Customs and Immigration Service for Ubon Ratchathani is located in a the small village district of Phiboon Mangsahan. It is located 40kms east of Ubon city on the way to Chong Mek or Khong Jiam.
You can get there by bus or truck from Ubon main bus terminal or at WarinChamrap in front of the market. One way will cost you 40 baht or less and normally the trip is less than one hour.
You can also drive there by car or motorcycle. I know one guy who frequently rides his bicycle to take care of his business at Immigration.
As we expats know and maybe many travelers too, visa matters are serious and can often times make for big headaches. I have read and heard many horror stories when it came time to get a visa or an extension. We expect difficulties but that is just part of the price we pay for living where we choose to live.
The staff at the Immigration and Customs Offices often times have our futures in their hand. They can make our life simple and easy or very difficult.
I have lived in Ubon Ratchathani for over 8 years now and have made many trips to Phiboon for visa’s and extensions. During all that time I have not once had a bad experience. There have been times when I didn’t have all the paperword required but at the end of the day I left with what I went there for, permission to stay in Thailand for a while longer.
The officers who work there have always given the impression they were looking to help and get you the visa. Not once have I experienced or witnessed an episode in which everything was in order but the visa was denied.
When I was working as a teacher there was one instance the university had forgotten to provide one document. One of the staff members made a phone call and the document was faxed and everybody was happy.
There have been a few times my status changed. I was not sure what I needed to do, but a phone call or short visit to the Immigration office and I had all the answers. Never once was any information I received later discovered to be faulty.
One time I was a guinea pig for a new policy and procedure to get the visa I was applying for. The officer took longer than usual but he was learning and took the time to explain what he was doing and why.
I hope all who have experienced terror at Immigration in the past will have better experiences in the future. As for me, an expat living here in Ubon Ratchathani, I am quite satisfied with the service I have received at the Ubon Ratchathani Immigration and Customs office in Phiboon Mangsahan.
This post is dedicated to the stall with a big thank you and much appreciation.
To all expats and travellers needing extensions, happy visa trails to you.
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I agree 100%. They are brilliant.
Dear Darwin,
I have always found the officers there very helpful.
Nowadays, being a permanent resident, I no longer need a visa, but I go once a year for a multiple reentry permit.
In the past when I got my 1 year visa they had to send the paperwork to Bangkok and it took between 2 and 3 months to get approved. Then they started approving on the spot in Phibun. I was so pleased that I wrote a letter to the Bangkok Post praising their efficiency. The officers at Phibun got this letter, translated it into Thai and mounted both letters (English and Thai) on a plague in their office.
Next time you go Darwin ask if it is still there. Khun Peera will know.
Regards,
Michael Hare
Michael,
I am glad to hear that others have had good experiences there as well. We often get caught up complaining when things go bad and forget to acknowledge the goodness around.
I will be going again in a few weeks and will ask about your letter. Thanks again for your comments
Darwin
I’ve been obtaining 1-year visas for 12 years from Phibun, and can honestly say that in all that time they have been excellent.
On my last visit there were problems with my documentation bu the Pol. Lt. Col. who signed the documents was very understanding and sorted everything out.
can you tell me what the opening hours for the immigration office in phipoon are?
thanks
Ben,
They are open Monday to Friday but closed all Thai holidays. They are in the office at 0830 but might not be ready to serve customers until 0900. They close at 1630. Hope this is helpful.
Darwin
10 Reasons Why We Love Ubon Ratchathani // Oct 20, 2010 at 2:22 am
[...] Immigration – One of the issues we need to deal with whether we are an expat living abroad or a tourist [...]
Hi. Im in Ubon now and I need to extend my visa. Im from Spain and I got 60 days tourist visa, and need to extend it. I thought that I should go to Lao and then come back, but after reading this post, Im not sure if I can get the extension in the inmigration service located in Phiboon Mangsahan. I was planning to go tomorrow to Laos, so, fast reply will be helpfull.
Thanks in advance.
Jesu,
The latest I heard is, you can go get an extension for ten days at Phibun for the full price of a visa. You can go to Laos and return to Thailand and they will give you 15 day extension. But also something I am not certain about is the different terms depending on your country of citizenship.
Thanks Darwin for your reply. I guees the visa terms for Spain will be similar to those countries of European Union. Anyway, I think I will go to Laos, since 10 days maybe it’s not enought (I come back Spain on 28 May)
Regards.
Another question that now arise to me is, if there is a minimun days that I need to be in Laos, in order to not having any problem on comming back to Thailand.
By the way, congratulations for your blog
Jesus,
You are welcome. I don’t know what is written but during a period of my time in Thailand I was between long term visas. Several times I walked across the border, had lunch and a cold Lao beer and walked back to Thailand. I could have skipped lunch and just gone straight back. So I don’t think that is a problem.