Problem With Udon Immigration Office

[barlinnie]

Has anyone had any problems with the new Udon Immigration Office? My son went there three months ago to renew his 90-day visa and had the appropriate form stapled into his passport. He went there again yesterday for a further 90-day extension and they said the last one was not valid, removed it from his passport and threw it in the bin. He was told that he would now have to go to Laos to renew and pay the 20,000bt overstay fine.

He checked this with the Tourist Police who said the same thing, so he has gone to Laos today to pay his 20,000 bt fine and renew the visa. A lot of money when it is not his fault, but seems there is nothing he can do about it!

Has anyone had a similar problem?

[bdenner]

Sorry, none of this makes any sense at all! Something like your signature.

[Mario2008]

Has anyone had any problems with the new Udon Immigration Office? My son went there three months ago to renew his 90-day visa and had the appropriate form stapled into his passport. He went there again yesterday for a further 90-day extension and they said the last one was not valid, removed it from his passport and threw it in the bin. He was told that he would now have to go to Laos to renew and pay the 20,000bt overstay fine.

He checked this with the Tourist Police who said the same thing, so he has gone to Laos today to pay his 20,000 bt fine and renew the visa. A lot of money when it is not his fault, but seems there is nothing he can do about it!

It looks like your son has a multiple non-immigrant visa and has to leave the country every 90 days. What he did last time is make a 90 day report, which was a mistake. You don't renew a multiple entry visa at immigration. For another 90 days you have to leave the country. Immigration should have pick that up when he went there the first time, but unfortunately didn't.

Check your son's visa. Does it say "multiple" ?

[kokesaat]

I don't want to fault your son without more facts, but I've been in Udon for 13 years and know 10's of others who use Udon's Immigration Service. When people encounter problems at immigration, it's invariably the fault of the individual. In all likelihood, there's more to the story than what's being put on the table.

[don35]

My father had the same problem with the Immigration Office in Ayutthaya. He was upset that they would even tell him why. So my brother told him to go to the Immigration Office in Lopburi. And the people there fix the problem. He is here on a retirement visa and the people in Ayutthaya changed his papers to a tourist visa. The supervisor in Lopburi fixed the paperwork and stated that he would still have to pay the 20000 baht fine but he doesn't have to make a border run.

[Mario2008]

Please don't start two topics on the same subject, it is very confusing. I have moved the post from your other topic to this one.

[Mario2008]

My father had the same problem with the Immigration Office in Ayutthaya. He was upset that they would even tell him why. So my brother told him to go to the Immigration Office in Lopburi. And the people there fix the problem. He is here on a retirement visa and the people in Ayutthaya changed his papers to a tourist visa. The supervisor in Lopburi fixed the paperwork and stated that he would still have to pay the 20000 baht fine but he doesn't have to make a border run.

That seems strange. You dont convert from a non-immigrant to a tourist visa. Might be the same problem as in the cae of OP's son. A scan of the visa page will make it clear.

[Wee Jimmy]

Never had a problem, went in last Monday for 90 day reporting and was out within 10 minutes.

Never had a problem with Nong Khai either.

Udon could do with a few more signs on the desks informing us which desk to report to, it's a wee bit sloppy.

[barlinnie]

Sorry, none of this makes any sense at all! Something like your signature.

Sorry you didn't understand my problem, but what has my signature got to do with anything?

[barlinnie]

Has anyone had any problems with the new Udon Immigration Office? My son went there three months ago to renew his 90-day visa and had the appropriate form stapled into his passport. He went there again yesterday for a further 90-day extension and they said the last one was not valid, removed it from his passport and threw it in the bin. He was told that he would now have to go to Laos to renew and pay the 20,000bt overstay fine.

He checked this with the Tourist Police who said the same thing, so he has gone to Laos today to pay his 20,000 bt fine and renew the visa. A lot of money when it is not his fault, but seems there is nothing he can do about it!

