Report Your Overstay Experience Here

[HC82]

We've all read the 'news' about possible jail time for overstayers. This thread will hopefully prove or disprove the claims made by PattayaOne pretty quickly.

If you or someone you know overstayed their Visa and attempted to leave Thailand after October 1st, 2010 please report here what was done by immigration.

Please include:

- Nationality:

- Length of overstay:

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand:

- Showed up at departure immigration on:

- What was done by the immigration authorities:

//Edit: Expanded above list of required information. In addition, overstayers reporting in this topic may attach copies of the fine receipt and other documents related to the processing of their overstay the topic "Thai Immigration Introduces Jail Time For Overstayers" -- Maestro

Edited October 7, 2010 by Maestro
As per edit note, in consultation with the OP.

[Jeanelle]

- Nationality: ???

- Length of overstay: 3 months (a friend)

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Samui Airport

- Showed up at departure immigration on: ???

- What was done by the immigration authorities: Spent 2 days in jail, out on 6,000.00 Baht bail until the court hearing.

Discussed here.

[dakos]

Danish 25 yrs old with an overstay of 165 days off 3 years spent in LOS, went to check in at Suvarnabhumi 4 of October and told them about my overstay.

Got checked in and proceeded to passport control were i told the officer about the overstay as well and got accompanied by another officer who took me to his desk.

There we chatted for 5 minutes while i paid the 20k and signed some papers before continuing to my gate.

Really polite officers, we sat and joked over my situation before i waid them and left them them smiling at their desks.

Summary:

- Nationality: Danish

- Length of overstay: 165 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 04 OCT 2010

- What was done by the immigration authorities: fine 20,000 Baht, with receipt; had to sign some papers, got a note of the overstay in the passport.

Discussed here.

Edited October 12, 2010 by Maestro
Added summary and links to receipt and to note in the passport.

[thaiphoon]

Some posts have been deleted. Please keep to topic which is about reporting actual overstay experiences.

Additional note: On-topic replies erroneously posted here are being move to the topic "Thai Immigration Introduces Jail Time For Overstayers" as we would like to limit posts here exclusively to the overstay reports. -- Maestro

Edited October 8, 2010 by Maestro
Added note.

[H2oDunc]

A friend left yesterday from swampy. 72 days overstay and his 6th consecutive overstay of similar periods. English. Asked if any problem to come back and was told as he has been the other 6 times no problem. He paid his 20,000 baht and left on his flight.

Summary:

- Nationality: British

- Length of overstay: 72 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 08 OCT 2010

- What was done by the immigration authorities: fine 20,000 Baht.

- Additional Information: This was his 6th consecutive overstay.

Edited October 9, 2010 by Maestro
Removed discussion, to be posted in "Thai Immigration Introduces Jail Time For Overstayers"

[Sept]

A friend just left from Suvanapoom without any kind of trouble other than having to pay the fine:

- Nationality: Danish

- Length of overstay: 4 months

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Suvarnabhumi

- Showed up at departure immigration on: Oct. 10, 2010

- What was done by the immigration authorities: Charge THB 20,000

Disussion here.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Maestro
Added link for discussion

[Northman061]

Hi Folks,

Just back in the UK after leaving Bangkok 14th Oct, flight to Heathrow 0.45 am.

Read all the stuff on Thai Visa after i messed up as i didnt get a 1 year visa required 90 day runs (i posted about it in july here on TVisa), so i had 172 days overstay.

I got to the airport, Suvarnabahumi, with 20,000 cash and a little nervous sweat on.

Went to immigration and the man checked my passport, checked again and looked at me, i said yes, i know, overstay.

He called me up, pointed to two guys behind him at a desk and said, go see them.

Two slightly older guys (one making green tea) i sat before one who looked at my passport, i explained in really didnt know that a 1 year visa meant you had to leave every 90 days, and i was sorry about messing up.

The guy nicely explained the rules while calculating my 172 days overstay. He asked did i know i had to pay a fine. I said yes and produced the cash,20,000.

He stamped my passport, wrote down the days overstay, and passed me over to "green tea" man.

He gave me a reciept for the money and we chatted about how busy the airport was and he was on shift until 6 next morning.

All in all, i would say 5 minutes from start to finish, nice guys, no real pressure.

Summary:

- Nationality: UK

- Length of overstay: 172 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Suvarnabhumi

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 14 OCT 2010

- What was done by the immigration authorities: overstay fine THB 20,000

Discuss here.

[donkavbkk]

A friend of mine recently finished working in Pattaya, went to Chonburi to cancel his WP and then on to Jomtien to have his Non B visa canceled a few days ago. Having read the new regulations he was unsure what 24 hrs was being defined as by Immigration. When his Visa was canceled he was asked if he was flying out that day and when he replied that he was leaving early the next morning , the immigration official told him he would be fined for not 1 but 2 days ie 1000 Baht. Despite many questions to Immigration, they could not explain why it was 2 days, canceling the visa at say 3 pm and flying out at 6 am next day should be 1 day 500 baht.

He went to the airport with 1000 baht in hand, but immigration said nothing and he sailed through no fine at all.

