Denied permission to leave.

[DrJack54]

27 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Reading all the posts, I'm totally confused now; if I have a Non "O" extension (of any kind), do I have to cancel it before leaving Thailand overland, or not?

No.

In fact in most circumstances you cannot cancel your extension in Thailand.

You need to exit without a reentry permit

 

[n00dle]

my my, 

aint this thread the perfect example of just how badly ubonjoe is missed.

[n00dle]

11 hours ago, BeerAttractedPerson said:

True Jay, gotta weigh it up against the headaches of doing runs/extensions. I used to do that for years back in the days. Always wondering if this time would be when they denied me entry. No more of that <deleted>

or you could just use an agent and eliminate those heaaches for a fraction of the price.

[StayinThailand2much]

53 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

No.

In fact in most circumstances you cannot cancel your extension in Thailand.

You need to exit without a reentry permit

 

Thanks. That clarifies it.

[FritsSikkink]

23 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Did you use an agent? 

Recent thread of guy in Pattaya using agent for visa run.

 

Seemed good service.

He was actually picked up from his hotel..

The agent would be aware of border crossing issues and you can discuss with them.

Why would you try again while you just can fly out of the country when money is no problem.

[flexomike]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Which one? I thought 'no', but someone wrote 'you have to'...

I think you are confused about people wanting to cancel their OA visa by leaving the country an re-entering visa exempt to obtain an O visa within Thailand. If you are on an O visa, or extension of that O, there would be no reason to have to cancel it

 

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, Randy99 said:

Thanks for your reply and I get your point but they never even asked if I intended on returning to Tland.. 

As you suggest, perhaps a visit to somewhere by air will fix this.

Yes, leaving by air and returning visa exempt (explaining truthfully why you are doing this if asked by Immigration) will definitely be OK. This does not need to be a negative. Make a pleasant little holiday out of it.

[DrJack54]

58 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Why would you try again while you just can fly out of the country when money is no problem.

Did not suggest that he try again

Was looking for reason why he had issue at that land border.

May assist others. 

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Reading all the posts, I'm totally confused now; if I have a Non "O" extension (of any kind), do I have to cancel it before leaving Thailand overland, or not?

This is a better question than those responding to it seem to appreciate. The answer is that it depends.

 

Some extensions cannot be cancelled and, if you have been a very long period in Thailand, you may not be able to leave through a land crossing. In other cases, leaving through a land crossing (without a re-entry permit) will be allowed only if your permission to stay has been cancelled at Immigration. Common examples are when your permission to stay based on working has ended because you have left the job, or when you have left your education course and had the permission to stay terminated for that reason.

[StayinThailand2much]

23 minutes ago, BritTim said:

This is a better question than those responding to it seem to appreciate. The answer is that it depends.

 

Some extensions cannot be cancelled and, if you have been a very long period in Thailand, you may not be able to leave through a land crossing. In other cases, leaving through a land crossing (without a re-entry permit) will be allowed only if your permission to stay has been cancelled at Immigration. Common examples are when your permission to stay based on working has ended because you have left the job, or when you have left your education course and had the permission to stay terminated for that reason.

I see. So, in a nutshell, Non "B" and Non "ED" extension holders cannot leave overland if not cancelled. And if, say, I had a mix of visa-free entries and/or TV or Non "O" (visas and) extensions (retirement, marriage) during an extended stay in Thailand, I can as well flip a coin, thanks to the IO's power of discretion?

Edited May 19, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[SAFETY FIRST]

14 hours ago, BeerAttractedPerson said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again, ( maybe I'm just an idiot), get the Elite Visa, 10 or 20 years. You will never be hassled again. You will be treated like royalty whenever ur at immigration or at an airport.....

Why waste that sort of money. 

He's at retirement age and has 1M baht in an account, so it's only 1900 baht for visa and extentions. 

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by SAFETY FIRST

[Red Phoenix]

26 minutes ago, BritTim said:

This is a better question than those responding to it seem to appreciate. The answer is that it depends.

 

Some extensions cannot be cancelled and, if you have been a very long period in Thailand, you may not be able to leave through a land crossing. In other cases, leaving through a land crossing (without a re-entry permit) will be allowed only if your permission to stay has been cancelled at Immigration. Common examples are when your permission to stay based on working has ended because you have left the job, or when you have left your education course and had the permission to stay terminated for that reason.

Hi @BritTim > Thanks for explaining that this is not random Immigration behavior, as you wrote 'if you have been a very long period in Thailand, you may not be able to leave through a land crossing.'  

I have never come across this before, so would be interested to know:

1 - What constitutes a very long period?

The OP didn't leave Thailand for +5 years, and was denied leaving on his Non Imm O-A based Permit to stay.  But is there a time period after which this rule kicks in?

2 - Is this rule practiced at EVERY border-crossing? 

Or would it be an option to try at a different land-border, rather than flying out of Thailand?

3 - Would OP be able to cancel his Permit to stay at his local SriRacha Imm Office, and then doing the border-hop?  I presume that in such case he would be provided with a couple of days to 'leave the country'. 

4 - I have been looking in the Police orders and Immigration rules/regulations, but did not find anything about this denial to leave Thailand via land-border.  Do you know by any chance where such rule/regulation is addressed?

Thanks in advance!

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, Red Phoenix said:

I have been looking in the Police orders and Immigration rules/regulations, but did not find anything about this denial to leave Thailand via land-border.  Do you know by any chance where such rule/regulation is addressed?

I'm banking on no such rule.

So a guy been in Thailand for 5+ years on extensions based on marriage gets divorced and needs to exit Thailand.

Needs to do that by AIR and cannot exit via land!

