Immigration and visa in Thai

ต่อวีซ่าครับ

dtàw wii-sâa khráp

I would like to extend my visa.

Male speaker

ต่อ (dtàw) is the verb for extending or continuing something, and is used for visas and rentals alike.

พาสปอร์ตครับ

phâat-sà-bpàwt khráp

Passport.

Male speaker

The borrowed word is understood everywhere. The formal Thai term หนังสือเดินทาง (nǎng-sěu doen thaang) appears on official forms.

ขอโทษครับ

khǎw-thôot khráp

Excuse me.

Male speaker

Lead with สวัสดีครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp), then this, which is the half that actually gets an officer's attention. Keep your voice flat and quiet and stay pleasant even when the answer is no, because how much help you get is the officer's decision. A nod is enough on arrival, you do not need to wai first, and คุณ (khun) or plain ครับ is the safe way to address staff, while พี่ (phîi) or น้อง (náwng) is a guess about age and rank you do not need to make.

ขอบัตรคิวค่ะ

khǎw bàt-khiu khâ

A queue ticket, please.

Female speaker

Most offices hand out บัตรคิว (bàt-khiu) at the door or from a desk near it, and nothing happens until you hold one. Busy offices stop issuing them long before the closing time on the sign, so this is the first sentence of the visit, not the third.

ผมมาต่อวีซ่าครับ

phǒm maa dtàw wii-sâa khráp

I'm here to extend my visa.

Male speaker

ต่อ means to continue, so you are continuing the visa. The paperwork calls it ขออยู่ต่อ (khǎw yùu dtàw) on the TM7 form, but nobody at a counter will blink at ต่อวีซ่า. Expect to be pointed at a numbered window, or asked for your passport on the spot.

มาต่อวีซ่าครับ

maa dtàw wii-sâa khráp

I'm here to extend my visa.

Male speaker

The same sentence with ผม dropped, which is how it usually comes out at a window. Nothing is lost: ครับ already tells the officer who is speaking, and starting with the verb sounds brisk rather than rude.

มาต่อวีซ่าค่ะ

maa dtàw wii-sâa khâ

I'm here to extend my visa.

Female speaker

At a counter both men and women normally start with the verb, มาต่อวีซ่าครับ or มาต่อวีซ่าค่ะ. ผม (phǒm) is unmarked and can stay in if you want it; ดิฉัน (dì-chǎn) is a high-register word that sounds stiff in a queue, so women drop the pronoun rather than swap it, and ฉัน (chǎn) is too casual for a government office. The particle is ค่ะ, aspirated and falling, khâ. Writing or saying it as kâ is an error, and khá with a high tone belongs on questions, not on this statement.

มารายงานตัวเก้าสิบวันค่ะ

maa raai-ngaan dtua gâo-sìp wan khâ

I'm here to do my 90 day report.

Female speaker

The clock runs on continuous days inside Thailand, not on your visa dates, and the window is fifteen days before to seven days after. Bring the passport and last time's slip, ใบรับแจ้ง (bai ráp jâeng); the paper form is the TM47, which the counter calls ทีเอ็มสี่สิบเจ็ด (thii-em sìi-sìp-jèt). At the window people say มาแจ้งเก้าสิบวันค่ะ (maa jâeng gâo-sìp wan khâ) or just รายงานตัวเก้าสิบวันค่ะ as often as the full sentence. If you are past the date, say so and ask, because late reporting carries a fine.

รายงานตัวออนไลน์ได้ไหมคะ

raai-ngaan dtua awn-lai dâi mǎi khá

Can I do the report online?

Female speaker

Online acceptance is patchy and changes from quarter to quarter and office to office, so ask yours rather than trusting a forum post. If they say yes, screenshot or print the confirmation and keep it, because the next report will ask for the previous one.

แจ้งทางไปรษณีย์ได้ไหมครับ

jâeng thaang bprai-sà-nii dâi mǎi khráp

Can I file it by post?

Male speaker

Registered post, sent so it arrives inside the window, with a stamped self-addressed envelope for the slip to come back in. Send it early: the date that counts is when the office receives it, not when you posted it.

