Huge Immigration Fine At Airport

[mekka]

hey guys, well this is kind of hard to explain but here goes.

i obtained a double entry tourist visa from the thai embassy in australia, it was issued on 17th November 2006...i entered Thailand about 2 weeks later on the 3rd december 2006..now 30th january i visited immigration & asked if there would be a problem getting a 30 day stamp to extend my first entry, they looked at my passport & said it wasnt a problem and stamped me extending my first entry to 2nd march 2007, i then did a visa run on 1st march & used my 2nd entry on my tourist visa where they looked over my passport & stamped me in until 29th april..i flew out of phuket back to aus on 2nd may expecting a 3 day overstay, they then said i had overstayed 33 days, gave me no choice but to pay 16,500 or i was not allowed to leave!! so i coughed up the money & flew home, im back now & w

nting to try sort this out, ill be heading into phuket town to the phuket provincial immigration office...any advice? i followed theyre advice, they made the mistakes yet i was held responsible....they guy who fined me told me to take my fine and passport back to ranong & i may get a refund....

[astral]

Sorry to hear that news.

I doubt you will get any joy from Phuket Immigration.

This is a sound warning to all to check the stamp in you passport before you

walk away from the Immigration desk.

[Jingthing]

Do they take credit cards?

[Mahout Angrit]

i then did a visa run on 1st march & used my 2nd entry on my tourist visa where they looked over my passport & stamped me in until 29th april..i flew out of phuket back to aus on 2nd may expecting a 3 day overstay, they then said i had overstayed 33 days,

Provided the tourist visa was valid for use for 6 months from date of issue then you should have got 60days from your entry date of 1st march (which is 29th April) Did they actually stamp your passport OK until 29th April? Your overstay is then 3 days (although you could have avoided that by getting another 30day extension)

How did Phuket arrive at the 33day total overstay? Did they, at Ranong, not validate the second entry and just give you a 30day visa free entry stamp?

Doesn't make sense.

[torrenova]

I cannot see what you did wrong except to have a 3 day overstay. I would have extended the 2nd visa for Bt1900 to avoid the fine and the nasty stamp in the passport.

I'm not sure what the correct course of action is if they say pay this or you don't leave or presumably threaten you with the IDC ?

I am sure that most immigration people could, after a couple of minutes, work out that you were stamped in until 29th April. The only thing would be if you had not extended the first one but had been lucky and not charged at the visa run. The other one would be where you thought you had used the 2nd 60 day visa but they had, in fact, only issued you a 30 day stamp. I don't actually envisage how it could not be explained easily enough that you didn't have to pay.

On a tangent, I was informed that the 30 day extension to the 60 day tourist visa is being counted the same as a 30 day entry stamp for the 90 in 180 count purposes.

[emmezeta]

On a tangent, I was informed that the 30 day extension to the 60 day tourist visa is being counted the same as a 30 day entry stamp for the 90 in 180 count purposes.

That is bad news .

Sure about that? It's the first time i read about it.

If they count the 2 extensions on a double entry 6 month visa as a 30 day stamp long stay with a tourist visa are at the end.......

-mz

[britmaveric]

As always its at the discretion of immigration which always make it dicey at best. No uniform rules followed.

[Maestro]

On a tangent, I was informed that the 30 day extension to the 60 day tourist visa is being counted the same as a 30 day entry stamp for the 90 in 180 count purposes.

Informed by whom? (It is next to criminal to post something like that without giving the source)

I have not read a single first-hand post on ThaiVisa saying that this has happened.

--

Maestro

[visarunner]

On a tangent, I was informed that the 30 day extension to the 60 day tourist visa is being counted the same as a 30 day entry stamp for the 90 in 180 count purposes.

Informed by whom? (It is next to criminal to post something like that without giving the source)

I have not read a single first-hand post on ThaiVisa saying that this has happened.

--

Maestro

I have read the original post and can not see a reason of why they charged you with a overstay of 33days.

I agree with Maestro that an unqualified comment as from torrenova is dangerous.

The extension of a Tourist Visa is not counted into the 90days you are allowed to stay in a six month period.

[tropo]

On a tangent, I was informed that the 30 day extension to the 60 day tourist visa is being counted the same as a 30 day entry stamp for the 90 in 180 count purposes.

Informed by whom? (It is next to criminal to post something like that without giving the source)

I have not read a single first-hand post on ThaiVisa saying that this has happened.

--

Maestro

Comments such as these are very worrying for a lot of us. I hope it is not true.

Maestro lives in the Visa room, so if he hasn't read anything, then it's most likely just an unfounded rumour.

[PeaceBlondie]

The usual wise advice applies: whenever your passport is stamped, check the stamp as soon as possible.

[Sunny Valentine]

The usual wise advice applies: whenever your passport is stamped, check the stamp as soon as possible.

If I read the OPs post correctly, he had all stamps correct. Your advice is good, but seemingly not good enough to avoid a problem with an Imm officer gone mad.

Sunny

[mekka]

The officer was saying that my double entry tourist visa had to be fully used before Febuary 16th...how does that work? that means both entries have to be used within 3 months?

