Make Your Visa Last Longer!
If you plan to stay in Thailand for any length of time then there’s a good chance that you will either have to go out of the country to get a new visa or you will want to renew the visa that you currently have.
This is a quick guide to extending your tourist visa whilst on holiday in the Trat area.
The process is very simple.
Who can extend their tourist visa?
Anyone who either has:
A 30 Day Visa Exemption stamp. ( This is the stamp that visitors from most Western countries receive when they enter Thailand. )
A 60 Day Single entry tourist visa. ( This is a visa that you will have applied for outside Thailand )
A METV – Multiple Entry Tourist Visa ( This is a visa that you will have applied for outside Thailand )
Where to go?
Extend your tourist visa at Laem Ngop Immigration. It is a quick process and normally doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.
If you are taking the ferry from Koh Chang, just take a songtaew ( pick up truck taxi ) from the pier to the Immigration office. This will cost about 50 Baht.
Coming from Koh Mak, the Immigration Office is about 10 minutes walk from the pier. Just turn right as you walk off the pier and onto the road and walk into Laem Ngop village. You’ll come to the Immigration Office on your left.
If you are staying on Koh Kood, you will need to take the first ferry off the island at 09:00 and arrange a driver to meet you at Laem Sok pier and then take you to the Immigration Office. Or you could take the free shuttle to Trat and then a songtaew to Laem Ngop. But you will need to head directly back to Laem Sok if you wish to catch the last boat of the day at 14:20 to Koh Kood.
What You Need
- Your passport
- 1,900 Baht
- 1 completed application form (get this at the immigration office)
- 1 passport photo (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm)
- 1 photocopy of the main page of your passport
- 1 photocopy of the page showing current visa stamp and Departure Card TM6
If you don’t have photograph or photocopies there is a shop adjacent to the immigration office where you can get them done for a small fee. The owner will know what copies you need. You can’t just get one passport photo taken, you will need to get a few. It is cheaper to do this in Laem Ngop than on Koh Chang. ( On Koh Chang the camera and phone shop on White Sand beach, adjacent to Bangkok Bank has a passport photo service. )
If this shop is closed the nearest alternative is about 5 minutes walk away. Walk towards the main road, turn left ( walking away from the lighthouse and go about 300 metres. There is a photography shop on your left. You will see a couple of photocopiers outside.
Steps to Extending Your Thai Tourist Visa
The Immigration Office is usually quiet and so there isn’t a formal queuing system. Simply complete an application form ( if you haven’t already done so in advance) then present your documents to one of the staff.
They will check they are completed properly. Note: You need to have a valid phone number and Thai address to extend your tourist visa. So make a note of the contact details for your guesthouse or hotel or address of your rented bungalow.
If everything is in order the officer will then also take your photo using the webcam on the desk.
And then will ask you for the 1,900 Baht payment.
Now you just take a seat and wait a few minutes for your name to be called.
When it is, just pick up your passport with new 30 day extension, and also the receipt for payment.
Tip: You don’t have to wait until the last day of your visa in order to extend it. Just go the week before and you will still get the 30 day extension form the date your original visa was due to expire.
Tip: Check if the expiry date falls on a weekend. The immigration offices aren’t open on Saturday & Sunday. You cannot extend your visa if it has already expired. You will need to leave the country. So plan in advance.