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Expats get online visa extensions

BANGKOK: The Immigration Bureau (IB) unveiled its Electronic Extension of Temporary Stay (e-Extension) service on Tuesday (Nov 8) to make it easier for expats to apply for visa extensions.

immigration
By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 9 November 2022 09:58 AM


The online application process is partnered with VFS Global, which is the authorised partner for the UK Government to receive passport applications from British citizens. Screenshot: Immigration Bureau

The online application process is partnered with VFS Global, which is the authorised partner for the UK Government to receive passport applications from British citizens. Screenshot: Immigration Bureau

Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, the national police chief, said the e-Extension would enhance visa services as the system lets them lodge the extension request online, reports the Bangkok Post.

The service covers the whole process including the payment of fees via a dedicated website, Thaiextension.vfsevisa.com.

The website will reduce the time to process the application from one hour to three minutes, Gen Damrongsak said.

According to the IB, over 200,000 expats seek to extend their visas each year for about a dozen reasons including taking holidays, teaching jobs, studying, working at a state agency or due to family ties.

The growing number of applicants spurred concern about the time-consuming and inconvenient nature of the process.

The e-Extension service will be piloted first for expats living or working in Bangkok.

They can file an application online at the cited website.

However, they must show up in person to verify their identity and get a visa sticker at the IB office on Chaeng Wattana Road.

The IB plans to make the service available at all IB offices nationwide in the future.