ผมมาแจ้งที่พักครับ

phǒm maa jâeng thîi-phák khráp

I've come to report where I'm staying.

Male speaker

This is the TM30. The law puts it on the owner of the place you sleep in, เจ้าบ้าน (jâo bâan), but when a landlord has not filed it you are the one standing at the window. Ask for the receipt slip before you leave, you need it for the extension, and some offices ask for it at the 90 day report too.

ขอรีเอ็นทรีครับ

khǎw rii-en-thrii khráp

I'd like a re entry permit.

Male speaker

ขอทำรีเอ็นทรีครับ (khǎw tham rii-en-thrii khráp) is equally acceptable, just longer than what people say at the glass. The form is the TM8. Leaving the country without one cancels the extension you just paid for. The officer will ask ครั้งเดียวหรือหลายครั้ง (khráng diao rěu lǎai khráng), single or multiple, and may point you elsewhere with ไปช่องทำรีเอ็นทรีนะคะ (bpai châwng tham rii-en-thrii ná khá), go to the re-entry window, because it is often a different one. Do it on the same visit as the extension and you save a second trip; if you forget, the same counter exists at the airport.

ขอใบรับรองที่พักอาศัยครับ

khǎw bai ráp-rawng thîi-phák aa-sǎi khráp

I'd like a certificate of residence.

Male speaker

This is the paper you cannot get a Thai driving licence or register a vehicle without, and it is the reason most residents visit immigration outside extension season. Some offices issue it the same day, some take days, some charge and some do not, so ask both questions at the window.

ต่อวีซ่าช่องไหนคะ

dtàw wii-sâa châwng nǎi khá

Which counter is visa extension?

Female speaker

ช่อง (châwng) is a service window, numbered ช่อง 1, ช่อง 2 and so on. Ask for a queue ticket first if you have not got one. The answer often comes back as a floor instead: ชั้นสอง (chán sǎwng), second floor.

ปิดพักเที่ยงกี่โมงคะ

bpìt phák thîang gìi moong khá

What time do you close for lunch?

Female speaker

Immigration offices shut over the middle of the day and the queue does not hold across the break at every office. Arriving twenty minutes before the lunch closure usually means coming back after it.

เปิดถึงกี่โมงคะ

bpoet thěung gìi moong khá

What time are you open until?

Female speaker

The more useful follow-up is แจกบัตรคิวถึงกี่โมงครับ or คะ (jàaek bàt-khiu thěung gìi moong khráp), until what time do you hand out queue tickets, because that hour is normally well before the closing hour on the sign.

วันเสาร์เปิดไหมครับ

wan sǎo bpoet mǎi khráp

Are you open on Saturday?

Male speaker

Saturday opening varies by office and by service: some run a weekend counter for 90 day reports only, some open at a shopping centre branch instead of the main office. Ask which services, not just whether.

ต้องใช้เอกสารอะไรบ้างคะ

dtâwng chái èek-gà-sǎan à-rai bâang khá

Which documents do I need?

Female speaker

บ้าง is what turns this into what things, plural, so you are asking for the whole list rather than one item. Expect passport, signed copies of every stamped page, the TM7, photos, the rental contract and the TM30 receipt, and for a retirement or marriage extension the money paperwork as well: the bank book, สมุดบัญชี (sà-mùt ban-chii), a letter from the bank, and for some categories a health insurance policy. Requirements differ by office and by visa type, so ask your office, not a forum.

ต้องใช้สมุดบัญชีธนาคารไหมคะ

dtâwng chái sà-mùt ban-chii thá-naa-khaan mǎi khá

Do I need my bank book?

Female speaker

For a retirement or marriage extension the answer is yes, along with photocopies of every page they ask for. Take the original as well as the copies, because the officer compares them.

ต้องมีประกันสุขภาพไหมครับ

dtâwng mii bprà-gan sùk-khà-phâap mǎi khráp

Do I need health insurance?

