Chiang Mai Immigration Mess

[Kurtf]

    Yesterday I posted about how the immigration office locked the doors after allowing 100 people in. Today I went back with my bank letter and all my documentation. I got up at 4:30 in the morning, arrived at the immigration office at 5:45. (it's a long drive for me) I stood in line until 8:30 and then they started allowing people in. I finally got to the information counter and handed all my paperwork to the woman behind the desk. She scanned it and said I didn't have the proper Bank account paper. The one I had was a signed paper that said my bankaccount balance was such and such and had been above 800,000 baht for more than 3 months. Ohh but that isn't good enough. They want a statement for one year from the bank. Every deposit and withdrawal. Plus I had only copied the relevant pages of my passport. Ohh no...I have to have copies of EVERY page including old stamps from years past. So we left and went to the bank only to find out that to get a statement like that we have to wait 7 days because the bank has to wire a request to Bangkok and it takes them 7 days to send that information back. Ohh I forgot to mention the miserable woman who works there that drove up at 7 and was yelling at the people asking, why you here. Not open until 8:30. Why you come so early"? "you make a big problem for me". She is obviously in the wrong job. Her job is to help people who have problems. But not this bitch. She is only there to push papers and make life more difficult for farangs.

    So the saga continues. Next Friday I will go back again, and with copies of EVERY page of my passport and a bank statement showing every deosit and withdrawal for the paast year and probably what will happen is they will fine me for 4 days overstay (their fault) and then find some other reason why the paperwork isn't sufficient. I hope they all rot in hell.

[CNXexpat]

Yes, the paper work is annoying. Most I love that I have to make a drawing of the way from the immigration office to my home. A Google Maps print is not allowed. So I print it out, put an empty paper on it and draw it by hand. Looks much worse than a print, but if the immigration wants it...

[theoldgit]

Let's try this in the correct forum, this is for visas outside of Thailand.

[FritsSikkink]

"Her job is to help people who have problems." No it isn't

That you don't bring the right paper work is your own fault.

The capacity problem is a fault of immigration which they need to sort out.

[Lacrimas]

Yeah it's a mess at CM. My Marriage Ext. took 8 hours last time. The office is flooded with tourists 

[BritManToo]

Sounds a bit odd,

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

They've never wanted all the pages in my passport either, just the data page and last VISA & stamp entry page.

 

Sounds like you weren't dressed correctly and didn't show proper respect!

I go to HCMC for my VISA's at the moment, I'd top myself if I had to endure CM Immigration.

Edited February 14, 2020 by BritManToo

[moe666]

They do hand out a sheet with all the requirements on it for what you want. I pay a agent 3,000b and she has everything in order when I arrive for my appointment no hassel no anger and the job is done. You stated they closed the doors when they had 100 people in immigration did they reopen doors later for more folks are was that total for the day

Edited February 14, 2020 by moe666

[poohy]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

"Her job is to help people who have problems." No it isn't

That you don't bring the right paper work is your own fault.

The capacity problem is a fault of immigration which they need to sort out.

let me guess you are both Dutch and not customer service orientated 

You must be wonderful at parties guess you dont go to many

[FritsSikkink]

"miserable woman"   "this bitch"  "I hope they all rot in hell"

With that attitude, I wouldn't mind if they arrested you for overstay and blacklisted you.

[Sujo]

10 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"miserable woman"   "this bitch"  "I hope they all rot in hell"

With that attitude, I wouldn't mind if they arrested you for overstay and blacklisted you.

Why, the lady had a worse attitude and they werent even inside the office.

 

his attitude was prob fine until he met her.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Sujo

[Kelsall]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds a bit odd,

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

They've never wanted all the pages in my passport either, just the data page and last VISA & stamp entry page.

 

Sounds like you weren't dressed correctly and didn't show proper respect!

I go to HCMC for my VISA's at the moment, I'd top myself if I had to endure CM Immigration.

