Stamped In For 30days When You Have Valid Tourist Visa

[guruofvinyl]

I have a valid tourist visa from US for 60 days, but today I noticed that the immigration official stamped my in for 30 days by not seeing the visa in my passport. I also noticed that this is mentioned in the first paragraph of Lonely Planet guide book under the visa topic--so it must happen often. Now it is after the 30 days and that valid visa is still bright and shiny in my passport. Can local immigration handle this in Prachuab Kiri Khan or do I have to go to BKK? Can anyone offer pointers or experience with this problem?

[Mario2008]

You might have to go to BKK, but can try it at your local office.

On the other hand, you now still have a valid visa. You can also do a border run at the end of yur 30 days and then re-enter Thailand with your tourist visa. In that case, don't forget to write down the number of your visa on your arrival card.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

You might have to go to BKK, but can try it at your local office.

On the other hand, you now still have a valid visa. You can also do a border run at the end of yur 30 days and then re-enter Thailand with your tourist visa. In that case, don't forget to write down the number of your visa on your arrival card.

Oops, looks like it's a bit more complicated than that. He got a 30-day chop on arrival, it's now BEYOND that 30 days, so technically on overstay even tho he was authorized a 60-day chop because of the Tourist Visa.

Need to smile nicely to the Immigration guy/gal you talk to.

Mac

[apetley]

You might have to go to BKK, but can try it at your local office.

On the other hand, you now still have a valid visa. You can also do a border run at the end of yur 30 days and then re-enter Thailand with your tourist visa. In that case, don't forget to write down the number of your visa on your arrival card.

I will second that.

For the last few years I have been here on non-o multi entries and a couple of years ago forgot to put the visa number on the arrival card.

Luckily the immigration guy was on the ball, spotted my visa and gave me the 90 days.

He did say that sometimes officers only stamp in 30 days when they are not alerted to the fact you have a valid visa.

[QED]

Yeah this has come up time and again - it is your responsibility to check that immigration stamp you in correctly, once you leave the checkpoint then there is no comeback. You are now on overstay so I suggest you get to a border asap, pay the overstay and get a 60 day stamp as per your still valid visa.

Bad luck I'm afraid, but you won't get anywhere at the local immi or in Bangkok. I always make a point of checking mine (non-o) as I have heard about this so many times before.

[Mario2008]

Oops, looks like it's a bit more complicated than that. He got a 30-day chop on arrival, it's now BEYOND that 30 days, so technically on overstay even tho he was authorized a 60-day chop because of the Tourist Visa.

Need to smile nicely to the Immigration guy/gal you talk to.

Mac

Good call. I only had oventine today, no coffee yet

That makes it indeed more complicated and more serious. They can charge you 500 baht for every day you are on overstay. Can't say how accomodating they will be, that always depends on the ofice and officer. They might consider you on overstay or not. Better sort it out as soon as possible!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Oops, looks like it's a bit more complicated than that. He got a 30-day chop on arrival, it's now BEYOND that 30 days, so technically on overstay even tho he was authorized a 60-day chop because of the Tourist Visa.

Need to smile nicely to the Immigration guy/gal you talk to.

Mac

Good call. I only had oventine today, no coffee yet

That makes it indeed more complicated and more serious. They can charge you 500 baht for every day you are on overstay. Can't say how accomodating they will be, that always depends on the ofice and officer. They might consider you on overstay or not. Better sort it out as soon as possible!

Still resolvable I'd think. Look at the top right stamp on my passport pg 20 attached.

FYI, my retirement extension of my Non-O date is 18 February each year, and I had a good extension stamp done 8 Feb 2008 at Suan Plu, good through 18 Feb 2009.

I stamped on at Nong Khai on 24 Feb 2008, didn't check the stamp until we got home, then noticed that the Immigration gal had stamped me in until 18 Feb 2008 so I was technically on an almost one year overstay!!

Down to Suan Plu, upstairs to a quiet office for Immigration stamp corrections. Showed the extension, showed the incorrect stamp, the gal there at the desk made some entries in a log book she had, over to her boss for an initial, and good to go to 18 Feb 2009, as it should have been in the first place. That's the red note on the upper left of the page.

As an aside, in May 2008 we were again in Nong Khai headed to Laos. Turned out the same gal who'd been working the Incoming line in Feb was now working the Outgoing line. She noticed the correction, the error, and the initials on it, gave me a grin and we had a couple chuckles over the incident.

Mac

[Mario2008]

In your case it is clear that there was a mistake. That might not be the case in OP's case and would depend on if OP wrote his visa number on the arrival card or not. If he did that, it would indicate a mistake. If he didn't do that it is more of a problem. (Sometimes pleople ask not to use their tourist visa yet if they plan to enter Thailand several times and want to avoid the cost of a re-entry permit. In that case you don't note the number of your visa on the arrival card and immigration will normaly accomodate you).

[torrenova]

I still hold out that it is their mistake but I realise that they are stubborn to admit mistakes and they love cash so they might just want the overstay money and then activate your visa.

It is down to the user to check I now but many do not I know.