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What should I expect during my visit to Muang Thong Thani immigration regarding the embassy's email for a stamp until September 26th?
visa extensionThailand immigrationCOVID-19 visa policiesU.S. embassy ThailandMuang Thong Thani immigrationvisa stamp process
Aug 28, 2020
6 years ago
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTERPer the email I received from the U.S. embassy yesterday, I visited immigration at Muang Thong Thani for a second day in a row.
Has anyone been successful with step one from the U.S. Embassy email sent yesterday, the one about getting a stamp just to 26 September? (Was this email discussed in this group?)
I returned to Muang Thong Thani today, left and went to the police station and replaced my lost Tm6 (departure card), returned and filled out forms and made copies, glued on my visa photo, signed a bunch of things as directed... then got sent away with a vague, somewhat annoyed directive to come back Monday or after.
So there’s obviously some details missing from the embassy’s email. I didn’t get stamped to 26 September today and I was asked repeatedly for the embassy letter (which I did have but embassy email stated was not required for stamp to 26 September).
I honestly don’t know what I’ll get on Monday. If it’s only a stamp till 26 September, I’ll feel a tad burned. 😕
The embassy made it seem like getting the stamp to pave the way to pursue a longer term visa would be easier than my experience.
No way, no how should I pay 1,900 baht and only get a stamp to 26 September, right?
Am I getting jerked around? No one could give me a good answer. I speak very little Thai and no one at immigration today spoke much more English than my Thai.
Any guidance or a clue on this? Pictures show stamps on my extension form.
Has anyone been successful with step one from the U.S. Embassy email sent yesterday, the one about getting a stamp just to 26 September? (Was this email discussed in this group?)
I returned to Muang Thong Thani today, left and went to the police station and replaced my lost Tm6 (departure card), returned and filled out forms and made copies, glued on my visa photo, signed a bunch of things as directed... then got sent away with a vague, somewhat annoyed directive to come back Monday or after.
So there’s obviously some details missing from the embassy’s email. I didn’t get stamped to 26 September today and I was asked repeatedly for the embassy letter (which I did have but embassy email stated was not required for stamp to 26 September).
I honestly don’t know what I’ll get on Monday. If it’s only a stamp till 26 September, I’ll feel a tad burned. 😕
The embassy made it seem like getting the stamp to pave the way to pursue a longer term visa would be easier than my experience.
No way, no how should I pay 1,900 baht and only get a stamp to 26 September, right?
Am I getting jerked around? No one could give me a good answer. I speak very little Thai and no one at immigration today spoke much more English than my Thai.
Any guidance or a clue on this? Pictures show stamps on my extension form.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The author follows up on an email from the U.S. embassy regarding a temporary immigration stamp until September 26th. After two visits to Muang Thong Thani immigration, they were unable to get the stamp and faced a lack of clear information from the officials. Other community members share their experiences, revealing discrepancies in how different immigration offices handle similar requests, and suggesting that the process can be confusing and frustrating.
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Tod *********
I am closing comments on this until the O/P actually goes back to the immigration office on Monday to see what if any stamp they get..
good luck, take care
@Ketrina *******
, message me after you go monday if you want me to reopen this post so you can comment on what happened : good luck, take care
Genevieve ***********
Graham *********
Just called my local IO, they have not heard anything about this 30 day "Official extension stamp" yet.
Darcy **********
@Graham ********
thank you for following up with your immigration office. Hopefully, things will get worked out for everyone needing to extend.Reply to
Darcy **********
Reply
Tod *********
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTERAll I wanted was to get the hard stamp and get out of visa limbo.
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Tod ********
: Welllll... I hope that happens on Monday but I THOUGHT and hoped my experience would be like Darcy’s. It seems like it depends on which immigration office you go to with regard to who will give you the hard stamp as described by the US embassy. Extremely frustrating.Tod *********
@Ketrina *******
what was the visa type you were hoping to apply for ? Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTERThere was ENDLESS talk about how you COULDN’T do this or that without a hard stamp. That was all I went to immigration for, just to get a hard stamp. Happy to help those seven cab drivers make a little loot the past two days but it’s all terribly discouraging.
