Thailand –
The Thailand Immigration Bureau has officially launched an online visa extension for foreigners which they say will only take about three minutes.
The Immigration Bureau reported yesterday (November 8th) that General Dumrongsak Kittiprapas, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police has officially launched the ‘e-Extension’ or the Electronics Extension of Temporary Stay in The Kingdom for the first time in Thailand.
General Dumrongsak explained, “There are more than 200,000 foreigners extending their visas each year. They took up to two hours in the normal process at an Immigration center.”
“The ‘e-Extension’ is an upgraded process in which foreigners apply their request and pay for the extension online before meeting with immigration officers to verify identity. After that they will get visa stickers within three minutes,” General Dumrongsak added.
“We have first tested the online system from October 10th this year for foreigners who live in Bangkok based on 12 categories which are:
- Tourism
- Public school teachers
- Attending a public school
- Serving in a government agency
- Back to a country for Thai nationals
- Resident’s families
- Press
- Trainer and researcher for a government agency
- Machine installation and repairs
- Medical Specialists
- Stationed vehicle operator
- Embassy-certified and requested
Mr. Kaushik Ghosh, regional head of Australia-Asia of VFS Global said, “This is a convenient platform that enhances the experience of visitors who need to extend their stay in Thailand.”
Foreigners can apply for an extension of stay online at Thaiextension.vfsevisa.com.
In the first phase, foreigners can get a visa sticker from Immigration Division 1, at the Government Complex Chaeng Wattana, Building B, Lak Si District in Bangkok. The Immigration Bureau is expecting to expand the service to cover every area in the country but did not release a timeframe.
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