Problems with Immigration Official On Departing Thailand

[goodguy]

This week I drove my old German friend to Suvarnabhumi and said goodbye to him.  After a short while his wife's phone rang with a very angry German husband on the phone.

 

Just to lay out his care and attention in getting a Re-Entry Permit Stamp a a good month before his departure, he is on  a retirement visa extension.  His EU Passport had all the required TM6 departure card etc.  But, there is a particular Officer who seems to enjoy victimizing any Europeans or (Farang) who present their passports for a departure stamp at his departure passport control booth.  He does not understand Visa Extension stamps, Non O Visa's which have been transferred from an expired passport to new valid passport.  He can't speak English or German well at all.  "You stay in Thailand long time" is all he can utter before he then makes the victim stand for  an unreasonably extended time on the red footprint stickers on the floor where they are supposed to photo the Farang before giving them a departure stamp.  He tries to summon his superviser with a sort of button he slams (smacks) on his counter numerous times, meanwhile the queue behind is backing up.   Then the traveller is summoned to the bosses desk for his parousal of the traveller's passport with all the extension stamps in.  The boss can't speak English either.  My friend who is  78 years old, can barely speak English anyway.

 

I personally had exactly the same experience in January.  The officer in the uniform is a nasty piece of work.  I had a Re-Entry Permit, Non O Visa which I have kept alive since 2003, (that really seemed to be huge red flag for him) I have the original Visa Number on Visa Transfer stamp on the first page of my current passport.  I had to point this out to the boss myself at his little desk behind the scenes.  It took about 20 minutes all told.

 

I was really surprised that they have such officers in a such an important position.  If I didn't have a family here.  I would probably not bother with being here at all.  Next time I go out of this country I would like to photo the guy.  That would probably be illegal though.

 

Meanwhile downstairs on the Ground Floor, the six tourist police all have their heads down playing with their smartphones in their glass cubicle oblivious to everything.

 

Dear me.

[gamini]

I've travelled in and out of Thailand for the past 60 years and never had any problems with the Thai immigration officials. On the whole I find them quite pleasant. But I've had problems travelling in other countries with my Thai family. 3 bad ones in Australia, one in the UK, one in Germany, and a very bad one in France where they forgot to stamp my Thai daughters passport when she entered the country. Lucky I could speak French so I managed to resolve it in the end.
The problem is with comments like the posters are they have seldom travelled and they think that every problem they encounter in Thailand is unique to the country and don't realise is that similar problems exist everywhere. 

[Laza 45]

I had a bit of a problem going out last time.. the IO looked at my passport and visa stamps etc and called over a superior who took me aside to an interview desk..  "you overstay!"...  I said no I haven't overstayed..."yes!   you overstay"... I tried to explain that I'm on an OA retirement visa and after 1st year I went to Laos and came back and had permission to stay until about 6 weeks after I was actually leaving.. I showed him the stamp showing that I was still on permission to stay.. he wasn't convinced.. eventually an officer senior to him came over and looked m passport over.. he didn't say much.. eventually they told me I could go.. I thanked them very much and gave them a 'wai'.. and went on my way..  I just put it down to an inexperienced officer.. or two.. Otherwise I've never had a problem over the last 11 years..

[csabo]

Yeah I left Phuket for Laos two months ago and the I/O wouldn't just let me out. Read g and reading and reading finally I said "what's the problem". He said the computer said I was allowed 60 days but my passport said 90. I told him sort out his computer problems on his time not mine and that my flight was waiting. He finally gave me the stamp. Jesus they bitch when I come in they bitch when I go out. Enough already! 

[natway09]

Obviously some of the posters above have not traveled very much, Thailand get it right most times at Immigration better than 5 other countries that I will not mention here

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Laza 45 said:

I had a bit of a problem going out last time.. the IO looked at my passport and visa stamps etc and called over a superior who took me aside to an interview desk..  "you overstay!"...  I said no I haven't overstayed..."yes!   you overstay"... I tried to explain that I'm on an OA retirement visa and after 1st year I went to Laos and came back and had permission to stay until about 6 weeks after I was actually leaving.. I showed him the stamp showing that I was still on permission to stay.. he wasn't convinced.. eventually an officer senior to him came over and looked m passport over.. he didn't say much.. eventually they told me I could go.. I thanked them very much and gave them a 'wai'.. and went on my way..  I just put it down to an inexperienced officer.. or two.. Otherwise I've never had a problem over the last 11 years..

I was accused of being 25 days overstay and all I was doing was my 90 day report for my retiremen exts, I have never done another report in person since.

