Thai Immigration Stamp Error - 6 Year Stay.

[Seiborg]

I crossed into Thailand at the Aranyaprathet border last week.

I just checked my passport and found that the immigration man had stamped it - Admitted until "23 October 2018".

So that's 6 years and 15 days, rather than just the 15 days I was expecting.

Is this likely to hold up if I overstay the 15 days? Or are the just going to laugh at me and force me to pay the 500 baht per day fine?

[Soutpeel]

As you have pointed out its a mistake...do you want to chance it ?....my feeling would be they will make you pay an overstay, just on the face thing and the fact you are trying to be a smart ar*e with them...do your 15 days and go back the border and point it out to them on the way out

Edited October 17, 2012 by Soutpeel

[lopburi3]

Any stay longer than 23 Oct 2012 will be overstay.

[Pib]

IMO you would be paying out a fine. Always seems to be the individual's responsibility when it comes to errors made my immigration or the individual. This is a pretty gross error and I expect immigration will say you should have noticed the error (which you have). Recommend you head to immigration or the original entry point to get it corrected, especially if you are not leaving the country within 15 days.

[Mario2008]

1 troll post deleted.

[noob7]

Any stay longer than 23 Oct 2012 will be overstay.

Amazing stamp!

Would be a nice one, to try this 'up to discretion of the immigration officer' the other way round!

I doubt, there is only one passport, with this stamp, today. One would be a mistake, but many ...?

Face works both ways, isn't it?

Unlucky, it would probably cost up to 20.000 Baht, at the exit point, later!

[Huayrat]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

[DrTuner]

They'd throw you in the van upon the first 90day report.

[noob7]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

I have an idea: He should ask for a multiple re-entry permit!

Before he's leaving on the 23., this month

[Soutpeel]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

I have an idea: He should ask for a multiple re-entry permit!

Before he's leaving on the 23., this month

That would be interesting, and if they gave it to him, would say welcome to Thailand for the next 6 years...

Edited October 17, 2012 by Soutpeel

[Soutpeel]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

Whats the old saying about ignorace of the law is not an excuse...

[Time Traveller]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

First they will accuse you of immigration fraud and that you stamped a forged visa date. No one from immigration will ever accept responsibilty for a mistake like that and no one cares that you don't know the correct laws. Secondly, it's what their computers record your stay as, not what is stamped in your passport.

You can never win with immigration. No matter what the stamp says, you will need to be following their own regulations or fined.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Time Traveller

[lopburi3]

One post of totally false information removed.

[Cloggie]

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check your stamps and date if they are correct and if wrong, immediately go back and let it changed will save you time and money later!

[screwit]

Like irs... They always win. u lose

:-(

[TongueThaied]

You WILL be paying the fine. They made a mistake on my extension -- but only by three days. I did not notice, and when I came back for the renewal right on the "due date," they discovered their error. They told me that the law was the law and an error did not change the law. As far as they were concerned, it was my responsibility to discover and report their error. As it turned out, I did not have to pay a fine because I came in on a Tuesday, and Monday had been a holiday, so the three overstay days had been burned up by Sat, Sun and Mon. This is another reason why waiting until the last minute (like I did) is NOT a good idea.

If you know what's good for you and you want to keep your life simple, you won't fuc_k around with these people.

[Seiborg]

I visited to immigration at the tor mor in Chaengwattana today.

I jokingly asked for a re-entry permit for my 6-year visa and pointed to the stamp. The immigration girl laughed and played along sarcasticly saying that yes I could have one, special, just for me. They all thought the 6-year stamp was hilarious and were passing around my passport showing each other. They are a friendly bunch in that office to be honest. I think the reason being that it's almost all women working immigration there.

They just scored out the stamp, replaced it with a correct one and signed it. Then I got my 7 day extension processed in 10 minutes.

I asked what would have happened if I stayed longer than 15 days without getting an extension. Just as people have posted above, yes, it would have been an overstay, I would have had to pay the fine and it's my responsibility to check that it's been stamped correctly at the immigration point.

[Pib]

With all the changing of the date dials on a date stamp and some immigration officers doing this many, many times per day and if that immigration officer is having a bad day, tired or whatever, I can see where this can easily happen. All I can say is the immigration officer that stamped the 2018 date must have been really tired or just back from a lunch consisting of 100 Pipers or Blend 285.

[qdinthailand]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

It's a lot like driving laws/regulations: ignorance of the law is no defense for not complying with the law.

