As I mentioned in my previous post about getting a Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur I have a ED or student visa through my language school Language Express.  This student visa is actually good for up to 3 years provided I keep my tuition payed at my school and my ED visa current.

To keep the ED visa current you DO NOT have to leave Thailand.  You simply must go to immigration every 90 days and pay the 1800 baht ($55 USD) fee.  Since I plan to travel outside of Thailand often I have to also purchase a re-entry permit.  The re-entry permit allows me to leave the country without losing the student visa.

The multiple re-entry permit I get costs 3800 baht ($116 USD) which allows you to leave Thailand as many times as you want before the 3 months are up and keep the ED visa.  Single re-entry permits are also available for 1000 baht ($30 USD).  While I consider the re-entry permit to be a necessity it does cause a major headache at immigration making it a whole day event.

New Location

The Thai immigration bureau was previously located at Thanon Suan Plu which was very close to Silom and convenient for most people who live along the BTS.  The street was a nice, friendly neighborhood with the typical food on the street, 7-elevens and shops.  The actual immigration building was a dump to say the least.  It was extremely crowded and had minimal, if any air conditioning which is probably the reason why the location was updated.

The new location for immigration is in a GIANT government building complex consisting of multiple buildings.  The immigration department is directly on the right as you walk in (see photo at top) and if you walk forward you will see a huge convention center surrounded by various government offices.  It looks bleak at first but the basement floor has a bunch of surprises for you long immigration wait.

In addition to the copy shop which charges a ridiculously low 1 baht (3 cents) per copy there are several restaurants, a giant coupon cafeteria,  7-Eleven and even a small kiosk-style shopping mall not to mention a bunch of real estate advertising and even more shops which I didn’t explore.  You’re no doubt going to be waiting if you go to immigration and if you time it right, you could avoid sitting listening to the horrific Scottish-Spanish sounding woman recorded voice of the queue numbers.

Ground floor of the Goverment Building

Getting to the New Location

The new location is far more inconvenient for anyone living near Sukhumvit or any BTS station.  It is located near the Don Muang Airport.  To get there the best and fastest way is to take the BTS to Mo Chit aka Jatuchak where there is always a line-up of taxis right as you exit the BTS.  Make sure you exit the BTS station on the side of the Jatuchak Market and the lake to catch a cab in the right direction.

The cab ride from the Mo Chit BTS takes around 10-15 minutes and costs around 100 baht ($3 USD).  The immigration is located inside building B of an ENORMOUS government building complex.  It is on the ground floor (2nd floor) which is visible directly as you enter the building from where the taxi drops you off.  After you get there, your immigration adventure finally begins.

New Location for Thai Immigration

New Queue System, Very Long Wait

Instead of the free-for-all type of queue where people rush the machine to push the button to get their number, the new immigration has a system (the word system should be used loosely).  First you have to get your forms from the agents at the front desk as you walk in.  Signs were posted saying you would NOT get a queue number if your forms were not completely filled out.

Once the forms are filled out and the photos are glued (glue provided) to the forms you walk through a metal detector in the main waiting room.  A line awaits which is for getting your queue number ticket.  Once you get the queue number it is time to wait for your number to be called.  Once your number is called you simply walk up to the agent, pay your fee and sit back down and wait again to receive your freshly stamped visa on your passport.

In my case I had to go back to the initial line to get another queue number for my re-entry permit.  IF YOU NEED A RE-ENTRY PERMIT THIS TIP MAY SAVE YOU AN HOUR OR MORE. If you are getting your visa extended as well as a re-entry permit, make sure to get the queue number for your re-entry permit directly after you submit your passport for the visa.  Make sure you get your re-entry permit application at the time you get your passport application, fill it out and have it ready.  It took me over an hour (2 counting lunch) to get my passport back and if I waited to get the re-entry permit queue number until after I got my passport I would have wasted at least another hour.

I took some photos in immigration but decided not to post them as it may get me in trouble….

