Let's get rid of the ugly "extension of stay not approved" stamp.

[ethaniel]

If you have ever applied for a 7 day extension of stay, you might have received this ugly stamp in the passport.

 

 

The problem is with the phrasing. The phrase "extention of stay is not approve" looks like a visa refusal (or deportation) to other countries.

While in reality you are granted a 7 day extension. I had multiple times that I had to explain the meaning of this stamp to immigration officers and consulars in other countries.

 

If you too had this problem, you can help make a difference.

 

Go to the Tourism Authority of Thailand website: https://www.tourismthailand.org/Send-Complaint

And copy this message into the form:

Quote

I would like to report a problem that affects every single tourist that wants to extend their stay in Thailand by 7 days.

When a tourist goes to a immigration office and pays 1900 baht to extend their stay by 7 days, the immigration officer stamps a very ugly stamp into the passport which says:

 

APPLICATION FOR EXTENTION OF STAY IS NOT APPROVE
APPLIANT MUST LEAVE THE KINGDOM NOT LATER THAN
[DATE]

 

This stamp looks like a refusal and can cause problems during application for other visas in other countries.

In reality, the stamp should say:

 

APPLICATION FOR EXTENTION OF STAY IS APPROVED
APPLIANT MUST LEAVE THE KINGDOM NOT LATER THAN
[DATE]

 

Or even better - not say anything at all (leave just the date) and make the stamp smaller.

I visit Thailand a lot of times and now my whole passport is filled with this ugly large stamps that take up a lot of space. Every time I go to another country, I have to explain the meaning of these stamps to other country's immigration officers.

 

Hopefully, when they see this volume of complaints, they might change something. I understand that this is Thailand, and things move slowly. But I had only positive experiences with TAT so far.

[PoorSucker]

It's not an extension of stay, it's what the stamp says. 

Your application of extension is refused and you have seven days to leave. 

 

There is no seven days extension in latest police order. 

[ubonjoe]

It is a denial of a application for an extension since there is no 7 day extension. The stamp is correct since you are given 7 days to leave the country.

 

[steve187]

just apply for a correct extension of stay that will not be denied, so the stamp is what it is, - a refusal

[ethaniel]

3 minutes ago, steve187 said:

just apply for a correct extension of stay that will not be denied, so the stamp is what it is, - a refusal

I applied exactly for 7 days extension. 7 days is what I got. But with a "extension of stay not approve" phrase which is contradicting itself in nature.

[Phuket Man]

There is no seven days extension.

[darrendsd]

22 minutes ago, ethaniel said:

I applied exactly for 7 days extension. 7 days is what I got. But with a "extension of stay not approve" phrase which is contradicting itself in nature.

You didn't apply for a 7 day extension as they don't exist

 

Stop worrying about the refusal stamp it means nothing, I've got 5 in my  current PP

[tgeezer]

I applied exactly for 7 days extension. 7 days is what I got. But with a "extension of stay not approve" phrase which is contradicting itself in nature.

I see what you mean, you meet someone in a bar and he says “you can always extend by seven days” and you go and ask for that and pay 1900 Baht! You have a good point, the IO should have changed the form and given you a proper extension and you could have left after a week. Why was it refused I wonder, did you not qualify for an extension?


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[Mattd]

51 minutes ago, ethaniel said:

I applied exactly for 7 days extension. 7 days is what I got

Unless I am misreading the stamp, the dates make 9 or 10 days, depending how it is counted, unless your original permission to stay expired on the 19th?

As others have stated, it is not an extension of stay, it is a refusal whereby they are giving you the time to make the necessary plans to leave the country, something that most other countries would not do.

[darrendsd]

7 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

I see what you mean, you meet someone in a bar and he says “you can always extend by seven days” and you go and ask for that and pay 1900 Baht! You have a good point, the IO should have changed the form and given you a proper extension and you could have left after a week. Why was it refused I wonder, did you not qualify for an extension?


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It's not difficult to understand, he was refused because there is no 7 day extension

 

They are unable to provide you with a 7 days extension so instead they give you 7 days to leave the country

 

People like to make a big drama about this but in reality it is just routine

[rvaviator]

Please forgive my ignorance - Could you not just apply for an extension that does exists? How ever many days that might be.... ?


