Help noarrival stamp in passport and no arrival card

[Colin Hudson]

Can anyone advise me?  I have a Non-O retirement visa which expires in April 2018 which is not a problem,

 

The problem

I traveled to Mae Sai on Monday 19 February 2018 and crossed to Tachilek and stayed for one night. the next day Tuesday 20 Feb I returned to the border and collected my passport from the Myanmar side and made my way to the Arrival Thai side into Mae Sai Thailand.

 

Ther was no officers in attendance when I went through the arrival area and I walked straight through without getting an arrival card or arrival stamp.  I have since gone to Promenada immi  and asked immi staff what to do, advised to go back to Mai Sai and ask Thai officer to fix up.. Went back to Mae Sai and was politely told to go back to Chiang Mai. blah bal blah . 

my situation now is that I am in Thailand with a valid visa but I don't have an arrival card nor arrival stamp.  

I have spoken to so many Thai officials at both centers but they seem to have little or no authority to fix up.

What to do?

Thanks

Colin 

 

[richard_smith237]

Try and go back over the same border and come back in?

[elviajero]

If you don’t have an entry stamp you are in the country illegally.

 

Normally when this happens you need to go back to the border where you entered to get an entry stamp. It’s unlikely the CM office can/will help you.

[StayinThailand2much]

30 minutes ago, elviajero said:

If you don’t have an entry stamp you are in the country illegally.

 

Normally when this happens you need to go back to the border where you entered to get an entry stamp. It’s unlikely the CM office can/will help you.

I wonder, whether there is no penalty for just walking into the country without getting an entry stamp. 

[elviajero]

23 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I wonder, whether there is no penalty for just walking into the country without getting an entry stamp. 

If you enter without an entry stamp you have entered without permission so the penalties in sections 54 & 81 could apply;

 

Immigration Act

Section 54 : Any alien who enters or come to stay in the Kingdom without permission or when such permission expires or is revoked , the competent official will deport such alien out of the Kingdom.

 

Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both.

[BritTim]

Just to be sure I understand the problem precisely:

• you have a multiple entry Non O visa;
• you exited Thailand, and have an exit stamp showing your departure on 19 Feb 2018;
• you have stamps in your passport showing arrival in Tachileik on 19 Feb 2018 and departure from Tachileik on 20 Feb 2018; and
• you entered Thailand illegally at Mae Sai on 20 Feb 2018.

Correct me if any of the above is wrong.

If the facts are correct as stated above,

• I cannot see any legal way Chiang Mai immigration could resolve the problem;
• Mae Sai could help, but they do not have to; and
• if Mae Sai will not help, you seem likely at some point to be charged with illegal entry, fined, and deported.

I am astonished that you left Mae Sai without ensuring you had legally entered Thailand, but that is in the past. You need to go back to Mae Sai and beg. Look smart, be contrite, and under no circumstances hint that you think it is their fault. You need to see the senior official and, if he is not available, wait in Mae Sai until he is available and you can see him. Explain that your only hope is for them to give you a backdated entry stamp, and you have been advised no one else can help you. Consider going with someone who knows how to approach officials with financial inducements if they refuse to help otherwise. There is probably a fixer in Mae Sai who can get this resolved at a price. If necessary, ask around. Do not just allow this to fester.

[NanLaew]

I think that their inability to assist with this when the OP revisited them earlier was related to admitting quite a major procedural flaw in a having an unattended border post. I mean the whole country could have been invaded by the Burmese that day and who's fault would it have been?

 

Rectifying erroneous passport stamps is always the remit of the immigration office/officer where the incorrect stamp was applied. Plenty stories of people with insufficient or too many days entry granted against their visa or extension on entry at Suvarnabhumi having to go back there to get it sorted.

 

Since this is a no-stamp issue at a backwater border post, I would say polite obsequiousness and 5000 baht should get the OP an entry stamp. As mentioned by BritTim, the IO's are NEVER wrong and in this instance, the OP is clearly in the wrong since you just don't walk in and out of countries, anywhere.

[jackdd]

Obviously the only people who can fix it are the ones at the border. You could try to go to the Thailand "checkin" counter there and don't say anything, maybe the IO will just stamp you in (either because he doesn't look at the day of exit or because he just doesn't care). If he doesn't do it you can explain your situation.

If this all fails you could go back to the Myanmar side and ask them to cancel your existing exit stamp. Then you get a new exit stamp and go back to the Thai side again.