Male speaker

Whether a policy is required, and what cover counts, depends on the visa category and on the office, so ask yours rather than a forum. If yes, they want the certificate on the insurer's paper, not a screenshot on a phone.

ต้องใช้รูปถ่ายกี่รูปคะ

dtâwng chái rûup-thàai gìi rûup khá

How many photos do I need?

Female speaker

Photos get glued to the forms in front of you, so bring more than one set. The shop knows the size without being told, which is faster than trying to name it.

ต้องวาดแผนที่บ้านไหมครับ

dtâwng wâat phǎen-thîi bâan mǎi khráp

Do I have to draw a map to my house?

Male speaker

Yes, at most offices, and it is drawn by hand on a blank sheet with a landmark or two on it. A printed screenshot is sometimes refused where a rough scribble is accepted, so do it their way and keep it simple.

วีซ่าผมหมดวันไหนครับ

wii-sâa phǒm mòt wan nǎi khráp

When does my visa run out?

Male speaker

The date that matters is the stamp in the passport, not the sticker: read อนุญาตให้อยู่ถึง (à-nú-yâat hâi yùu thěung), permitted to stay until. Ask in the office before the date rather than after, because everything is cheaper on the right side of it.

ใช้เอกสารชุดเดิมได้ไหมครับ

chái èek-gà-sǎan chút doem dâi mǎi khráp

Can I use the same set of documents as last time?

Male speaker

ชุด is a set, the whole bundle. Asking this at the start can save an entire trip to the bank, but bring the fresh versions anyway, because the answer is often yes for some items and no for the money ones.

วีซ่าประเภทไหนคะ

wii-sâa bprà-phêet nǎi khá

What type of visa?

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and this is turn two of almost every extension. Officers also say the code out loud, นอน-โอ (nawn-oo) for non-O and นอน-บี (nawn-bii) for non-B, and many will just ask อยู่แบบไหน (yùu bàep nǎi), on what basis are you staying. Answering with the type in Thai rather than the English letter saves the rest of the exchange.

วีซ่าเกษียณครับ

wii-sâa gà-sǐan khráp

Retirement visa.

Male speaker

The everyday name for the extension based on retirement. On the forms it is an extension of stay, not a visa, but nobody at the window will correct you. Have the bank paperwork ready when you say it, because this answer is what triggers the request for it.

วีซ่าแต่งงานค่ะ

wii-sâa dtàeng-ngaan khâ

Marriage visa.

Female speaker

Also heard as วีซ่าสมรส (wii-sâa sǒm-rót), the written word for marriage. Expect the follow-up question about your spouse and their ID card, so bring the marriage certificate and the house registration book, ทะเบียนบ้าน (thá-bian bâan).

วีซ่าทำงานครับ

wii-sâa tham-ngaan khráp

Work visa.

Male speaker

The visa and the work permit are two different documents from two different offices, so bring ใบอนุญาตทำงาน (bai à-nú-yâat tham-ngaan), the work permit, as well. Company paperwork usually arrives with an HR person who does the talking, but the officer will still ask you the question directly.

วีซ่านักเรียนค่ะ

wii-sâa nák-rian khâ

Student visa.

Female speaker

Covers language schools and universities alike. The school issues the letter you hand over, and the officer may ask which school and how long you have studied there, so know the Thai name of the place.

พักอยู่ที่ไหนคะ

phák yùu thîi-nǎi khá

Where are you staying?

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and this comes at the extension window as often as at the address one. A district or a well known building is enough to start with; they will read the full address off the form.

ผมเช่าคอนโดอยู่ในเมืองครับ

phǒm châo khawn-doo yùu nai meuang khráp

I rent a condo in town.

Male speaker

Swap คอนโด for บ้าน (bâan), a house, or ห้อง (hâwng), a room. Have the address written out in Thai on your phone before you go, because reading a Thai address aloud from Roman letters at a counter does not work.

หลายครั้งครับ

lǎai khráng khráp

Multiple entries.

Male speaker

The answer to ครั้งเดียวหรือหลายครั้ง. ครั้งเดียวครับ (khráng diao khráp) is single. Multiple costs more but covers every trip until the extension expires, which is the cheaper answer the moment you leave the country twice.

