Announcement

Due to the ongoing security situation, the U.S. Embassy, including visa services, will remain closed on Tuesday, May 18.  American Citizen Services (ACS) will be available for emergencies only.

Individuals whose visa appointments have been impacted by the closure of the U.S. Embassy will be contacted through the email address(es) provided during the appointment registration process with information on rescheduling.

Individuals with ACS appointments, please go to the U.S. Embassy website to reschedule.  If you have problems rescheduling online, please email us at acsbkk@state.gov or call us at 02-205-4049.  For individuals scheduling appointments for the first time, please go to the website to schedule your appointment.  Please note that we are unable to make first time appointments over the phone.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

As the political situation in Thailand, and Bangkok particularly, remains precarious, it may be wise to avoid travel to the United States Embassy as it is physically located rather close to contested zone in Bangkok. To quote the website ThaiVisa.com:

The worsening violence has turned parts of the city into no-go zones as troops use live ammunition against anti-government demonstrators, who have blocked streets with burning tyres, and fought back with homemade weapons. A member of the official emergency medical centre in Bangkok said two more people had died overnight, including the first member of the military to be killed in the three days of running gunbattles on the city’s streets. He said 244 people had been wounded, including six foreigners. Guests at a luxury hotel in the city of 12 million people were forced to shelter in the basement after the building came under gunfire and was rattled by an explosion in the early hours of Monday morning. Fire gutted three commercial buildings in another area.

It seems to be increasingly self-evident that this most recent round of violence is to have a very detrimental impact upon the operations of businesses, government offices, and foreign legations in Bangkok. Those whose presence is not urgently required in Bangkok are urged to stay outside of the city and those in the city are being urged to stay clear of the protest sites or those areas which are contested. It should be noted that Monday May  17th, and Tuesday May 18th have been officially designated as holidays for Bangkok. To quote again from the website ThaiVisa.com, “The Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situation announced that the Cabinet made Monday and Tuesday special holidays for Bangkok. Deputy PM’s Secretary-General Panithan Watanayakorn said the special holidays are designed for the government to try to ease the situation.”

This author can only hope that this situation will come to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible.

For information about US Immigration from Thailand please see: US Visa Thailand. For information about attorney assistance with Consular Processing please see: US Embassy Thailand.