[NanLaew]

5 minutes ago, jackdd said:

If this all fails you could go back to the Myanmar side and ask them to cancel your existing exit stamp. Then you get a new exit stamp and go back to the Thai side again.

Assuming you mean that he leaves Thailand with a new Thai exit stamp, he would only need a new Myanmar entry/exit stamp no? No need to try and involve Myanmar IO's in changing anything they did correctly last week. Maybe this is the most robust solution unless the Thai IO refuse to give him an exit stamp because he doesn't have a Thai entry stamp and thus is not in the system OR the Myanmar IO refuses to stamp him in because he hasn't been stamped out of Thailand. What does "no-man's land" look like at Tachilek at this time of year?

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, Colin Hudson said:

Went back to Mae Sai and was politely told to go back to Chiang Mai. blah bal blah .

Did you got to the border crossing in Mae Sai or the immigration office there?

If the office that is why they told you to go back to Chiang Mai.

[jackdd]

57 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Assuming you mean that he leaves Thailand with a new Thai exit stamp, he would only need a new Myanmar entry/exit stamp no?

He can't leave Thailand (and get an exit stamp) because he never entered Thailand. And because he can't get a Thai exit stamp he also can't get a new Myanmar entry stamp.

So i mean what i wrote, ask at the Myanmar side to cancel his exit stamp. (This would for example be necessary if somebody without a Visa did 2 land border crossings in a year already, and would thus be denied entry in Thailand. But in this case Thailand would probably stamp something like "denied" in the Passport for the Myanmar side to see, which OP does of course not have, so i don't know if they would cancel the exit stamp just like that)

 

In general OP should be careful what he says, because he obviously did something wrong he would be an easy target to extortion. If he tells the wrong person that he has been in Thailand illegally this person could see easy money and would  do something like: I arrest you for being illegally in the country, which means you get sent to the IDC and deported and banned from Thailand, unless you give me 200k THB.

[elgenon]

6 hours ago, BritTim said:

Just to be sure I understand the problem precisely:

• you have a multiple entry Non O visa;
• you exited Thailand, and have an exit stamp showing your departure on 19 Feb 2018;
• you have stamps in your passport showing arrival in Tachileik on 19 Feb 2018 and departure from Tachileik on 20 Feb 2018; and
• you entered Thailand illegally at Mae Sai on 20 Feb 2018.

Correct me if any of the above is wrong.

If the facts are correct as stated above,

• I cannot see any legal way Chiang Mai immigration could resolve the problem;
• Mae Sai could help, but they do not have to; and
• if Mae Sai will not help, you seem likely at some point to be charged with illegal entry, fined, and deported.

I am astonished that you left Mae Sai without ensuring you had legally entered Thailand, but that is in the past. You need to go back to Mae Sai and beg. Look smart, be contrite, and under no circumstances hint that you think it is their fault. You need to see the senior official and, if he is not available, wait in Mae Sai until he is available and you can see him. Explain that your only hope is for them to give you a backdated entry stamp, and you have been advised no one else can help you. Consider going with someone who knows how to approach officials with financial inducements if they refuse to help otherwise. There is probably a fixer in Mae Sai who can get this resolved at a price. If necessary, ask around. Do not just allow this to fester.

Curious as why he would need a backdated entry stamp. Wouldn't he be golden if he just got an entry stamp? Unless he got into trouble with immigration and needed the backdated to get out of it.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Curious as why he would need a backdated entry stamp.

The entry stamp would have to match the departure stamp for Myanmar.

[Colin Hudson]

Thank you for your advice and suggestions, is there no senior authority or department I can petition with the facts of my situation. 

Surely the immigration service has encountered this problem before and must have some one with the authority to stamp my passport and issue an arrival card.

the facts are as follows

19 Feb 2018 travel by bus to Mae sai border. Exist Thailand and have Thai stamp indicating that date.

cross to Tackilek and have passport stamped with entry date 19 Feb 2018'

stay over night at Golden Cherry hotel and leave the next day 20 Feb 2018.

pick up my passport from the Myanmar side and proceeded to the Thai side.  No officer in sight ( time is approx 1300) and walk through thinking this must be a new system. 

 

21 Feb 2018 a little concerned as friends tell me I must have a stamp. 

I attend first in que the Prominada Imm office and speak with two women officers  who advise " don't need to do any thing" 

 

22 Feb 2018 go to see my Lawyer friend and she states in need to go back to Prominada and speak to senior male offer.  Same day go to Prominada and speak to senior officer, he advised going back to Mae Sai .