It looks like your son has a multiple non-immigrant visa and has to leave the country every 90 days. What he did last time is make a 90 day report, which was a mistake. You don't renew a multiple entry visa at immigration. For another 90 days you have to leave the country. Immigration should have pick that up when he went there the first time, but unfortunately didn't.

Check your son's visa. Does it say "multiple" ?

Yes, it is a multiple non-immigrant visa. He used to live in Chiang Mai and regularly went to Maesai to renew, so was aware about leaving the country. He moved to Udon Thani last year and when the time came for making the visa run (to Nongkhai??), a farang he met told him that they could now do it at Udon's new immigration office. Obviously, we now know that is not the case - he knows that in future he must leave the country for renewal. Still, it's a shame they did not point this out to him at the time! Might be worth mentioned as well that he was not the only one there the other day, there were a couple of other people in the same boat.

Thanks to everyone who gave me constructive advice, instead of just commenting on my signature, which is a combination of my husband's name and mine - nothing to do with a certain establishment in Glasgow!!!!!

[Mario2008]

Just to clearify, the signature is what goes below every post you post.

It is this line:

Which indeed doesn't make any sense.

[barlinnie]

I don't want to fault your son without more facts, but I've been in Udon for 13 years and know 10's of others who use Udon's Immigration Service. When people encounter problems at immigration, it's invariably the fault of the individual. In all likelihood, there's more to the story than what's being put on the table.

Hi, It's now apparent that the mistake was made because the document they pinned inside his passport stated that they had received notification of his staying in Thailand for a another 90 days and the next would be due on 29 March. In effect, it's a reporting visa and not an extension. I took a photo of this document at the time as I thought both my husband, myself and other son would be able to do the same thing. The mistake was his but he should have been told this by the immigration people there, and he could therefore have avoided paying the 20,000bt overstay fine. Anyway, now he knows and next time will make the journey to Nongkhai!

[mca]

He moved to Udon Thani last year and when the time came for making the visa run (to Nongkhai??), a farang he met told him that they could now do it at Udon's new immigration office.

Fatal mistake. Absolutely fatal.

I know it's a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but the info given by folks on here in the visa section such as lopburi3, mario2008, Maestro, Litebeer thaiphoon and others (apologies for not listing names but you know who you are) is solid gold.

Edited March 28, 2010 by mca

[FarangBuddha]

One problem is you keep referring to exiting and re-entering Thailand (a "visa run") as a "renewal" or "to renew" something. Your son is not "renewing" anything...only leaving the country after 90-days per his entry stamp and coming back into the country per his multiple entry visa. The only time he will renew anything is when the visa itself expires and he applies for a new one (and technically it's not a renewal as it will be a completely new visa).

Using the correct terminology helps people to understand your problem and offer the correct answer.

Has anyone had any problems with the new Udon Immigration Office? My son went there three months ago to renew his 90-day visa and had the appropriate form stapled into his passport. He went there again yesterday for a further 90-day extension and they said the last one was not valid, removed it from his passport and threw it in the bin. He was told that he would now have to go to Laos to renew and pay the 20,000bt overstay fine.

He checked this with the Tourist Police who said the same thing, so he has gone to Laos today to pay his 20,000 bt fine and renew the visa. A lot of money when it is not his fault, but seems there is nothing he can do about it!

It looks like your son has a multiple non-immigrant visa and has to leave the country every 90 days. What he did last time is make a 90 day report, which was a mistake. You don't renew a multiple entry visa at immigration. For another 90 days you have to leave the country. Immigration should have pick that up when he went there the first time, but unfortunately didn't.

Yes, it is a multiple non-immigrant visa. He used to live in Chiang Mai and regularly went to Maesai to renew, so was aware about leaving the country...Obviously, we now know that is not the case - he knows that in future he must leave the country for renewal.

Edited March 28, 2010 by FarangBuddha

[CelticBhoy]

Stick FarangBuddha in the Bar'l to sort out his superiority complex! Special Unit.