Morning people,

 

Does anyone have experience of extending a tourist visa early i.e ten days before it expires.

 

Sure a few people have found themselves wanting to visit islands with no immigration.

 

Any help would be appreciated. I am currently in Chiang Mai.

 

Jon 

You shouldn't have a problem extending it in Bangkok 10 days before expiry. 

You should be able to do it 10 days early in Chiang Mai and other immigration offices.

Cheers guys, I guess the only way to check is to go and speak to them. The last time I was a Chiang Mai immigration a Spanish man had 15 days of overstay and also wanted to extend his 30 day visa. I was suprised that without any hesitation he was told no problem pay the 15 x 500 and 1900 extension.  

Not that I really care but an actual tourist visa gets  an entry stamp of 60 days on arrival, not 30 days.

A visa exempt entry, if you are entitled to one gets you a 30 day entry on arrival.

Both of them can get another 30 days added on for a 1900 Baht fee within the last week of the original permitted to stay on arrival stamped time in your passport.

T have personally done both of theses ii the previous 3 years.

It is possible.

 

My tourist visa was going to expire on 3 March so I went today to immigration at promenada to have a 30 days extension. 

 

I bought some 4x6cm passport photos in the city, with blue background, for 100 baht (You can also get them for 200 baht at the copy shop next to immigration).

 

I arrived at immigration at 12:45 (their lunch break is between 12pm and 1pm, also for the copy shop), picked up a TM7 form on the empty desk outside the office, and filled in the paperwork. The copy shop opened at 12:58pm and made 2 copies of my passport pages (4 baht). At 1pm I was in line outside the office. By 1:02pm my paperwork had been handled by a lovely helpful immigration girl, and I had paid 2000 baht. She asked me to wait inside for my name to be called.  At 1:25pm I was called to have my picture taken and at 1:30pm I received my passport back with the 30 days extension and the 100 baht change. 1:32pm i was on my bike again. 47 minutes in total ?

 

For the last 3 years I had always my extensions handled by an agent after a very "muscular" interaction with an immigration officer at their old office next to the airport. He shouted at me because I hadn't written my phone number on the application form. I promised myself not to deal with them in person again.

 

But nowadays, the paperwork is handled outside the office by truly lovely helpful people. And I've never seen this officer again. 

 

A big big thank you to them. You rock !

I have extended in Chiang Mai 2 weeks before the end before with no issues.