Big crowds swamp Pattaya’s passport office
on the first day of reopening after having been closed for 27 days.
Warunya Thongrod
Crowds packed the newly reopened Thai Passport Office, which had been
shut down by Bangkok political protests for three weeks.
The People’s Democratic Reform Committee’s siege of the Department of
Consular Affairs in the capital had a domino effect on branch offices
around the country. The Pattaya office at The Avenue galleria was closed
from Jan. 13 to Feb. 7.
Within an hour of the office’s Feb. 10 reopening, all tables and
counters were full. Waiting numbers ran out before 9 a.m., forcing
anyone who arrived after that to come back the next day.
Director Chatchai Choochom said the office can only handle 168 people
per day and no one is taken after 3:30 p.m. Even then, it’s not a firm
number, he said.
“We still have to assess the situation day by day whether we can reach
the target number or not since we have a small number of booths,
insufficient officers and other problems,” Chatchai said.
Thais need only their identification card or birth certificate to apply.
Office staffers will take the required photograph. The office is open
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The fee for a new passport is 1,040 and
passports are delivered via post within 5-7 business days. For more
information call 038-422-438.
