Actually about 4 an hour at Suwanapum from my personal observation on multiple occasions! Sometimes up to 10 an hour.

With such a high number I am not surprised that the authorities are pi**** off, seeing it as a real problem. Not that yours truly hadn't overstayed once himself: passing through immigration late in the evening on the last day of my visa, while the flight departed shortly after midnight.

If you are going to use "being sick" as an excuse, you better show up with some real documentation from a real Thai public hospital. Make sure the letter inside contains a letter signed by a Thai doctor, and is on hospital letterhead, and includes your full name and passport number, and explicit reasons for why you required prolonged treatment and were unable to report to immigration.

best, ~o:37;

Not unreasonable IMHO. We are talking about justifying a possible breach of Immigration law and not just skipping gym class for the day.

"Please let our Jimmy off from gym getting fined and deported as he was sick having caught diarhoea through a hole in his balaclava."

(With thanks to Billy Connolly)

on jan 15 after about six months overstay moved to laos, as read here about cheaper visas,live now in vietane.

paid fine 20000 baht at friendship bridge no other questions about air ticket or tea money or jail.

was not alone somebody where lived beore together was with me. and they reported they wanted to call he immigration hotline and no answer.

fine was paid after ten minutes, only one man was in the office.

greetinx michael

"they reported they wanted to call the immigration hotline and no answer"... sounds like you dodged a bullet there.

So, now that you 'live' in Laos, what are the penalties incurred if you overstay your Lao visa? Is that also cheaper?

One or two days? What is the point? Just to inconvenience them by missing a connecting flight or something? Seems irrelevant.

By the way, if one overstays, are they barred from entering Thailand forever or for a certain period?

Over the years I, as I am sure all of us long stayers in the kingdom has had an issue and left a few days late and I don't think that is a problem.

If, as many people now plan to do, come here and effectively throw away their passport, I think they should do time of at least some form of blacklisting.

Related scenario: Once I was told it frequently happens when a foreigner has a crime related legal issue in his home country (but not something very grave like murder or rape) and he settles in Thailand or wherever, his home country will not actively look for him. But inevatably some day he has to renew his passport. At the embassy he will be told to come back on a certain day, but when he comes he will be told that he cannot be issued a new passport, on grounds known to him. When he leaves the embassy grounds, the Thai police will be waiting for him and request to see his passport, after which he will be arrested on the ground of staying in Thailand illegally, after which he will be deported to his home country. Don't know how realistic this is, I only know it from hearsay.