Visa Exemption Cancelled at border

[PBR STREETGANG]

I've just crossed the Laos/Thai border and was informed that I had used the allowed number of visa exemption entries and would need to obtain a proper visa outside the country.  As it's a holiday weekend the embassies are closed.  The I/O was polite but firm.  

 

My passport has the stamp showing the date with an exit date for next month with 'CANCELLED' stamped in blue over it.  The same for the TM6.

 

As I apparently don't have a visa, what is my status?  Am I on overstay?  

 

Is a cancelled stamp a red flag in the future?

 

Note: I have all but used up my visa pages.  Maybe it's time for a new passport.  

 

 

[stevenl]

Have you entered Thai landborder visa exempt twice this year? If so, flying in would be the easiest option.

 

Without knowing entry date nobody knows if you're on overstay.

[sanemax]

Did they let you into Thailand on a Visa exempt ?

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, PBR STREETGANG said:

My passport has the stamp showing the date with an exit date for next month with 'CANCELLED' stamped in blue over it.  The same for the TM6.

If you are in Laos now you are not on an overstay.

Please make it clear where you are at now.

[PBR STREETGANG]

I'm in Thailand.  The new stamp with today's date and valid for 30 days has 'CANCELLED' within the stamp.  Above the stamp is marked 'W-30' in black ink.  

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, PBR STREETGANG said:

I'm in Thailand.  The new stamp with today's date and valid for 30 days has 'CANCELLED' within the stamp.  Above the stamp is marked 'W-30' in black ink.  

Did they also cancel your departure stamp? Did you have some days left on your previous entry or the extension of it?

[jeab1980]

To get this straight. You left Thailand was stamed out crossed over to lao and returned to Thailand. 

You got a VEE but after stamping the VEE in your passport he decided against it and cancelled it with a stamp?

But then he let you into Thailand?.

OR

Was the stamp put in at departures on Thailand side which would be very strange.

Clarification would be needed in order for people to help you.

Edited October 6, 2017 by jeab1980

[PBR STREETGANG]

I arrived at Thai Immigration with several days remaining on my then Visa Exemption, stamped out, crossed the bridge, then processed through Laos Immigration.

 

An hour later, I found a taxi, stamped out of Laos via the driver, crossed back over the bridge and to Thailand Immigration.

 

It's there where it appears I received an entry stamp only to have it cancelled at the same time.  The officer suggested leaving by air or applying for a proper visa outside the country.  

 

The embassy was closed due to a holiday and my options seem to include getting a flight out of the country and or applying for a visa, as I was told.  

 

[saakura]

If he cancelled your entry stamp, why did he let you enter? There is some misunderstanding. Are you sure you are in Thailand? Ask someone around you!

Edited October 6, 2017 by saakura

[ubonjoe]

31 minutes ago, PBR STREETGANG said:

It's there where it appears I received an entry stamp only to have it cancelled at the same time.  The officer suggested leaving by air or applying for a proper visa outside the country.  

As I asked before did they cancel your departure stamp? If they did you can stay until the entry you had ends.

[elviajero]

It's not W-30. The W is Thai script that looks like a W. It's just indicating that you entered under the visa exempt 

 

If your permission to stay (stamp) has been cancelled you need to leave the country asap. You will be clocking up 500 baht per day in overstay fees. You are also at risk of being arrested, detained, prosecuted in court, fined, deported and banned from the country.

 

I suggest you exit back to Laos via the crossing you entered from.

[BritTim]

If they canceled your entry and previous departure stamps, you are legally in Thailand until the expiry of your previous visa exempt entry. If they canceled your entry stamp, without canceling your previous departure stamp, they intended you to return to Laos. From there, you could either stay until able to get a visa, or return to Thailand by air. If, in that case, you are in Thailand, you have illegally entered the country. You should still have time today to return to Laos (where your departure from there should be canceled) before it becomes a major problem.