Tod *********
I think because you were not ready TO apply for any in country 90 day Non-Imm type visa when you showed up AND that you had the "unable to travel due to covid" embassy letter, the immigration office didn't see any need to hard stamp you at all because you're on amnesty and it'll run out on the 26th AND you just applied for a can't travel due to covid extension that would be dated starting the 27th.
SO one more time, did you have the documentation to apply for an in country Non-Immigrant Type visa (O, ED, B, etc) IF they had hard stamped you until the 26th of Sept.
SO one more time, did you have the documentation to apply for an in country Non-Immigrant Type visa (O, ED, B, etc) IF they had hard stamped you until the 26th of Sept.
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Tod ********
: May I ask what difference it makes? Tod *********
@Ketrina *******
I'm asking if you were applying for a non-Immigrant Type visa OR if you were just applying for the 30 day extension based on the embassy letter stating you can't travel due to covid. IF you had the documentation to apply for an in country 90 day non-Immigrant Type visa (of some type) they would have hard stamped you and then let you apply for the visa (as evidenced by other people who went thru the process).
I'm asking IF you were going to apply for a Non-Immigrant visa or if you only were going to use the embassy letter to get you a 30 day unable to travel due to covid extension dated as starting on the 27th of Sept.
Your answer makes a BIG difference on why things went the way they did for you
Reply to
Tod *********
Reply
Darcy **********
My husband and I also went into Hua Hin immigration today. They stamped our passport with a new visa stamp which will expire on the 26th of September. We paid no fee. We had all our paperwork prepared for an extra 30-day extension because once again our flights have been canceled. They told us to come back on the 26th of September (which is a Saturday and they are closed). In reading back on official statements by the immigration office, they state we must come in before 26th to apply for an extension.
Graham *********
Thanks for sharing
@Darcy *********
, out of interest, had you already used the COVID extension back in March?Darcy **********
@Graham ********
no we have not applied for any extension, yet.Reply to
Darcy **********
Reply
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTERI tried to communicate that I simply wanted the hard stamp to 26 September both yesterday and today. And both days I left without it, despite filling out all the forms (that I didn’t think I was required to).
Darcy **********
@Ketrina *******
they didn't even give you that stamp. So strange and confusing for everyone it appears!Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Darcy *********
: So utterly mystifying! They insisted that I fill out the paperwork to apply for an extension and all I wanted was the hard stamp to 26 September. I put all this in a translation app and they just blew it off and said I was missing all the paperwork. 😞Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Darcy *********
: TOTALLY. Reply to
Ketrina ********
Reply
Darcy **********
We are currently on a tourist visa. We have a new flight booked in October. We are just asking for a 30-day extension.
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Darcy *********
: Thank you. So I’m not crazy. Darcy **********
@Ketrina *******
definitely not!Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Darcy *********
: I was truly feeling like I had been punked. 🙂 So for you, it went exactly as described and you were prepared with all the docs. So it remains a mystery why I got shooed away with nothing.Reply to
Ketrina ********
Reply
Robert *******
Can I see a picture of this new visa and on what kind of stay where you here
Graham *********
Thanks for sharing! What type of extension will you apply for? The COVID emergency one? Or something else
Darcy **********
@Graham ********
we are just asking for a temporary stay. Was not asked about the emergency Covid type.Reply to
Darcy **********
Reply
Brian **********
Someone said in another post I made said that Chonburi immigration gave them the until 26 stamp.fwiw
Graham *********
Any more info about this?
