1-2 days overstay or visa run?

[deux]

Unfortunately, I messed up my flight planning and now need your help ....

 

I arrived on January 15th with a 60 days tourist visa, which expires on March 15th. Today I was at immigration on Samui and got a 30 days extension until April 14th. Problem is, I obviously miscalculated and now probably have a 1-2 day overstay. My flight is on April 16th at 2.15 AM from Bangkok. I had thought, I get a stamp until April 15th and I would go through security on April 15th/before midnight anyway and therefore would not have a overstay (since I'm going through security before midnight and hence have left Thailand already on April 15th, right?) or max. one day overstay they would not charge me for. With the stamp until April 14th, now I have one or two days (???) overstay and it would cost me 1000 baht and the stamp in my passport.

 

I'm probably in the region around Phuket or Krabi near the end of my stay and could theoretically make a visarun to Malaysia, which would cost me about the same as the overstay but would also cost me a day of my vacation. What would you guys advise me? Pay 1000 baht at the airport and enjoy another day of my vacation or better play it safe and do a Visa run?

 

Do I actually have a 2 day overstay or is it really just one, if I go through security on April 15th (and maybe they won't even charge me?). An overstay currently has no consequences for re-entering Thailand. Could such a stamp in my passport cause any problems if I visit the US in the future?

[jacko45k]

I think you are okay if you have no reason to worry about the overstay stamp. 

I had a similar situation, still had to pay for overstay, 2 days, my flight was just after midnight!

[ubonjoe]

You could avoid the overstay by applying for a extension, paying the 1900 baht fee and be granted 7 days to leave the country after it is denied.

[deux]

46 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I think you are okay if you have no reason to worry about the overstay stamp. 

I had a similar situation, still had to pay for overstay, 2 days, my flight was just after midnight!

So even if you go through security/immigration before midnight, you have an overstay if your flight leaves after midnight. I guess the actual departure of the flight then counts and not the time they stamp your passport. Weird.

 

1900 baht is quite a lot of money just to avoid an overstay....don't know. Also spent almost 4 hours today at the immigration on Samui. I actually avoided to the get the extension in BKK bc I thought Samui is not so busy. I was so wrong and another beach day ruined by bureaucracy.

[Justin Side]

1,000 Baht fine or 1,900 baht to avoid a stamp in your passport.

Up to you.

I know what I would do.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Justin Side said:

1,000 Baht fine or 1,900 baht to avoid a stamp in your passport.

Up to you.

I know what I would do.

The stamp could cause issues entering (Thailand and other countries), but would go away with a passport change. The record in the computer, OTOH, will not go away. 

 

I was faced with a similar question a bit over a year ago, thought about it for a few minutes, and got the 7 days extension.  No reason to hand them ammunition, if planning to be here regularly.

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, deux said:

So even if you go through security/immigration before midnight, you have an overstay if your flight leaves after midnight. I guess the actual departure of the flight then counts and not the time they stamp your passport. Weird.

This has worked against me in the past, but in the opposite direction. Around 7 years ago I came in on the 3rd entry of a Triple entry tourist visa, flew in from Hong Kong with arrival time 0010. The plane landed 15 or 20 minutes early (before midnight), but I cleared immigration closer to 1am - nonetheless immigration stamped me in according to the actual landing time of 2350 rather than the scheduled one. My outgoing flight to the UK was already booked 60 days later, so stamping me in on the earlier date set me up for a 61 day stay.

 

While I could have gone to get an extension or changed the flight date (exorbitant change fees) I did nothing and swallowed the few hours overstay, as it wasn't considered anything very serious at the time. Additionally, no fine was payable for less than 24 hours, but of course I got an official overstay stamp in the passport. I queried the date on the spot with the immigration officer, but she was adamant it was the actual landing time that needed to be stamped. I'm still not convinced she was right. 

[AAArdvark]

So what happens if it is your last date and  you have a flight scheduled for say 2230 and it gets delayed for two hours?