Immigration to close during holidays

PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Provincial Immigration Office (PPIO) has issued a reminder to foreigners that it will be closed during three coming public holidays. Pol Capt Krissarat Nusen said that if a foreigner’s scheduled visit to the PPIO fell on a public holiday, he or she could visit on the next working day without penalty – “but only on that first day after the holiday.” The first of the three holidays is the birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Friday, December 5. The PPIO will reopen Monday December 8. It will also shut on Wednesday, December 10, when Thailand celebrates Constitution Day. New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31, is not a public holiday this year and the PPIO will open as normal. It will, however, be shut on New Year’s Day, on January 2, and over the weekend that follows, re-opening on Monday, January 5. Capt Krissarat also reminded foreigners about normal opening hours at the PPIO. “We open from 8 am until noon,” he said, “but from 11:30 am until noon we deal with emergencies only. The afternoon schedule is from 1 pm to 4 pm with the final 30 minutes [from 3:30 pm] for emergencies only. “Many foreigners seem to misunderstand the opening times,” he added. “They expect us to be open all hours. We can’t be.”