[Paul944]

I thought you only got 15 days at land crossings. Well, at least the guy let you enter Thailand again. You got an entry stamp. The question is how long are you allowed to stay in Thailand. The answer seems just long enough to be able to leave by plane.

 

It would be fun for us to know what happens if you try to get a 1900 baht 30 days extension at the immigration office with this mark in your passport. 

 

The best option seems to get out of Thailand within a few days and if you want to return to get a (tourist) visa.

[elviajero]

10 minutes ago, Paul944 said:

I thought you only got 15 days at land crossings

Not anymore. Anyone qualifying for visa exempt entry gets 30 days.

[jackdd]

I always wondered about the following case: I leave Thailand at let's say the border to Laos, but do never enter Laos, then i just go back to the Thailand immigration and tell them the entry was denied (or let's say it really was) for whatever reason (this would save me the cost for the Laos visa on arrival and some time). How would they know if i was denied or i'm just trying to save some money.

In Laos it could be the same, imagine this situation: I'm in Laos on a visa on arrival and want to make a visa run to Thailand to get another visa on arrival. What happens if i leave Laos, but never enter Thailand, but instead just head back to the Laos immigration and tell them some story.

I could imagine the Visa exemption stamp and then it being canceled at the same time is just used to indicate to the Laos immigration that OP actually tried to enter Thailand, but was denied. Thus the immigration in Laos would grant him a new Visa and would not assume he never tried to enter Thailand.

If this is the case then OP was never supposed to be in Thailand now (nobody cares about what a foreigner does at these borders, you can enter and leave basically as you want, nobody makes sure what you are doing is legal). But this would mean that OP is illegally in Thailand now (not just on overstay). If this is the case OP would probably deported from Thailand if he goes to an airport.

I would suggest you head back to the border, go into no mans land betweens the borders and ask somebody about this to make it clear.

If OP is  supposed to be in Laos now and has a full passport, but would have to get a visa on arrival from Laos which takes a page it gets of course even more interesting

Back in Laos you could then get a flight back to Thailand or get a SETV (obviously you would need another page in your passport for this) there.

Edited October 6, 2017 by jackdd

[Maverell]

If the OP is in Thailand having had his visa exempt cancelled either the IO is unsure of how to stop you entering, or allowed you to enter because it will mean more problems for you and more money for them the longer you stay in Thai. They will not accept an excuse of ' he cancelled it but still let me in'.  I would go back to Laos now accepting the hassle you may get when booking out of Thailand and then wait in Laos until you can get a visa or flight out.

 

[BritTim]

I hope you are legally either in Thailand or Laos. If you are unsure, and still near the border, go back to the bridge and ask them. If not legally in the country you are in, consider consulting an immigration lawyer. This has the potential to spiral out of control.

[jeab1980]

Would be helpful if the OP could answer the question. Did the IO cancel the departure stamp as well.

[JackThompson]

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

... I'm in Laos on a visa on arrival and want to make a visa run to Thailand to get another visa on arrival. What happens if i leave Laos, but never enter Thailand, but instead just head back to the Laos immigration and tell them some story.

You don't get a new VOA, they just cancel your departure stamp and it is as though you never left.  No extra days are gained.  If you are out of days, you would be told to go to Immigration and buy a 30-day extension on your now-still-running VOA ($60, last I checked).

 

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

I could imagine the Visa exemption stamp and then it being canceled at the same time is just used to indicate to the Laos immigration that OP actually tried to enter Thailand, but was denied. Thus the immigration in Laos would grant him a new Visa and would not assume he never tried to enter Thailand.

They would know why to cancel his departure-from-Laos stamp.  Though, some people are simply denied-entry without any stamp, and still walk back to the "other side" of no-man's land and cancel their exit stamp.

 

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

If this is the case then OP was never supposed to be in Thailand now (nobody cares about what a foreigner does at these borders, you can enter and leave basically as you want, nobody makes sure what you are doing is legal). But this would mean that OP is illegally in Thailand now (not just on overstay). If this is the case OP would probably deported from Thailand if he goes to an airport.

