Help noarrival stamp in passport and no arrival card

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Colin Hudson said:

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

Please confirm that you have an exit stamp from Tachileik. Is it dated 20 Feb 2018?

 

2 hours ago, jackdd said:

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)

Two things:

1. It is highly unlikely that they would cancel the exit stamp (if, indeed, there was one) as it will be obvious to them that the OP has been illegally in Thailand for several days.
2. If the Myanmar authorities were somehow persuaded to do so, he would then be (illegally) in Myanmar on an expired border pass. It may become a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, genericptr said:

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.

 

Yes, you could quite easily walk along the road without noticing the two large buildings either side of the road with "Immigration" written in it and being completely unaware that you should be getting an entry stamp.

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

1. If the Myanmar authorities were somehow persuaded to do so, he would then be (illegally) in Myanmar on an expired border pass. It may become a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

I Believe that those Myanmar border passes are valid for 14 days

[NorthernRyland]

8 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, you could quite easily walk along the road without noticing the two large buildings either side of the road with "Immigration" written in it and being completely unaware that you should be getting an entry stamp.

I agree it's unlikely. If the OP is being honest and really didn't know he needed an entry stamp because this was his first time entering thailand by land than I could imagine this happening to a confused tourist. Because he's trying so hard to correct the problem it shows he's not willfully trying to break the law and made an honest mistake. 

 

I hope if he gets in contact with the right people they can understand how confusing and poorly organized immigration can be at the border and forgive the poor guy. It would be a real shame if they treat him like a criminal despite making his best efforts to correct the mistake.

[Nong Khai Man]

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

 

But.............Why would you want to do this,Unless You've got something to HIDE ???

 

BTW,You CANNOT Just Drive OUT of Thailand, You'll need a CAR/VEHICLE Passport......If it was that easy, Can you imagine how many STOLEN Cars could just drive through,To Laos ????

Edited February 24, 2018 by Nong Khai Man

[CoconutCake]

My sympathies to the OP. 
Seems like no easy solution.

 

I'm not clear on all the details. You have an extension based on retirement through April so  overstaying is not an issue. 
You have a multiple re-entry permit. 

Your visit to Myanmar does not sound like a tourist visit. it looks and smells like a border run, correct?
So I'm guessing you may have chosen that as an alternative to filing your 90 day report at Promenada?

Otherwise what's the need for a border run for someone who's got a 1 year extension in place? 
But in any case prior to this recent incident you clearly had a previous entry into Thailand and still have that entry stamp from whenever it was.
Wonder what's the worst that might happen if you tried this:
Book a flight to Laos or similar.

Then go through immigration @CNX. 
How will they process you when they see your passport?

Answer all questions truthfully and admit your mistake if it comes up but
perhaps they won't notice the Myanmar exit and will only see your prior Thailand entry stamp. 
If they spot the Myanmar stamp you can show your extension based on retirement and be contrite regarding your screw-up at the Myanmar border.  
You can claim your arrival card is missing,  because it is.

It seems I've seen that handled easily at the airport before. 
What are they going to do?,  prevent you from leaving the country? 
If you make it on the flight,  return and act like Myanmar never happened.

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, CoconutCake said:

My sympathies to the OP. 
Seems like no easy solution.

 

I'm not clear on all the details. You have an extension based on retirement through April so  overstaying is not an issue. 
You have a multiple re-entry permit. 

Your visit to Myanmar does not sound like a tourist visit. it looks and smells like a border run, correct?
So I'm guessing you may have chosen that as an alternative to filing your 90 day report at Promenada?

Otherwise what's the need for a border run for someone who's got a 1 year extension in place? 
But in any case prior to this recent incident you clearly had a previous entry into Thailand and still have that entry stamp from whenever it was.
Wonder what's the worst that might happen if you tried this:
Book a flight to Laos or similar.

Then go through immigration @CNX. 
How will they process you when they see your passport?

Answer all questions truthfully and admit your mistake if it comes up but
perhaps they won't notice the Myanmar exit and will only see your prior Thailand entry stamp. 
If they spot the Myanmar stamp you can show your extension based on retirement and be contrite regarding your screw-up at the Myanmar border.  
You can claim your arrival card is missing,  because it is.

It seems I've seen that handled easily at the airport before. 
What are they going to do?,  prevent you from leaving the country? 
If you make it on the flight,  return and act like Myanmar never happened.

Yes, he cannot overstay, if he hasnt been stamped in .

Also, there is the issue of being stamped out of Thailand and that will show up on their puters .

   You need to read the thread and think it through , before giving advice

[jackdd]

59 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

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

 

But.............Why would you want to do this,Unless You've got something to HIDE ???

 

BTW,You CANNOT Just Drive OUT of Thailand, You'll need a CAR/VEHICLE Passport......If it was that easy, Can you imagine how many STOLEN Cars could just drive through,To Laos ????

