Wrong Visa Stamp!

[pattayaGaz]

Just got back from a Visa run where despite my Non'O' Visa expiring in January and my last 90 days expiring today the Immigration officer has mistakenly stamped my pasport and departure card Visa class Non'O' and given me 90 days, even though I did not put any Visa number on the arrival card and buying a 200 Bht bus ticket for the 30 days, I am intending to go back to the UK in late May early June anyway to get a new Non 'O' Visa, what should I do, just leave things as they are given that at the Airport they are only interested in the expiry date on your stamp and not likely to check my old Visa, or do I come clean and go to Pattaya immigration to change it to 30 days, I have heard of people getting 30 instead of 90 days and despte protests have been told that they should have checked it when issued and they have ended up paying for 60 days overstay despite having a valid Visa, any advice will be welcome!

[funfun]

yep i def would, cover yourselfe!

chris

[lopburi3]

The computer I suspect says you have a 30 day stamp - that will be found out when you try to leave and if more than 30 days you will be fined for overstay.

[pattayaGaz]

The computer I suspect says you have a 30 day stamp - that will be found out when you try to leave and if more than 30 days you will be fined for overstay.

What information is put on the computer?, and if the guy misread my Visa maybe thinking Jun2008 instead of Jan2008 surely he would have just entered 90 days on the computer as well, would this be serious or something that I could talk my way out of?

[lopburi3]

I suspect it is much more likely that he used the wrong stamp. If you had a visa it had to be entered on the arrival card and you said you did not do so. You will not talk yourself out of a fine if found out as it is your responsibility to make sure stamps are correct.

[Crossy]

Checking that the correct stamp is entered is YOUR responsibility.

If you attempt to use all the 90 days it is quite possible that the outgoing immigration chap will notice leaving you with the overstay stamp and fine. They do a lot of looking through the passport even on leaving, they're obviously checking something.

If I were you, I'd come clean and go to immigration to get the error fixed.

[pattayaGaz]

I suspect it is much more likely that he used the wrong stamp. If you had a visa it had to be entered on the arrival card and you said you did not do so. You will not talk yourself out of a fine if found out as it is your responsibility to make sure stamps are correct.

I must admit that the first thought was just that, wrong stamp, but he had to physically write NON'O' on both the departure card and Pasport on the stamp where it states Visaclass, also as I wasn't taking much notice he may well have filled in the Visa No on the arrival card for me thinking that I missed it, maybe I should ask a couple of the Expat Visa companies if they have come across this before and what the consequences are.

[lopburi3]

Didn't catch the manual Non O entry - so it is more likely he was trying to help you rather than the wrong stamp. The potential problem will be if there is a visa check by computer after entry or before departure to confirm validity of visa number/dates. That probably does not happen - but it could. I would definitely leave before 30 day were up (but I have never overstayed in any country).

[pattayaGaz]

Didn't catch the manual Non O entry - so it is more likely he was trying to help you rather than the wrong stamp. The potential problem will be if there is a visa check by computer after entry or before departure to confirm validity of visa number/dates. That probably does not happen - but it could. I would definitely leave before 30 day were up (but I have never overstayed in any country).

I agree, it's better to be safe than sorry, six years here and only ever had one overstay by accident and that was two pasports ago, It wasn't about the money more about avoiding two more very uncomfortble Visa runs, it's bad enough every 90 days but every 30 is a real pain, I will probably still ask someone like Key Visa as they have good relations with Pattaya immigration but will go and get it changed to 30, I will ask though I doubt I will get a reply to the question wether I could have got away with leaving things as they are, can you just answer one more question, where is it stated that it is your responsibility what stamp you receive just curious.

[lopburi3]

You are always responsible for your actions and to know the law. Nothing unique to Immigration, or to Thailand.