Thai citizen's overstay on British passport

[anchadian]

Asking for a friend of mine.

 

My friend’s Thai wife entered Thailand on a British passport approximately 18 months ago on a 30 day non-exempt.

 

Since them, his wife has been paying B5,000 a month to an immigration officer due to overstay. The British passport has since expired and hasn’t been renewed.

I understand that the Thai lady was living and working in the UK for many years and also held a British passport.

 

The lady of course holds a valid Thai ID card.

 

There is something not quite right here.

 

Any help appreciated that I can pass on to my friend.

[marin]

3 minutes ago, anchadian said:

There is something not quite right here.

Sounds to me like wrong moves from the moment she entered. By paying a bribe its obvious she knew she was wrong. Interesting to see how it plays out. At least she wont be deported and banned from entering. Sorry but not the sharpest tool in the shed. 

[Celsius]

She should not have paid 1 baht

[Dan O]

Yes there's something wrong here. First off the story sounds very odd to be paying a bribe monthly for overstay when she is a Thai citizen and should have come in on a Thai passport and\or gotten a new Thai passport if the old one was expired. She's Thai so there's not much they would do to here. Are you sure the 5K baht is really going to a Imm officer for overstay and not going somewhere else?????

[ChipButty]

I came across something similar some years ago, Poo Ying landed here on a British passport who thought she was exempt from the visa rules because she was Thai I had to put her straight as 30 days were up, I was trying to explain the date on her stamp was the day she has to leave on her British passport Im afraid it wasn't sinking in, so I told her call the immigration, they confirmed what I had told her, none to happy she had to go down there to extend her stay and that I was right, arrogant piece of <deleted>

[foreverlomsak]

17 minutes ago, anchadian said:

The lady of course holds a valid Thai ID card.

Should have gone to the Thai Embassy and obtained a Thai passport using that to enter the country. In saying that there is something seriously wrong with having to pay a 5,000 Bht fine every month.

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Yes there's something wrong here. First off the story sounds very odd to be paying a bribe monthly for overstay when she is a Thai citizen and should have come in on a Thai passport and\or gotten a new Thai passport if the old one was expired. She's Thai so there's not much they would do to here. Are you sure the 5K baht is really going to a Imm officer for overstay and not going somewhere else?????

I have met a few over the years who come in on their British passports and dont use their Thai ones, going back to the UK is the problem on a Thai passport they need to apply for a visa, also some kind of status symbol having a British passport they certainly let you know they have one, in our case,

[anchadian]

Quite agree, she should have entered on a valid or expired Thai passport.

 

[anchadian]

Any thoughts on what or might happen if she stopped payments to the IO?

 

 

 

 

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Quite agree, she should have entered on a valid or expired Thai passport.

 

One of them I knew was only here for 3 weeks holiday it was just easier on a British passport, 

[ChipButty]

12 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Any thoughts on what or might happen if she stopped payments to the IO?

 

 

 

 

Overstay stamp in her British passport I guess 

Edited May 30, 2023 by ChipButty

[anchadian]

Many thanks for all the replies.

 

Later when I speak to my friend, I'll inform his to tell his wife to stop any further payments.

[mfd101]

I'm not sure I understand the logic of this: A Thai citizen returning to Thailand uses a non-Thai passport to enter the country then has to conform to the rules for that foreign passport in Thailand as if he or she is not a Thai citizen with Thai ID.

 

Why? What's the logic?

 

Is a Thai citizen taking out citizenship of another country deemed to have renounced Thai citizenship? In which case her Thai ID card should no longer be valid ...

[anchadian]

10 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

I'm not sure I understand the logic of this: A Thai citizen returning to Thailand uses a non-Thai passport to enter the country then has to conform to the rules for that foreign passport in Thailand as if he or she is not a Thai citizen with Thai ID.

 

Why? What's the logic?

 

Is a Thai citizen taking out citizenship of another country deemed to have renounced Thai citizenship? In which case her Thai ID card should no longer be valid ...

I understand that when his wife entered the UK many years ago she had a stamp saying 'indefinite leave to remain in the UK' and after several years she applied for a British passport.

When she returned to Thailand possibly she was unaware that she could have used her expired Thai passport to enter the Kingdom. 

I will update this thread if any further developments.

[marin]

15 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Why? What's the logic?

