How long do overstays stay on the immigration computer?

[Webinfo]

Hey,

 

So have a few questions if anyone knows, as a friend is applying for a 5 year elite visa and they say you can't apply if you have more than 1 overstay. The friend has a 5 day and 3 day overstay from 2013 and 2014. 

 

How long do overstays stay on the immigration computer?

When was electronic recording overstays implemented?

Is there electronic recording of overstays?

 

If anyone has actual knowledge of this would be great to know before risking 500k THB. No guesses or probably's please, looking for verified info. 

 

Thanks :)

[ubonjoe]

I don't think those short overstays would be a problem. They are looking for much longer ones I would think. 

There would be a record of the overstays in immigrations database. The records go back many years if they want to search back that far.

The 500k baht would not be paid until after the application was approved.

[FritsSikkink]

Best to ask the people from elite beforehand if that would be a problem.

[BritTim]

I am sure overstays going back 10 years or more would still be recorded in immigration's database. Probably, though, when considering Thailand Elite applications, immigration would ignore overstays (especially short ones) that occurred before they started cracking down about five years ago.

 

As others have pointed out, the easiest way to find out is to apply for membership and see if your application is denied. A denied application costs nothing. Actually, until you pay, you can still change your mind if the application is accepted.

[Webinfo]

2 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I am sure overstays going back 10 years or more would still be recorded in immigration's database. Probably, though, when considering Thailand Elite applications, immigration would ignore overstays (especially short ones) that occurred before they started cracking down about five years ago.

 

As others have pointed out, the easiest way to find out is to apply for membership and see if your application is denied. A denied application costs nothing. Actually, until you pay, you can still change your mind if the application is accepted.

Thanks for all the responses. 

 

My friend applied and was approved, but in the initial email is says:

 

 Despite the Approval Letter that has been received in the initial stage of the application procedure, Member who has record of any type of over staying more than once will be rejected at the immigration when affixing the Elite Visa stamp later.

 

 

[BritTim]

12 minutes ago, Webinfo said:

Thanks for all the responses. 

 

My friend applied and was approved, but in the initial email is says:

 

 Despite the Approval Letter that has been received in the initial stage of the application procedure, Member who has record of any type of over staying more than once will be rejected at the immigration when affixing the Elite Visa stamp later.

Well, that is awkward. Before going ahead, I would certainly want a written commitment from Thailand Elite to refund my membership fee should the visa not be given.

[Old Croc]

With an infinite amount of computer storage available, no country is likely to delete any movement records.

[reallybigken]

Just ask the elite Visa team. They are very responsive. I would want to know before I traveled all that way and spent all that money. It is Thailand and money talks (just like everywhere else).

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, Webinfo said:

My friend applied and was approved, but in the initial email is says:

 Despite the Approval Letter that has been received in the initial stage of the application procedure, Member who has record of any type of over staying more than once will be rejected at the immigration when affixing the Elite Visa stamp later.

I forgot about that message but I suspect that is a result of it unexpectedly happening when it was noticed when a person had some long overstays. I think many people could easily have more that than one short overstay.

As said he should contact The Elite about it.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

With an infinite amount of computer storage available, no country is likely to delete any movement records.

Yes, but Thailand is way behind other countries where computers are concerned. Why do you think there is so much unnecessary paperwork involved in just about everything?

 

I am going without a Thai driving license because after my five year license expired and I went to renew it, I was told that I was not in their computer system, yet I got my license legally at a DLT office, and I refuse to go through everything again.

[Webinfo]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Yes, but Thailand is way behind other countries where computers are concerned. Why do you think there is so much unnecessary paperwork involved in just about everything?

 

I am going without a Thai driving license because after my five year license expired and I went to renew it, I was told that I was not in their computer system, yet I got my license legally at a DLT office, and I refuse to go through everything again.

 

That's why I'm asking these questions, they might not log x day overstays on the system as well. I don't remember the guy in the office even having a computer, it was just a stamp in the visa, pay some money and leave. I also remember back then some immigrations not even having computers, maybe they had somebody in the back do them later but who knows. 

 

Surely somebody must know the SOP's and processes immigration use? Or if there is a way to check your record somehow?

 

Yes will ask Thai elite for sure, but obviously would be silly of my friend to make an admission to something that's not even recorded. But clearly if that's the only option then I'm sure he will do that rather than risk 500k. 

 

It's a funny system, as 1 overstay could be 10 years which is intentional dis-regard for the law, and that is not the same as a 3 day and 5 day screw ups due to being an unorganised kid 5 years ago from a morality perspective (one of them was for reading the enter before date on a 90 day visa and mistaking that for the leave before date on the actual stamp the first time in Thailand). Seems flawed for trying to asses who is a good or bad candidate for the card. 

 

Either way, I'm sure he'll get an answer for TE on Tuesday. 

[jackdd]

If your friend is in Thailand he could go to an immigration office himself and ask them what they have in their computer about him, if he acts friendly this should not be a problem

[NoshowJones]

26 minutes ago, Webinfo said:

 

That's why I'm asking these questions, they might not log x day overstays on the system as well. I don't remember the guy in the office even having a computer, it was just a stamp in the visa, pay some money and leave. I also remember back then some immigrations not even having computers, maybe they had somebody in the back do them later but who knows. 

