Overstay Fines, No Matter Why

[PeaceBlondie]

I'm still fuming over the black stamp and overstay fine I got in Mae Sai on Friday. I was en route there the previous Saturday when I was seriously injured, spending three days in hospital for serious surgery. I hobbled over to the Chiang Mai immigration office without my doctor's paper on the 90th day. They told me to come back on the 91st day with the doctor's paper, but that I'd still have to pay the overstay. I came back the next day, and they told me to just go to Mae Sai rather than pay for an extension. At Mae Sai, the officer smiled at my doctor's statement, ignored it, and handed it back as he fined me 600 baht and put the black stamp in my passport, permanently.

Is there no compassion, no 'reasonable cause' to forego a penalty? Even the IRS of the USA has an entire chapter on 'reasonable cause.'

How important is the black ink penalty in my passport, if I never get another one? They'll never accept any explanation that the stamp was undeserved.

[thaiflyer1]

Sorry to hear PeaceBlondie.............i would of thought the doctors note would of swung it. ..............and as you say any explanation in the future will fall on deaf ears.

[bartender100]

I've had a few over the years,don't worry about it,never heard of anyone having a problem because of them.

[terdsak_12]

It's normal mentality here, weilding their power over you because they can, they want to feel important bless them!

[Jimmy in Bangkok]

PeaceBlondie,

I have one (black stamp) and it hasn't given me any problems with immigration at all. I was pretty worried at the time as well mate but it doesn't seem to make any difference here. Although that said I'm not in any hurry to get another one just in case.

[jayenram]

I was 'fined' at Poi Pet a few years ago, 2 days late (took me a few days to get over the New Year celebrations). The 'black' stamp was duly entered into my passport and I thought little of it. During the next few months I was doing a little w*rk in Singapore and past through Don Muang a number of tmes before one over zealous immigration officer pointed to the 'black' stamp and repremanded me for being a naughty boy. I smiled apologetically and he stamped me in without further ado. After leaving the next time, I came back on my second passport and never used the first for travel into Thailand again.

[Neeranam]

I'm still fuming over the black stamp and overstay fine I got in Mae Sai on Friday. I was en route there the previous Saturday when I was seriously injured, spending three days in hospital for serious surgery. I hobbled over to the Chiang Mai immigration office without my doctor's paper on the 90th day. They told me to come back on the 91st day with the doctor's paper, but that I'd still have to pay the overstay. I came back the next day, and they told me to just go to Mae Sai rather than pay for an extension. At Mae Sai, the officer smiled at my doctor's statement, ignored it, and handed it back as he fined me 600 baht and put the black stamp in my passport, permanently.

Is there no compassion, no 'reasonable cause' to forego a penalty? Even the IRS of the USA has an entire chapter on 'reasonable cause.'

Come on, every Tom Dick and Harry would be producing these certificates from doctors and faking injuries. Just pure and simple bad luck. Forget it.

[deepdiver]

don't worry, have a few too...normaly they don't "stamp" you with only one day overstay and you don't need to pay the fine ... second day of overstay is 400 bath plus the "black stamp" ,

good luck next time

[ya5702]

Get a new passport!

[Fred Sanford]

Do NOT get a new passport. I always hate when people recommend this nonsense. Do you know how many people have overstays in their passports? I don't have the number but I'd say it's a lot. Plus most of these people still live here. I've got an overstay of 53 days 2 years ago in mine. Who cares? No one has ever said anything to me about it. You're worried about 2 or 3 days? Gimme a break pal. You expected them to take your note and say, oh you're such a good boy about visa stuff, we won't black mark your passport. Give me a break. I know your story and it's a bummer but jesus, those cats at immi have heard 'em all.

[bdenner]

I have one as well, no worries. Would have been a more interesting thread if you had attached a 'Poll' to it to guage the number who have em and how many.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Maybe you should "lose" your passport

[sua yai]

I posted on this on PB's get well thread. In March I was fined 25 days over as I was also recovering from a bad accident - 11 days in hospital, two operations etc. Went to Soi Suan Plu with my doctor's letter, saw the immigration doctor there who gave me another month before I would be fit to make a long journey for a visa. Still 5,000 fine and 1,900 for a 14 day extension.