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[jenny2017]

The stamp shows nine ( 9) days and not seven.(7)

 

   Suggesting the Thai immigration on how to make their stamps seems to be a bit strange to me. Sorry. 

 

Or even better - not say anything at all (leave just the date) and make the stamp smaller.

I visit Thailand a lot of times and now my whole passport is filled with this ugly large stamps that take up a lot of space. Every time I go to another country, I have to explain the meaning of these stamps to other country's immigration officers

 

By sending them such a post would be similar to telling them that they do everything wrong.

 

  

Edited November 18, 2017 by jenny2017

[Danielsiam]

I saw also a armenian stamp visa, hayes ?

[tgeezer]

It's not difficult to understand, he was refused because there is no 7 day extension
 
They are unable to provide you with a 7 days extension so instead they give you 7 days to leave the country
 
People like to make a big drama about this but in reality it is just routine

So they charge 1900baht for something which doesn’t exist. As i said before, it doesn’t take more than a day to pack a bag and leave the country especially since your plans would change only if the exensioinon was granted. I think that there is a lack of logic on this forum.


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[ubonjoe]

Just now, tgeezer said:

So they charge 1900baht for something which doesn’t exist. As i said before, it doesn’t take more than a day to pack a bag and leave the country especially since your plans would change only if the exensioinon was granted. I think that there is a lack of logic on this forum.

You pay 1900 baht after applying for an extension and the extension is denied because you are not eligible for one and are granted 7 days to leave the country. It is just what immigration does it to give people a few extra days.

It is in the police order for extensions.

Quote

4. In case where an applying alien does not meet the full qualification stipulated by the criteria herein, the alien must be
notified of the non-permission order and must depart from the Kingdom within seven days from the date on which the permitted
period has lapsed

 

[BritTim]

5 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

So they charge 1900baht for something which doesn’t exist. As i said before, it doesn’t take more than a day to pack a bag and leave the country especially since your plans would change only if the exensioinon was granted. I think that there is a lack of logic on this forum.

Let us try to explain the process to you again ...

 

When you apply for an extension of stay, you indicate the basis on which you are applying (with appropriate documentation) and pay a non refundable application fee of 1,900 baht. If they deny you an extension, at their discretion, they can give you 7 days to leave the country. When or not they give you 7 days grace to leave or not, the application fee is not refundable.

[Jip99]

19 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

So they charge 1900baht for something which doesn’t exist. As i said before, it doesn’t take more than a day to pack a bag and leave the country especially since your plans would change only if the exensioinon was granted. I think that there is a lack of logic on this forum.


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He he must have applied for something...... and that wasn’t a 7 day mon-existent extension.

 

 

Whatever it was it was refused.

[tgeezer]

Gosh I have wasted all day when I could have been watching you tube!


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[darrendsd]

56 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

So they charge 1900baht for something which doesn’t exist. As i said before, it doesn’t take more than a day to pack a bag and leave the country especially since your plans would change only if the exensioinon was granted. I think that there is a lack of logic on this forum.


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I think it's you that has a lack of logic, it has been explained already

 

Some people do need more than a day

 

I could explain why but I would be wasting my time to somebody who struggles to understand the most basic of explanations

[mahjongguy]

I understand the OP's dislike of the stamp's wording and the impression it might give. Nothing to be done about it except to explain that it's Thai Immigration's way of granting (and charging for) a week's grace period.

 

Of course it would be better if the stamp said something more neutral, like "requirements not met".  

[ethaniel]

Let me explain. I'm from a country (Russia) which gets a 30-day stamp on arrival (no need for a visa). I can extend this stamp for 7 days only. For this, I have to go to Immigration, pay 1900 baht, fill out a form with all of my personal information and amount of days that I would like to extend do. 

 

The form looks like this:

The extension field looks like this: 

 

 

 

So I put in 7 days. And 7 days is what I get. That means that my request has been approved. 

 

Due to bureaucracy, from their point of view, they're denying my application and want me to leave after 7 days.

 

Which is the same result.

 

So my request to TAT (which I'm asking you to join) stands the same. If they charge me 1900 baht for this service, and I request 7 days and they give me 7 days, it means that my request is approved (and the stamp in my passport should say the same).

