One-Stop Service for Visa/Bangkok

[TrongpaiExpat]

I went to the new One-Stop Service for Visa and Work Permit Center in the Chamchuree Sq. Office Tower, 18th floor for my 90 day report. What a nice place and so easy to get to. It took about 5 min. for the 90 day report. Not the same system that ol' Suanphlu used. Just walk up to the 90 day counter and pass it to them and it's checked while you stand there and your on your way. A lot of farangs I talk to have made the trip out to Chaeng Wattana Road not knowing about this office. That's nice too, I am told, once you find the place, but unless you live out that way there's no need to make the trip.

This link has good directions. Once you get up to the ground floor in the Chamchuree Mall walk over in the direction of the green K-bank and around the corner to get to the tower lobby.

This link says you can't get a retirement visa here but I noticed a room with a sign for visa extensions, not yet open, but it looks like they are setting up for it soon, I hope. I noticed there's a re-entry permit window and visa extension counters. This place is well designed, comfortable chairs and they have an efficient system. http://bangkoklibrary.com/content/213-one-stop-service-center-visas-and-work-permits-mrt-sam-yan

[Smiles]

Hua Hin has a quite small Imm office ... though a very large number of expats, non-Imm holders, retirees, bad tempered drunks, and guys who wear socks with sandals.

Up until last year one simply took a number, then had to wait for it to come up ... lined up behind all manner of Farangs-With-Needs.
But now: blessed simplification! The take-a-number system is still in place, but instead of one button to push for the little piece of paper, now there are at least half a dozen according to the specific service you wish.
Now, folks who are in for their 90-day check in (5 minutes) are not obliging to wait, sweating, behind farangs who've filled in the wrong application paper ... farangs who've forgotten to get a passport photo ... farangs who don't understand a thing about the thing they need to get accomplished ... farangs who try their best to argue their way out of a mistake on their part ... farangs who don't understand that 'overstay' is, yes, a Very Big Deal ... etc etc etc.

Nowadays I wait only for the 90-day check-in number to come up .... bypassing a very large number of complete wankers.

[Bob]

Nowadays I wait only for the 90-day check-in number to come up .... bypassing a very large number of complete wankers.

Same up here in Chiangmai. After pushing the 90-day report button, I had just found a chair to sit when my number was displayed. Don't think I was in the immigration office a total of 3 minutes. And, yes, on my quick exit, I got a fair number of looks (you know, that "how the fuck did you do that so quick, you asshole!" look) from the portly slobs in the audience.

[bkkguy]

This link says you can't get a retirement visa here but I noticed a room with a sign for visa extensions, not yet open, but it looks like they are setting up for it soon, I hope.

As I understand it, while they will let us commoners do their 90 reporting and re-entries there only people with work permits from BOI supported companies can do visa extensions there - it is after all a BOI "one stop shop" not an Immigration Bureau office

bkkguy

[TrongpaiExpat]

Too bad, this place is so nice and so easy to get to. I spoke to this elderly farang this afternoon and he went to Immigrations on Chaeng Wattana Road via taxi. The taxi could not find the new immigrations office and drove around and around asking and finally dropped him off at the wrong building. He then had to taken another taxi and the total cost of this trip was 500B.

Once at Suanphlu immigrations I watched a old farang arrive on a stretcher with two nurses. He arrived via ambulance, had an IV in his arm, a piss bag, an 02 line and some mechanical thing with lights and a lot of dials. They carried him in the visa extension room, put a pen in his hand and tipped the stretcher for him to sign.

[bkkguy]

I spoke to this elderly farang this afternoon and he went to Immigrations on Chaeng Wattana Road via taxi. The taxi could not find the new immigrations office and drove around and around asking and finally dropped him off at the wrong building.

Tell him to get the Skytrain to Mo Chit - the taxis that wait at the bottom of the exit stairs assume all falung want to go to immigration and know the way and it is usually about 100 Baht if the traffic is not too bad!

The ambulance falung should have gone to Bumrungrad Hospital - they have an immigration office in the hospital so their patients can avoid such indignities!

bkkguy

THe guy in the stretcher sounds like me. After tipping it up, the blood is still sloshing around in my feet.