- Nationality: Danish

- Length of overstay: 2 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand:Suvarnabhumi

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 15th October

- What was done by the immigration authorities: nothing - no fine.

Discussion here.

[smellyskater]

British

58 Days Overstay

Swampy Airport

Turned up 4 hours before flight was due to leave on the 3rd December 2010

Paid the 20,000 and within 15 minutes was sorted and on my way... not a problem. Everyone was happy and helpful.

[H2oDunc]

British

Length of overstay 3.5 years

Airport Phuket

My friend rolled up there, paid his 20,000 baht and nothing was said or mentioned. Down to Penang where he got a free 3 month tourist visa again without any problems and returned 2 days later.

[jspill]

*** Fresh 2011 Bump, after all the hype about law changes/return of a Thaksin Government ***

- British, White

- 364 days overstay

- Went to Bangkok Airport 7th Oct 2011, smartly dressed, clean shaven etc.

- At passport control ask where you can pay the overstay fine, and a police officer shows you to a desk around the corner. They were very relaxed, mostly just grinning at the silly farang who has to pay 20k baht. The one question they asked was 'what you do in thailand?', my response being 'I stay with girlfriend'. He chuckled and repeated it to a colleague in Thai who walked past, casually curious. (Best answers are obviously that, or 'holiday' etc., don't say you had a job here while on overstay if you did). Signed some forms and was on my way in 5 minutes, back in Thailand 2 days later with a new Visa on arrival and no problems at all.

So don't believe the hype - if you're on overstay, go to BKK airport, pay the fine, and get it sorted, don't live in fear

[timbershifter]

South African

Overstay 1 day

Swampy Airport

August 2011

Was taken around the back to a deck with 1 immigration officer, stamped my passport

and with a slight smile said, be carefull

[Maestro]

I have deleted two off-topic posts. Only reports of departures with overstay are allowed in this topic.

See this topic for a discussion of overstay rules and immigration's implementation policies.

[jaffajeffries]

308 day overstay from UK airport fine 20,000 baht

I checked in at swampy airport, went to passport control and they sent me to the couple of laughing policeman sitting behind them - paid 20k, got a stamp in my passport to say overstay 308 days but they said no problem to come back - came back 3 weeks later and no problem getting a 30 day tourist visa.

[benscott]

I've got 4 years. Will I be able to go to malaysia and return on a tourist visa or must I go back to my home country, Ireland

I can get the 20k together for the fine but the flight to Ireland is a bit much

Any advise.

[smokie36]

I've got 4 years. Will I be able to go to malaysia and return on a tourist visa or must I go back to my home country, Ireland

I can get the 20k together for the fine but the flight to Ireland is a bit much

Any advise.

Go to Phuket Airport...pay 20k...fly to KL....get a tourist visa....return in a couple of days.

Can't see any problem with that only issue might be KL issuing multiple tourist visas. Dunno about that but must be covered somewhere on the forum.

[Mario2008]

Only when you are caught by police or immigration and brought before a judge can they send you back to your own country. In your case where you report yourself you just pay the fine and leave the country and return. You can even leave by land transport, but by air is better.

[benscott]

Go to Phuket Airport...pay 20k...fly to KL....get a tourist visa....return in a couple of days.

Can't see any problem with that only issue might be KL issuing multiple tourist visas. Dunno about that but must be covered somewhere on the forum.

Excellent news........thanks for the advise.

[Pembo260]

- Nationality: UK

- Length of overstay: 460 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Survanbhumi Airport

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 13.12.11

- What was done by the immigration authorities: I turned up smartly dressed and spoke in a polite manner and said how sorry i was, Immigration were very nice with me, they just sat me down at a desk and got me to sign a few documents, I then paid 20,000THB, they then stamped my passport with a departure stamp and sent me on my way.... No red stamp, no police, and smiles all the way...

PS. I will never do that again!!!

[susanne001]

Nationality German, overstay about 6months, left from Suvarnabhumi airport on June 7th.

Reaction of the immigraiton authoritiies:

You can already see (at least at the immigration part where I was queuing) the desk with the sign "Overstay fine" behind the checkpoints.

I walked up, smiled my most innocent smile at the guy at the checkpoint, he looked through the passport, couldnt find the visa and just stated "overstay right?", then told the guy standing behind him and I walked with him to the desk, they were talking among themselves how long the overstay was, and asked briefly why. I just said I forgot and that it was during the floods. They didnt seem to care at all what answer you're giving.

The elderly woman and the guy at the desk just let me fill out the Receipt (took a while cause the machine wasnt working - i considered suggesting taking my 20,000 and buying a new one...), the woman smiled all the time and both were really friendly and not at all accusing or threatening or anything.

He was trying to tell me in Thai I should have reported after I found out, but it was more like a tipp (for the next time ).

Summary:: I was planning in quite a buffer just in case for this issue, but it was done in approx. 10min, I was siting at the desk I'd say about 5min.

Totally nothing to worry about, as long as you have the money in hand. I was trying by being super nice and innocent looking to 'maybe' try talking my way out but doesnt work at all.

Don't worry, it's absolutely routine for them, they do not seem to care at all. Well at least that's how it was for me. Might help to dress up smartly tho, and be friendly and smiley.

Good luck!