Lesson learned today! Always check this site before going to immigration. We are US citizens renewing a 60 day SE tourists visa for an additional 30 days.
A few days ago I saw someone post how easy it was to go to Chaeng Watthana immigration. So I figured it's only a 25 minute grab ride, why not go there. Plus they mentioned they didn't ask for TM30
After a debacle trying to get a grab to pick us up, we go there and filled out our paperwork at the immigration office, and have all the documents ready to go. We get our number and wait in line. Then it's our turn. We only had to wait 15 minutes from getting our number to being seen!
Then I get to the agent who tells me I have to go to the Nonthaburi immigration office since that is where my address is registered at. So then we take a grab (over 200 THB later) we arrive with documents in hand, and they ask for the TM30 documents. The one item we didn't have since I knew Chaeng Watthana didn't ask. We then go back home and get in contact with our Airbnb host. Now they will fill out the documents we need this weekend, and we will go back Monday to get our extension.
Long story short, if we would have checked that we needed to go to Nonthaburi first, this would have saved us baht for the grab rides, and a headache!
Just in case anyone is renewing at Nonthaburi in the near future, don't forget your TM30 form with you.
Hope my hassle helps people in the future!
Oh well, this will be a good article for our website. haha
TLDR : Answer Summary
A US citizen shares their experience renewing a 60-day tourist visa in Thailand, highlighting the importance of checking specific immigration requirements before visiting the office. They encountered issues at Chaeng Watthana immigration due to an address registration mismatch and the missing TM30 form, ultimately needing to travel to Nonthaburi immigration. This post serves as a cautionary tale for others renewing visas, emphasizing the need to verify the correct location and necessary documents beforehand.