CM Imm. now requires a statement for the previous 12 months if using the 800k method.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Kelsall

[Kelsall]

1 hour ago, moe666 said:

They do hand out a sheet with all the requirements on it for what you want. I pay a agent 3,000b and she has everything in order when I arrive for my appointment no hassel no anger and the job is done. You stated they closed the doors when they had 100 people in immigration did they reopen doors later for more folks are was that total for the day

Exactly what I do and the amount I pay, 3000 baht.   Went smooth as glass for me a few weeks ago.  The agent told me that unlike last year, I needed the 12 month statement.  It took about a week to get from Bangkok Bank.  A hundred bucks a year is money well spent to avoid going through the hell the OP went through.  My appointment was at a convenient 2 PM or 14:00 if you prefer. ????

Edited February 14, 2020 by Kelsall

[connda]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds a bit odd,

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

They've never wanted all the pages in my passport either, just the data page and last VISA & stamp entry page.

 

Sounds like you weren't dressed correctly and didn't show proper respect!

I go to HCMC for my VISA's at the moment, I'd top myself if I had to endure CM Immigration.

Marriage Visa? 

[Ron jeremy]

The joys of Thailand, put up with the <deleted> to live in changnobyl.

 

 

 

[the guest]

There are many other tropical countries you can live, with the fraction of the hassle.

 

[john terry1001]

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

With the 800k option, do you now not need to show that 800k remains in the bank for three months after the extension has been granted plus 400k after that for the remainder of the extension? 

 

That rule came in last January as far as I'm aware so Immigration will need a years bank statement to confirm the new rules have been adhered to.

Edited February 14, 2020 by john terry1001

[OJAS]

I gather that Chiang Mai Immigration are prepared to consider extension of stay applications which are submitted up to 45 days in advance of the current permission of stay expiring. This is considerably in excess of the maximum period permitted by most other offices (a mere 30 days in their case).

 

So how soon in advance of the expiry date did the OP attempt to lodge his initial application on this occasion, I wonder? Unless the answer lies in the mystical previous posting he referred to (and which, quite frankly, I can't be bothered to expend the effort in tracking down on here), his apparent silence on this fundamental point is deafening, to say the least!

Edited February 15, 2020 by OJAS

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, BritManToo said:

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

Actually, if one is renewing a retirement extension a month early, ie one obtained in March last year, the requirement is to show 800k for April, May and June, then 400k for the rest of the year, and back up to 800k from January 2020!

[CMNightRider]

Chiang Mai Immigration is by far the worst immigration facility in Thailand, and this is the way the ringleader of this circus wants it.  It's really too bad since Chiang Mai, is probably the best city in Thailand to live for westerners.  

 

It always surprises me when people post comments about all the nonsense they have to go through at this office just to renew their visas every year, then simple minded posters will write, you must not have been dressed properly or you probably didn't show the proper respect.  Comments like this make me want to vomit. 

 

One could show up at that office wearing a tuxedo, crawling and grovelling before these people on your belly, and you would still receive the same treatment like you are bothering these people.

 

 

 

  

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, CMNightRider said:

Chiang Mai Immigration is by far the worst immigration facility in Thailand, and this is the way the ringleader of this circus wants it.  It's really too bad since Chiang Mai, is probably the best city in Thailand to live for westerners.  

 

It always surprises me when people post comments about all the nonsense they have to go through at this office just to renew their visas every year, then simple minded posters will write, you must not have been dressed properly or you probably didn't show the proper respect.  Comments like this make me want to vomit. 

 

One could show up at that office wearing a tuxedo, crawling and grovelling before these people on your belly, and you would still receive the same treatment like you are bothering these people.

 

 

 

  

That is sad, I thought Big Jok had sorted them out and for a spell they were wonderful. 

Is it the case that they want you to be using agents again?

[MJKT2014]

16 hours ago, Kurtf said:

to get a statement like that we have to wait 7 days because the bank has to wire a request to Bangkok and it takes them 7 days to send that information back.

That's a bit strange as we can get a full years statement off our mobile phone app in PDF bank letter headed format within an instant? Cannot you use that?

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, MJKT2014 said:

That's a bit strange as we can get a full years statement off our mobile phone app in PDF bank letter headed format within an instant? Cannot you use that?

My Bangkok Bank App and online access cannot go back that far, only 6 months.