I reckon that even if you left in a coffin, relatives would have to pay the overstay if you were late.

[mike_l]

Do NOT get a new passport. I always hate when people recommend this nonsense. Do you know how many people have overstays in their passports? I don't have the number but I'd say it's a lot. Plus most of these people still live here. I've got an overstay of 53 days 2 years ago in mine. Who cares? No one has ever said anything to me about it.

I agree,I think these suggestions about 'losing' your passport to get rid of an overstay stamp are crazy. I previously actually did lose my passport in Thailand, and getting it replaced was a real hassle (trips to local police, Immigration, and UK embassy). Of course in the new passport there's a note in Thai saying the previous passport was lost, and that's what's caused more trouble than anything. Several times upon reading that instead of just stamping the passport, the immigration officer calls over someone else to help, chat to them for a while, eye me suspiciously and eventually stamp the passport. On a couple of occasions I've been called away to sit in the immigration office for a while too. It's always been ok in the end though, but still it seems that losing your passport does a fair bit to draw attention to yourself with immigration.

In contrast, I reckon the chance of any trouble from a single overstay stamp of a few days is very very low. I'm not sure how much losing your passport would even help either, it would remove the overstay stamp but there's no guarantee Immigration wouldn't mark your new passport in some way and of course there will still be the record of the overstay in the immigration computer too (presuming they link the records of old and new passport).

[The Dude]

Losing your passport for a few days overstay is downright moronic. I was caught up in that infamous dodgy visa stamp scandle a few years back and so many people insisted I should lose the passport. I never did and the stamp in question is still in there

[paully]

I think PB was more annoyed about the principle of an overstay fine in the case of sickness or hospital treatment rather than just getting the stamp out of his passport. It does seem ridiculous that a fine could be levied where someone was clearly unable to cross the border because of quite a serious injury, namely a dislocated shoulder. Unlikely to be faked merely to present yourself at the border a few days late, I would have thought.

Edited July 27, 2005 by paully

[Firefan]

Ah but some here love Thailand SOOOO much that they might even dislocate their own shoulder on PURPOSE just to stay!

[sua yai]

Right on Firefan.

Just like I had a car hit me on the motorbike and split my leg open from knee to ankle.

Be real.

[Firefan]

Man. Sua Yai - you REALLY wanted to stay here!

Hope you have recovered.

Also hope you understand irony when you see it... this: normally indicates that if you don't get it from the text alone (which you probably should;) ).

Cheers!

[sua yai]

Fair enough Firefan. I suppose I'm just a bit biased in these situations since it's happened to me.

It's called blind rage. And yes, I've been having motorcycle accidents regularly for the past 7 years just to stay here!!!

That was cynical. Got no smilies.

[Firefan]

Holy smoke! Maybe time to buy a car? Cheers!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Second the motion

[bkkmadness]

My friend was in need of hospital treatment, repairing some bones or something and he managed to extend his visa at immigration with the correct doctors notification.

His sisters brother was a policeman though with a friend in immigration so perhaps that helped.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks to everybody for their kind replies. Yeah, the lady who seemed in charge of the CMai station that day read my doctor's letter (it isn't like I just dislocated a muscle, the ball came out of the socket) asked me to show her the injury. When I did, she was impressed. Still, no mercy (except that she saved me the 1,900 baht extension, so let's give her credit for that).

So, I shan't worry about the black stamp. I've had worse, in Mexico. Thank God that Vicente Fox got voted in while my deportation was being considered. Then, while they were convinced I was violating the Mexican constitution by meddling in politics, they gave me an unlimited non-immigrant one year visa, on the cheap. Thailand would not be that generous.

Hua Hin is great. Now if I can start swimming again. Thanks, y'all.

[HarryHacker]

Why not pen a letter to Immigration in BKK and nicely express your feelings. It may be interesting to see their response.