เอาไปทำใบขับขี่ครับ

ao bpai tham bai-khàp-khìi khráp

It's for a driving licence.

Male speaker

They will ask what it is for, because the certificate is written differently depending on the purpose. Swap ใบขับขี่ for ซื้อรถ (séu rót), buying a vehicle, or เปิดบัญชี (bpoet ban-chii), opening a bank account.

กี่วันได้คะ

gìi wan dâi khá

How many days until it's ready?

Female speaker

Short and completely normal at a counter. The certificate has a short usable life at the licence office, so collect it close to when you need it rather than months ahead.

ขอหนังสือรับรองจากธนาคารด้วยค่ะ

khǎw nǎng-sěu ráp-rawng jàak thá-naa-khaan dûay khâ

We need the letter from the bank as well.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking. หนังสือรับรอง is the bank's letter confirming the account and balance, issued at your branch for a small fee. It is not the same thing as the passbook, and an extension file needs both.

นี่ครับ

nîi khráp

Here you are.

Male speaker

What you say as the stack goes across the counter; add เอกสารครับ (èek-gà-sǎan khráp), the documents, if you want a full sentence. Hand papers over squared up and the right way round, it visibly speeds things up.

ขอหนังสือเดินทางกับสำเนาด้วยค่ะ

khǎw nǎng-sěu doen-thaang gàp sǎm-nao dûay khâ

Passport and the copies as well, please.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking. หนังสือเดินทาง is the formal word for passport and the one printed on the forms; the same officer may say พาสปอร์ต (phâat-sà-bpàwt) in the next breath. Sign every photocopy before you hand the stack over, unsigned copies come straight back.

เซ็นตรงนี้ด้วยค่ะ

sen dtrong-níi dûay khâ

Sign here as well, please.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, usually while tapping the spot with a pen. Sign with the same signature as the one in your passport every time; a signature that does not match is a rejection, not a quibble.

เซ็นทุกหน้าเลยนะคะ

sen thúk nâa loei ná khá

Sign every page.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking. เลย here means all of them, no exceptions. Doing this in the copy shop before you queue saves you the walk back, and blue ink is the safe choice.

กรอกแบบฟอร์มนี้ก่อนครับ

gràwk bàep-fawm níi gàwn khráp

Fill in this form first.

Male speaker

The officer is speaking. กรอก is to fill in a form, never used for anything else. You will normally be sent to a side table to do it and then rejoin at the same window, so ask whether your queue number still holds.

นั่งรอตรงนั้นนะคะ

nâng raw dtrong-nán ná khá

Sit and wait over there.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and this is the commonest sentence after your documents are taken. It is usually followed by เดี๋ยวเรียกชื่อ (dǐao rîak chêu), we'll call your name; they call the surname or the given name and will not pronounce it the way you do, so listen for the shape and sit where you can see the counter. Some offices call the number instead: เรียกคิวที่ห้าสิบสาม (rîak khiu thîi hâa-sìp-sǎam), now serving fifty-three.

ค่าธรรมเนียมเท่าไหร่ครับ

khâa-tham-niam thâo-rài khráp

How much is the fee?

Male speaker

ค่าธรรมเนียม is the official word for a government fee and is what is printed on the receipt. The amount differs by service and by office, so ask at the window rather than working from a figure you read somewhere.

จ่ายที่ช่องไหนคะ

jàai thîi châwng nǎi khá

Which window do I pay at?

Female speaker

Payment is almost always a separate cashier window from the one that took your papers, sometimes on another floor. You come back to the first window afterwards with the receipt.

รับเงินสดอย่างเดียวนะคะ

ráp ngoen-sòt yàang-diao ná khá

Cash only.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and she may add ไม่รับบัตร (mâi ráp bàt), we don't take cards. Bring cash and bring more than you think: most offices take no card and there is no machine past the queue, and losing your place to go and find one costs the morning.

ขอใบเสร็จด้วยครับ

khǎw bai-sèt dûay khráp

The receipt as well, please.

