PATTAYA, Thailand – The headquarters of Chonburi provincial immigration, based in Jomtien, witnessed queues on a particularly busy Monday morning. A power cut lasting about an hour the previous Friday was partly responsible, although Chinese new year (not a public holiday) is a particularly busy period for immigration in tourist-orientated areas.
The Jomtien office underwent large modernization last year which included the extension of facilities to occupy the former carpark and the installation of a computerized ticket system. As a result, queues are a rare phenomenon. Officers said that many of the customers today were reporting their local address on the TM30 form which provides a receipt to be included in the visitor’s passport. Other busy sections included the 90 days reporting and applications for a certificate of residency to open a bank account or to renew a driving licence.
Although the forthcoming weekend will see booze bans in place for the local elections, there are no public holidays until the Makha Bucha observance on February 12. Immigration offices close only for weekends and public holidays. The nationwide local elections will see political parties fielding candidates for Provincial Administrative Organizations.