Edited November 18, 2017 by ethaniel

[glegolo]

No you are wrong completely wrong You cannot prolong your 30 days VISA excempt with other than 30 days (hope I am not wrong here) But as you have read over and over again there is NO freaking 7 days extension.

 

THAT is WHERE you shoot yourself in the foot.

 

glegolo

[ethaniel]

2 minutes ago, glegolo said:

THAT is WHERE you shoot yourself in the foot.

I'm a dumb farang tourist. If I shoot myself in the foot, then it's a bureaucratic problem.

I see price, I see form. I pay 1900 baht. I put in the form 7 days. I get 7 days.

The immigration desk even has a sign on top of it which says 7-30 days extension.

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by ethaniel

[mahjongguy]

" If they charge me 1900 baht for this service, and I request 7 days and they give me 7 days, it means that my request is approved "

 

Poor logic. You could ask for 3 days or 45 days, you'd still get 7 because you do not meet the requirements.  

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, ethaniel said:

Let me explain. I'm from a country (Russia) which gets a 30-day stamp on arrival (no need for a visa). I can extend this stamp for 7 days only. For this, I have to go to Immigration, pay 1900 baht, fill out a form with all of my personal information and amount of days that I would like to extend do. 

You don't qualify for any extension of your 30 day entry since it is from a bilateral agreement.

There is no 7 day extension for any kind of entry.

[ethaniel]

3 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

" If they charge me 1900 baht for this service, and I request 7 days and they give me 7 days, it means that my request is approved "

Poor logic. You could ask for 3 days or 45 days, you'd still get 7 because you do not meet the requirements.  

Yet my point stands. I request, they give. If they don't give, then it's a whole different story (and I'm at fault).

 

This is how laws change. If they are not convenient and people complain, then they need to be changed.

 

Unfortunately, most of the people are too compliant and don't understand that they can change things just by speaking out.

Edited November 18, 2017 by ethaniel

[tgeezer]

Gosh I have wasted all day when I could have been watching you tube!


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[elviajero]

4 hours ago, ethaniel said:

Yet my point stands. I request, they give. If they don't give, then it's a whole different story (and I'm at fault).

 

This is how laws change. If they are not convenient and people complain, then they need to be changed.

 

Unfortunately, most of the people are too compliant and don't understand that they can change things just by speaking out.

Why do you want to change it! They did you a favour. There is no 7 day extension. They could have sent you away, however, they accepted the application for an extension (that doesn't exist) so they could refuse it and give you 7 days to leave the country.

 

If your complaint is successful, next time, you won't have either a 7 day extension or 7 days to leave the country. 

[blackcab]

5 hours ago, ethaniel said:

Yet my point stands. I request, they give.

 

No. You requested and they denied your request. If your request was approved you would have an extension stamp, not a refusal stamp.

[Maestro]

Ethaniel, you did not post the arrival stamp you have in your passport, which would show the end date of the permission to stay when you arrived in Thailand, but from your extension disapproval stamp that date appears to be 19 NOV 2017. Two days before that date you went to an immigration office and applied for an extension of stay of seven days.

 

The current "Criteria and Conditions for Consideration of an Alien’s Application for a Temporary Stay in the Kingdom of Thailand" are listed in clauses 2.1 to 2.32 of the order of the Royal Thai Police No. 327/2557 (which has been wrongly translated as Order of the Immigration Bureau). Looking at your application and because of the lack of accompanying documents the immigration official must have recognised immediately that you did not qualify for any of the listed extensions and if you would have preferred to withdraw your application and leave Thailand not later than 19 NOV you would have reason to complain if the official did not explain this option to you, which would have avoided the extension disapproval stamp in your passport.

 

It appears, however, that you would have proceeded with your application anyway and on this basis the official applied paragraph four of the aforementioned Police Order:

 

Quote

4.  In  case where an applying alien does not meet the full qualification stipulated by the criteria herein, the alien must be notified of the non-permission order and must depart from the Kingdom within seven days from the date on which the permitted period has lapsed. 

 

This is the reason for the additional seven days you were allowed to stay despite the non-approval of your application. It may look like an extension of stay by seven days and de facto that's what if is, but from a legal point of view it is a grace period granted following the denial of your application.  You could have applied for three days or one hundred days, the result would have been exactly the same.