Male speaker

Keep it. The receipt is what proves the extension was paid for when the passport comes back, and it is the first thing asked for if anything about the file is queried later.

เอกสารไม่ครบครับ

èek-gà-sǎan mâi khróp khráp

Your documents aren't complete.

Male speaker

The sentence nobody wants. Do not just nod: ask what is missing and get the answer written down, or you come back tomorrow with the wrong piece of paper again. Never suggest paying to make a problem go away, even as a joke, and never offer anything across the counter; the phrase you may hear other people use, ค่าน้ำร้อนน้ำชา (khâa nám-ráwn nám-chaa), is not available to you. The correct move is to ask what is short, then come back.

ผมจะไปถ่ายเอกสารแล้วกลับมาครับ

phǒm jà bpai thàai èek-gà-sǎan láew glàp maa khráp

I'll go and make copies, then come back.

Male speaker

ถ่ายเอกสาร is to photocopy, and there is a copy shop inside or beside every immigration office. Say this rather than walking off in silence, then ask whether your queue number still holds.

มาเร็วเกินไปค่ะ

maa reo goen bpai khâ

You've come too early.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and she will usually add ยังไม่ถึงกำหนด (yang mâi thěung gam-nòt), it is not due yet. Extensions have a window that opens a set number of days before expiry, and turning up before it opens sends you home. Ask for the date in writing while you are still at the window.

วันนี้คิวเต็มแล้วค่ะ

wan-níi khiu dtem láew khâ

Today's queue is full.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, often followed by พรุ่งนี้มาใหม่นะคะ (phrûng-níi maa mài ná khá), come back tomorrow. Busy offices stop issuing tickets long before closing, so hearing this at eleven in the morning is normal and not an insult. Go early the next day.

เกินกำหนดแล้วนะคะ

goen gam-nòt láew ná khá

You're past the date.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and the next thing she says is usually ต้องเสียค่าปรับก่อน (dtâwng sǐa khâa-bpràp gàwn), you have to pay the fine first. Nothing else in your file moves until that is done, so head for the cashier window and keep the receipt.

ที่อยู่เหมือนเดิมครับ

thîi-yùu měuan doem khráp

Same address as before.

Male speaker

เหมือนเดิม (měuan doem) is the single most useful phrase a long stay resident owns at any Thai counter, and it works for anything on the file, not just the address. It tells the officer you are a returning file rather than a new problem.

ปีที่แล้วมาต่อที่นี่เหมือนกันค่ะ

bpii thîi láew maa dtàw thîi-nîi měuan gan khâ

I extended here last year too.

Female speaker

Worth saying early, because it usually means your file already exists and the officer can pull the previous one. Swap ปีที่แล้ว for เดือนที่แล้ว (deuan thîi láew), last month.

มารับเล่มวันจันทร์นะคะ

maa ráp lêm wan jan ná khá

Come and collect your passport on Monday.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking. เล่ม, literally a volume, is how a passport is referred to across a counter. Sometimes you keep the passport and return only for a stamp, so confirm what you are coming back for as well as when.

ต้องกลับมาอีกทีวันไหนคะ

dtâwng glàp maa ìik-thii wan nǎi khá

What day do I have to come back?

Female speaker

Ask this before you step away from the window, every single time. If the extension goes อยู่ระหว่างพิจารณา (yùu rá-wàang phí-jaa-rá-naa), under consideration, you leave with a temporary stamp and a fixed return date, and missing that date is your problem rather than theirs.

ต้องทำอะไรอีกไหมครับ

dtâwng tham à-rai ìik mǎi khráp

Is there anything else I have to do?

Male speaker

The question that catches the re-entry permit, the extra signature and the second window before you are out of the door. Ask it while the officer still has your file open.

เรียบร้อยแล้วใช่ไหมคะ

rîap-ráwy láew châi mǎi khá

That's everything done, is it?

Female speaker

เรียบร้อย means done and in order, and it is the word Thai counters use to close a piece of business. Asking it out loud gets you a yes or a last instruction, either of which is better than walking away guessing.

