If you’re an expat in Thailand, chances are that you’ll need to make at least one visit to the immigration office to sort out your visa. This can be a daunting experience for a first-timer, as there’s generally a language barrier and the office is quite far from the city center ( truthfully it’s a hike to get there for most Bangkokians). But knowing what to expect will make the entire process much easier and less stressful, so read through this step by step guide to processing a Visa in Thailand.
Preparing for Your Visa
Depending on what visa type you are going for, you will need the right paperwork, enough cash in hand, photos of yourself, photocopies of your passport and of course the passport itself.
If you are employed, the HR department should assist you with organizing your paperwork, but do make sure to ask them what you’ll need to bring with you as it might vary depending on the Visa.
Tips on Getting to the Visa/Immigration Office
The Bangkok visa office (referred to as Chaeng Watthana) is located in the northern part of Bangkok. Here is the address in English and Thai.
Chaeng Watthana 13 Yaek 3-2-15 แขวง ทุ่งสองห้อง เขต หลักสี่ Bangkok
To get there, you will have to do at least part of the journey by taxi or motorbike, but the roads leading to the office are laden with traffic during business hours. Because of this, we strongly recommend taking one of the city train lines (BTS or MRT) if they are available to you to the Mo Chit station. Exit on the side labeled as “Chattachack Market” and you will find lines of available taxis and motorbikes, and here’s where you’ll have to deal with Bangkok’s brutal traffic.
- Motorbike from Mo Chit: One way to get around the mass amounts of traffic in Bangkok is to take a motorcycle taxi, but be warned that this no easy ride! Even without traffic you’ll likely be on the back of the bike, cruising down major highways and even the freeway for ten minutes. Your driver will even probably give you a helmet as there are police patrolling and looking to pass out fines. As always, ask for the price before you get on the bike. It should cost you about 100 baht, give or take 20.
- Taxi from Mo Chit: If you don’t want to risk taking the often ruthless ride and are not in a rush, you can take an actual taxi. There’s no telling what the price will be due to traffic, but as always, make sure the meter is turned on.
- Tips for the ride: If you tell your driver that you are going to Chaeng Wattana they will know the general vicinity of where you want to go, but don’t assume they’ll drop you off at the right door or even the right building. When you get off the highway, keep an eye out for green freeway signs that say “Government Complex” and keep an eye out for a building that looks like an upside-down triangle (see the picture on the right).
When you see that building, point it out to your driver. He should turn down the long driveway along this building, but should keep driving. The immigration office is in a different building that looks exactly the same but is located much further down the road. The building you are looking for has a nice big lake in front of it.
What to Do When You Get to the Immigration Office
So you made it to the government complex! Now to find the visa office.
The visa office is located on the first floor (you may enter through the basement or the first floor depending on where you got dropped off) and is labeled as “Immigration Bureau.” If you can’t find it, you can ask someone this: “Yoo tee nigh visa
office ka/kap?”
When you find the office, walk up and hand your papers and passport to the person at the first desk you see. He or she will review and will either tell you to move on to the next room and take a queue ticket, or that you have paperwork missing.
If you need photos or photocopies of your passport, there are a couple of offices in the basement level where you can get everything you need for 100THB, and it only takes a few minutes.
When you have all of your papers in order, head back to the Immigration Bureau, take your queue number and wait your turn. Hand in your papers. Pay the fee. Wait your turn again. Collect your passport. And then you’re done!