[jojodontyouknow]

I was gonna ask to borrow your passport

[phuketrichard]

go to any immigration and show them , they will laugh and change it for ya.

I was up in Laos in July and the Lao officals gave me a visa but not in my name or even my passport number.

Took it to immigration In Luang Prabnag an he said he had never seen this an said dont worry.

There only human and do make mistakes

[AsiaCheese]

Happened to me too, at Swampy: it was only a month before my 1-year visa renewal was due, and instead of stamping the visa expiration date in 2012, the immigration guy stamped 2013. A few days later, I had to go to the local immigration office [for something else] and decided to show the 2013 stamp. They just crossed it out and added another date stamp - visa expiration 2012 - without blinking, and said "all done".

On a side note re "ignoring the law": aren't immigration decisions discretionary to a certain extent?

[scorecard]

IMO you would be paying out a fine. Always seems to be the individual's responsibility when it comes to errors made my immigration or the individual. This is a pretty gross error and I expect immigration will say you should have noticed the error (which you have). Recommend you head to immigration or the original entry point to get it corrected, especially if you are not leaving the country within 15 days.

Years back I worked on the eastern seaboard.

A new farang engineer arrived, never been to Thailand before. WP stuff was all approved, but on re-entry the immigration official stamped 30 days only.

By company regulation the employees passport etc., was copied for company records by the Thai HR lady assigned to take care of such matters, part of her duty to ensure nothing slipped through the system, renewals were done before deadline etc. And also her duty to ensure that new farang staff did understand how the system worked, what comes next etc etc.

Nobody noticed the error until he had to leave the country some six or seven months later for a company meeting.

He showed his Work Permit at Immigration (which is of very little meaning), he called the company office and the HR lady mentioned above tried to negotiate with the immigration senior officer. All to no avail, he was fined the maximum overstay.

Ultimately the company reimbursed the money to the employee, but it sure shook up the HR folks who obviously got a severe scolding.

[janderton]

... it's what their computers record your stay as, not what is stamped in your passport.

...

don't believe every entry or extension stamped by thai checkpoints (thousands, daily), are computer recorded...

never heard about the cases of those red-stamped at thai embassies (or consulates) for having travelled to thailand "several times under tourist visa"?

i tell you what, some of them had their passports lost or damaged, so they got a new one, then back at the very same embassy and applied (successfully) for a tourist visa....

[Roel]

They once permitted me to stay until 2011 instead of 2001. I got 10 years extra. Of course I did the border run after 30 days as I should and asked the immigration official about it after he had corrected the date with tipp-ex.

Actually he admitted that errors occur quite frequently. But he did not say that you must check your stamps and you are automatically to blame if mistakes go unnoticed. He said that they decide case by case whether overstay has to be paid. He said in my case it was clear I was aware that I am only entitled to 30-days because my passport was full of back-to-back 30 day stamps. Makes sense. But a first time tourist who has been given 90 days (non-imm. visa) instead of 60 might get away with it. But certainly no rights can be derived from a wrong stamp as it is simply a clerical error.

[Dap]

Save the photo, could easily become a collecters item. I'd frame it for braggin' rights alone.

That said, not a good idea to even consider using it.

[Dap]

You WILL be paying the fine. They made a mistake on my extension -- but only by three days. I did not notice, and when I came back for the renewal right on the "due date," they discovered their error. They told me that the law was the law and an error did not change the law. As far as they were concerned, it was my responsibility to discover and report their error. As it turned out, I did not have to pay a fine because I came in on a Tuesday, and Monday had been a holiday, so the three overstay days had been burned up by Sat, Sun and Mon. This is another reason why waiting until the last minute (like I did) is NOT a good idea.

If you know what's good for you and you want to keep your life simple, you won't fuc_k around with these people.

Absolootely! Plus 1

[steve187]

I wonder how many others on that day received the same stamp.

[Foggy Bottom]

So if they stamped it for 6 years and you didnt have the first idea about visas and stayed 6 years then how is that your fault?

Ignorance of the law is not permitted as a defence in court ... in any country.

[how241]

As you have pointed out its a mistake...do you want to chance it ?....my feeling would be they will make you pay an overstay, just on the face thing and the fact you are trying to be a smart ar*e with them...do your 15 days and go back the border and point it out to them on the way out

+1....Don't try and play games with them. You will lose. Just a honest mistake.