Trip Report: Chiang Mai Immigration, Long Stay Extension for 90 days. (Type ED)
I arrived at 10am on 25 Feb to a long line out the door. After about 30 minutes I reached the document checker and was handed #100.
At about 10:30 they were handling #35. I concluded I could come back after lunch break at 1pm.
I arrived at 1pm to see they were working on #56.
Ran errands and came back.
At 2pm, #67
Went out again and came back.
At 3:15pm, #87
Stayed in place.
At 4:15pm, #100 was called.
I received my passport back at 4:45pm
They were working on #111 when I left which may have been the last ticket of the day.
What happens if you arrive early? Say 6:45am. A gentleman did today and received #38. I imagine he was out by 11:00am. So you have to arrive at about 6am, even though immigration doesn't open for another 2.5 hours to get a low number.
If you are extending a Tourist Visa or Visa Expemption stamp, I recommend arriving after 2:30pm. There won't be a line for the document checker but you will still wait to be served.
Other thoughts:
Why can't they set up appointments like Vientiane Thai Consulate?
Why does the QR code queue checker app not work?
Why can't we go to another province to do this?
Why can't the document checker have the forethought or consideration to tell people when she hands out a high ticket number to come back in the afternoon? Even just an approximate. "It won't be before 3:30pm for ticket 100."
Watched some confused and annoyed East Asian lady be denied her retirement visa this afternoon because her balance fell below threshold in April of last year. Now she has to go to another country for a different visa and in a few months she will be able to apply again. I feel bad for her.
I will continue to do the song and dance with a smile on my face. I just know it can be better.
TLDR : Answer Summary
This trip report details the author's experience at the Chiang Mai Immigration office while extending a Long Stay Visa (Type ED) for 90 days. The process involved a long wait, with ticket numbers being called throughout the day. The author arrived early but learned that arriving after 2:30 PM could be advantageous due to shorter lines. They also express frustrations about the inefficiencies of the immigration process, including the lack of appointments and issues with the QR code queue system. The report highlights both the challenges of the experience and the author's perseverance in navigating it.
