haroldcane Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 is this office open todays D-day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Yes it should be open today but not tomorrow because it is holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbrando Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My tourist visa expired today of all days, so I had to go get a 30-day extension. My journey: 08:00 Jumped on the BTS to Mo Chit, then transferred to bus #27 (air conditioned 14 baht)Brought:Passport 1900 Baht photocopies of passport photo, visa, entry stamp, and departure form Small passport photo Pen Hard folder to hold all papers 08:50 Arrived at Big C Ladphrao.Wandered around a bit looking for foreign-looking people. Had no idea where to go so I waited with a small crowd of 30-40 people in front of the Big C entrance. 09:02 Big C doors openEveryone starts rushing towards the escalators, half walking and half running. The crowd runs up to the 5th floor, then starts moving around quickly. Eventually we all run right into the men's bathroom and everyone laughs because no one knows where they are going. We wait at a barricade for a while until a staff member tells us that we can't enter the Immigration office that way (it was for staff only?) The crowd is directed towards the parking structure next to "Red Cyber Academy" http://i.imgur.com/sOadqiph.jpg Wait in the parking structure - long line already - luckily it is not too hot in the morning. Some pushing/shoving in the line. Someone comes out and calls, "Raengngan! Labor only!" Then a bunch of people leave the line, more pushing/shoving as it compacts to a new size. 09:25 Immigration doors openEveryone rushes into the office, lots of pushing along the way. http://i.imgur.com/2hBnluUh.jpg More pushing/shoving inside as everyone rushes to the proper line. I wait in the long "Tourist Visa Extension" line, then suddenly someone calls out "Tourist Visa Extension!" so I jump over to a much shorter line. Grab my form, go back to the end of the line, fill it out standing using my hard paper folder to write on. Return to the same staff member. She helps me glue my photo to the application and has me sign all photocopies and put my mobile # on the application. Then she staples everything together with a number on top and directs me to the waiting area doors. 09:50 Get in line and wait for the main immigration waiting area to openLong line forms, with people sitting in chairs along the wall. 10:15 Main immigration waiting area opensStaff member with bullhorn comes out with whiteboard, writes a list of numbers on it, says that these numbers are allowed to enter. Free-for-all as everyone starts shoving their way towards the door. Staff member starts yelling at everyone to calm down (jai yen yen), says there is no need to rush, tells people to get back in line to no avail. Staff members are checking numbers as people go in. I finally shove my way in - tight squeeze! - suddenly everything is very civilized. The waiting room is very clean and has chairs, air conditioning, and a fan blowing. 10:20 Numbers start being called outEverything is orderly: http://i.imgur.com/mpam8Gbh.jpg 10:33 My number is calledGo to window, hand over papers and payment Get my number back stapled to my 100 baht bill (change) Told to wait 15 minutes 10:50 Received my passport backA staff member secretly held up a whiteboard with certain numbers written on it with no verbal announcement. I held up my number, he gestured me to come over. I hand him my number and he hands me the passport and receipt through the very edge of the window. I can't really see him, just his hand. I felt like I was doing some sort of shady deal. Exited immigration, back through the parking lot to the mall AfterwardsWandered around the mall a bit, noticed it was pretty ghetto, thus, just my kind of place! Saw the ice skating rink on the 4th floor, resisted temptation to go. Ate some fries at McDonalds. Grabbed a taxi and took the highway back to Phloen Chit BTS station (30 min). Wanted to go to Siam, but traffic was jammed up. Overall, not as bad as I expected, though it took quite a while. The staff members were very helpful - they looked harried but were nice. There was definitely a lack of information at all times, especially at the beginning, so hopefully the above will help! There was also lots of pushing and shoving, so a less able-bodied person might have to hang back a bit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 CW is reopening on the 16th see: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?/topic/688137-Bangkok-Immigration-will-reopen-at-Cheang-Wattana-on-16-Dec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpuumike Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The OP does state "TEMPORARY RE-LOCATION UNTIL CHIANG WATTANA IMMIGRATION CAN OPEN AGAIN" - although I suspect that this actually means "TEMPORARY RE-LOCATION UNTIL CHIANG WATTANA IMMIGRATION CAN RESUME NORMAL SERVICE" (in other words, it is still open after a fashion). Anyway, we must all have our fingers firmly crossed that the unruly mobs don't descend en masse to the alternative location. They did at Chamchurrri the day after I was there. When I left they were already diverting traffic and the street behind them was heavily sandbagged so maybe they're expecting bullets to start flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 This topic is out of date. See: Immigration services at Cheang Wattana now suspended This topic closed to prevent confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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