 

Surely somebody must know the SOP's and processes immigration use? Or if there is a way to check your record somehow?

 

Yes will ask Thai elite for sure, but obviously would be silly of my friend to make an admission to something that's not even recorded. But clearly if that's the only option then I'm sure he will do that rather than risk 500k. 

 

It's a funny system, as 1 overstay could be 10 years which is intentional dis-regard for the law, and that is not the same as a 3 day and 5 day screw ups due to being an unorganised kid 5 years ago from a morality perspective (one of them was for reading the enter before date on a 90 day visa and mistaking that for the leave before date on the actual stamp the first time in Thailand). Seems flawed for trying to asses who is a good or bad candidate for the card. 

 

Either way, I'm sure he'll get an answer for TE on Tuesday. 

Good post, but I have to say I do not agree with the Elite Visa, 500.000 Baht and nothing back in return while still contributing to the Thai economy.

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Yes, but Thailand is way behind other countries where computers are concerned. Why do you think there is so much unnecessary paperwork involved in just about everything?

 

I am going without a Thai driving license because after my five year license expired and I went to renew it, I was told that I was not in their computer system, yet I got my license legally at a DLT office, and I refuse to go through everything again.

Good idea, get the wife to drive. 

[NoshowJones]

36 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Good idea, get the wife to drive. 

No, just drive myself, what about when in Rome? Besides it is not my fault I am not in the system, I 

have proved I am capable of driving.

[wgdanson]

Just now, possum1931 said:

No, just drive myself, what about when in Rome? Besides it is not my fault I am not in the system, I 

have proved I am capable of driving.

So when the Boys in Brown stop you, ask for your licence, what will you say?

 

And as for 'When in Rome', will you be driving home pissed tonight?

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, wgdanson said:

So when the Boys in Brown stop you, ask for your licence, what will you say?

 

And as for 'When in Rome', will you be driving home pissed tonight?

Just give them 500 Baht ???? Driving home pisssed?? Never drank alcohol in my life. 

[wgdanson]

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Just give them 500 Baht ???? Driving home pisssed?? Never drank alcohol in my life. 

Hope it works. Happy New Year to you and your Mrs.

[NoshowJones]

14 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Hope it works. Happy New Year to you and your Mrs.

Same to you and your Mrs.

[KhunFred]

I have long suspected that Thai Immigration does not have any sort of "database". It simply does not make sense that an organization with a real data base would need an income letter more than once. Is there ANY country that has REDUCED pensions? Doesn't the practice of "grandfathering" those at previous income levels make this a moot point??? What the hell???  The Thais have the most efficient "job creation" machine in world history.

[jackdd]

19 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

It simply does not make sense that an organization with a real data base would need an income letter more than once. Is there ANY country that has REDUCED pensions?

You answered yourself already. You call it "income letter" and not "pension letter", your income could very well change, for example you owned a property from which you got rental income, now you sold it and don't have this income anymore. So maybe your income is not high enough anymore to get the extension of stay based on it, which is the reason that you have to present a new one every time.

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I have long suspected that Thai Immigration does not have any sort of "database". It simply does not make sense that an organization with a real data base would need an income letter more than once. Is there ANY country that has REDUCED pensions? Doesn't the practice of "grandfathering" those at previous income levels make this a moot point??? What the hell???  The Thais have the most efficient "job creation" machine in world history.

Even if your "income" is exclusively a pension, and its payments do not change in terms of your home country currency, the payments when converted to Thai baht will fluctuate, sometimes dramatically.

[cat handler]

Forever and ever, until they get a new system of storing things.

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Good post, but I have to say I do not agree with the Elite Visa, 500.000 Baht and nothing back in return while still contributing to the Thai economy.

You get to live in Thailand with substantially less irritation for 5 years, you can likely get away with never ever going to immigration. And let's put this 'contributing to the Thai economy' perspective to bed, you and I are here for our own personal reasons and what we spend here is unlikely to impact the GDP!

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

You get to live in Thailand with substantially less irritation for 5 years, you can likely get away with never ever going to immigration. And let's put this 'contributing to the Thai economy' perspective to bed, you and I are here for our own personal reasons and what we spend here is unlikely to impact the GDP!

Yes we have our reasons, but they have a good reason to allow us to spend here.  The policies - now being reversed / tightened - were put into place to facilitate our spending, to help the country - not to satisfy our reasons/desires.

 

But those policies get in the way of the Elite Visa system's profitability, so it is not hard to see why they would be a candidate (among others) trying to change the former status-quo.

 

The Thais whose jobs are destroyed by self-defeating / purchased / bad immigration policy don't care about the GDP.  They may be more inclined to give up on a free-market economy, though, and support the reds. 

 

No problem for the bad-apples, though - communism is a great system for allowing corruption to flourish.  But it sucks for just about everyone else - and is only appealing to those who have given up hope for success in the market due to bad-policies / corruption / monopolies / etc.