23 Feb 2018 take bus back to Mai Sai border , go to the officer in the border box where they take your passport and photo, explain to her and she becomes a little  irritated and defects me back to Prominada.

 

on the 26 February I will go back to Promanada with lawyer and see if there is a solution.

surely there is an officer that has the authority to resolve this and I am more than happy to pay.

thanks 

Colin

 

[elgenon]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The entry stamp would have to match the departure stamp for Myanmar.

Yikes, forgot about that. Thanks UJ.

[Colin Hudson]

9 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Curious as why he would need a backdated entry stamp. Wouldn't he be golden if he just got an entry stamp? Unless he got into trouble with immigration and needed the backdated to get out of it.

 Yes I have a multiple entry stamp non o retirement visa , 

Colin

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Colin Hudson said:

stay over night at Golden Cherry hotel and leave the next day 20 Feb 2018.

pick up my passport from the Myanmar side and proceeded to the Thai side.  No officer in sight ( time is approx 1300) and walk through thinking this must be a new system. 

I find it very strange that you did not see a line of people wanting to enter the country at that time of the day. Not sure how you were able to get past the entry immigration desks without being stamped into the country.

5 minutes ago, Colin Hudson said:

23 Feb 2018 take bus back to Mai Sai border , go to the officer in the border box where they take your passport and photo, explain to her and she becomes a little  irritated and defects me back to Prominada.

You should of asked for a supervisor instead of just leaving. The crossing is really the only place you can get the problem resolved.

[Colin Hudson]

Thank you, will await advice from meeting with immi officer and my lawyer on Monday and book the bus back to Mai Sai border and beg and offer financial donations etc,

[jackdd]

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I find it very strange that you did not see a line of people wanting to enter the country at that time of the day. Not sure how you were able to get past the entry immigration desks without being stamped into the country.

I don't know the border crossing in Mai Sai, but i know the crossing in Nong Khai well enough. In Nong Khai you can definitely just walk (or even drive) in/out of Thailand as you want without passing immigration, nobody cares. On the Laos side the checks are slightly stricter, walking in/out is still no problem, but driving in/out is not as easy. And it's definitely possible to miss any of immigration desks if you don't pay attention and just head over (the first time i drove to Laos by myself i missed to get the exit stamp from Thailand, the people at the Laos immigration told me then that i have to go back and get it before they can let me in).

[tonray]

8 minutes ago, jackdd said:

I don't know the border crossing in Mai Sai, but i know the crossing in Nong Khai well enough. In Nong Khai you can definitely just walk (or even drive) in/out of Thailand as you want without passing immigration, nobody cares. On the Laos side the checks are slightly stricter, walking in/out is still no problem, but driving in/out is not as easy. And it's definitely possible to miss any of immigration desks if you don't pay attention and just head over (the first time i drove to Laos by myself i missed to get the exit stamp from Thailand, the people at the Laos immigration told me then that i have to go back and get it before they can let me in).

This is accurate as I once entered tired and bleary eyed and realized before I got in a bus that I had not been stamped in and was able to walk back while the customs guy chuckled. 

[PETDCAT]

I had a situation last week that might help in some way. I was crossing from Laos to Thailand with a year long retirement visa with an extension. Immigration stamped me into Thailand with a 30 day visa. This effectively cancelled my retirement visa. I didnt notice until a week later in Chiang Mai and going to immigration for another issue. To resolve this issue I had to go to immigration at the airport and it took about 1/2 hour for them to contact Nong Kai and cancel my 30 day visa. Perhaps going to the airport immigration 

might be worth it for you.

[sanemax]

14 minutes ago, jackdd said:

I don't know the border crossing in Mai Sai, but i know the crossing in Nong Khai well enough. In Nong Khai you can definitely just walk (or even drive) in/out of Thailand as you want without passing immigration, nobody cares.

I do disagree , I know both the NK and Maesai crossings quite well and whilst it would be possible to intentionally avoid getting stamped in , it would be rather difficult to accidentally not get stamped in .

   It would be quite easy to deliberately avoid the immigration booths , but it would take a certain degree of unawareness to accidentally avoid them .

   The stamping in booths at Maesai : You have to walk past them in single file and they close the tinted windows when theres no customers , if you stand next to the window , they open the window and do the business .

