There isn’t an easy way to get an immigration visa. So, plan on several trips to the immigration office. You “might” have to start your quest for an immigration visa in your country and not in Thailand, depending on what type of visa you are trying to obtain. You might have to make a trip to your embassy in Bangkok or where ever it is located in Thailand to get a letter of verification of income. You “might” have to have a savings account in Thailand and you “might” have to get a letter from your bank in Thailand verifying your savings and or monthly deposits.
There are several variations to getting an immigration visa. Have you been employed to work in Thailand? Do you have a Thai wife? How long do you want to stay in Thailand? How many times will you leave Thailand and then return in a year?
As you can see it can become complicated. There are companies that will do all the work for you but I don’t think they can do it legally and that will lead to problems someday when you try to fly out of the country. Basically, these companies charge you a fee to do what you will have to do for yourself anyway. They simply tell you what you have to do to get a visa.
So, relax and plan on some confusion and misunderstanding. Do not lose your passport. If the immigration officer asks to keep your passport, look them in the eye and repeat it a couple of times that this immigration officer is going to keep your visa while you follow his instructions to get what ever he needs. Sometimes, the immigration officer will ask you to get a photo copy or two of a document or to go have your picture taken and he will hold your passport while you do it.
The best advise I have for you is to start at the immigration office in Pattaya or the nearest office to you. Maybe, you should write down the instructions they give you. That way you won’t forget while you are going to get what ever the immigration officer sent you to get. It can be frustrating when you can’t remember the little details. Was that two copies and two photos or was it one copy and two photos or was it three photos and two copies? What letter from the bank? What do I need to verify my income with my embassy?
Immigration Bureau introduces huge fee increases.
Whether applying for a visa extension, re-entry permit, residence permit or other immigration services, from 26 August 2003 foreigners visiting or living in Thailand are required to pay greatly increased official fees at immigration offices in accordance with a new Ministry of Interior regulation.
Under the new fee structure, the cost of a residence permit will be Baht 7,600 for the application and Baht 191,400 (spouses of Thais or holders of residence permits, and children, Baht 95,700) when the residence permit book is issued by the Immigration Bureau.
The new fees for the immigration services more commonly required by foreigners are listed below.
Baht
Transit visa, single entry 800
Tourist visa, single entry 1,000
Non-immigrant visa, single entry 2,000
Non-immigrant visa, multiple entry for use within one year 5,000
Application for visa extension 1,900
Application for a single re-entry permit 1,000
Application for a multiple re-entry permit 3,800
Application for a residence permit 7,600
Approval of a residence permit (payable on receipt of residence book) 191,400
Approval of a residence permit (payable on receipt of residence book)
for a foreigner married to a Thai, the spouse of a resident, and any
of their minor children (i.e., unmarried children aged below 20 years) 95,700
In a related action, the Immigration Bureau has approved a new regulation governing the requirements for qualifying for extensions of visas. However, at present it is planned to implement this regulation in July 2004. Try pattaya-immigration.com.
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