Reply to
Graham *********
Reply
Robert *******
the detail missing might be the part of the text in the e-mail that granting an Extenion of Stay is stil the decision of the Immigration Officer and not I had some paper and they need to give the 30 days directly
Graham *********
@Robert ******
she wasn’t asking for 30 days directly, she wanted the hard “automatic extension stamp” mentioned in the US embassy email in order to apply for another visa off amnesty. Robert *******
@Graham ********
Even for Americans, it does not matter what and how your write e-mails to each other, you can only apply at Thai Immigration and the Thai officers working there make the decision Approved or not approved, Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Robert ******
: Well, it certainly FEELS like the embassy instructions — which read as clear and straightforward — are out of sync with immigration. All I wanted was a hard stamp to help move forward with long term visas options. And that was exactly what the embassy email communicated. I guess I’m surprised the email hasn’t been analyzed, examined and dissected here. 🤷🏾♀️Graham *********
@Robert ******
Sure, but your tone was that she is entitled and demanding 30 days, that's not the case. She's just following up on what her embassy said yesterday (which was based on a conversation the embassy had with Thai immigration on *****
)Reply to
Graham *********
Reply
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Graham ********
: Exactly. Is the U.S embassy confused or misinformed? I thought I was taking the path of least resistance. I truly thought it would be easy. I’m so dumb. Reply to
Ketrina ********
Reply
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Robert ******
: No, no. It clearly said that. I just THOUGHT the implication was that getting an official stamp to 26 September would be straightforward, then one would have to submit additional documents by 11 September to be considered for a longer stay. I was just trying to do the first part. 🤷🏾♀️Robert *******
@Ketrina *******
The first part does not existReply to
Robert *******
Reply
Tod *********
as far as I know NO ONE has posted a single image of this "get off no stamp amnesty and get stamped in until the 26th of Sept" free stamp
What it looks like you were going to do was us the embassy letter to pay 1900baht for a 30 day "unable to trave due to covid'19" extension that would be dated as starting AFTER the 26th of Sept
What it looks like you were going to do was us the embassy letter to pay 1900baht for a 30 day "unable to trave due to covid'19" extension that would be dated as starting AFTER the 26th of Sept
Annie ****
Yes, it looks easy now if you have all your documents ready. Yesterday I just went to ask them what are the options as my colleague in the same situation was rejected few weeks ago. So seems they figured it out now
Graham *********
Thank you for sharing! Would you mind sharing what the stamp looks like?
Annie ****
@Graham ********
I can do later but it's exactly like usual 30-days extension stampReply to
Annie ****
Reply
Graham *********
@Annie ***
please tell us more Annie ****
@Tod ********
I received it yesterday, free extension until Sep 26th. But the reason was: application for non visa. Have no idea how it works with tourist extensionsJulie ********************
@Annie ***
I got my letter too today, which Immigration office did you go to? And what documents did you present to the officer?Annie ****
@Julie *******************
I went to ChaengwattanaJulie ********************
@Annie ***
ok..I’ll do this on Monday first thing..seems like we’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel..Reply to
Julie ********************
Reply
Tod *********
@Annie ***
so they hard stamped you in until Sept 26th specifically for the purpose for you to apply for a Non-imm visa inside the country to have hard stamp days to cover the "under consideration" stamp and time ? What a good thing.. Annie ****
@Tod ********
I suppose it's just like this. I was submitting documents for non-b with an expired 30-days entry stamp. After checking everything the officer gave me some papers to copy (application form and contract I think), then sent to extension section without explaining anything. There they just took papers and gave me back passport in few minutes with an extension stamp until Sep 26. After that I came back to the visa section and finished everything. They took the documents and told me to come back in 15 daysTod *********
@Annie ***
thanx for that SO for people who are applying for in country visas (that they qualify for) there is no problem going from the no stamp amnesty to a hard stamp that specifically states you're allowed here until the 26th of Sept Thanx (y)
Darcy **********
@Tod ********
that is what happen when we were at immigration today. No extension, yet. But a hard stamp with the 26th on it. Amber *******
@Darcy *********
did you pay to get the hard stamp?Reply to
Amber *******
Reply
Ketrina ********
ORIGINAL POSTERGod, I hope so. Correction, that what I HOPE WILL happen. Anything short of that will feel like a pretty absurd series of events, aside from replacing my departure card, which I’m glad I did.
Tod *********
@Ketrina *******
I honestly don't know and it's gonna take more people trying this to see if they can get on a hard stamp (off the no stamp amnesty) so they can then apply for in country visas they qualify for before the 11 Sept cut off to apply Reply to
Tod *********
Reply
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