When you live in Bangkok, you need to regularly go to the immigration office in Chaeng Wattana for everything related to your visa.
This also includes getting a certificate of residence and 90-day notifications.
The exception is if you work at a BOI-promoted company. In that case, you need to go to the One-Stop Service at ChamChuri Square instead.
Since the immigration office is located out of town, getting there can be challenging.
In this article, we are going to quickly guide you through all of the options you have to go to the immigration office in Chaeng Wattana. Let’s take a look.
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Contents
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Location
The Chaeng Wattana immigration office is located inside the government complex on Chaeng Wattana road on the outskirts of Bangkok, near Don Mueang Airport – around 30 kilometers away from popular expat areas such as Thong Lor, Asok, and Ekamai.
Here’s a google map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/u3kPuU68oEtUBE8V7
The government complex is a very big area with several buildings and government offices inside. For the immigration office, you need to go to Building B, 1st floor, near Gate 2.
How to Get There
While it can be far from downtown Bangkok, there are many ways you can go there. Popular options include:
- Taxi and ride-hailing apps
- Monorail
- Bus
- Private car
Let’s take a look at each option in detail.
Taxi and Ride-Hailing Apps
This is the easiest and most convenient way to go there. It’s also the most popular option for expats and tourists.
You can take a taxi or use a ride-hailing app such as Grab and Bolt to go there. You can say this to a taxi driver: “Tor Mor Chaeng Wattana”.
The whole journey takes around 50 minutes to get there from downtown Bangkok in normal traffic. During rush hour it can easily be over an hour and a half.
It should cost around 200 baht for a one-way trip.
It’s recommended to take the tollway since it can save you 10 minutes to 20 minutes on average for the additional cost of THB50-THB100 depending on which toll road you take.
Once you are inside the Government Complex, tell the taxi driver to stop at Building B, Gate 2.
BTS and MRT
You can take the new MRT pink line to the Government Complex Station. From there, you can walk 5 minutes to the entrance of the Government Complex and get a free shuttle bus to Building B.
The shuttle bus regularly leaves every 10-15 minutes.
If you are in a rush, you can pay THB15 and take a motorcycle taxi from there instead.
By taking the BTS or MRT, you won’t need to worry about traffic. The cost can be under THB100 and should take around 70 minutes from downtown.
Unless you live in Min Buri or Ram Intra, you need to transit at the following stations in order to go to the MRT pink line:
- Green Line: Wat Prasri Mahatat (2 stops to the Government Complex Station)
- Red Line: Lak Si Station (1 stop to the Government Complex Station)
While it’s a convenient way to go to the Chaeng Wattana Immigration Office, it requires some walking.
So some people just decide to take a taxi or a motorcycle taxi straightaway from the transit station. It shouldn’t cost more than THB70 but can save you a lot of time from walking.
Bus
If you are on a budget, taking a bus is the cheapest way to go to the Chaeng Wattana Immigration Office.
There are mainly two bus routes that stop directly in front of Building B at the Government Complex:
- Number 166 (from Victory Monument)
- Number 66 (from Taling Chan Bus Terminal, Pinklao, and Pracha Chuen)
It costs less than THB30 for the whole trip. However, traveling time can be unpredictable and can take around 1 to 2 hours.
Private Car
If you have a car, you can easily drive there. A 30km-trip from Bangkok downtown should take you around 50 minutes in normal traffic. If you take a tollway, it can be less than 40 minutes.
There are plenty of parking spots around Building B. If the parking spot is full, you can park at Building D. It costs THB20 per hour, capped at THB100 a day, with free parking during the first 2 hours.
Then, you can take a free shuttle bus to Building D.
Others
There are more ways to go to the Chaeng Wattana Immigration Office. For example, some people take a van or a bus to Chaeng Wattana Road Soi 7 and walk there.
However, this option isn’t available to everyone since it totally depends on where you live. And you may need to be able to speak or read Thai to use this method.
Related article: Transportation in Bangkok: A Guide to Taxis, Buses, Trains, and Mobile Apps
Good to Know
There are some other good things to know about how to visit the Chaeng Wattana Immigration Office.
Opening Hours
The Immigration Office is open weekdays, except for public holidays, from 8:30am to 4:30pm with an hour lunch break at noon.
The immigration office stops issuing queue tickets after 3:30 pm.
People normally spend around 1-3 hours here. While the queue can be unpredictable, going there in the late morning can be a bad idea because of the hour lunch break.
Serviced Shops
Since it’s a Government Complex with many government offices inside, you can find most, or even all of the services you need to do your visa here: taking photos, getting photocopies of documents, printing documents, getting bank statements, and more.
You can also find the Department of Business Development, post office, money exchange, and even a dental clinic here.
There’s even a visa run service.
All of them are located on the basement floor.
So, in case you forget to bring a certain document, you can just go there and do it. While it’s slightly more expensive than outside, it’s totally worth it. And these service providers tend to know the required documents well.
Food
There are plenty of places to eat there, from food courts and coffee shops to convenience stores. The price is similar to elsewhere.
However, they can be full during the lunch break since all of the government officers will go there and eat.
Office Clothes
If you need to shop for affordable office clothes such as suits, there are many shops on the B floor that sell office clothes for less than THB200.
However, since they cater to government officers, sizes may be too small for expats.
Now, on to You
This is all you need to know about how to go to the immigration office in Chaeng Wattana. There are plenty of options available.
It can be a challenge on your first try. But when you’ve been there once, the second visit will be much simpler.