I would suggest you head back to the border, go into no mans land betweens the borders and ask somebody about this to make it clear.

If OP is  supposed to be in Laos now and has a full passport, but would have to get a visa on arrival from Laos which takes a page it gets of course even more interesting

Back in Laos you could then get a flight back to Thailand or get a SETV (obviously you would need another page in your passport for this) there.

I agree with this analysis.  On the Thai side of some of these border-points, it is often easy to just walk right past the Immigration booths.  The IOs don't pay any attention.  Unlike Laos, or even Cambodia now (at some points), where they have a 2nd level of screening which verifies you got a valid entry-stamp.

 

Because he had already entered Laos and left (VOA + entry/exit stamps), it is very unlikely they canceled his previous Thai exit stamp, allowing him to re-enter Thailand legally.  It could have happened, but I doubt it.  I hope I am wrong.

 

I think what the OP was being told was "fly in" (avoiding the 2-x land-VE per-year rule) or go back (to Laos) and get a Tourist Visa.  Not understanding this, he just walked in, without an entry stamp.  At this point, it will be harder to cancel that Laos exit stamp, but would be the next thing I'd try.

[ThaiWai]

Sounds like he was let in on his second land entry and the I/O stamped it in blue to make it obvious that no more land entries were allowed.  Meaning he has 30 days (plus no reason he can't extend that for 30) then gotta bounce for a real visa for a land entry or just fly in.  But who knows, this guy really has no idea what the hell he is doing and has an even worse way of trying to explain it.  If the I/O was polite why not just ask him/her exactly what your responsibilities are when you are standing there??

[jeab1980]

3 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

Sounds like he was let in on his second land entry and the I/O stamped it in blue to make it obvious that no more land entries were allowed.  Meaning he has 30 days (plus no reason he can't extend that for 30) then gotta bounce for a real visa for a land entry or just fly in.  But who knows, this guy really has no idea what the hell he is doing and has an even worse way of trying to explain it.  If the I/O was polite why not just ask him/her exactly what your responsibilities are when you are standing there??

Except the OP said this in original post

"My passport has the stamp showing the date with an exit date for next month with 'CANCELLED' stamped in blue over it.  The same for the TM6."

which would mean no VEE. 

[ThaiWai]

Just now, jeab1980 said:

Except the OP said this in original post

"My passport has the stamp showing the date with an exit date for next month with 'CANCELLED' stamped in blue over it.  The same for the TM6."

which would mean no VEE. 

I took that into account.  I think it's just a confusing way to say "NO MORE" in clear blue ink.  If he is in the country (appears to be the case) then his entry was obviously not "cancelled".  Even and I/O is not that slow.  Yes, I could be wrong.  

[phuketjock]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

You don't get a new VOA, they just cancel your departure stamp and it is as though you never left.  No extra days are gained.  If you are out of days, you would be told to go to Immigration and buy a 30-day extension on your now-still-running VOA ($60, last I checked).

 

They would know why to cancel his departure-from-Laos stamp.  Though, some people are simply denied-entry without any stamp, and still walk back to the "other side" of no-man's land and cancel their exit stamp.

 

I agree with this analysis.  On the Thai side of some of these border-points, it is often easy to just walk right past the Immigration booths.  The IOs don't pay any attention.  Unlike Laos, or even Cambodia now (at some points), where they have a 2nd level of screening which verifies you got a valid entry-stamp.

 

Because he had already entered Laos and left (VOA + entry/exit stamps), it is very unlikely they canceled his previous Thai exit stamp, allowing him to re-enter Thailand legally.  It could have happened, but I doubt it.  I hope I am wrong.

 

I think what the OP was being told was "fly in" (avoiding the 2-x land-VE per-year rule) or go back (to Laos) and get a Tourist Visa.  Not understanding this, he just walked in, without an entry stamp.  At this point, it will be harder to cancel that Laos exit stamp, but would be the next thing I'd try.

