Concerned impact on PR due to a cruise

[Kinnock]

I'm after some advice from Permanent Residence (PR) experts ....

 

I'm taking a short cruise from Singapore, and one of the ports of call is Phuket.  When I depart from Suvarnabhumi I'll get my blue Certificate of Residence stamped as usual, but at the Phuket Port, all the immigration processes are handled by the cruise company.  We hand over our passports when we board in Singapore, and don't see them again until we leave the ship back in Singapore.

 

On a past cruise (before I got PR) I had the 12 month Extension of Stay linked to my Work Permit, but I noticed that the Thai Port Immigration just stamped my passport for the (then) 30 day visa free tourist entry - this is because they just stamp all 2000 passengers' passport en mass ..... no problem as I'd get 12 months when I flew back into Swampy.  But now I have PR - missing the Residence Permit stamp at the port and getting 45 day visa free entry could be serious?

 

I obtained a 12 month multiple exit permit at Chaengwattana Immigration (Non Quota Immigration Visa - Multiple) on Jan 3rd to cover the Phuket entry/exit, but now I'm getting worried about the stamp in the Residence book and potential impact on PR, as I've heard that you can lose PR if you exit Thailand incorrectly.

 

Any views or advice very welcome.

 

 

[JoseThailand]

This proves again that Permanent Residence in Thailand is not truly permanent. It can be so easily lost and sometimes it's not even your fault!

[sidneybear]

I'd definitely prioritise your PR over and above the cruise. You should perhaps insist that your passport will be screened separately and that an exception is made. Otherwise, ensure that your blue book is included with your passport (perhaps by putting both in a ziplock bag) and that both are stamped in the proper way. 

 

If a mistake is made, it should be fixable later, if you could show you had a valid non-quota visa and endorsement, but I still wouldn't want to take any chances given how difficult PR is to get. 

 

Talk to the cruise operator.

[sidneybear]

6 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

This proves again that Permanent Residence in Thailand is not truly permanent. It can be so easily lost and sometimes it's not even your fault!

PR in most places has conditions that must be met. Australia, for example, revokes your PR if you spend too long overseas. 

[Kinnock]

6 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

This proves again that Permanent Residence in Thailand is not truly permanent. It can be so easily lost and sometimes it's not even your fault!

Yes ...... I obtained mine while working in Thailand before retirement, but if I had to pay for it all myself, I'm not sure it's good value in money or time.  Although I like not having to deal with annual visas/extensions of stay and 90 day/TM30 reports, and I was able to buy a condo using savings in Thailand without having to transfer out and back in.

 

I'm guessing that getting the one year multiple stamp in my Residence Book and in my Passport before I travel is enough to prevent losing it on the cruise, but I'm not certain, so need to make more checks.  The 'Warning' in the Residence book is as below, but if anyone has any more thoughts that would be helpful .....

 

Warning

A Residence Certificate is of permanent validity but it 

automatically expires when the holder leaves Thailand, 

unless an endorsement has been made and sealed on the 

document by a competent Immigration Officer at an 

Immigration Office before departure. If the holder of an 

endorsed Residence Certificate returns to Thailand within one 

year from the date of endorsement such Residence Certificate

shall be considered valid.

 

[Kinnock]

5 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

I'd definitely prioritise your PR over and above the cruise. You should perhaps insist that your passport will be screened separately and that an exception is made. Otherwise, ensure that your blue book is included with your passport (perhaps by putting both in a ziplock bag) and that both are stamped in the proper way. 

 

If a mistake is made, it should be fixable later, if you could show you had a valid non-quota visa and endorsement, but I still wouldn't want to take any chances given how difficult PR is to get. 

 

Talk to the cruise operator.

The cruise operator had no idea about PR, but my agent is now contacting the Immigration Officer who gave the multiple endorsement for advice.

 

I'll probably attach the Residence Certificate to my Passport, but I've seen the cruise port entry procedure - the Immigration Officer plus Cruise Staff just stamp 2000 open passports in a large rack.  You're not even allowed to have a case on your passport.  Any anyone needing Visa on Arrival just pays a handling fee - and again they are not present for the stamping.  So I'm a bit worried they may lose the Residence Cert, and pretty sure they will not stamp it anyway.

 

With hindsight, I should have avoided any cruise that calls into Thai ports.  But hopefully I'll get confirmation that the Multiple 1 year endorsement is enough to maintain PR whatever happens at the port.

[sidneybear]

20 hours ago, Kinnock said:

the Immigration Officer plus Cruise Staff just stamp 2000 open passports in a large rack.  You're not even allowed to have a case on your passport.

That's surprising. Normally in addition to the stamp, the passport details have to be entered into the immigration computer. How would they know if people were blacklisted otherwise, or were using someone else's passport? How do they do a visual check and scan fingerprints?

 

It's very odd that the cruise operator circumvents immigration procedures. It might still be worth insisting that they follow the correct process for a PR, and allow you to submit your blue book securely together with your passport. 

