What If You [i]had[/i] To Overstay?

[expatwannabe]

Here's the situation:

I am currently on my second tourist visa in a row. Both were extended for 30 days, no gripes from the (actually very polite) immigration officer. I have never overstayed a visa.

In a few weeks - I'm not sure when, exactly - I'm going to have to send my passport out of Thailand to have a visa affixed for another country. Even with using FedEx, I stand a real chance of not having my passport back within 30 days, when I'll need it to do a border run. That means I'll be forced into an overstay of anywhere from one day to possibly two weeks.

Question: If you were forced to overstay, would you rather pay the fine at the airport, or at a border crossing? Where would the least hassle and/or possibility of real trouble come from?

I do have two expensive alternatives.

First, I could go for another tourist visa. But after having 2 of them already, I'm not sure I'd get another one in the same 365 day period. (btw, I got both TR visas in Vientiane)

Second, I could fly home to the U.S. That would just be very expensive.

Thoughts?

Edited August 31, 2007 by expatwannabe

[onethailand]

Here's the situation:

I am currently on my second tourist visa in a row. Both were extended for 30 days, no gripes from the (actually very polite) immigration officer. I have never overstayed a visa.

In a few weeks - I'm not sure when, exactly - I'm going to have to send my passport out of Thailand to have a visa affixed for another country. Even with using FedEx, I stand a real chance of not having my passport back within 30 days, when I'll need it to do a border run. That means I'll be forced into an overstay of anywhere from one day to possibly two weeks.

Question: If you were forced to overstay, would it be better to pay the fine at the airport, or at a border crossing? Where would the least hassle and/or possibility of real trouble come from?

I do have two expensive alternatives.

First, I could go for another tourist visa. But after having 2 of them already, I'm not sure I'd get another one in the same 365 day period. (btw, I got both TR visas in Vientiane)

Second, I could fly home to the U.S. That would just be very expensive.

Thoughts?

An overstay will be quite bad and could impact your future ability to get visas. If only one day, you don't have to pay anything and it's usually overlooked. After that it's now a hefty 500 baht per day - it won't make any difference whether you pay this at the airport or any other border immigration station.

I would suggest you find any way to avoid overstay, period, if it means a new visa, or else find a way to ensure that your passport will be back in time.

[ronw]

I hate to be pedantic, but it seems that you do NOT have a VISA......what you have is a permission to stay, valid for 30 days....and you can only have three of them in any six month period.

IMHO your best plan would be to leave the country...and to BUY a visa....which is usually valid for two months...and can be extended for a further one month....this would then give you a two month period during which you should be able to send and return your passport.....without worrying about overstay....

[onethailand]

I hate to be pedantic, but it seems that you do NOT have a VISA......what you have is a permission to stay, valid for 30 days....and you can only have three of them in any six month period.

IMHO your best plan would be to leave the country...and to BUY a visa....which is usually valid for two months...and can be extended for a further one month....this would then give you a two month period during which you should be able to send and return your passport.....without worrying about overstay....

The OP did say "tourist visa, extended for thirty days"...

[Lite Beer]

As far as I know it is a legal requirement to keep your passport with you at all times while in the Kingdom, which would make sending it abroad illegal.

[ronw]

The OP did say "tourist visa, extended for thirty days"...

Oops, sorry, but I think the point I was making still holds.....the OP can still get another visa,as there are seemingly no restrictions as to how many of those can be had.....

Also agree with lite beer...sending passport out of the country is illegal...although I do know several people who have just that...and got away with it......very luckily!

[expatwannabe]

I hate to be pedantic...

Apparently not enough to hold your tongue, though, eh?

Yes, I do have a VISA. It's a 60-day tourist visa, and I just extended it for 30 days.

So it looks like the only advice I have so far is to avoid, at all costs, an overstay of anything more than 1 day.

Any other advice?

Thanks in advance.

[Jingthing]

I would never mail my visa out of the country. Period. Perhaps you could fly into a country near your target country first (one that allows entry without visa) and apply for the third country visa there?

Edited August 31, 2007 by Jingthing

[expatwannabe]

I would never mail my visa out of the country. Period. Perhaps you could fly into a country near your target country first (one that allows entry without visa) and apply for the third country visa there?

Picture a country on the opposite side of the earth - and you'll understand why I'm looking for alternatives to flying "near" there.

I would never trust my passport to the mail. It'll go FedEx or nothing. I have my own account.

Edited August 31, 2007 by expatwannabe

[Crossy]

Try this for size:-

1. Go and get a new tourist visa now (or assuming you know when you'll be needing to send off your PP immediately before).
   
2. Immediately before you send your PP of for your visa go and get a 30 day extension (it will be added on to the existing permit to stay)
   
3. Hopefully that will give you sufficient time to avoid an overstay.
   

Does your target country not have a local embassy that handles it's consular affairs in Thailand?

Once you've solved this issue look into the possibility of getting a second passport from your home country (like I have from the UK) to avoid these problems in the future

Like others have noted, I really would not like to be in a foreign country without my passport, at least make sure you have copies of the relevant pages.