[MJKT2014]

9 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

My Bangkok Bank App and online access cannot go back that far, only 6 months.

Interesting. I use KBank and the mobile app does one year statements instantly to my email account, but the online web access only does 6 months access in print to pdf output mode. Each bank to their own. I plan to use the online app for my next retirement extension and see if they accept it.

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, john terry1001 said:

Immigration will need a years bank statement to confirm the new rules have been adhered to.

And it has been reported several times on here that banks can't (or won't) issue 12-month statements at the drop of a hat (as the OP has now discovered in his case).

 

More generally, I am getting the distinct impression that, had the OP appraised himself of the contents of numerous postings on here over the past year or so before embarking on his current quest for an extension, most of the difficulties which he has, in the event, encountered might well have been forestalled!

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by OJAS

[zoza]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

That is sad, I thought Big Jok had sorted them out and for a spell they were wonderful. 

Is it the case that they want you to be using agents again?

One small change that I noticed when we went for the Marathon visa sorry Married visa was that they had a list on how they wanted the documents stacked all numbered but with hindsight there might of been a hint on display as the whole thing was in Thai, maybe to speed up the Agents job?

one offered her services ''10,000 baht to check your paperwork.

 

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, MJKT2014 said:

That's a bit strange as we can get a full years statement off our mobile phone app in PDF bank letter headed format within an instant? Cannot you use that?

If you could use that, CM Immigration would want two years of statements.

Or you could pay an agent, and suddenly they wouldn't care about statements at all.

[terminatorchiangmai]

15 hours ago, moe666 said:

They do hand out a sheet with all the requirements on it for what you want. I pay a agent 3,000b and she has everything in order when I arrive for my appointment no hassel no anger and the job is done. You stated they closed the doors when they had 100 people in immigration did they reopen doors later for more folks are was that total for the day

Please pm me the contact info/ website  from your agent.

[legend49]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

That is sad, I thought Big Jok had sorted them out and for a spell they were wonderful. 

Is it the case that they want you to be using agents again?

Big Joke did shake them down, changes last like any change management in thailand, about a month then back to the old ways. The loyal servants that work there do not get brown envelopes from individual farangs doing their own visa stuff. The envelopes come from agents ; hence the attitude issue. Many say do it yourself its easy but not at CNX immigration its not; I have used the same agent for years; as Kelsall said above, couple hundred bucks for  the year  and no hassles. We never argue over price when a car is serviced by a dealer but an agents fee is an issue; how bizarre.

[Baerboxer]

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds a bit odd,

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

They've never wanted all the pages in my passport either, just the data page and last VISA & stamp entry page.

 

Sounds like you weren't dressed correctly and didn't show proper respect!

I go to HCMC for my VISA's at the moment, I'd top myself if I had to endure CM Immigration.

 

Sadly every office puts their own interpretations of the rules, adds their own requirements and then this is subject to the whims of individual officers actually processing the request on the day. 

 

I've always had to photocopy ID page, and every page that has a permission to stay extension on it, plus the last entry stamp and entry card. Some officers take some out, others keep the lot!

 

New not recognized officers is always alarming because you've got to find out their particular requirements.

 

It would seem more standardization would make it more easy for everyone, applicants and officers. 

[jesimps]

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Sounds a bit odd,

For retirement you only need 800k in the bank a few months.

No requirement for a years bank statements (that would be the 65k/month income method)

They've never wanted all the pages in my passport either, just the data page and last VISA & stamp entry page.

 

Sounds like you weren't dressed correctly and didn't show proper respect!

I go to HCMC for my VISA's at the moment, I'd top myself if I had to endure CM Immigration.

Even if Chiang Mai didn't have all its other faults like choking smog, rubbish bars, heavy vehicle traffic, lack of entertainment, being out on a limb, the grim and inefficient local immigration officers would definitely put me off living there. Fancy getting up in the middle of the night, driving a long way, queuing for hours while being berated, only to find that you'd committed a slight infringement in one or two of your documents and having to repeat the same the following day. No thanks, there are plenty of nice places to live in this country with half decent immig offices.