Hua Hin Immigration ghost town

[buksida]

Went into the HH immigration office on the canal road today for my annual visa extension and made two stark observations:

1) The place was totally empty - I was the only one in there.
2) My visa extension was completed in the fastest recorded time in 14 years - 12 minutes flat with no questions asked or requests for additional paperwork.

Where have all the farangs gone and are we seeing a new quick-track visa service for repetitive extenders emerging?

[Takiap]

Hi Buksi.......do they actually grant the extension here in Hua-Hin? I'm on a Non-O (Thai wife) and was under the impression they send the paperwork to Bangkok. I'm on the last leg of my current visa and was planning to head to Penang in November (have a holiday at the same time + plus some great food), but if the actually grant the visa here in HH then I might just do that instead.


Thanks

[Spitfire]

1) The place was totally empty - I was the only one in there.

I'm guessing you are referring to perhaps generally lower numbers of foreigners around in general....but....

This is something I've often thought about at a fair few immigration places (in different areas of LOS I've lived at for some length of time) and often think that in a city where you might have, say just for example, 2-3000 thousand expats (not tourists) that live in the city/province on longer-stay visa that all must report every 90 days or four times a year........it's amazing how many of them you never/don't bump into in such a place, even over a few years.

Just makes me wonder how many really have the visas they claim to have and I reckon the over-stay/don't have a valid passport/don't bother with such small contrivances like 'reporting' or visas any longer group is bigger than most think.

Many just let the legality of them staying here slip, not wise imo, but depends how many and what type of skeletons are languishing in the closet or not for some.

[STEVE G]

Where have all the farangs gone....

When you consider the state of the economy in the West with falling property prices, the demise of decent pensions, changing demographics and raised retirement ages, I personally think that the number of people from the West moving to places overseas like Thailand will be in decline from now on.
There was a period when people were retiring earlier with large amounts of value stored up in property and generous pensions which certainly seems to have ended.
If you want to get into business; open a Chinese restaurant with a couple of those golden lions outside!

[buksida]

Hi Buksi.......do they actually grant the extension here in Hua-Hin? I'm on a Non-O (Thai wife) and was under the impression they send the paperwork to Bangkok.

Not sure on that category, mine is a Non-M (similar to Non-B) and they did it all there and then.

Could be the start of a decline in resident aliens - I was just amazed as it is the first time in years there hasn't been a throng of people in there and the whole thing took 12 minutes to process.

Impressed? You bet.

Now I just have to prove to the labour department that I don't have leprosy.

[bcrglobal]

Now I just have to prove to the labour department that I don't have leprosy.

Are you sure they're not just looking for a literal hand-out

[lomuamart]

Takiap,
For the O visa itself, you need to go to Penang or another Thai Embassy/consulate. You apply for the annual extension based on marriage in HH but it's approved in BKK. HH will give you a 30 day "under consideration" stamp/extension to tide you over. You go back after 30 days to discover BKK's decision. If yes, then HH Imm give it to you for a year, less the 30 days you already have had.
It's only the marriage extension that goes to BKK. Those based on retirement or buksi's M extension are done locally and you come out with the extension there and then.
I'm not too sure about falling numbers, buks. You may just have been lucky. I got a re-entry permit there yesterday. Arrived at 8.35 am and there was one person in front of me. Brain of Britain had forgotten his passport photo that had been done the day before. They did it there and I was back in the queue 15 mins later. There were then another two or three people. By the time I left, after about 30 mins total, there was hardly a seat left to sit on.

[Lung Per]

It's a lottery. Sometimes the joint is full, sometimes not. Perhaps a visit with the truth-sayers currently reading palms in the Market Village can cast light on what are the best visiting hours to the Immigrations Office.

[barrys]

It's a lottery. Sometimes the joint is full, sometimes not. Perhaps a visit with the truth-sayers currently reading palms in the Market Village can cast light on what are the best visiting hours to the Immigrations Office.