Lunch for All

Something that really bugged me was the lunch.  Signs were posted throughout the immigration office “Lunch: 1200 -1300.”  I was thinking, “there is no way they are going to shut this place down at noon.”  I was wrong.  Instead of having separate shifts, the entire immigration department has lunch from noon to 1 while everyone is shooed out of the office.  Most people went to eat but I went to the copy shop to start this blog post.

Learn from My Mistakes

My language school recommended being at immigration at around 8:30am which is when they open.  This is dead on.  If you arrive from 8:30am to 9:30am there is a good chance you will be out of immigration before noon when everyone goes on lunch.  If you think you are going to be there much after 10 or 11, it may be worth it for you to just wait until after 1pm when the workers get back from lunch.  I arrived around 10:30 or 11:00am and I ended up leaving at 4:30pm which wasn’t desirable at all.

Whoever is helping you with your visa should give you all the directions but they aren’t always very clear.  Anything dealing with a visa requires copies of everything.  It is a great idea to make MULTIPLE copies of every (pertinent) page on your passport.  Also remember to get multiple copies of your passport/visa photos so you don’t have to take them over and over again.

Renewing a visa is akin to going to the DMV in America.  Driving is a privilege and in order to be able to drive you have to put in some time in the DMV.  Living in Thailand as a foreigner is a privilege and every 3 months for a student visa holder this privilege is beaten in your head with a wasted day inside immigration.

Best Part about Going to the Government Center: Leaving

Thai Visa in Kuala Lumpur

The primary reason I’m writing this post is to help any future travelers who want to go to “KL” for a visa run. There are numerous sources online but I have yet to find simple, laid out instructions explaining the exact process. If you are looking for direction please scroll down to step by step.

On a total whim I decided to head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to complete the 2nd to last official step I have to personally take to obtain my 1 year education visa for my Thai language studies at Language Express.

I stayed in a nice serviced apartment less than a 5 minute walk away from the Thai embassy so getting there was no problem. I did make a mistake which probably cost me 60-90 minutes though. I was one of the first dozen or so people in the line outside, waiting to get the form to enter the embassy gates.

Once I got the form I made the costly mistake of immediately sitting down to fill it out instead of rushing in to get my number ticket. I sat and filled out the form while probably 30-50 people went in front of me and got a number.

This made me angry but luckily again, my hotel was nearby so I got some cold snacks at 7/11 and walked to the apartment in 5 minutes where I twittered my situation, watched some TV and most importantly chilled out in the dual super-powered air conditioning units which was a highlight of Lanson Place for about a half hour before I went and handed in my paperwork.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Make sure you arrive at the embassy as early as possible. It opens at 9:30am so try to head there around 9:00am so you can get one of the few spot in line in the shade. They will not open early.
2. When it is your turn in line, show the guy your passport and he will hand you a form. He hands the same exact form out to everyone, regardless of the type of visa you are applying for.
3. As soon as you get your form, IMMEDIATELY head to the right and you will see an open door on the right side of the building in front of you. Enter the door and immediately to the right is a number tag machine. Push the button for visa or passport and get your ticket.
4. Fill out the form inside the building or if you have a high number you can walk outside and fill it out on the tables under the fans. On the form there will be a section which says, “Thai guarantor.” Leave this section blank unless you are applying for a work visa.
5. If you are there early enough you will get to the counter and be done. It is likely there will be many people in front of you. If your number is dozens of numbers off you can leave and return later. If you exit the embassy and walk to the left there is a 7/11 and a couple restaurants within 5 minute walk. BE CAREFUL: They can skip over around 10 numbers (no-shows) at a time so make sure you’re in the room when your number is within 15-20.
6. After you pay the fee 220 Ringgits you will get a receipt with the time you are supposed to pick up the passport/visa the next day DO NOT LOSE THIS SHEET or the number tab stapled to it. The sheet will tell you the exact time they will open passport collection the next day.
7. Return the next day 20 or so minutes early if possible, there will be no line in front of the embassy but there will be a group of people waiting in the back. If you want to save time stand right in front of the door (same door of room you gave passport the day before). A line will form after you and when the door opens it is first come/first serve and the process of handing out your visa will take no longer than 15-30 minutes unless you were extremely late.
8. Congratulations you now have a fresh visa!