Fail on visa extension

[Larsbo]

Hi. My niece called me 10 hours ago crying in the phone. 

The Immigration in Suvarnapbuni Airport was holding her back because they said that she has overstayed her visa with 28 days. 

She arrived in Thailand th 1 of Jamuary with a 3 months tourist  Visa for visit me and my wife. 

My wife went with her to Phuket I migration to get an extension before her visa expired because her airline had canseled the return flight from Phuket. 

She paid 1900 Thb for the extension a d got a new return ticket from Suvarnapbuni Airport yesterday th 30.04 and thought everything was alright. Got a Covid test I Mission Hospital and flew from Phuket to Suvarnapbuni. 

The airport immigration found the the extension stamp in her passport Was only made to the 02.04 instead of 05.05

She didn't have any money to pay any fime because she never knew that the extension stamp in her passport was fail. 

My wife transferees 20000 to her bank account. The immigration charged her 14000 Thb for overstay. She man aged to border her plane in time and will arrive in Copenhagen airport in app.

6 hours. 

Is it possible to complain and get the 14000 Thb back from the immigration? 

[ChipButty]

Good luck with that, time are hard for the immigration also

[tonray]

Post of pic of the Stamp she recieved...it sounds like extension was denied and she was given 7 days to leave Thailand. Could this be possible ?

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, Larsbo said:

The airport immigration found the the extension stamp in her passport Was only made to the 02.04 instead of 05.05

How hard can it be to read the end date for the VISA extension written in your passport?

[richard_smith237]

I’m confused. 

 

Your niece arrived in Thailand on 1-Jan on a 90 day visa (3 months)

That theoretically takes her to the 2-April. 

 

She applied for a 3 day extension (1900 baht) but was stamped 2-April instead of 2-May.

 

It definitely appears as though immigration made a mistake, but there is also the caveat that people should check and are responsible for the information in the passport. 

 

In developed nations you may have a valid claim. In Thailand, I just can’t imagine anyone in Immigration even acknowledging their mistake let alone providing a refund. I could be mistaken of course - but I just can’t see that happening.

 

Rightfully you are angry that someone else mistake has cost you 14,000 baht. But it could also be seen as your nieces mistake for not recognising the mistake at the time. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, tonray said:

Post of pic of the Stamp she recieved...it sounds like extension was denied and she was given 7 days to leave Thailand. Could this be possible ?

 

They’ve also charged 14,000 baht - which is for 28 days overstay (at 500 baht per day).

 

If they had granted 7 days, her overstay would have been less and the fine ±11,000 baht 

[2 is 1]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

It definitely appears as though immigration made a mistake, but there is also the caveat that people should check and are responsible for the information in the passport.

Confused also. And normaly there is 2 officer who haddle extension, one do the work and upper officer sign ! So both have make misstake . Everything is possible in LOS but....

[ubonjoe]

A tourist visa only allows a 60 day permit to stay. The 60 days ended on March 1st if she entered on January first.

Or did she actually have a single entry non-o visa?

[Caldera]

If she indeed had a tourist visa, there's nothing wrong with either the extension or the overstay fine, so any attempt to complain would be futile.

 

[steve187]

on a tourist visa she would have had to do 2 extensions to go beyond 1 april, ie. 1st March and another 1st April

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

Good luck with that, time are hard for the immigration also

Seems that times are hard also for people who don't bother to check the stamps in their passports to avoid these situations.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Larsbo said:

Is it possible to complain and get the 14000 Thb back from the immigration? 

Of course, not, Immigration at the airport were right, she had overstayed her permission to stay, as was clear from the stamp in her passport.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Caldera said:

If she indeed had a tourist visa, there's nothing wrong with either the extension or the overstay fine, so any attempt to complain would be futile.

 

Particularly as she's no longer in Thailand!   She couldn't complain very easily.

[richard_smith237]

So... Op... 

 

Did your nice arrive on a 60 day tourist visa and that was extended once ?

 

In which case Immigration have made no mistake. 

 

 

 

[jackdd]

She entered on 1st January, were given permission to stay for 60 days until 2nd March with her tourist visa.

Then she extended it by 30 days, giving her until 1st April. Since 2nd April she has been on overstay.

She departed yesterday the 30th. 30-2 = 28 days of overstay.