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

The entry stamp would have to match the departure stamp for Myanmar.

Could be just say that hes a slow walker , took him a week to walk from the Myanmar check-point to the Thai check-point ?

   Maybe get himself some crutches and say that hes got a bad leg and cannot walk fast

[Suradit69]

3 hours ago, jackdd said:

You could try to go to the Thailand "checkin" counter there and don't say anything, maybe the IO will just stamp you in (either because he doesn't look at the day of exit or because he just doesn't care). If he doesn't do it you can explain your situation.

Something tells me that if he managed to suddenly appear in the queue to enter the country and the officer did check the exit stamp from Myanmar it would just compound his problem since he would, essentially, be trying to deceive the officer. He could even be sent back to Myanmar.

 

And even if this ruse worked, he would still have an exit stamp from Myanmar and an entry stamp to Thailand on completely different dates.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, Colin Hudson said:

Thank you for your advice and suggestions, is there no senior authority or department I can petition with the facts of my situation. 

Surely the immigration service has encountered this problem before and must have some one with the authority to stamp my passport and issue an arrival card.

 

This is quite a serious situation .

There have been previous instances where people have been in a similar situation as yourself and they been sent to IDC and ended up getting deported

[Suradit69]

19 minutes ago, PETDCAT said:

with a year long retirement visa with an extension.

You couldn't have both a "retirement visa" and an extension of stay. If the non-imm O-A had expired but you still had time left on your last permission or else it had expired and you got an extension of stay, then you would need a re-entry permit and you should have put the re-entry permit number on the arrival card where it asked for visa number and directed the IO's attention to the re-entry permit.

 

Getting an entry error corrected is fairly common. Illegally entering the country is less common.

[Ron19]

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[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

In Nong Khai you can definitely just walk (or even drive) in/out of Thailand as you want without passing immigration, nobody cares.

You could get off a plane at Don Muang, skip immigrations and head straight for the baggage claim area, collect your bags and exit customs through a green channel.  If the place is crowded & busy it's possible you would go unnoticed.

 

At least many years ago that would have been possible. I haven't been through either Bangkok airport in a long time.

 

Most people would have the common sense to know that doing that was opening the door to a host of problems, including arrest, at some point.

 

 

 

[dontoearth]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I think that their inability to assist with this when the OP revisited them earlier was related to admitting quite a major procedural flaw in a having an unattended border post. I mean the whole country could have been invaded by the Burmese that day and who's fault would it have been?

 

Rectifying erroneous passport stamps is always the remit of the immigration office/officer where the incorrect stamp was applied. Plenty stories of people with insufficient or too many days entry granted against their visa or extension on entry at Suvarnabhumi having to go back there to get it sorted.

 

Since this is a no-stamp issue at a backwater border post, I would say polite obsequiousness and 5000 baht should get the OP an entry stamp. As mentioned by BritTim, the IO's are NEVER wrong and in this instance, the OP is clearly in the wrong since you just don't walk in and out of countries, anywhere.

    I had an experience similar to that.  My visa was extended at the airport as the sleepy officer didn't realize it had already started its countdown from my entry a few months ago.  I went to the big main palace. Cheng Wattna I was told.  "You  bad man.  You make thai do bad! " They have a form you fill out.  They get out an eyeball camera and rephoto you and then they give you a 30 day stamp.  I know I paid some fees but can't remember what they were.  

     Basically the form said it was my fault they stamped it wrong and my duty to report it and fix it. 

     They have done the same thing again this year and I am just going to in and out until my 1 year expires and then head home for a year or two.  

      In the ezine international retirement living Thailand has fallen to 15 from near the top ranking and immigration and residency has a 61 score out of 100.  D-.   All other things being equal the last few years it seems Immigration has dragged them to the bottom of the ratings.

    

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

I do disagree , I know both the NK and Maesai crossings quite well and whilst it would be possible to intentionally avoid getting stamped in , it would be rather difficult to accidentally not get stamped in .

 

I've crossed there many times and because you need to cross the street while entering/exiting (Burma drives on the right side)  it's very possible that you could simply keep walking on the actual road and bypass the immigration check. It seems unlikely someone wouldn't see you  but traffic there gets hectic and you could slip in-between cars.

 

Did you pass the border on the actual road or did you enter on footpath on the side and pass through the security guards and immigration desks? There's multiple people standing there including security guards so surely there was someone there.