How to surrender yourself on visa overstay?

[SyaR1]

So I overstayed my visa and have a flight from BKK, I am currently in chiang mai. How should I go about getting to suvarnabhumi without getting stopped at immigration checkpoint along the way? Should I take a train or bus? Is it an option to turn myself in at CNX airport and fly from there to BKK to catch my flight?

[elviajero]

How long is your overstay?

[SyaR1]

2 minutes ago, elviajero said:

How long is your overstay?

a couple years

[scubascuba3]

a couple years

Let us know how it goes when you leave and how much you have to pay

[SyaR1]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

6 minutes ago, SyaR1 said:

a couple years

Let us know how it goes when you leave and how much you have to pay

Will do. And I believe the fine doesn't exceed 20k baht.

Edited April 28, 2019 by SyaR1

[ubonjoe]

If you were to turn yourself in before going to immigration on departure from the country at an airport you would end up in detention and be deported.

The safest way to travel is by air from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Then check in for your flight, go through security and turn yourself in at departure immigration to pay the 20k baht fine, be banned from entering the country for 3 years and then board you flight.

Edited April 28, 2019 by ubonjoe

[SyaR1]

29 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If you were to turn yourself in before going to immigration on departure from the country at an airport you would end up in detention and be deported.

The safest way to travel is by air from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Then check in for your flight, go through security and turn yourself in at departure immigration to pay the 20k baht fine, be banned from entering the country for 3 years and then board you flight.

Thank you for the info. If I try to fly from CNX to BKK won't they ask for my passport at the check-in desk? I have a fresh passport so all the pages are completely empty so it would be obvious even if they take a glance at it.

[madmen]

They will look at your passport for the train at the ticket counter as well

[SyaR1]

2 minutes ago, madmen said:

They will look at your passport for the train at the ticket counter as well

would a photocopy work?

[madmen]

1 minute ago, SyaR1 said:

would a photocopy work?

Doubt it 

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, SyaR1 said:

Thank you for the info. If I try to fly from CNX to BKK won't they ask for my passport at the check-in desk? I have a fresh passport so all the pages are completely empty so it would be obvious even if they take a glance at it.

They only look at your passport photo page for identification purposes. Nothing to worry about at checkin and security when flying on a domestic flight.

You will need you old passport to check in for the flight in Bangkok and immigration unless you have a police report for a lost or stolen passport.

[SyaR1]

Just now, ubonjoe said:

The only look at your passport photo page for identification purposes. Nothing to worry about at checkin and security when flying on a domestic flight.

You will need you old passport to check in for the flight in Bangkok and immigration unless you have  police report for a lost or stolen passport.

Okay great. Yes I have the old copy. So to confirm, I can fly from CNX to BKK without getting in trouble from immigration?  

[arithai12]

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

They only look at your passport photo page for identification purposes. Nothing to worry about at checkin and security when flying on a domestic flight.

You will need you old passport to check in for the flight in Bangkok and immigration unless you have a police report for a lost or stolen passport.

 

3 hours ago, SyaR1 said:

Okay great. Yes I have the old copy. So to confirm, I can fly from CNX to BKK without getting in trouble from immigration?  

Depending on your flight arrangement, you can/may have to do immigration in CNX. For example, if you fly the same airline both to and out of BKK and your connection time in BKK is short, even if you try to check in at the domestic counter in CNX they will probably send you to the international counter. There they will stamp your boarding pass with "international" and you must clear immigration at CNX.

If on the other hand your connection in BKK is several hours, you can claim that you want to get out at domestic and check-in for international there.

 

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, SyaR1 said:

Okay great. Yes I have the old copy. So to confirm, I can fly from CNX to BKK without getting in trouble from immigration?  

The airline check in staff do not work for immigration. Depending on the flights you book, you may have the option of clearing immigration in Chiang Mai. The main thing is to ensure you leave plenty of time for any checks immigration may want to do before stamping your passport, blacklisting you, and letting you leave. I would ensure you allow at least four hours at whichever airport you clear immigration.

[John1012]

15 hours ago, SyaR1 said:

a couple years

Why don't you hire a couple of friends and a car, drive to BKK...cost more than a plane/bus/train but at least you should  have no official interference with your movements, and if you are correct with your fine and exit expectations you will be gone with little inconvenience.

[PREM-R]

10 hours ago, BritTim said:

The airline check in staff do not work for immigration. Depending on the flights you book, you may have the option of clearing immigration in Chiang Mai. The main thing is to ensure you leave plenty of time for any checks immigration may want to do before stamping your passport, blacklisting you, and letting you leave. I would ensure you allow at least four hours at whichever airport you clear immigration.

Six or seven years ago I was at check in at Suvarnabhumi airport with a friend who had a 'long' overstay. Upon presenting his passport at the checkin/bag drop the staff member noticed his overstay and placed a large, brightly coloured card in his passport that said something like " This passenger requires assistance with immigration".  That was it, equipped with our boarding cards, we moved on and we queued up for the IO, a member of staff noticed the large, brightly coloured card in my companions passport and ushered him off through to the rear of the immigration desks.  When I got through he had already been dealt with, had paid his 20,000 baht fine and was stamped out and ready to go.  No problems and he was able to return to Thailand quite soon after without any issues.  This was before the banning for long overstays was introduced.

