Potential problems on arrival?

[Raigisb]

Hey guys! I have resigned from work at the end of December, 2018. I was told by the school to make a re-entry permit, so I did it and left Thailand. I am pretty sure school staff was too lazy to cancel my work permit. I am planning to come to Thailand (DMK) next month on a 30 days visa exempt. Are there going to be any problems entering Thailand by plane? I don't know why, but I am a bit worried about it.

[ubonjoe]

When does the re-entry permit expire?

The officer on entry to the country could refuse to do a visa exempt entry if the re-entry permit would allow a entry longer than 30 days.

[DaRoadrunner]

How much time is left on the old Visa on which you took out a re-entry permit? You could re-enter on this if it has not expired.

 

Or just do a 30 day exempt.

[elviajero]

If the re-entry permit has expired before you re-enter you shouldn’t have any problems.

 

If it is still valid the IO might insist on stamping you in for the remainder of your previous permit to stay. That puts you on dodgy ground as the permit should have been cancelled when you left your job.

[jackdd]

Technically your extension of stay finished when your job finished in December 2018 and you have been on overstay since then.

So you should be careful what you tell an IO if they ask you anything.

[JackThompson]

44 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Technically your extension of stay finished when your job finished in December 2018 and you have been on overstay since then.

So you should be careful what you tell an IO if they ask you anything.

That's what I was thinking - but no "overstay" when he wasn't in the country - just any time in-country since the job ended.  Use of the re-entry permit would be creating "overstay days", and admitting the job is done to the IO, but w/o a cancellation being done, brings up the issue of whether his last stay exceeded the time employed. 

 

I would suggest a new passport, if time permits.  But if planning to work here again, would need to get a termination letter from the last job (ideally coincident with when he last left the country), and cancel the old work-permit, also.

[Raigisb]

I think my extension of stay has finished around March because this was the time i had to do my 90 days reporting. My work permit expires this month and I am traveling on 10th of May, so there can't be any issues regarding my previous extension of stay as It will be expired. I got a new passport as well, but does it really make difference? I don't believe their system is not going to show my details and previous entries to Thailand.  

[elviajero]

6 hours ago, Raigisb said:

I think my extension of stay has finished around March because this was the time i had to do my 90 days reporting.

90 day reports aren’t always in sync with permission to stay.

 

As long as the extension permit and re-entry permit have expired you should have no problem entering.

 

If you want to work again you might have a problem applying for another extension because you didn’t cancel the last one. In that case you’d have to provide confirmation of when the job ended (termination letter) so they can properly cancel the permit before issuing another.

 

6 hours ago, Raigisb said:

I got a new passport as well, but does it really make difference? I don't believe their system is not going to show my details and previous entries to Thailand.  

A new passport doesn’t help much. The system will identify a possible link to your old passport when you use the new one, and the IO can then see your previous history.

[Raigisb]

4 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Tricky as either way you go you've broken the law.

 

If work permit was cancelled, you would have had to cancel your extension of stay - you didn't. That's with immigration.

 

If your work permit wasn't cancelled, you would continue being employed, and for that you'd need to have submitted the tax filing for 2018 - which given you were out since December is very unlikely you did.

 

They might or might not pick this up at your entry. It won't be pleasant if they do, though.

Wow, that sounds a bit scary. Is it that serious and what consequences am I facing?

 

 

[ubonjoe]

34 minutes ago, Raigisb said:

Wow, that sounds a bit scary. Is it that serious and what consequences am I facing?

 

Personally I think he is exaggerating a little.

The chances of having a problem on entry are very small.

Immigration at an airport would have no info about your canceled work permit or not working before you left he country. They certainly would not know anything about you not filing a tax return for last year.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, Raigisb said:

6 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Tricky as either way you go you've broken the law.

 

If work permit was cancelled, you would have had to cancel your extension of stay - you didn't. That's with immigration.

 

If your work permit wasn't cancelled, you would continue being employed, and for that you'd need to have submitted the tax filing for 2018 - which given you were out since December is very unlikely you did.

 

They might or might not pick this up at your entry. It won't be pleasant if they do, though.

Wow, that sounds a bit scary. Is it that serious and what consequences am I facing?

Nothing to worry about as the claim is wrong.

 

You're employment ends when it ends, not when the work permit is cancelled. It’s up to the employer to inform the tax office when the employment ends.

 

A work permit simply grants permission to work.

[elviajero]

30 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Well it does say at the back of it that you have to return it within 7 days of job termination and cancel extension of stay within can't remember how many days, but less than a week, after work permit is cancelled. That's on the extension application form.

 

It is true though that most of the time people get away with it because government agencies aren't sharing data with each other. It's just when someone says something stupid and gets them to pick up a phone and make a call.

 

Haven't seen anyone having any significant issues because of any of those. Most fines were in 2000 baht range. It's been a while though so that might have changed.

Yes, the work permit and extension of stay should be cancelled before leaving the country, but they have nothing to do with any tax issues.