I was there last week to pick up my 1 year B visa extension and there was hardly anywhere to park and not a spare seat inside ......

[wpcoe]

I was there for a 90-day report on 22-July, and it was a ghost town that day, too. I was concerned about it being crowded on a Friday, but not a problem.

[hhfarang]

^ Same my last 90 day report in May. Empty; in and out in five minutes.

[easyas]

Where have all the farangs gone....

When you consider the state of the economy in the West with falling property prices, the demise of decent pensions, changing demographics and raised retirement ages, I personally think that the number of people from the West moving to places overseas like Thailand will be in decline from now on.
There was a period when people were retiring earlier with large amounts of value stored up in property and generous pensions which certainly seems to have ended.

If you want to get into business; open a Chinese restaurant with a couple of those golden lions outside!

I have to totally disagree! If you're poor, cold, depressed, living in seemingly incessant rain and it's dark most of the time then you have a great incentive to become an economic refugee and live here where you can live well on very little income (just a state pension would suffice), where it's certainly not cold, where you should feel less under pressure and thus less depressed, and where the rain when it comes is generally welcome, as is the dark which restricts itself to night time.

[moja]

Just back from Immigration and the place was empty when we left but for a while whilst we were being served every chair in the place was occupied. When we left the area outside was full of people filling in forms so I presume soon after we left the chairs would have been full again. So it would seem to be just the luck of the draw as to how busy they are when you arrive.

[lomuamart]

There seem to be a lot of Asian workers turning up there now. Maybe Burmese, Cambodians - I don't know but I've read something about Thai authorities making sure they're legal and probably an employer paying tax?
Anyway, on my last couple of 90 day reports and a recent re-entry permit, the place was quiet when I turned up at 8.30am but within 15 minutes there are a few more westerners and lots of Asians with their documents.
Maybe at those times it just seems to be more busy?

[Super Joe]

This is something I've often thought about at a fair few immigration places (in different areas of LOS I've lived at for some length of time) and often think that in a city where you might have, say just for example, 2-3000 thousand expats (not tourists) that live in the city/province on longer-stay visa that all must report every 90 days or four times a year........it's amazing how many of them you never/don't bump into in such a place, even over a few years.

Just makes me wonder how many really have the visas they claim to have and I reckon the over-stay/don't have a valid passport/don't bother with such small contrivances like 'reporting' or visas any longer group is bigger than most think.

Yeah that's a good point, but I don't think that many do live here on a full time basis these days though, a lot I know have gone 'back' and still visit, but just for holidays like a month a couple of times a year etc. Also many people who work here use visa agents (or rather the savvy girl in the office who knows people in Immigration, Land Office etc), and don't actually do 90-day reporting. Don't ask me how it works, it's not posted or anything, it's just not done, plus these girls handle extensions, WP's etc and you sign paperwork in their office. I haven't been inside Imm when it was in the 1-stop biz centre and I haven't been in it at it's new location. It's not a lot of dough either, under 5k year, but obviously the 'visa agents' who do it as a business are a lot more.

So I reckon the farangs that used to clog up Immigration are not really here much now, or when they visit their stay is within the period of their 'entry permit' so no visit to Imm required, ie: shorter holidays due to recession etc. There used to be shed loads of European's (mostly) staying for a few months as they bought/completed on a house and the like, these people take on average 4-5 months to set up a standing order with the electric company after being given forms already filled out, so you can imagine the fun and games they must of had getting extensions. There was also a big crowd of farang's working during the boom years who weren't really settled here as in home/wife/kids at school, their own business etc, and most of them have had to return back 'home'. They used to faff around Immigration a fair bit too, now when they visit it's a holiday type visit so no Imm.

And getting back to the regulars living here that go every 90 days, I should think because we know the routine there now (don't forget your photos ) that 5 of us could be in and out in less time than it takes 1 of them to ask an Immigration official which table can they pay their water bill at


SJ