A Morning at Chaengwatthana: COVID-19 Update #15

Previous COVID-19 Update (#14): https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2021/05/covid-19-update-14-vaccines-private.html

It's been fourteen months since the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Thailand in earnest, and the Thai government and expat population have finally gotten used to the emergency visa extension process. Despite some hiccups early on in the emergency, the process is now as smooth as it can be. I'm not sure how long the COVID-19 emergency visa extension program will last, but I'm grateful to the Thai government for helping out its expat population and keeping us safe while the pandemic rages around us and we await our vaccinations.

It's time for my two-month extension, and this time, I'm bringing you along with me.

I woke up early the other day. I've learned long ago that unless I want to stay at the Government Complex until evening, it's best to arrive long before morning's first light. I've found that if I arrive around 5 or 5:30 in the morning, I can be in and out as quickly as possible.

The Government Complex, called "Chaengwattana" by expats in reference to the neighborhood in Bangkok where it is located, is a massive and imposing space-age building housing numerous governmental offices and agencies.

I know the routine now, and so do the government officers.

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2020/03/emergency-visa-extension.html

I showed up at 5:00, and found my place in the queue outside of the government office's doors with a few other early risers. At 6:00 the doors opened, and we were given queue numbers (I was number 14) and the proper stack of paperwork. An emergency extension takes three pages of documents (I've filled them out a dozen times already, and I'm familiar with the process by now) to request the extension and acknowledge the fines and penalties for overstaying.

I also need photocopies of my passport (the information page, my visa, every one of my previous extensions, my entry stamp, and my departure card). Luckily photocopies at the government office only cost 2 THB per page (about $0.06 USD). I also need a passport-sized photo of my self, which can also be made at the government office (4 photos for 100 THB or $3 USD).

The Government Complex is home to dozens of government offices and bureaucracies. I used to find it a pretty dismal place to be (I've spent far too many days here over the past 8 years), but there are some interesting things to see and do here. In a normal time, you can sometimes find a sort of food market set up in the main hall, but due to COVID-19, it was empty. The weirdly bare floor of the Government Complex gave me a sort of vertigo. It's just too big and too empty!

Downstairs are several banks, offices, shops, market stalls, and stores. There's a 7-eleven convenience store, a Tops Daily mini supermarket, two food courts, and a handful of coffee shops and restaurants.

The Immigration Department doesn't open its doors until 8:30, so I had hours to wait. Still, it's better than the alternative of arriving late and spending the day at the Government Complex. I visited the Tops Supermarket to buy a can of coffee, a few sticks of moo ping (grilled pork on a skewer), and some sticky rice. I took my breakfast to a little seat I found in the cavernous hall, and listened to some audiobooks to kill the time.

moo ping

After breakfast, I did some laps around the government office. Eventually, 8:00 came around, and I found seat #14 outside of the Immigration Department's office. Seats are numbered, and you are admitted to the office in numerical order according to your queue ticket which you were issued upon arriving. Since I was #14, I was able to enter very quickly.

At the check-in counter inside the Immigration Department's office, I told the officer that I was there for an emergency visa extension. Visa extensions for COVID-19 are handled by counter N. N1 is for applying for an extension (marriage extensions report to counter L instead). Now, I just have to tell the officer "counter N", and they give me the proper queue ticket.

I took my N1 queue ticket to the N section, and found a seat. I didn't have long to wait, since I had arrived so early! Soon, the robotic voice on the loudspeakers called my queue number, and I reported to the counter at section N1, where I handed over my passport, documents, ID photo, and 1900 Thai baht (about $60 USD) for the extension. The officer took a photo of my face to record in the official online database, confirmed my address (as recorded by my TM30 residency certificate), and told me to go back outside to wait.

About half an hour later, my name was called, and I reported once again to collect my passport, this time with a two-week "under consideration" stamp affixed. I two week's time, all I have to do is report once again (this time sans paperwork, photo, or money), resubmit my passport, and collect my full 2-month emergency visa extension. The second extension is handled by counter N2, and tends to be a much quicker process.

I was done by around 9:30am, leaving the rest of the morning for me to relax with the peace of mind of knowing that I wouldn't have to stress about my visa again any time soon.

Bureaucracy is boring, but I hope you've nevertheless enjoyed coming along with me on my regular visa extension. I've been doing this process twice every two months since COVID-19 struck the country and the borders shut down last year. It's a bit boring, but not all bad. In fact, there are some things that I've come to like about Chaengwatthana, and I must confess that I actually have good memories of reporting for my 90-day check-in or visa extension with my colleagues back when I had a work visa.