Urgent! Incorrect Visa Stamp - Please Help!

[edsmit]

Hello!

I'm in Thailand since 18th of Sept. 2009 on a 60day tourist visa which I applied for in my

home country/austria. Today (18th of Oct) I had a look in my passport and what did I see?

The immigration officer at Suvarnabhumi airport gave me a stamp for only 30days instead

of 60, that means until 17th of Oct!! He stamped it right beside the 60day-visa sticker

which he didn't stamp! That must be a mistake! - or not?

My question now: what can I do?

1. Should I go to the immigration office here in Bangkok tomorrow to sort it out? I don't

feel well doing this since actually - if the departure stamp is valid - I'm already illegal in

country. Will they deport me then?

2. Or should I - as I intended first, go to Cambodia or Laos on 15th of Nov. hoping to settle

things at the border? Anyways - I'm not eager to pay a 500Bht/day fine if the blame me for

overstaying one month. Also that means almost 30days of worrying from now on.

3. Or should I do a short visa run to Poipet/Cambodia tomorrow, pay the fine for two days of

overstaying and activate/get stamped my (until now not stamped) 60day tourist visa on reentry?

Is that generally possible?

My situation here is even more complicated due to the fact that I'm in medical treatment

at the time. I'm having root canal treatment and will get a new crown. Therefore I have to

stay in Bangkok for another week, at least until 27th of Oct.

Is that dental treatment possibly an option to justify (if the blame me of) overstaying?

Should I ask the dentist for a letter/document that I can show to the immigration?

What can I do now?

Please help

Thanks

Ed

[beechguy]

I would just go to immigration tomorrow and explain the problem. People have reported similar mistakes, and the immgration officers were helpful in making the corrections.

[lopburi3]

It is a mistake and they should be able to take care of it at Immigration - happens often. Did you forget to enter your visa information on your arrival card by any chance? At any rate expect Bangkok will not cause you any problems.

[thaiphoon]

As said, it is not a big problem. The immigration officer made a mistake with the stamp at the airport. Go to immigration at Chaeng Wattana and they will correct your permission to stay.

[PhilHarries]

It is a mistake and they should be able to take care of it at Immigration - happens often. Did you forget to enter your visa information on your arrival card by any chance? At any rate expect Bangkok will not cause you any problems.

I had a situation like this but in reverse. I arrived back in May with a tourist visa but was only passing through for a seven day stopover wanting to save my visa for a later return. They wouldn't let me enter on a 30 day visa exemption stamp and insisted I use my visa "no promplem visa is free go get another one". The "free" bit is irrelevant, the loss of another page in the passport is rather more significant, or it is getting more so now.

[Minke]

Same story but a different point of entry. They missed my tourist visa when coming into Thailand from Malaysia by sea (lipe) and all I had to do was go into an immigration office and fill out some forms and they fixed it up no cost. I went to immigration the very next day and they took care of everything.

[Redhawk]

... should be only a problem if you not show up at the immigration, at Bangkok they are always helpful, having passport issues at a border point like Poi Pet for example are quite more difficult to handle.

[Minke]

... should be only a problem if you not show up at the immigration, at Bangkok they are always helpful, having passport issues at a border point like Poi Pet for example are quite more difficult to handle.

Agreed, buddy just has to make sure he gets to immigration sooner than later. OP if you're reading this, you should stop reading this and get in a taxi and go down to the immigration office if you haven't already. It's a half-hour of your time that will let you enjoy the rest of your time in Thailand without worries.

[hansnl]

Sometimes the immigration officers are on automatic pilot, very busy fighting to stay alert.

Very understandable, all.

And the a mistake in the form of a wrong stamp is easily made.

Happened to me before, once.

Not a problem, was repaired at NK immigration in a very short time.

Of course it cost me a day, and a 400 km drive.

However, ALWAYS check all the stamps printed, placed or stamped on or in all documents by any authority, most when related to dates that might be important to yourself.

Returning to Thailand I always write down on the landing card :

- Extension of stay, number xxxx/xx, valid till xx-xx-xxxx,

- My Thai ID-number,

- Re-entry permit no xxxx/xx

And use my yellow marker.

Since then, no more "mistakes".

[TerryLH]

"Returning to Thailand I always write down on the landing card :

- Extension of stay, number xxxx/xx, valid till xx-xx-xxxx,

- My Thai ID-number,

- Re-entry permit no xxxx/xx"

If you have a Thai ID number, why are you on an extension of stay and have a re-entry permit?

[edsmit]

Thanks guys - I made it!

Went to the new immigration office in Chaeng Watthana Road, Soi7 this morning. From sukhumvit soi 3 it's a 30min taxi ride via express way. I showed my incorrect stamped passport to the officer at the information counter whereupon he immediately called a guy who told me to follow him.

They have a special department for entry stamp correction. I had to fill out and sign a form, just some personal data. Furthermore I had to pay 4Baht for two copies of my passport. The whole procedure took about ten minutes and the officer was very friendly, smiling and joking all the time. She stamped my 60day-visa and corrected the departure date to 16th of Nov. No word concerning overstay.

That's it - no need to worry.

Aside that I want to mention that the new immigration office is located in a very impressive building. There are a couple of ministries and several departments inside and it's dimensions are simply gigantic. If you ever happen to be there you should take some time and stroll around a little. The huge, central hall is a very atmospheric place and you can find all sorts of shops, food courts, cafes - even a beauty saloon and a 7/11 downstairs.

[Hogboy]

I have just noticed that nobody has stamped my departure card on entry as they normally would.

Do you think this is an issue that my local immigration can rectify too ?

[lopburi3]

As long as it is stamped in your passport should not be a problem.

[Soutpeel]

As long as it is stamped in your passport should not be a problem.

I am on a work permit and have been chopped in the country incorrectly on 30 days on more than one occasion, guess I should have learned the lesson and looked at my passport in the airport... .....but not a big deal get down to an immigration department as soon as you can and they will fix it

[surayu]

guess I should have learned the lesson and looked at my passport in the airport...

i looked at the stamp he did at the Pukhet airport straight away, but he didn't know what to do about it and went for his boss which just made a straight line on top of the date on the stamp(only on the stamp on the passport, nothing on the stamp of the departure card) and wrote a few things in thai under it, all using just a normal pen......should i mistrust their procedures anyway and go to BKK?

[Crossy]

i looked at the stamp he did at the Pukhet airport straight away, but he didn't know what to do about it and went for his boss which just made a straight line on top of the date on the stamp(only on the stamp on the passport, nothing on the stamp of the departure card) and wrote a few things in thai under it, all using just a normal pen......should i mistrust their procedures anyway and go to BKK?

This is the normal way of adjusting an incorrect stamp date (BTW it's the date in the passport that matters).

If you're worried it can do no harm to visit immigration.