 

Looks correct to me. I guess the problem is that neither OP, nor wife, nor nieche understand how the permission to stay works and all assumed that the 90 day validity of the visa sticker is the permission to stay, which it isn't. A tourist visa has a validity of 90 days in which it has be used, giving a 60 days permission to stay.

Edited May 1, 2021 by jackdd

[Blue Muton]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Particularly as she's no longer in Thailand!   She couldn't complain very easily.

Au contraire, she can merrily complain 'til the cows come home. However, getting any kind of refund or apology is quite a different matter.

[worgeordie]

Did she get official receipt......You have to check dates in your

passport very carefully, cannot see Immigration accepting any

responsibly for their mistake. it's always someone else's fault.

 

Not a nice way to end a holiday,only good thing she managed to get the flight.

regards worgeordie

 

 

[Upnotover]

Niece has stopped crying.  She's up THB 6,000.

[richard_smith237]

Slightly off topic, but this issue does highlight the confusion and perhaps idiocy with which Thai visa’s are issued. 

 

Why not just issue a 3 month / 6 month tourist visa (different prices for each) - no extensions etc...  

 

 

Given Thailand current predicament, just give everyone a 12 month visa, eradicate the TM30 and 90 day reports. 

Make it extremely easy and transparent for tourists. 

 

 

 

We (forum members) only know most of the intricacies and rules because we’ve read of a lot of the issues on the forum and even then its easy for experienced folk to get caught out. 

 

I had an an issue at Immigration a while ago: 2nd officer backed up the 1st but I disagreed and was sure I was correct, a 3rd more senior officer confirmed I was correct, by then I’d started to second guess my information. 

 

 

 

 

 

[puchooay]

47 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Why not just issue a 3 month

They do. This is why it is important to know the difference between "visa" and "permission to stay". The 3 months vadility on the visa is the time allowed before entry into the Kingdom.

 

What is confusing here is the date which she went to Phuket immigration. The visa holder must have know she only got 60 days on entry. She must have known how to read the stamps. Why not read when leaving immigration?

[bunnydrops]

Don't feel bad. After 12 years of being here I did the same thing this last extension. I "believe" that when I did in person 90 day they always matched the last extension to my visa end date. This time I did the last on line and assumed the date on the 90 day stamp matched my extension end date. Got hit with overstay. lesson learned!

[mikebell]

No body gets money back in Thailand least of all from the (Un)Civil Service.

[anchadian]

The OP hasn't responded?

[LivingNThailand]

Always check your passport before you leave immigration..  Always check your passport immediately upon returning at the airport to make sure they put the correct date on the entry stamp.  Don't leave immigration before you do that.  It's pretty simple.  I know someone that got all the way home and found out he had someone else passport.  Not a good thing.

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, LivingNThailand said:

Always check your passport before you leave immigration..  Always check your passport immediately upon returning at the airport to make sure they put the correct date on the entry stamp.  Don't leave immigration before you do that.  It's pretty simple.  I know someone that got all the way home and found out he had someone else passport.  Not a good thing.

Yeah...more common than you think too. In Savannkhet waiting at bus station...French guy realizes he has the wrong one...

 

Also...on Airport Link...guy sitting next to me just realizes they stamped him in for 30 days instead of 1 year for OA Visa....

 

Check, double check and then check again !

[Liverpool Lou]

19 hours ago, Blue Muton said:

Au contraire, she can merrily complain 'til the cows come home. However, getting any kind of refund or apology is quite a different matter.

That's right, because it wouldn't be justified.   Overstay fines aren't refunded when the complainant was on an overstay.

[scubascuba3]

Blame the niece for not checking her extension stamp, ask for the money back so she learns something

[WineOh]

21 hours ago, Larsbo said:

Is it possible to complain and get the 14000 Thb back from the immigration? 

yes, absolutely if you ask nicely.

 

lol.

[ThailandRyan]

5 hours ago, anchadian said:

The OP hasn't responded?

He must be busy checking the couch cushions for loose Satang that might have fallen inside. 

 

Sounds as if the immigration folks did the right thing in fining her for overstay.  

[JeffersLos]

20 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Particularly as she's no longer in Thailand!   She couldn't complain very easily.

 

She could always send them an email.