Chiang Mai Immigration:
- 60 day covid unable to travel extension
- I arrived 8:20am, left 10:05
So I went to Chiang Mai's immigration office today to extend my visa. For those that don't know, I've been living in Bangkok almost 4 years and just moved to Chiang Mai a couple weeks ago. This was my
first time at CM immigration. I'll start by saying I was surprised how friendly all of the immigration officers were. It's a relative contrast to the normally cold demeanor of Bangkoks IO's. There was also a foreigner volunteer working at the document check that was friendly and nice to see. He was much friendlier than the farang volunteer at the Phuket office who thought she was guarding Fort Knox’s.
While it was definitely organized, the document check process was absolutely 100% too long and unnecessary. Everyone that does any extension goes into the same que, and there's only ONE officer that checks the paperwork. That means the same single officer checks all the documents for tourist visas as he does for yearly extensions. I showed up at about 8:20, 10 minutes before they opened and got que ticket number 30, ended up leaving around 10:05. In Bangkok during normal non covid times, if I showed up at 7:30, I'd have que ticket number 250 (249 people ahead of me) but I'd be out between 45-60 minutes. I can only count 1 time I've been there past 9:30am.
The biggest issue I heard people having was with their bank book for yearly extensions. I saw 3 people turned away because their balance was dated yesterday, it needs to be dated the same day you are applying.
-In terms of the coivd extension, CM Immigration is back to the 2 week "under consideration stamp" that requires you to return in 2 weeks for your stamp. Why? Who knows, but I do know Phuket and Bangkok have dropped it.
-There were some talk online about when a covid extension starts, is it added to the end of your current stay or does it start from the date you apply for it. Chiang Mai, the first thing the Immigration Officer said when I got the window was
-this extension will start from today. Now this is my first covid extension, a subsequent extension may be different but I'm not sure.
-tm30's are also 100% required for all extensions. Again, something Phuket did not ask for in September when I did my 30 day extension.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The user shares their experience at the Chiang Mai Immigration office for extending their COVID visa. They highlight the friendly staff, contrasting it with their experiences in Bangkok. However, they express frustration over the lengthy document check process, mentioning that all extensions are processed by a single officer, causing delays. They note a key requirement of having a bank book dated on the day of application, which led to some applicants being turned away. The user indicates that the COVID extension process now requires a two-week wait for a decision and confirms that the extension starts from the date of application, rather than the end of the current visa. Additionally, TM30 forms are now mandatory for all extensions.