เรียบร้อยแล้วค่ะ

rîap-ráwy láew khâ

All done.

Female speaker

The officer is speaking, and this is the sentence you are listening for all morning. It often comes with the passport slid back under the glass, so take it, check the stamp and the dates before you move away.

ขอบคุณมากครับ

khàwp-khun mâak khráp

Thank you very much.

Male speaker

Say it whether or not the visit went your way, and say it to the person who sent you to the right window as well as to the one who stamped the passport. A short nod with it is plenty; you do not need to wai across the counter.

เจ้าของบ้านไม่ได้แจ้งให้ครับ

jâo-khǎwng bâan mâi dâi jâeng hâi khráp

The owner didn't file it for me.

Male speaker

Said flatly, as information, not as a complaint. This is the sentence that unblocks a missing TM30 at the window, and it is usually followed by being told to file it yourself there and then.

ต้องแจ้งเองใช่ไหมคะ

dtâwng jâeng eeng châi mǎi khá

So I have to file it myself?

Female speaker

เอง after a verb means by yourself. ใช่ไหม checks a conclusion you have already drawn, which is politer here than asking from scratch. Get the receipt slip either way.

ผมยังไม่ได้แจ้งที่พักครับ

phǒm yang mâi dâi jâeng thîi-phák khráp

I haven't filed my address report yet.

Male speaker

Say it yourself before they find it in the system. Follow with the fine question, ต้องเสียค่าปรับไหมคะ or ครับ (dtâwng sǐa khâa-bpràp mǎi khá / khráp). Whether a fine is charged, and how much, varies by office, so ask at the window instead of assuming a figure.

ต้องอัปเดตสมุดบัญชีวันนี้ไหมคะ

dtâwng àp-dèet sà-mùt ban-chii wan-níi mǎi khá

Does the bank book have to be updated today?

Female speaker

The bank letter and the passbook update are usually required to be same day, which means the bank first and immigration second, in that order, on one morning. Ask this before you queue, not after.

ถ่ายรูปได้ที่ไหนคะ

thàai rûup dâi thîi-nǎi khá

Where can I get photos taken?

Female speaker

Normally the same shop as the copy shop, in or beside the office. They do immigration photos all day and will hand them over cut to size in a few minutes.

เซ็นตรงไหนครับ

sen dtrong-nǎi khráp

Where do I sign?

Male speaker

Better than guessing, because a signature in the wrong box means a fresh form. ตรงไหน asks for an exact spot rather than a general place.

กรอกตรงนี้ยังไงคะ

gràwk dtrong-níi yang-ngai khá

How do I fill in this part?

Female speaker

Point at the line as you say it. ยังไง is the spoken form of อย่างไร (yàang-rai) and is what everyone actually says. Officers would rather explain a box than reject the form later.

รอนานไหมครับ

raw naan mǎi khráp

Will it be a long wait?

Male speaker

Worth asking before you settle in, because the answer decides whether you can go and eat. Expect an estimate in hours at a big office in extension season, and take it as an estimate.

ขาดอะไรคะ

khàat à-rai khá

What's missing?

Female speaker

The single most useful reply to เอกสารไม่ครบ. ขาด is to be short of something. Follow it by asking for the list in writing, because two items said out loud through glass become one item by the time you reach the copy shop.

คิวเดิมได้ไหมคะ

khiu doem dâi mǎi khá

Can I keep my same queue number?

Female speaker

Ask before you leave the window, not when you get back. เดิม (doem) means the original one, the same as before. If the answer is no, you take a new ticket and start again, which changes whether the copy shop trip is worth making now or after lunch.

ต้องเสียค่าปรับไหมคะ

dtâwng sǐa khâa-bpràp mǎi khá

Do I have to pay a fine?

Female speaker

เสีย with money means to have to pay it out. Ask this yourself as soon as you know something was filed late, because volunteering it reads much better across a counter than being found out.

ต้องมาก่อนวันไหนครับ

dtâwng maa gàwn wan nǎi khráp

By what date do I have to come?

Male speaker

The deadline half of the question. Pair it with asking them to write the date down, which is the right next move whenever you are sent away with a date attached.