Say what. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by DrJack54

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, Red Phoenix said:

Hi @BritTim > Thanks for explaining that this is not random Immigration behavior, as you wrote 'if you have been a very long period in Thailand, you may not be able to leave through a land crossing.'  

I have never come across this before, so would be interested to know:

1 - What constitutes a very long period?

The OP didn't leave Thailand for +5 years, and was denied leaving on his Non Imm O-A based Permit to stay.  But is there a time period after which this rule kicks in?

2 - Is this rule practiced at EVERY border-crossing? 

Or would it be an option to try at a different land-border, rather than flying out of Thailand?

3 - Would OP be able to cancel his Permit to stay at his local SriRacha Imm Office, and then doing the border-hop?  I presume that in such case he would be provided with a couple of days to 'leave the country'. 

4 - I have been looking in the Police orders and Immigration rules/regulations, but did not find anything about this denial to leave Thailand via land-border.  Do you know by any chance where such rule/regulation is addressed?

Thanks in advance!

1) Immigration officials receive, often contradictory, guidelines all the time on how they should treat border bounces. Sometimes there is a national directive but, more often than not, the division senior officials are having their say. As I understand it, it is a really grey area. Any time someone is trying to get a visa exemption after being a long period in Thailand, it is often felt that airport immigration are in a better position to decide whether to give it to them.

2) My impression is that every region, and sometimes each individual land crossing, interprets the rules and guidelines they have been given differently. Also, the officials have a lot of discretion, and will sometimes exercise it to the benefit of those leaving if financially incentivised to do so.

3) In the case of the OP (extensions of stay from an original entry on a Non O-A visa) I do not think he can have the permission to stay cancelled by the immigration office in a way that would satisfy that land crossing.

4) Most of the instructions sent down to individual land crossings and immigration offices are not public. As I stated above, they are also often contradictory.

[Plern]

I had something like this happen about 20 years ago on a visa run to Cambodia. I was literally stamped out. Stamped in Cambodia and was to be stamped in again in Thailand. Immigration decided they couldn't stamp me in again. I don't recall the checkpoint but it was nothing. The cops cancelled my exit, I had to go to Cambodia checkpoint and get that cancelled. Went back home then down to Maylasia. Only overstay I've ever had prolly bout 3 passports ago lol.

 

They probably thought I'd die getting to civilization from that lil Khmer town but I'd lived in Cambodia a few years and still could muster some basic language abilities not that it would be better than returning to my slab and doing a runner south. Still, thumbs up for those coppers

[Red Phoenix]

10 hours ago, Plern said:

I had something like this happen about 20 years ago on a visa run to Cambodia. I was literally stamped out. Stamped in Cambodia and was to be stamped in again in Thailand. Immigration decided they couldn't stamp me in again. I don't recall the checkpoint but it was nothing. The cops cancelled my exit, I had to go to Cambodia checkpoint and get that cancelled. Went back home then down to Maylasia. Only overstay I've ever had prolly bout 3 passports ago lol.

 

They probably thought I'd die getting to civilization from that lil Khmer town but I'd lived in Cambodia a few years and still could muster some basic language abilities not that it would be better than returning to my slab and doing a runner south. Still, thumbs up for those coppers

Your experience is about being denied ENTRY to Thailand. 

But this thread is about being denied LEAVING Thailand at a land-border.  The Thai land-border Imm Official telling the OP that because he was already very long-time in Thailand he could not exit by a land-border and has to FLY out.

[Red Phoenix]

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

1) Immigration officials receive, often contradictory, guidelines all the time on how they should treat border bounces. Sometimes there is a national directive but, more often than not, the division senior officials are having their say. As I understand it, it is a really grey area. Any time someone is trying to get a visa exemption after being a long period in Thailand, it is often felt that airport immigration are in a better position to decide whether to give it to them.

2) My impression is that every region, and sometimes each individual land crossing, interprets the rules and guidelines they have been given differently. Also, the officials have a lot of discretion, and will sometimes exercise it to the benefit of those leaving if financially incentivised to do so.

3) In the case of the OP (extensions of stay from an original entry on a Non O-A visa) I do not think he can have the permission to stay cancelled by the immigration office in a way that would satisfy that land crossing.

4) Most of the instructions sent down to individual land crossings and immigration offices are not public. As I stated above, they are also often contradictory.

@BritTim > Thanks for your clear response. 

One additional question: To determine what constitutes having stayed 'a long period in Thailand', would border-immigration make the distinction between:

#1 - Having stayed x years in Thailand without ever leaving the country, OR

#2 - Having stayed x years in Thailand on an unbroken chain of Permits to stay, but having exited Thailand in between using Re-Entry Permits.  In the latter case the passport of the applicant would contain exit-entry stamps. 

[2009]

On 5/18/2023 at 7:52 PM, asf6 said:

I think the problem is that you had a valid and current extension of stay in you passport and you had not cancelled it. My understanding is that you can leave by air and it's not a problem but for some reason they will not allow it by land.

 

I had the same problem a few years ago. They told me I had to go back to the immigration office that issued the extension of stay and cancel it there. I was quite annoyed as it was hundreds of kilometers from the border I was at! But I had no choice, apart from leaving by air of course. I had to turn back.

Makes no sense that you should have to cancel and extension of stay. 

 

When you leave, it gets cancelled if you don't have a reentry permit.

[PETERHOF]

My advice before doing a border bounce in order to cancel a valid OA extension of stay is to make sure that your immigration office can accept a Non O visa "retirement" application.

 

Because not all Immigration Office in Thaïland allow it.

 

For example, at Mae Sai Immigration Office (main office for Chiang Rai province), they don't accept a Non O "retirement" application for those who had an OA extension of stay before, even if it was canceled by doing a border bounce.

 

They tell to people to go to Thaï Embassy abroad to do it, at Vientiane for exemple.