90 In 180 Rule Applies To Kids

[LivinLOS]

I am not a lawyer.. But I would say yes a child needs a visa..

Up until now children have been allowed to overstay and break the visa rules.. However that breaking of the visa rules is coming under fire by the 90 in 180 rule..

There is an easy dependants visa.. So again another reason why a child needs thier own.

[MsFigure]

Surely if the parent has a non imm O the proper thing to do is get a dependants visa..

Why get a tourist visa when theres a actual visa class for them (dependants) ??

Trust me, we've asked EVERY TIME we've renewed our visas about our daughter and whether she needs a non-imm. O visa. And the response has always been NO. We have no problem paying for a visa for our daughter, but we've been told repeatedly by immigration that she doesn't need one for herself.

[LivinLOS]

However does the existence of a non imm O dependants visa not hint to you that it is the correct course of action ??

Immigration have for years said it was simple to do 30 day visa runs.. Thats changed.. Immigration have often given advise that was the easiest way to get by, and often around the spirit of the law.. That again seems to be changing.

As an easy visa is there.. As that visa legalizes your lifestyle.. As it is all getting much more complex and risky.. Why risk your childs travel options ?? Simply get the appropriate visa for your kid, its not even tough (until they hit 18)..

When your denied entry at the airport it wont be the smiling Somchai who said it would be OK doing so.. Yet the howls of indigantion will be heard on every web forum. The advise from immigration to break the law and overstay sound to me like outdated advise. Get the visa !!

[Sunny Valentine]

However does the existence of a non imm O dependants visa not hint to you that it is the correct course of action ??

Immigration have for years said it was simple to do 30 day visa runs.. Thats changed.. Immigration have often given advise that was the easiest way to get by, and often around the spirit of the law.. That again seems to be changing.

As an easy visa is there.. As that visa legalizes your lifestyle.. As it is all getting much more complex and risky.. Why risk your childs travel options ?? Simply get the appropriate visa for your kid, its not even tough (until they hit 18)..

When your denied entry at the airport it wont be the smiling Somchai who said it would be OK doing so.. Yet the howls of indigantion will be heard on every web forum. The advise from immigration to break the law and overstay sound to me like outdated advise. Get the visa !!

A friend of mine who used to work in Thailand with his 4 Year old (farang Passport) son for some Years (he left two month ago), was told repeatedly at Immigration (both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the last time last November, after the new rules ...) that the boy does not need a Visa, and they can't issue a dependant Visa for anyone under 7 Years.

Oh, maybe the rules have changed again, and nobody bothered to inform the persons involved ...?

Sunny

[MsFigure]

Overstay Info Link

The maximum overstay fine in Thailand is 20,000 baht (approx US$450). Foreign children are subject to fines for overstaying in Thailand only when over the age of seven.

So basically what this tells me is that : While foreign children under the age of seven don't pay a fine, they are still legally required to have the correct visa. REGARDLESS of the fact that they will not be fined for overstay, still does not mean that they do not require a visa.

Someone tell me if this is the case?

I'm assuming this is the case, so a visit to immigration and a visa for the daughter will definitely be sorted before our next trip out.

Di

Just checked the daughters passport again and she has a paper stapled inside it - a RECEIPT OF NOTIFICATION of staying in thailand for 90 days from 26 FEB 2007 until 27 MAY 2007 (which is when we need to contact the office again).

Edited April 3, 2007 by MsFigure

[Whitey]

Trust me, we've asked EVERY TIME we've renewed our visas about our daughter and whether she needs a non-imm. O visa. And the response has always been NO. We have no problem paying for a visa for our daughter, but we've been told repeatedly by immigration that she doesn't need one for herself.

I think I am getting tired of repeating this. But I'll say it again. If your child has been in the country for more than 90 days in the last 180 days under the visa exemption, your child technically can't enter the country for another 90 days without a visa. This is straight from the immigration agents at the border. With wrangling, phone calls and payment of tea money, my son got in.

Don't trust your local immigration office, they won't help you at the border. The border immigration guys are the ones who make the rules. This is a major change from times past and this is why I posted this. When visa exemptions were unlimited, this was not a problem. It is a now a problem.

When deciding whether your child needs a visa or not, ask yourself this question. Do you want the entry of your child to be totally dependent on whether the border immigration agent is in a good mood or not?

And just to make things clear: Your child is not "under your visa" unless you share a passport with your child. Since your child has her own passport, she is not under your visa. But that's what immigration calls it, if both parents have a visa, children under 7 don't need one.....again that's the past.

[Whitey]

Oh, maybe the rules have changed again, and nobody bothered to inform the persons involved ...?

Yep, they did. The rules changed and nobody was informed. TIT!

[LivinLOS]

I dont see how you can claim no one was informed..

Its been the hottest topic in expat circles since it was first mentioned last year.. At no point did anyone say that 90 in 180 would not apply to children.. Assuming it would just not apply becuasze it was eaiser for you is pretty hopeful or nieve..

I didnt know however that a dependant visa could not be obtained for under 7 years old.. That strikes me as strange.

[MsFigure]

All I know is that I'm glad I saw this post (thanks Whitey ) and now will be able to avoid what Whitey went through next time I leave the country with my daughter

[sbk]

I dont see how you can claim no one was informed..

Its been the hottest topic in expat circles since it was first mentioned last year.. At no point did anyone say that 90 in 180 would not apply to children.. Assuming it would just not apply becuasze it was eaiser for you is pretty hopeful or nieve..

I didnt know however that a dependant visa could not be obtained for under 7 years old.. That strikes me as strange.

Again, as Samran has posted, this thread is to provide information, not pass judgment. Unless you have some new information to offer, lets refrain from repeating this kind of post as it has already been said, over and over. thanks.