มาได้ตั้งแต่วันไหนคะ

maa dâi dtâng-dtàe wan nǎi khá

From what date can I come?

Female speaker

The opening half, and the one you need after being told you are too early. ตั้งแต่ marks the start of a period. Two dates written on one scrap of paper, earliest and latest, is the whole trip planned.

ผมอยู่เกินกำหนดกี่วันครับ

phǒm yùu goen gam-nòt gìi wan khráp

How many days have I overstayed?

Male speaker

เกินกำหนด is past the permitted date. Say it plainly and let them count from the system. The fine is charged per day, and past a certain length overstay stops being a counter matter, so go in of your own accord and go early.

ต้องเสียค่าปรับเท่าไหร่คะ

dtâwng sǐa khâa-bpràp thâo-rài khá

How much is the fine?

Female speaker

Ask for the figure and ask for the receipt, both. Overstay fines are counted per day up to a ceiling, so the number depends on the count they read off the system, not on anything you can work out in the queue.

ครั้งที่แล้วเจ้าหน้าที่บอกว่าไม่ต้องใช้ค่ะ

khráng thîi láew jâo-nâa-thîi bàwk wâa mâi dtâwng chái khâ

Last time the officer said it wasn't needed.

Female speaker

Say it flatly, as information, never as an argument, and drop it immediately if the answer is that things have changed. Requirements do move between visits and between officers, and winning the point costs more than the photocopy does.

ไม่เข้าใจครับ

mâi khâo-jai khráp

I don't understand.

Male speaker

The blunt repair, and the honest one when you caught nothing at all. It is not rude; what would be rude is nodding along and then doing the wrong thing. Follow it with a request to repeat or to write it down.

อะไรนะคะ

à-rai ná khá

Sorry, what was that?

Female speaker

With นะ it is a soft what, not a challenge; อะไร on its own can sound sharp. Lead with ขอโทษค่ะ (khǎw thôot khâ) if you want it gentler still.

พูดอีกทีได้ไหมครับ

phûut ìik thii dâi mǎi khráp

Could you say that again?

Male speaker

อีกที is one more time. Use this when you nearly had it, and the slow-down request when the words were clear but the speed was not. Nobody at an immigration counter minds saying it twice.

พูดช้าๆหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

phûut cháa-cháa nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you speak a bit more slowly?

Male speaker

ๆ repeats the word in front of it, and doubling ช้า softens it from slow to a bit slower; หน่อย softens it again, which is how the sentence is actually said. Lead with ขอโทษครับ (khǎw thôot khráp). Counter staff hear this all day and will drop their speed without any fuss.

อันนี้แปลว่าอะไรคะ

an-níi bplae wâa à-rai khá

What does this one mean?

Female speaker

Point at the line on the form as you say it. This is where the real breakdown happens, on a Thai word in a box, and it is a much easier question for an officer to answer than a general one about the form.

เขียนวันที่ให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khǐan wan-thîi hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you write the date down for me?

Male speaker

The strongest recovery move at any counter: dates, window numbers and amounts are far easier to read than to hear through a glass screen. Swap วันที่ for เบอร์ช่อง (boe châwng), the window number, or จำนวนเงิน (jam-nuan ngoen), the amount of money, and the sentence still works.

มาผิดช่องหรือเปล่าคะ

maa phìt châwng rěu-bplào khá

Am I at the wrong counter?

Female speaker

หรือเปล่า turns a statement into a yes or no check, and in fast speech it shrinks to ป่าว (bpàao). Expect either ใช่ค่ะ (châi khâ) followed by a window number, or ไม่ผิดค่ะ (mâi phìt khâ), you are in the right place. Asking early costs you a minute; not asking costs you the whole queue.

ขอโทษที่รบกวนนะคะ

khǎw thôot thîi róp-guan ná khá

Sorry to be a bother.

Female speaker

Buys more at a Thai government counter than any other sentence here. Use it when you are asking for something extra, coming back a second time, or interrupting an officer who is mid task, and use it before the request rather than after.