Of course neither of this is legal and you should not do it, i just said it is possible, also by accident, because it not being legal we don't have to discuss this further.

About vehicles, as stated before, at Nong Khai you can just drive out of Thailand, nobody will stop you, but you would have a problem entering Laos, because there they stop you.

[PETDCAT]

3 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

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.

sorry for the confusion, what i meant to say was that I had a reentry stamp which preserves the retirement visa 

[Wake Up]

I went to Myramaar a couple months ago with a Thai friend and tour group. We did not get stamped into Myramaar or back into Thailand. We just walked into Myramaar for the day and walked back into Thailand. No stamps and tour guide said he never gets any stamps with his tour group.  Maybe somehow you enter through the tour group line but good luck to you. I have the tour guides Bangkok phone number if you want to call him. He goes to Mae Sai - Myramaar on a regular basis. 

[Suradit69]

14 minutes ago, PETDCAT said:

sorry for the confusion, what i meant to say was that I had a reentry stamp which preserves the retirement visa 

OK, but actually it preserves the permission to stay or extension of stay based on retirement. If you need a re-entry permit, you no longer have a usable retirement visa.

[BritTim]

31 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

I went to Myramaar a couple months ago with a Thai friend and tour group. We did not get stamped into Myramaar or back into Thailand. We just walked into Myramaar for the day and walked back into Thailand. No stamps and tour guide said he never gets any stamps with his tour group.  Maybe somehow you enter through the tour group line but good luck to you. I have the tour guides Bangkok phone number if you want to call him. He goes to Mae Sai - Myramaar on a regular basis. 

This is not going to work, only make the situation worse when he arrive back at Thai immigration. The official will see the exit stamp from 19 Feb 2018 (which tallies with what his computer screen says). The OP will have no answer to what he has been doing since that day, especially as he has already indicated that there is a Tachileik entry stamp from 19 Feb 2018 in his passport also.

[Wake Up]

3 minutes ago, BritTim said:

This is not going to work, only make the situation worse when he arrive back at Thai immigration. The official will see the exit stamp from 19 Feb 2018 (which tallies with what his computer screen says). The OP will have no answer to what he has been doing since that day, especially as he has already indicated that there is a Tachileik entry stamp from 19 Feb 2018 in his passport also.

I meant to say the Thai tour guide knows all the border people so maybe he could get it cleared up for the OP. He walks in and out regularly with tour groups and knows the people working at the border.  

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

You can claim your arrival card is missing,  because it is.

It seems I've seen that handled easily at the airport before. 

The lack of an arrival card is not an issue. The lack of any record of him re-entering Thailand is an issue. Computer records and stamps in passport indicate he left Thailand. Nothing indicates he's ever returned.

[BritTim]

1 minute ago, Wake Up said:

I meant to say the Thai tour guide knows all the border people so maybe he could get it cleared up for the OP. He walks in and out regularly with tour groups and knows the people working at the border.  

Possibly. I agree it is worth talking to him, as he could be a fixer, or know someone who is.

 

One question I have asked twice, and is important, is does the passport have a Myanmar exit stamp? If not, and (as one poster advised, border passes now last for 14 days) there might be other options.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, CoconutCake said:

Wonder what's the worst that might happen if you tried this:
Book a flight to Laos or similar.

Then go through immigration @CNX. 
How will they process you when they see your passport?

Answer all questions truthfully and admit your mistake if it comes up but
perhaps they won't notice the Myanmar exit and will only see your prior Thailand entry stamp. 
If they spot the Myanmar stamp you can show your extension based on retirement and be contrite regarding your screw-up at the Myanmar border.  
You can claim your arrival card is missing,  because it is.

It seems I've seen that handled easily at the airport before. 
What are they going to do?,  prevent you from leaving the country? 

Yes. Without an entry stamp they won't be able to leave, and would be detained at the airport until the situation is resolved.

 

His problem should be easily fixed, but almost certainly needs to be done at the Mae Sai border.

[elviajero]

51 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

OK, but actually it preserves the permission to stay or extension of stay based on retirement. If you need a re-entry permit, you no longer have a usable retirement visa.

It preserves the permission to stay, whether it's an extension or initial permit to stay.

 

When you apply for an extension of stay you are issued with a permit confirming the term of your new permission to stay.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, CoconutCake said:

I'm not clear on all the details. You have an extension based on retirement through April so  overstaying is not an issue. 
You have a multiple re-entry permit. 

Whether you overstay or enter without permission (like the OP) you are in the country without permission and the penalties are the same. The fact that the OP has an "extension of stay"/re-entry permit doesn't help. His current temporary permission to stay ended when he left the country and can only be 'reinstated' by using the re-entry permit at the border.

