Integrity Legal

Although The Integrity Legal offices are located in Bangkok, Thailand, we do receive inquiries regarding Consular processing at the US Consulate in Chiang Mai. Generally we do not have much contact with that post because their activities with regard to US Visas is somewhat limited in comparison to the US Embassy in Bangkok. This post is meant to provide some insight about the US Consulate in Chiang Mai.

A Consulate with History

The United States Consulate in Chiang Mai is one of the few historical buildings used by the American State Department to house a diplomatic post. The consulate does business in the former royal residence of the Lanna Thai Kingdom, that until 1933, was a tributary state of the Kingdom of Thailand (then Siam).

Activities of The Consulate

Currently the consulate only processes non-immigrant visas. Therefore in order to obtain a CR-1 or an IR-1 visa, one must go to the US Embassy in Bangkok. It is also advisable to use the Bangkok Embassy with regard to the US K1 Visa and the K3 Visa because it will likely be the place where the application is adjudicated. For US citizens wishing to file a USCIS petition locally then the local Bangkok USCIS office will be where the petition must be filed.

This post primarily processes non-immigrant visa categories that are not family based. As a result, The Consulate mostly processes Tourist and Student Visas.

As with most any consular post, the consul can act as a notary so notarial services are carried out at the post as well as consular reports of birth abroad which is a document that is something akin to a birth certificate. Th consulate also creates affidavits confirming the right to marry. The consulate also replaces passports and can add additional visa pages to an American’s passport.

A question often posed by both Americans and others: does the US have honorary consul in Thailand or elsewhere? The short answer to this question: No. It is US policy to not place honorary consulates in other countries.  Although many countries will appoint honorary diplomats, the US feels that these services should be performed by professional diplomats.

For more infrmation about the US Consulate in Chiang Mai, please see the official website here

For more on US Immigration from Thailand, please see US visa Thailand

(Note: Nothing stated in this post or elsewhere on this site or blog should be used as a substitute for individual legal advice from a competent attorney. No attorney client privilege, express or implied, shall be created between the reader and author of this post)

Tags: Add new tag, CR-1 Visa, IR-1 Visa, K-1 Visa, Tourist Visa, US Consulate Chiang Mai, US Consulate General Chiang Mai, US Visa Thailand