus-man ahead of me was fully aware that it was in fact Jesus that had allowed him to pass and the F-Bomb heathen (that’s me) to be cast out of the flock.

So I turned on my heels and walked straight into the waiting arms of Our G4T the Redeemer, who received me with warmth and tenderness.

I asked a very pregnant lady with those totally black contact lenses that make you look either like an insect or a zombie if I could get my extension done with them today. She looked through my papers and everything was good. Obviously I didn’t have an appointment with G4T, but they took me right away. More on this presently.

So I coughed up three large for the privilege of allowing them to do my extension and another 500 for the multiple re-entry permit. I was instructed to wait for them to call me, “at about 2pm” (It was a bit after 8:30am then) to come back.

So I walked over to the Rimping “Le Bistro” or something like that, and ordered their eggs Florentine because I remember someone posting that it was worth eating (and because I don’t ever recall eating that before, most likely because I have never been to Florentine).

It was tasty but nothing I would go back and order again. The single egg was either from a dwarf chicken or a big pigeon. I made a rough calculation and came up with:

1 small egg: 3 baht

1 tablespoon spinach: 2 baht

1 small puffy round piece of bread: 3 baht

1 tablespoon Hollandaise sauce: 2 baht

2 tablespoons lettuce with ½ teaspoon vinaigrette: 2 baht

Total food cost: 12 baht

The menu price is 85 baht but actually you will be paying 93.50 baht. I am aware there are overhead costs – rent, salaries, electricity, etc. but …well, it makes you think.

So I started to walk out to my motorbike and passed the entrance where I had driven in (and the exit I thought I would be taking out). Across both were thick ropes that had been put up since I had parked. They were hard to see and once inside the parking garage I looked back and could barely seem them as they were pale concrete colored. If I had not walked by them (and paid attention) I would certainly have driven right into them. If I had driven my scooter I would probably have garroted myself; as it was I had taken the chopper – who knows what would have happened there.

So I found a way out (looked like for employees) and went home.

At around 2pm I had not gotten a call so I drove back and walked into the G4T office and said, “How’s it goin’?” A skinny, pimply guy who had been fielding questions at the desk outside of immigration earlier in the morning repeated to himself, “How’s it goin’?” while getting my stuff.

I needed to sign some extra copies of my passport (you need an extra set of copies for your re-entry permit in addition to the ones for the extension), recite at least one key verse from the Koran and dance an Irish jig while juggling two eggs and an apple. Well, not that last part.

The young lad escorted me into the CHAMBER OF RUBBER STAMPERS and right up to the retirement desk. Photo taken (glasses off, for some reason). Then off to the re-entry desk where some Japanese gentleman was talking to the Pol. Sub. Lt. about golf in pretty decent Thai. There were some old clubs by the wall tied together with an old Tesco bag.

The cherubim-looking fellow next to Pol. Sub. Lt. (if you’ve been there, you know who I mean) processed my papers while Pol. Sub. Lt. questioned me about golf. I looked at the clubs that someone had given him that day and told him they were a bit on the old side; several irons, a putter and a driver. He said he was a beginner and I said, jokingly, that I could give him lessons. Pol. Sub. Lt. asked where one could find a driving range, I suggested Gymkhana. Suddenly he was telling me that I would be giving him golf lessons (he’s now taking photos of my re-entry form with my phone number and his handwritten “Golf” next to it) as if it’s a done deal. He is Pol. Sub. Lt. and I take his name card and then tell him I will charge him for lessons. Without missing a beat he smiles and says, “How much?” To which I reply, “I haven’t thought about it,” but I am actually thinking, “How about 3,000 baht plus a 500 baht tip?”

So I went back with the lad to the G4T office to retrieve my bank books and asked him why he was helping out at the immigration outside desk if his agency had nothing to do with immigration. His mouth moved as if actual words were coming out instead of the string of random syllables of nonsense he was spouting. It mumbled something like, “Weo wa see uh, oh duh ei, uh hu….”

I then asked him what “G” stood for. “That’s the name of my boss who owns the shop,” he said.