[Suradit69]

29 minutes ago, elviajero said:

It preserves the permission to stay, whether it's an extension or initial permit to stay.

 

When you apply for an extension of stay you are issued with a permit confirming the term of your new permission to stay.

Yes, that's what an extension means: extension of permission to stay. I really don't think that requires clarification. I'm all for using the correct terms, but possibly that's entering the land of the petty. The important distinction is that it allows you to extend your permission to remain in Thailand but it does not extend one's visa.

 

If you want to be very specific. you are getting an extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom.

 

 

 

And the stamp you get indicates you've been given an extension of that permission which you would want to preserve.

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Suradit69

[Colin Hudson]

Colin Hudson

Thank you for all the comments, let me clarify one thing, I did not try and evade the Thai immigration officials at the border, the fact is this is my first and last time hopefully to go to that border crossing. I will wait to see what occurs on Monday when I attend Promenada with immi lawyer who will seek advice on how to resolve this issue.

Thank you for the offer of a fixer but I'm too scared to do anything more and don't wish to do something that may be conceived as illegal and stuff up my retirement.

So I will post the outcome of my meeting on Monday.

Thanks again 

Colin 

 

[elviajero]

49 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

I really don't think that requires clarification

It does when you imply a difference between permission to stay and an extension of permission to stay.

 

"OK, but actually it preserves the permission to stay or extension of stay based on retirement."

[elviajero]

23 minutes ago, Colin Hudson said:

Colin Hudson

Thank you for all the comments, let me clarify one thing, I did not try and evade the Thai immigration officials at the border, the fact is this is my first and last time hopefully to go to that border crossing. I will wait to see what occurs on Monday when I attend Promenada with immi lawyer who will seek advice on how to resolve this issue.

Thank you for the offer of a fixer but I'm too scared to do anything more and don't wish to do something that may be conceived as illegal and stuff up my retirement.

So I will post the outcome of my meeting on Monday.

Thanks again 

Colin 

You are not the first and won't be the last to inadvertently enter without getting stamped in. In all cases I've heard of the problem only gets resolved by going back to the border you entered through, but maybe the lawyer might be able to fix things in CM. Worth a go, but expect to be sent to Mae Sai. If you do have to go to Mae Sai it might help if you get a letter from CM immigration, or your lawyer, explaining the situation.

[Suetape]

Good luck Colin. 

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Colin Hudson said:

Colin Hudson

Thank you for all the comments, let me clarify one thing, I did not try and evade the Thai immigration officials at the border, the fact is this is my first and last time hopefully to go to that border crossing. I will wait to see what occurs on Monday when I attend Promenada with immi lawyer who will seek advice on how to resolve this issue.

Thank you for the offer of a fixer but I'm too scared to do anything more and don't wish to do something that may be conceived as illegal and stuff up my retirement.

So I will post the outcome of my meeting on Monday.

Thanks again 

Colin 

Good luck!

The very fact that the immigration lawyer is wasting time taking you back to Promenada shows he is either unaware of the correct procedure to fix this, or taking advantage of the situation to make some cash. However, hopefully you will find your way back to Mae Sai in front of an official who has the power to fix it before too late. The more time you are in the country illegally, the greater the risk of being arrested and deported.

Having no experience of such matters, and receiving so much contradictory advice on this board, I can understand why you feel more comfortable thinking you have a random immigration lawyer in your corner but, in reality, you would have been better off resolving this alone if you knew what to do. Make sure you ask your lawyer at every step what he is going to charge you.

[Acemaker]

4 hours ago, Colin Hudson said:

Colin Hudson

Thank you for all the comments, let me clarify one thing, I did not try and evade the Thai immigration officials at the border, the fact is this is my first and last time hopefully to go to that border crossing. I will wait to see what occurs on Monday when I attend Promenada with immi lawyer who will seek advice on how to resolve this issue.

Thank you for the offer of a fixer but I'm too scared to do anything more and don't wish to do something that may be conceived as illegal and stuff up my retirement.

So I will post the outcome of my meeting on Monday.

Thanks again 

Colin 

 

Good Luck Sir.

[ColinHudson]

Great news, I have the stamp and a new departure card.

The process this morning at Prominada. My lawyer and I approached a senior officer, he passed it on to the person in charge a woman, she read my statement outlining what occurred at the border and concluded that it was obvious that I was not intending to evade the process. She asked what time i had crossed the border and they checked my name on their computer. After 60 minutes we were informed a stamp and new arrival card would be issued at Prominada. Had to photocopy my passport and existing retirement visa and within another 60 minutes was given my passport with a date stamp and departure card.

No fee, no fine. and no tea money exchanged hands.

Thank you, everyone, for your help and advice.

Cheers Colin Hudson

 

[Suetape]

Great news Colin and thanks for the update.