 

Since you're retired, you'll never get your PR back again if something goes wrong. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by sidneybear

[BritManToo]

On 1/8/2023 at 1:24 PM, Kinnock said:

I obtained a 12 month multiple exit permit at Chaengwattana Immigration (Non Quota Immigration Visa - Multiple) on Jan 3rd to cover the Phuket entry/exit, but now I'm getting worried about the stamp in the Residence book and potential impact on PR, as I've heard that you can lose PR if you exit Thailand incorrectly.

 

Any views or advice very welcome.

So don't get of the boat at Phuket and avoid any immigration problems.

[Kinnock]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

So don't get of the boat at Phuket and avoid any immigration problems.

I considered that option, but they stamp all the passports anyway.  It's a strange system on cruises - all the passports get stamped when the ship arrives, then if you decide to visit the port you just use the Cruise ID card to go through Immigration.

 

I spoke to an Immigration Officer yesterday, and she said as I have the one year Multiple stamp in my passport and Residence Permit, it will be OK even if they miss stamping the Residence Permit or give me the wrong type of entry.  If I get a 45 day visa free stamp, they can just cancel it and add the correct one later.  She suggested I attach the Residence Permit to my passport, but if they miss the stamp at Phuket, to not worry as I have the 12 month multiple endorsement.  

[Hestia]

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

I spoke to an Immigration Officer yesterday, and she said as I have the one year Multiple stamp in my passport and Residence Permit, it will be OK even if they miss stamping the Residence Permit or give me the wrong type of entry.  If I get a 45 day visa free stamp, they can just cancel it and add the correct one later.  She suggested I attach the Residence Permit to my passport, but if they miss the stamp at Phuket, to not worry as I have the 12 month multiple endorsement.  

This is amazing as I'm in a similar but different situation and came here to ask for advice - I think you've answered my question.

 

My situation is I am overseas and cannot find my PR book.  Either I didn't bring it at all, or I brought it and its buried in my luggage somewhere.  I do have the multiple entry reentry visa in both my passport and PR book so have been fretting as to whether or not that is sufficient for me to get back into the country with my PR intact in the case that I didn't bring it at all / cant locate it before I go back.  From what you say I am probably OK - albeit you have your unstamped PR book and I currently don't have my PR book.

 

How did you get to talk to Immigration?  I have been on hold for hours trying to get through to ask someone for advice.

[tomazbodner]

Your passport and blue book will both need to be stamped, and since you'll have a big "Non-Quota Immigrant Visa" in the passport, should any mess happen on the way, it can be sorted out with immigration upon your return to Swampy or at Chaeng Wattana.

 

I had a missing stamp in blue book, only passport was stamped, and on return to airport (I went to tourist police as I didn't know where else to ask) someone from immigration got called over, took my passport and came back with that sorted out.

 

Still, I would go to the ones handling your immigration stuff and ask whether you can handle this by yourself or ask to talk to person who would do it, to handle it separately from the rest. As long as your non-quota immigrant visa and endorsement are still valid, you should not have an issue but both books need to be stamped in and out.

[tomazbodner]

16 minutes ago, Hestia said:

This is amazing as I'm in a similar but different situation and came here to ask for advice - I think you've answered my question.

 

My situation is I am overseas and cannot find my PR book.  Either I didn't bring it at all, or I brought it and its buried in my luggage somewhere.  I do have the multiple entry reentry visa in both my passport and PR book so have been fretting as to whether or not that is sufficient for me to get back into the country with my PR intact in the case that I didn't bring it at all / cant locate it before I go back.  From what you say I am probably OK - albeit you have your unstamped PR book and I currently don't have my PR book.

 

How did you get to talk to Immigration?  I have been on hold for hours trying to get through to ask someone for advice.

+662 572 8500 or [email protected].

 

I would try to check if the blue book is with you or if not and you're certain that you forgot it at home, have someone send it over to you, before you return. Missing stamp "which you didn't notice" is much easier to explain than missing book altogether.

[Kinnock]

On 1/10/2023 at 3:08 PM, Hestia said:

This is amazing as I'm in a similar but different situation and came here to ask for advice - I think you've answered my question.

 

My situation is I am overseas and cannot find my PR book.  Either I didn't bring it at all, or I brought it and its buried in my luggage somewhere.  I do have the multiple entry reentry visa in both my passport and PR book so have been fretting as to whether or not that is sufficient for me to get back into the country with my PR intact in the case that I didn't bring it at all / cant locate it before I go back.  From what you say I am probably OK - albeit you have your unstamped PR book and I currently don't have my PR book.

 

How did you get to talk to Immigration?  I have been on hold for hours trying to get through to ask someone for advice.

I was told that the stamp in my passport means that PR status and exit permit are recorded in the system, so any issues with the blue book can be sorted at Immigration after arrival.  You could report your book as lost?

[Kinnock]

In the end the Blue Book was stamped correctly for In and Out by Phuket port immigration, so my worries were unfounded.

 

But was great to the suggestions and reassurance here.