“So he’s connected with immigration, right?”

“Oh, no, no.”

“A friend of someone in immigration?”

“Oh, no, no.”

So, inside I talked to the black-eyed woman and she said the same thing, although as I tried to push passed the “press release” replies, her formerly good English ability suddenly took a rather abrupt nosedive. I felt like either they were telling the truth or had told me as much truth as they were willing to tell.

She also told me that they will have someone stand in line for each “appointment” someone has made for them (regarding retirement) and I was able to get served on that day because “someone had canceled,” and if that person had not canceled, I would have had to come back the following day. It could have been true, I can’t say.

Outside G4T I see Mr. No. 30 and his brood. There are actually only two teenage kids and a wife, not sure what happened to the other two children of the corn. He said he arrived in line about 10 minutes before I did. God’s will, I guess. It was about 2:45pm and he still did not have his extension. I left.

Overall, I got a real sense that immigration as a whole does not see the current situation as problematic. Yes, there are lots of people, and some do not make it on that day. The early old bird gets the worm; that’s how it is and how it’s always been. I think they would say, “We are doing a little better now. It is what it is.“

It does seem, however, that at any random time, you look around and there does not seem to be much activity. Maybe they are using some Zen document checking and stamping technique, I’m not sure.

One little tidbit of information I think a lot of retirees forget is that when you get your new, one-year extension, your 90-day requirement DOES NOT CHANGE. Apparently, a lot of people think, understandably so, that their ticker resets after the extension. It does not. I brought this up with Pol. Sub. Lt. and it took about four attempts to even get him to understand what I was driving at. A 25-watt bulb finally went off over his head and he smiled and knew that would benefit everyone. Alas, that’s not how things are done – thought exiting other ear, thank you.

Extra credit tip:

The woman in line behind me was given her extension that day even though she did not get a number and did not go through an agent.

How?

Highlight the invisible text below for the answer:

She had a bus ticket for that evening to Kanchanaburi. They said they would process her after all the others that day, about 3pm.

So if you want to keep an ace in the hole, hang on to any long distance bus ticket and act panicked and weepy if you miss getting a number; show the ticket but do not let them study it for dates. Pass go, collect 200 dollars….

So what are the requirements?

The same as in the thread “Documents Required…” which have not changed for me for the past three years in Chiang Mai:

1. Application form (TM7 printed double sided) (I just downloaded the form from their website and typed in the information.)

2. 4x6 cm photograph with medium blue background

3. Copy of the applicant's passport (Front page, first visa and re-entry permit, current visa extension and re-entry permit, and the previous year’s visa extension and re-entry permit. You also need all of this for a re-entry permit too.)

4. Proof of income, e.g., retirement pension, interest earnings or dividends, etc.; and/or

5. Certificate of local bank account deposit together with copies of bank account records (Bank statement and bank book(s). I used two fixed term accounts of 800,000 baht, which was shown in two consecutive bank books. They did NOT want to see any additional accounts for “living expenses” or anything like that.)

Thanks for the in depth update. Several things. The fellow who had the extra passports probably had them for the 90 day you don't have to be there in person or use an agent for them

It was interesting that you were 27th in line yet they gave out 30 queue cards before you and say the agents can only get one.

Also the lady behind you would have been number 32 if they had given a queue card out to her yet she still got in to see the officer. this is some thing I have questioned before what happens if they go through the queue numbers before quitting time. Nancy had reported a case of it once and when I asked about it she just kind of blew it off as a one only thing.

Also my experience with G4T was very similar to yours. I went in there at a little before 2;00 in the afternoon and they were all excited because they had a client who had to cancel and they could get me in. Long story short I had my extension by 2:15. I didn't bother to question them on the how and why's.

To bad you didn't have a copy of the Koran with you. You could have compared notes from the old testament it is in the Koran. I don't think the missionaries would like to do that.

[Thailand]

I believe they use the "cancellation" play a lot,that's just for show. Heard it a few times now.

[TheAppletons]

I believe they use the "cancellation" play a lot,that's just for show. Heard it a few times now.

Do they even schedule appointments?