Over Stay In Thailand Too Long

[Aimer]

Hi VISA expert

I am over staying in Thailand now (around 1 year) and need to come back my country since I can't find any work here Could you please kindly suggest me what should I do? Can I buy flight ticket and pay fine at the Suwanabhumi airport on that day? How much I have to pay for fine - 20,000THB, right?

Thank you for all suggestions

[SunbeltAsiaExpert]

While you are correct that fine for overstaying your visa in Thailand is set at 500 THB per day up to a maximum fine of 20,000 THB you should know that an overstay is breaking Thai law and that can result in some unpleasant consequences. An overstay of a few days, even a few weeks, is normally not a problem and easily dealt with at the airport before departure or at the Thai Immigration office's Chaengwattana Location by simply paying the overstay fine. But you should also be aware, that the more serious the nature of the overstay (a year or more as opposed to a few weeks) the chance that you could be arrested or even blacklisted from returning to the Kingdom may increase. This possibility grows if you are involved in an incident/accident involving Thai governmental authorities or if you are just stopped/questioned by the police prior to your departure. While the chance of being arrested and taken to the Immigration holding cell and/or blacklisted for an overstay has been small in the past it does not mean that it cannot happen. Because of this we recommend that you bring an immigration attorney with you when you are trying to resolve this matter.

If you decided to pay the accumulated overstay fine at the Immigration Office's Chaengwattana Location, you are required to present your plane ticket with a confirmed departure date. In some cases, the party that has overstayed may be required to also apply for a 7-day extension (with a government fee of 1,900 THB).

If you choose to continue overstaying your visa you will continue to be in violation of the term of your visa and will be breaking Thai law until you resolve the overstay. You should be extremely careful until your departure and avoid getting into any trouble. Once at the airport you will need to pay the overstay fine to the Passport Control officer.

Because of the serious nature and the potential consequences for long-term and/or multiple visa overstays we recommend that you meet with an immigration attorney and have one present with you at the Immigration offices. Even in some cases if you have not gone to the Immigration office first, some people have felt more at ease with a lawyer nearby at the airport Passport Control depending how long the overstay is, when trying to resolve the matter with a minimum of negative repercussions for you. Our professional fee for this service is 3,000 Baht.

If you would like us to assist you please feel free to contact us:

You can contact Sunbelt Asia at (66)2-642-0213 or email us here. Please visit our website for more information on doing business, working, investing, travelling, owning real estate, or starting your own business in Thailand at www.sunbeltasiagroup.com. We are located at 1 Ratchadaphisek Rd., Floor 26, Bangkok, Thailand 10400 and can easily be reached by public transportation at the Rama 9 subway stop, with the office located in the CP Tower II inside the Fortune Town complex.

[sunbeltlegal][/sunbeltlegal]