Most visitors to Thailand enter the country with a 30 day visa exemption stamp. For those tourists who wish to extend their travels beyond 1 month its an easy process to apply for an extra 30 days.
To do this you need to visit an immigration office. Here in Chiang Mai there are two options- the main immigration near the airport Chiang Mai Immigration Office (open 08.30 – 4.30 Monday- Friday) or a second office at Central Festival shopping mall (located on the second floor, open 09.00 – 5.00 Monday – Friday).
Before visiting immigration you should prepare a proof of residency, a passport photo and a copy of your passport bio page and 1900 Thai baht cash. There are shops next to both Chiang Mai immigrations to take photos and make photocopies. For the proof of residency you can show a hotel receipt (note the address, phone number of the hotel) or if you are renting a house or staying with friends, a TM30 form.
If you are renting a house or staying with friends you will need to ask the landlord to download the ‘Thai Immigration App’. They will need your passport details and the date you checked into their property, a photo of their Thai ID and proof of house ownership (property registration documents). Once they have booked you into the app they need to screenshot your info which shows your name and address. This address must be for the city or district of the immigration office your applying for the visa to.
At immigration there are three forms to complete with your information. You can pick these up from a stand inside. Next join the queue and an assistant will check you have the correct paperwork before issuing a queue number. Once you have a yellow queue ticket head inside and wait for your number to be called. Then hand all the documents to the officier, they will check everything and take a photo. After having the photo taken wait around another 10 minutes to receive your passport and receipt. The total time depends on the time you arrive and the number of people. Mondays and Fridays are usually the most busy. Queing before the office opens is often the quickest way, although it’s not necessary to arrive more than an hour early.
Always keep up to date with the latest Thai visa news and check carefully the date of your visa expiry. The visa extension is only possible once, after 60 days you will need to leave the country. Please note that overstaying your visa is a serious offense and can result in fines or bans from re-entering the country. Always respect the local laws and procedures. Thai immigration offices are closed for public holidays, check the dates for 2023 here Thai Public Holidays 2023
