TrongpaiExpat
April 30th, 2008, 20:15
The US Embassy Consular Section is now offering appointments on their web site. You can still just show up and take a number.
I needed some additional pages in my passbook and also it's time for my renewal of my visa, so I needed an income letter. I logged on to the appointment site and found out that I can't make an appointment for two different things so I made two separate appointments at the same time, both for 10:15.
I arrived at about 10 and there were two people waiting so I took a number and was called in less than 2 minutes. I gave them the appointment print-out and told them what I needed and was given the forms. I filled them out, paid the fee, and was out the door before my appointment time had come up.
Passport pages takes an hour, so I left and returned at 1:00 pm. Again only a few people in the office. They were waiting for me and had my paperwork ready. I asked if it was a slow day and they said it was slow all week. I asked what's the purpose for the appointments and the lady said if you have an appointment, your not called to the window, you can just come to the window at that time and ignore the numbers on the screen. If there's a lot of people waiting, you get to cut in front of them. I wonder if that might cause some trouble.
She also said that eventually they will replace the take a number system and go with only on-line appointments.
It's also a good idea to leave your cell phone at home. They take it and give you a ticket but sometimes take forever to find it and you need to attach it to a second form of ID, like a DL. If you don't have a second ID with a photo, your SOL. They also take umbrellas and they just get piled up by the exit, find your own and leave.
The web site tell you to allow an hour inside the Consular but in all the times I have been there I have never been over 15 min. Maybe just lucky.
bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html (http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html)
I needed some additional pages in my passbook and also it's time for my renewal of my visa, so I needed an income letter. I logged on to the appointment site and found out that I can't make an appointment for two different things so I made two separate appointments at the same time, both for 10:15.
I arrived at about 10 and there were two people waiting so I took a number and was called in less than 2 minutes. I gave them the appointment print-out and told them what I needed and was given the forms. I filled them out, paid the fee, and was out the door before my appointment time had come up.
Passport pages takes an hour, so I left and returned at 1:00 pm. Again only a few people in the office. They were waiting for me and had my paperwork ready. I asked if it was a slow day and they said it was slow all week. I asked what's the purpose for the appointments and the lady said if you have an appointment, your not called to the window, you can just come to the window at that time and ignore the numbers on the screen. If there's a lot of people waiting, you get to cut in front of them. I wonder if that might cause some trouble.
She also said that eventually they will replace the take a number system and go with only on-line appointments.
It's also a good idea to leave your cell phone at home. They take it and give you a ticket but sometimes take forever to find it and you need to attach it to a second form of ID, like a DL. If you don't have a second ID with a photo, your SOL. They also take umbrellas and they just get piled up by the exit, find your own and leave.
The web site tell you to allow an hour inside the Consular but in all the times I have been there I have never been over 15 min. Maybe just lucky.
bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html (http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html)