[Antioc]

It sounds like they are being extra cautious.  I checked into Thai Airways on the computer prior to going out in March and printed out a Boarding Pass for myself and my wife.  She breezed through Immigration with the same Boarding Pass I had - printed on a piece of A4.  However, I was pulled up by a Male who didn't seem to know a lot of English and also called for his Supervisor.  They kept pointing to the boarding time for the aircraft which was still several hours away.  I said that my wife had made it through and she was then called over.  I told her to tell them in Thai that I was booked on the flight and that the pass was legitimate, that they should call Thai Airways - The Supervisor made a phone call and came back all sheepish.  I made a big deal of him only doing his job and suggested they both have a good evening.

I think a lot of it is to do with not having enough experience and then not wanting to lose face from their position of power.  I hope the higher ups are working to educate the staff as this can get a bit wearing.

[FatVern]

My landlord told me once the authorities came looking for me late at night while I was in Vietnam. They told him my visa had expired months ago. The reality was I had gotten a new passport and visa transfered and since extended several time. 

[Ingle07]

Of course, I don't know if it is the same person, but by happen chance I have encountered the same gentleman 3 times at the exit desk. He seemed to get great enjoyment in delaying travelers. If there was nothing to question he would just sit there and just look at me and my passport.  It appeared he just wanted to delay everyone in the line.

[jenny2017]

After a short while his wife's phone rang with a very angry German husband on the phone.

 

    OP, may I suggest that the German punctuality and accuracy doesn't exist here?

 

   Your friend can hardly speak English, the problems are already starting. 

 

   I've seen very angry Germans, very angry Brit's but also very angry Americans at Thai Immigration. Which is exactly the problem why some IO let some people wait longer than others.

 

Most people have a lot of stress when traveling, but the IO is the last person where I'd lose my temper. A Hello, or a wai, a smile, well dressed and goodbye. 

 

 

 

 

 

   

[DJ54]

The only problem I’ve experienced is long slow lines. Most of the officers are ok and some seem exhausted  because all the people. 

Maybe the person had a difficult day. I try to address them with hello

in Thai and seems to cheer them up a bit. Do the same in China Great hello in Chinese other than that I’m limited to toilet beer and other simple things. 

 

Taiwan an office noticed I had a bottle of water which kinda got him going. So furture trips trashed the bottle before getting to the counter. 

 

Same as with customers in Taiwan had cards with English one side and Chinese the other (based in China) buyer saw the Chinese and sulked up. Made set of cards English only for Taiwan. 

 

Sometimes little things get people going. 

[samsensam]

 

i've travelled to over 50 countries, i spent 2.5 years backpacking round the world using land borders wherever possible. the only place i've had any problem was leaving pakistan to enter india where the IO made a half hearted attempt to get me to pay a bribe. i played dumb and he let me through.

 

i've never had or seen anything but professional behaviour from thai IOs

[stephenterry]

4 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

i've travelled to over 50 countries, i spent 2.5 years backpacking round the world using land borders wherever possible. the only place i've had any problem was leaving pakistan to enter india where the IO made a half hearted attempt to get me to pay a bribe. i played dumb and he let me through.

 

i've never had or seen anything but professional behaviour from thai IOs

Same  with me. I spent ten years (1999-2009) visiting over 40 countries, some more than once, and never did I have an issue with Immigration at airports, or land borders.In fact the only issue was other people holding up the queue. 

[Briggsy]

I have been accused of being on overstay when leaving once. I wasn't on overstay. The IO was looking at the wrong page. Needless to say no apology was given.

[Laza 45]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

I have been accused of being on overstay when leaving once. I wasn't on overstay. The IO was looking at the wrong page. Needless to say no apology was given.

There have been a lot of complaints of long lines at the immigration desks..  my feeling is that they have been bringing  in more IOs  to meet demand and perhaps some are not up to speed on every aspect of their job.. just a thought...

[Briggsy]

3 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

There have been a lot of complaints of long lines at the immigration desks..  my feeling is that they have been bringing  in more IOs  to meet demand and perhaps some are not up to speed on every aspect of their job.. just a thought...

Possibly but unlikely as an IO is a police officer. Not a job they can staff with temps.

 

However, she had been trained to shout, "YOU! OVERSTAY!" in an accusatory manner at foreigners, with a hint of glee at the capture of a victim. All this despite the fact that I hadn't overstayed.

 

Incompetence and rudeness either way.

[Shaunduhpostman]

I agree its not just a Thai problem, I have done a fair amount of travelling on three continents and two hemispheres so you see this kind of thing just as often as not.  Still there is no excuse for scaring the crap out of innocent travellers with unreasonable and false accusations. Immigration should have a legitimate channel for complaints about officers who create problems for people who are rude etc. But Thailand is not up to that level of service yet I'd be surprsied if any country allowed you to complain yet it is probably what would motivate officers to know the ropes to do their jobs as they should. In Thailand they also get caught up on simpler things than visa technicalities and complexities, simple things such what day it is today, which entry stamp to give for a non-0 visa etc. And you are really not in a good position to try and correct them without getting yourself into more trouble for making them lose face. I can't help myself in many cases and correct them anyway but I have been lucky that officers have made corrections to wrong stamps given and have backed down from hassling me over things they are clearly wrong about. Still if you know Thailand you know that is an unwise game that is often not appreciated ie, correcting people who are higher up the hierarchy than you are, which means just about everyone in Thailand. That is not something you find in other places, or places outside of Asia where if you are clearly in the right and you can prove it that you will actually have even worse problems for being right for having stuck up for yourself.