Jack you are really confusing things he is/was on a visa exempt entry vee. not on a visa on arrival voa.

[jeab1980]

7 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

I took that into account.  I think it's just a confusing way to say "NO MORE" in clear blue ink.  If he is in the country (appears to be the case) then his entry was obviously not "cancelled".  Even and I/O is not that slow.  Yes, I could be wrong.  

Personally the word canceled to me no matter what color would mean just that. 

As stated before you can walk into Thailand with no problems from Nong Khai or Mukdahan.  iO's have no idea where you go when you leave there view. So he could and by what he says did just walk in.  Me I would have been back there immediately to get it clarified. 

[Suradit69]

12 hours ago, Maverell said:

If the OP is in Thailand having had his visa exempt cancelled either the IO is unsure of how to stop you entering, or allowed you to enter because it will mean more problems for you and more money for them the longer you stay in Thai.

The issue, as several people have stated,  revolves around whether or not they cancelled his exit stamp from Thailand as well as the new visa exempt entry. In that case it would be as if he never left and he would still have some days left on the permission to stay he had before he left & returned.

 

15 hours ago, BritTim said:

If they canceled your entry and previous departure stamps, you are legally in Thailand until the expiry of your previous visa exempt entry.

 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Suradit69

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, phuketjock said:

Jack you are really confusing things he is/was on a visa exempt entry vee. not on a visa on arrival voa.

The VOA is for Laos.

 

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

... Because he had already entered Laos and left (VOA + entry/exit stamps) ...

It is relevant, because after getting a Lao VOA and then leaving Laos, a Thai IO "canceling" his Thai departure stamp would be the equivalent of allowing a 2nd entry on his Thai visa-exempt entry.

[pby92]

Make pictures of your visa pages will be better way to obtain a good answer from highly qualified members as Ubonjoe or Elviajero

[free123]

19 hours ago, jackdd said:

I always wondered about the following case: I leave Thailand at let's say the border to Laos, but do never enter Laos, then i just go back to the Thailand immigration and tell them the entry was denied (or let's say it really was) for whatever reason (this would save me the cost for the Laos visa on arrival and some time). How would they know if i was denied or i'm just trying to save some money.

In Laos it could be the same, imagine this situation: I'm in Laos on a visa on arrival and want to make a visa run to Thailand to get another visa on arrival. What happens if i leave Laos, but never enter Thailand, but instead just head back to the Laos immigration and tell them some story.

I could imagine the Visa exemption stamp and then it being canceled at the same time is just used to indicate to the Laos immigration that OP actually tried to enter Thailand, but was denied. Thus the immigration in Laos would grant him a new Visa and would not assume he never tried to enter Thailand.

If this is the case then OP was never supposed to be in Thailand now (nobody cares about what a foreigner does at these borders, you can enter and leave basically as you want, nobody makes sure what you are doing is legal). But this would mean that OP is illegally in Thailand now (not just on overstay). If this is the case OP would probably deported from Thailand if he goes to an airport.

I would suggest you head back to the border, go into no mans land betweens the borders and ask somebody about this to make it clear.

If OP is  supposed to be in Laos now and has a full passport, but would have to get a visa on arrival from Laos which takes a page it gets of course even more interesting

Back in Laos you could then get a flight back to Thailand or get a SETV (obviously you would need another page in your passport for this) there.

I think you would be the first and only candidate for the no mans land residency  the first citizen of the friendship bridge

[sanemax]

6 hours ago, ThaiWai said:

 But who knows, this guy really has no idea what the hell he is doing and has an even worse way of trying to explain it.  

Yes, the O.P quite probably got confused about something and posted something incorrect and posters are trying to work out where the incorrectness is

[jeab1980]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, the O.P quite probably got confused about something and posted something incorrect and posters are trying to work out where the incorrectness is

If thevop came back and answered the one question was his departure stamp canceled as well things would be clearer.  

As i see it if yes he will by his own admission have some time left on old permision to stay. 

If not he is in the country illegally.