Koh Chang immigration office guide.

Koh Chang has a genuine Immigration sub-office on the island itself, on the main road opposite Flora I-talay Resort on Klong Prao beach (tel. 039 510 840) — a real practical advantage over smaller islands like Koh Lanta or Koh Phangan, where every immigration errand requires a mainland crossing. It's open Monday–Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm, with a lunch closure from 12pm–1pm, and closed on weekends and public holidays. As of 1 August 2024, the office expanded beyond routine 90-day reporting to also process visa extensions of stay on-island — before that date, extensions had to be handled at the main Trat Immigration Office on the mainland.

Koh Chang sits within Trat province, and its Klong Prao office operates as a sub-office of Trat Immigration Office. For services the Klong Prao office doesn't handle — such as re-entry permits or more complex cases — residents fall back on the main Trat Immigration Office on the mainland, or Laem Ngop Immigration office near the ferry pier in Laem Ngop village, about 100 metres from the pier itself.

If you hold a long-stay extension (retirement, marriage, DTV, LTR, education or work), you must report your current address every 90 days. Koh Chang residents can do this directly at the Klong Prao office — bring your passport, a completed TM47 form and copies of your passport's relevant pages. If your paperwork is in order, the counter process itself is quick. You can also file by registered post (7–15 days before the due date) or online via the immigration website in the window around the due date, though the on-island counter removes much of the incentive to bother with those routes here.

Since 1 August 2024, the Klong Prao office has processed extensions of stay — retirement, marriage, work and family cases — without residents needing to travel to Trat town. Bring your financial evidence (seasoned bank balance or income letter for retirement/marriage cases), TM30 receipt, passport, photos and the TM7 application form. Confirm current document requirements directly with the office before your visit, since evidentiary requirements for extensions are periodically tightened and can vary by case type.

The 'house master' — your landlord, condo owner or resort — must notify immigration that a foreigner is staying at their address, normally within 24 hours of moving in or returning from abroad. On Koh Chang this can be filed at the Klong Prao office. The TM30 receipt is one of the most important documents you'll hold here: it's typically required before a 90-day report or an extension will be processed, so confirm your landlord or property manager has filed it and keep your own copy.

Not every immigration service is confirmed available at the Klong Prao sub-office — re-entry permits in particular are commonly handled at a province's main immigration office or at the airport of departure. If you're on an annual extension of stay and plan to leave Thailand, either confirm re-entry permit issuance directly with the Klong Prao office in advance, or arrange it at the main Trat Immigration Office on the mainland or at your departure airport (Trat or Suvarnabhumi) before you fly out — a lapsed extension because a re-entry permit wasn't sorted first is one of the most avoidable visa mistakes.

Bring your passport, TM30 receipt, and photocopies of your passport photo page, visa/extension stamp and signed departure card for any errand. Extensions add financial evidence, photos and the TM7 form. Requirements are periodically tightened, so call ahead (039 510 840) or confirm current requirements before you go — a missing photocopy is a common, easily avoidable reason to be turned away.

For residents who are already on the mainland side of the ferry crossing, or for services not available at Klong Prao, Laem Ngop Immigration office sits in the centre of Laem Ngop village, roughly 100 metres from the ferry pier — a useful backup or alternative stop before or after the crossing to Koh Chang.

Overstay is fined 500 baht per day up to a 20,000 baht cap, and longer overstays can trigger a re-entry ban. Watch your passport's permitted-to-stay stamp, not the visa validity date, and start any extension well before it expires. Now that Koh Chang has its own on-island office for both reporting and extensions, there's less excuse than on islands requiring a mainland crossing — but the office's limited weekday hours (and closure over lunch and weekends) still catch residents out if they leave things to the last day.

Does Koh Chang have its own immigration office?

Yes. Koh Chang has a sub-office of Trat Immigration on the main road opposite Flora I-talay Resort on Klong Prao beach (tel. 039 510 840), open Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm with a 12pm-1pm lunch closure. It's a genuine practical advantage over smaller islands like Koh Lanta or Koh Phangan, which have no immigration office of their own.

Can I extend my visa on Koh Chang, or do I have to go to Trat town?

Since 1 August 2024, the Klong Prao office processes extensions of stay (retirement, marriage, work and family) on-island, so most residents no longer need to travel to the mainland Trat Immigration Office for this. Before that date, extensions required the mainland trip.

Where do I go for immigration services the Klong Prao office doesn't handle?

The main Trat Immigration Office on the mainland, or Laem Ngop Immigration office near the ferry pier in Laem Ngop village (about 100 metres from the pier), cover services not confirmed at the Klong Prao sub-office — re-entry permits in particular are worth confirming in advance rather than assuming.

What is a TM30 and does it apply on Koh Chang?

Yes — the TM30 address notification, which a landlord or resort must file with immigration when a foreigner stays at their address, applies on Koh Chang the same as anywhere else in Thailand, and can be filed at the Klong Prao office. The TM30 receipt is usually required before a 90-day report or extension can be processed.