 

I have felt a few times some officers were testing me and fully expected I didn't understand the simplest terms of my stay such as when I am supposed to leave. I don't know why, I am not treated as a stupid person anywhere in the west, but certain Asians particularly authority figures, are fully convinced I am as dumb  as a doornail. Perhaps that approach works, act like everyone has just rolled off the turnip wagon and that way you don't have to listen or respect them in the slightest. One officer tried tell me I had overstayed, that this was April not March when in fact it was clearly March and that I had overstayed a month. He talked to me like he was talking to a five year old, "This is April 5 not March 5! Silly! You overstay! Didn't you know that? Haha!"  I just said, "Well if you check your computer there, you'll find I think that we are still in the first week of March, so I still have 4 or 5 days left on my entry stamp." Of course he wouldn't check the date and he was just going sit there staring at me and it was going to be April now because he said so and surely farangs like me who don't look like Bruce Willis or Brad Pit or Donald Trump are dumb farangs and don't know what day or month it is. I had nowhere to go, so I just stood there not moving out of the queue and not saying anything and waited for him to handcuff me or whatever it was. He said nothing and I said nothing for quite awhile 1-2 minutes. Finally he just shrugged and stamped me through without a fine, an apology or even a comment. Totally inexplicable inexcusable hassle over nothing.

 

 I have been hassled by American customs officials and rather intensely but over things that were neither here nor there such as the cost of items I was declaring. I had receipts but the guy didn't like the receipt, anyone could write it up he said and the items I had he well knew the cost of in the Mexican border town shops and they were double what I was claiming. He was really quite irate and pretty scary but I was not lying about the cost and the reciept I showed him was legit. I suppose we were both right, I had bought my stuff way down in Chiapas and this was Tijuana, where things were obviously inflated. I was rescued by another officer who put the guy in his place and sided with me that in fact things in Tijuana were much more expensive. The first guy seemed like he was going to throw the book at me all red faced and and shouting at me that I was in big trouble. He wasn't exactly wrong he had his point just he was way over the top about his certitude.  Here its not going to happen and they know they are entitled to make stuff up if they want to and no one will bat an eyelash whatever happens because some official decides to mess with you and people will just say back home, "Well see there, there ya go again. Why would you go to a country like that in the first place. Because you can't be happy just goingto the Catskills for your holidays like everyone else you get what you deserve. " If it weren't that people will just try to come to Thailand anyway, you coul dsay they have no business "welcoming" tourists at all because in fact the authorities can do anything they want to anyone at anytime and nobody anywhere finds much fault with that, we are supposed to accept that and stay away if we don't like it.

Edited May 19, 2018 by Shaunduhpostman

[Argus Tuft]

On 18/05/2018 at 11:04 AM, goodguy said:

But, there is a particular Officer who seems to enjoy victimizing any Europeans or (Farang) who present their passports for a departure stamp at his departure passport control booth.  He does not understand Visa Extension stamps, Non O Visa's which have been transferred from an expired passport to new valid passport.  He can't speak English or German well at all.  "You stay in Thailand long time" is all he can utter before he then makes the victim stand for  an unreasonably extended time on the red footprint stickers on the floor where they are supposed to photo the Farang before giving them a departure stamp.  He tries to summon his superviser with a sort of button he slams (smacks) on his counter numerous times, meanwhile the queue behind is backing up.  

and you saw all of this how?

[cat handler]

“He can’t speak English or German well at all” I wonder how many Customs Officers in Germany can speak Thai.

[merijn]

You always can have a bad IO but in general they are fine in my experience.

I live here for about 30 years first on Non-B extensions then marriage extensions and now on Retirement extensions and fly on a monthly basis in and out of Thailand.

Luckily i never had any problems in those years.

The IO can be grumpy or not talking at all but that is it but they are doing their job.

 

On the other hand my Thai wife has enough bad IO experience in European airports.

[Damrongsak]

On 5/19/2018 at 6:32 AM, Shaunduhpostman said:

...One officer tried tell me I had overstayed, that this was April not March when in fact it was clearly March and that I had overstayed a month. He talked to me like he was talking to a five year old, "This is April 5 not March 5! Silly! You overstay! Didn't you know that? Haha!" ...

I would have had fun with that.  After 40 years back in the USA, my Thai is rusty.  But I originally came in March (Meenah), got broiled near to death in Maha Sarakham in April (Maysa) and got married in October (Tula). Funny the things one remembers.  Do they stamp the dates in all numbers, or spell the month in English?

Edited May 23, 2018 by Damrongsak