Will there be an amnesty ?

[bazza]

this morning when i went to my embassy to apply for a new passport the staff told me its possible that because of the huge numbers of farangs caught up in the whole visa scam thing that all the embassies will try and arrange some sort of loophole that will enable us to get out of this mess relatively unscathed.  has anyone else heard this also. if it happens it will be great.i hope its not just a rumour.

also when i get my new passport whats the procedure to make myself  " LEGAL " again. im very wary of going to immigration with a new passport as im sure they will be suspicious.but if its the only option then i guess ill have to take my chances.

[taxexile]

i'm not sure if i'm correct here ,but if i'm not, maybe someone will post to correct.

to make your new passport "legal"  you have to go to the immigration office and ask them to put a "visa" or stamp in.

they will want to know when you entered thailand so that they can then stamp your passport so that you can remain in thailand until the end of your original visa.

they check your name and the date of entry that you tell them against their records.

if you tell them the date of your "false entry stamp",it wont be in their records and they will be suspicious and maybe worse.

if you tell them the date of your last legal entry,and they can verify it with their records, you will probably be done for overstay,may be fined,i'm not sure exactly what they do if an overstay presents themselves at the immigration office.

maybe you should buy an air ticket out,turn up at the airport with a clean new passport,with nothing in it at all,and hopefully they will charge you the maximum overstay fine and allow you to leave.

i wouldnt want to offer incorrect advice,so if all this is wrong, somebody please correct it.

good luck.

[Bob Chittie]

bazza, which embassy told you this?

[capoth]

@taxexile

Once you appear on the airport with a clean passport without any stamps in, they will check their computer.

They will search you by name and you need to be able to tell them the date when you entered the Kingdom.

If this is ok, they'll let you go.

A friend of mine tried it that way. However his problems was only, that he forgot his passport in his appartement and wanted to leave with his 2nd passport. Unfortunately they couldn't find him in the computer, neither by his name nor by his passport number (from the one with which he entered Thailand). He showed them his ticket but they still did not let him go. But they did not arrest him. He was able to go back to his residence and took the flight on the next day.

He was just here about 3 days before he left. Strange they couldn't find him in the computer. But he is clean (business man).