There is no logic. Not thought out at all, hence my comment in my first post. Now both she and the IO she was dealing with have a lot of questions to answer. Plus 20,000 baht not to the IO. Gonna be a lot of tears. 

[BritTim]

The stupidest aspect of the whole affair is that, as a Thai who entered on a UK passport, she was entitled to request one-year extensions of her permission to stay.

 

The official who was extorting those bribes will almost certainly suffer no consequences. I assume that there is no proof, only the unsupported claim of an "overstayer".

[ChipButty]

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Many thanks for all the replies.

 

Later when I speak to my friend, I'll inform his to tell his wife to stop any further payments.

Get a refund or else, 

[Dan O]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

The stupidest aspect of the whole affair is that, as a Thai who entered on a UK passport, she was entitled to request one-year extensions of her permission to stay.

 

The official who was extorting those bribes will almost certainly suffer no consequences. I assume that there is no proof, only the unsupported claim of an "overstayer".

Im still confused at how an IO knew or found out she was on overstay and started the money train going down the tracks. 

[Upnotover]

4 hours ago, anchadian said:

Any thoughts on what or might happen if she stopped payments to the IO?

 

 

 

 

He will have to find a new way to make the payments for his car/motorbike/mia noi.

[crazykopite]

She should have entered on her Thai passport even if it had expired and got a new one 

[Callmeishmael]

A Thai friend entered on her US passport and was able to get a 1 year free stamp at immigration by simply showing her Thai ID. 

 

She had changed her name and needed to get a new Thai passport with her new name on it.

 

[marin]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

One of them I knew was only here for 3 weeks holiday it was just easier on a British passport, 

how is that?

[skatewash]

1 hour ago, marin said:

how is that?

It's not.  It's never easier.  You must use the passport of the country you are in to enter that country, if you have such a passport.  A planned three week trip can easily need to be longer in which case the Thai will need to deal with Thai Immigration.  Why would you willing subject yourself to the possibility of dealing with Thai immigration if you could avoid all that by using your (even expired) Thai passport?

[rwill]

She needs to exit Thailand using her british passport and then reenter using her Thai passport.

She might need to pay an agent to get a valid extension first.  Cheaper than 5K/month.

[marin]

1 minute ago, rwill said:

She needs to exit Thailand using her british passport and then reenter using her Thai passport.

Sorry mate if you read the thread its expired. She needs to do some fast talking with a friendly immigration office. Which in her case will be difficult as evidenced by the fact she entered on her British passport to her own country. 

[LukKrueng]

7 hours ago, ChipButty said:

One of them I knew was only here for 3 weeks holiday it was just easier on a British passport, 

How is it easier on a foreign passport? Longer immigration ques at the airport in and out and if something happens and she had to stay longer then there's the cost of extension and maybe even an overstay fine.

[LukKrueng]

32 minutes ago, marin said:

Sorry mate if you read the thread its expired. She needs to do some fast talking with a friendly immigration office. Which in her case will be difficult as evidenced by the fact she entered on her British passport to her own country. 

She can simply go and apply for a new Thai passport. Even if by entering on a foreign passport it's a problem, to fix the problem will be much cheaper than 5k\month she's paying to immigration at the moment according to the op - a very strange story by itself...

[flexomike]

7 hours ago, mfd101 said:

I'm not sure I understand the logic of this: A Thai citizen returning to Thailand uses a non-Thai passport to enter the country then has to conform to the rules for that foreign passport in Thailand as if he or she is not a Thai citizen with Thai ID.

 

Why? What's the logic?

 

Is a Thai citizen taking out citizenship of another country deemed to have renounced Thai citizenship? In which case her Thai ID card should no longer be valid ...

NO

[StayinThailand2much]

8 hours ago, Celsius said:

She should not have paid 1 baht

I wouldn't either. How can a Thai citizen be on overstay in Thailand?

[marin]

7 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

She can simply go and apply for a new Thai passport. Even if by entering on a foreign passport it's a problem, to fix the problem will be much cheaper than 5k\month she's paying to immigration at the moment according to the op - a very strange story by itself...

I have 25 year old twin daughters  who are dual citizens who come and go often with their work. Getting a new passport will not solve the problem she has now. She entered on the British passport. Cant enter on one and leave on the other. She has to rectify her situation if she ever wants to travel internationally again. 

Edited May 30, 2023 by marin