I was totally unsure about all this so before i even got the 30 day stamp extension no the first entry i went to immigration and asked they said its fine...im guessing they are saying my 2nd entry is invalid now, making me valid 90 days from my initial 60 day entry + a 30 day stamp...i then did the Visa run to use the 2nd entry..which they indeed stamped me back into thailand for another 60 days...yet this officer said no your 2nd entry is invalid and your granted 30days only from that visa run..hence the 30 day overstay

60day+30day stamp+ 30day visa run (which was in fact my 2nd entry on my tourist visa and i have the stamps to prove it)

all very cofusing...i hope you guys can understand what ive typed as its confusing for me to even type it.

As far as my stamps and dates go, my passport is perfect, accoridng to my stamps i had a 3 day overstay....

[PeaceBlondie]

Sorry, mekka. I ain't never had one of those double entry thingies.

[astral]

The officer was saying that my double entry tourist visa had to be fully used before Febuary 16th...how does that work? that means both entries have to be used within 3 months?

Yes that is correct.

Look at the original visa sticker from the Embassy, it will have an expiry date.

Usually 3 months from issue.

After that date the visa is invalid.

So the officer who fined you was right, and the mistake was with the officer who admitted you.

[Crossy]

What is the 'must enter before' date on your visa? You must use the second entry before this date or it is lost. If the entry clerk stamps you incorrectly you can usually get it fixed for free at your local immigration office (but I believe you need to go there before the erronious stamp has expired).

I doubt you'll get any joy now as you are way after the fact Can't hurt to try though

Always, always, always check your stamp before leaving the immigration counter (or ASAP if you can afford a trip to immigration to fix it).

[mekka]

So do i have a case?

As the officer who stamped me in for another 60 days was wrong?

I explained to the officer who fined me that i was not in the wrong and acording to my stamps i had only overstayed 3 days, he said he had to fine me orelse when i cam back to thailand they would pick it up up[on looking at my passport and he would be in trouble for letting me leave. He told me to goto Ranong immigration and sort it out, but as you have probably seen, the place is a dive and i doubt they'd even have 16,500 baht on the premises to give me back.....

[Sunny Valentine]

The officer was saying that my double entry tourist visa had to be fully used before Febuary 16th...how does that work? that means both entries have to be used within 3 months?

Yes that is correct.

Look at the original visa sticker from the Embassy, it will have an expiry date.

Usually 3 months from issue.

After that date the visa is invalid.

So the officer who fined you was right, and the mistake was with the officer who admitted you.

According to this post by Moderator Jayenram (Sticky) the validity for a Double Entry Tourist Visa is 6 month. This is also the validity of the Double Entry Tourist Visa my friend here has just now, as well as the Double Tourist Visa I myself have gotten back in 2003.

So, the mistake has been made by the Embassy (in case the OP really had a 3 month validity stamp, which is not confirmed yet).

Sunny

[lopburi3]

The validity of a two entry visa is what the Consulate stamps. It can be "up to" six months but there is no requirement that it be so.

[Solosiam]

I would be AMAZED if somehow you got the money back, absolutely amazed.

[Sunny Valentine]

The validity of a two entry visa is what the Consulate stamps. It can be "up to" six months but there is no requirement that it be so.

The rules posted on Brisbane Consulate Website (here) clearly state 6 month validity for Multiple Visas. I seem to remember (but can't find the links right now) to have read the same at other Embassies and Consulates.

[mekka]

the tourist visa stuck in my passport says "entries=2" & " must enter before 16th feb" is this incorrect? & if so im wondering why the immi offucer in ranong stamped me in for another 60 days....

[Krub]

the tourist visa stuck in my passport says "entries=2" & " must enter before 16th feb" is this incorrect? & if so im wondering why the immi offucer in ranong stamped me in for another 60 days....

The officer of your visa run stamped you incorrectly for 60 days instead of 30 as your visa was no more valid at that time.

[lopburi3]

Now it makes sense - your second entry should not have been allowed but because you entered the information on the arrival card and the officer found an unused 2nd entry and did not notice that the visa itself had expired he stamped you in for 60 days.

So two people were in error - you for putting down, in writing, a visa that was not valid. And him for not checking the date of that visa.

As there is also the matter of an additional 3 days of deliberate overstay I would not recommend further action.

[mekka]

but again i was advised at immigration upon asking about extending my first entry with a 30 day ext stamp that it would not affect my second entry, i had no udea & followed theyre advice...you reccomend i forget about it?

[Mid]

you reccomend i forget about it?

unfortunately so do I

not because your guilty ,

simply the principle of good money after bad ................................

[lopburi3]

Extending your stay is not what messed up your second entry - trying to enter after the validity of your visa was the problem. Immigration had no way to know you intended to remain for the full 30 days before you departed/returned. All entries of a two or three entry visa must be made before the expiration date - that is why you try to obtain with a six month validity and use soon after issue. In this case they only provided a three month validity and you did not immediately use so it was further shortened.

I do not believe you can obtain a refund; as the fault is shared.

I do recommend you write it off as a lesson learned.