Address: American Embassy, 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand. Mail can also be sent to American Embassy, Consular Section, APO-AP 96546-0001.
Telephone/Fax: 662-252-5040 x.2408 (consular telephone number); 662-254-1171 (fax).
Right to bring an attorney?: Yes. Your attorney may accompany you to both the non-immigrant visa and immigrant visa interview and discuss a case with a consular official.
Non-immigrant visas: Submit applications between 7 am and 10 am weekdays. Applicants must pay the application fee first and line up on a line designated for this purpose. A consular officer will then determine if the applicant can submit his or her application using a drop box at the embassy. If so, the applicant can leave and pick up the visa the next day after 2 pm (unless the reviewing officer determines an interview is still necessary). If the applicant is not permitted to use the drop box, he or she will always be interviewed by a consular officer. Generally, only persons with long-term, high level jobs in Thailand, persons with significant ties to Thailand and students from top schools are granted the waiver of the interview. The approval rate for non-immigrant visa applications is high with between 85% and 90% of applicants being granted visas. Those most often refused are young, single people who do not have high paying jobs. There are no restrictions on how often a person can reapply for a visa if they are refused.
Immigrant visas: Appointments for immigrant visa interviews are normally scheduled for 7 am and the visas are normally given the following day. Processing from receipt of Packet 3 until approval of the visa is normally less than two months. The approval rate for the consulate is in excess of 90%. A House Registration together with an official statement from the registrar of births at the place of birth may be submitted by an applicant if a birth certificate is unavailable. The registrar should explain why the birth certificate is not available and state the applicant’s date of birth, place of birth, his or her given and family names and the names of the applicant’s parents. The registrar will also need to indicate what evidence was used to establish this information. Police certificates are not required for time spent in Bangkok and military records also need not be submitted.
Doctor list:
The British Dispensary No. 109 Sukhumvit Road (Between Soi 5 and Soi 7) Bangkok Tel. 252-8056, 252-9179 Dr. John Dickson Dr. Peter Comer Bangkok Nursing Home No. 9 Convent Road, Silom Bangkok 10500 (entrance is on Soi Jongraknorasri on Sathorn Nua Road - opposite Soi Suan Plu) Tel. 233-2610-0 (ask for OPD) Dr. Irene Yin Ong Kiatkwankul Dr. Kessanee Oralsatheinrakul McCormick Hospital No. 133 Kaewnavarat Road Chiangmai Tel. 241-278 Dr. Charas Phimphilai Wiang Kaeo Clinic No. 10 Wiang Kaeo Road Chiangmai Tel 222-927 Dr. Thira Sirisanthana
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.