[Peterbilt]

1 hour ago, John1012 said:

Why don't you hire a couple of friends and a car, drive to BKK...cost more than a plane/bus/train but at least you should  have no official interference with your movements, and if you are correct with your fine and exit expectations you will be gone with little inconvenience.

Thats okay - until he gets checked at one of those many checkpoints on the roads.
Then he'll be in really deep yoghurt......

[anchadian]

17 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you were to turn yourself in before going to immigration on departure from the country at an airport you would end up in detention and be deported.

The safest way to travel is by air from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Then check in for your flight, go through security and turn yourself in at departure immigration to pay the 20k baht fine, be banned from entering the country for 3 years and then board you flight.

As ubonjoe stated, this is the safest way to travel to Bangkok.

 

No need for any further comments on this thread.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, John1012 said:

Why don't you hire a couple of friends and a car, drive to BKK...cost more than a plane/bus/train but at least you should  have no official interference with your movements, and if you are correct with your fine and exit expectations you will be gone with little inconvenience.

This is bad advice. There is zero chance of police roadblocks doing random checks when you take a domestic flight. While not likely driving from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, getting caught up in a police checkpoint is definitely possible, and could lead to serious consequences.

[NancyL]

My husband and three friends had to show passports at a roadblock on a recent road trip.  First time this has happened.  Normally, the police/military just wave thru a carload of old white guys.

[Mansell]

I would try to fly directly to the airport you are flying internationally from.....I wouldn't want to get stopped going across the city from one airport to the other and totally screwing your plans. Good luck.

[holy cow cm]

I fly a lot from CM to Bkk. They only use it as I.D. 

[jackdd]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

This is bad advice. There is zero chance of police roadblocks doing random checks when you take a domestic flight. While not likely driving from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, getting caught up in a police checkpoint is definitely possible, and could lead to serious consequences.

Last year i flew domestic from BKK to Udon Thani, on arrival in Udon Thani another passenger (black skin) was asked for his passport by an immigration police officer. After complaining for a bit that only he is asked for it he presented it and after inspection by the IO he was let go. He checked only him, so no idea of they got a tip off that at this day a black person with an overstay might arrive there or if it was just a random check.

No idea if such checks also happen at Bangkok airports, but i would not rule it out completely.

[DrJack54]

6 hours ago, John1012 said:

Why don't you hire a couple of friends and a car, drive to BKK...cost more than a plane/bus/train but at least you should  have no official interference with your movements, and if you are correct with your fine and exit expectations you will be gone with little inconvenience.

Bad advice. Book flight domestic to bkk. Select airline that departs from same airport you are departing from to exit los. Pay the 20k. Ubon as usual has it covered above. 

[SyaR1]

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated. So if my flight out from BKK is at 9pm what would be my best bet for leaving enough time to clear immigration? Would taking a flight from CNX to BKK that arrives at BKK around 4-5pm leave me enough time? Or should I book even earlier than that?

 

Also as someone previously mentioned it is a possibility of surrendering at CNX immigration? Would this be safer or only make it more likely that I get detained and miss my flight?

[rabas]

52 minutes ago, SyaR1 said:

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated. So if my flight out from BKK is at 9pm what would be my best bet for leaving enough time to clear immigration? Would taking a flight from CNX to BKK that arrives at BKK around 4-5pm leave me enough time? Or should I book even earlier than that?

 

Also as someone previously mentioned it is a possibility of surrendering at CNX immigration? Would this be safer or only make it more likely that I get detained and miss my flight?

Ask when check-in for your flight out of BKK opens. No point going earlier because you cannot go through immigration before that, and you do not want to just hang around. But you probably want to be first in line.   I don't know, but doubt you want to contact immigration before you are checked in and confirmed on the flight.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, SyaR1 said:

Also as someone previously mentioned it is a possibility of surrendering at CNX immigration? Would this be safer or only make it more likely that I get detained and miss my flight?

You could surrender to immigration at CNX or BKK before checking in to your flight, but it’s not advisable. You would almost certainly have to stay in the custody of immigration and or the airline, and it would definitely slow you down and you’d possibly miss your flight.

 

Just get to BKK, check in, and when you hand your passport over to the IO at passport control. Once they see the overstay you’ll be sent to the overstay desk where they will process you and let you in to departures.

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, jackdd said:

Last year i flew domestic from BKK to Udon Thani, on arrival in Udon Thani another passenger (black skin) was asked for his passport by an immigration police officer. After complaining for a bit that only he is asked for it he presented it and after inspection by the IO he was let go. He checked only him, so no idea of they got a tip off that at this day a black person with an overstay might arrive there or if it was just a random check.

No idea if such checks also happen at Bangkok airports, but i would not rule it out completely.

That is an interesting account. I have never seen anything similar. Technically, Udon Thani is an international airport, although with no scheduled international passenger flights. It has cargo flights from overseas, plus maybe an occasional business jet. There must be immigration officials based there, but they would usually have very little to do. Maybe, it was a racist official who was bored, and had fun hassling a black passenger.

[DJ54]

OP what were you thinking... anyway good luck. 

[mngmn]

14 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I fly a lot from CM to Bkk. They only use it as I.D. 

I once used my overseas driving licence as ID on a domestic flight. It was accepted by check in staff.