When Are We Technically 'out Of Thailand'?

[homeownership]

Under International Law, here are the rules.

Once you are in the international area of an airport, port or border crossing, but not crossed into another territory then you are are still classified as being in the country of last depart.

For example you board a plane in the UK and fly to Dubai, you then board another plane and fly to Thailand, until you admitted by visa into Thailand, technically you are still in Dubai.

Another example for clarity, you leave the London Heathrow on a direct flight to BKK. You are subject to British Law until you admitted legally to Thailand, then you are subject to Thai Law. If you are declined admission, then you are to be returned to your country that you departed from, such as the UK.

When leaving Thailand, the country of last depart is Thailand, therefore you are subject to Thai Law, until you lawfully admitted to your destination.

With regard to duty free, this is of the discretion of the country of last depart (most countries offer duty free), but this doesnt mean you are in a no mans land.

if you depart BKK and land at London Heathrow with 50kg of Heroine, then the law enforcement of that country can lawfully detain you once you enter their airspace and make you subject to their laws.

According to international law, you cannot ask for asylum until you reach the border of the country you arrive at, in the case of UK, USA and Austrailia to my knowledge their are official border lines which is the point you present your passport. Technically, another country cannot enforce their laws to this border line if landed by plane, but as far as I am aware this has never been tested.

For instance, lets say you boarded an Emirates flight from Dubai to Manchester and on the plane you became intoxicated, when the plane lands at Manchester, technically you are subject to Dubai law, which forbids intoxication in public, but become unenforceable in UK airpspace which belongs to the UK. The UK authorities cannot arrest you for drunk and disordily until you reach the customs point where you provide your passport. They could if they wanted cross the border and arrest you and detain you as you are in their airspace, although I doubt the CPS would be willing to proscecute, except for serious offences as the legal rammifications would be significant.

If a baby is board mid flight or at any airport the parents have the right to register the birth at either the country of departure, transit or destination.

I hope this rather long winded answer satifies your curiosity.

[overherebc]

And no, you can't get stamped out of Thailand, turn around and get stamped back in and call it a visa run.

Terry

It has happened at Poipet to a few but only because they were very lucky that the Thai side missed checking the stamped page, (V-busy day) Now they are very careful about it and I've seen guys being sent back to enter and leave Cambodia before getting cleared into Thailand

[JurgenG]

Under International Law, here are the rules.

Once you are in the international area of an airport, port or border crossing, but not crossed into another territory then you are are still classified as being in the country of last depart.

For example you board a plane in the UK and fly to Dubai, you then board another plane and fly to Thailand, until you admitted by visa into Thailand, technically you are still in Dubai.

Another example for clarity, you leave the London Heathrow on a direct flight to BKK. You are subject to British Law until you admitted legally to Thailand, then you are subject to Thai Law. If you are declined admission, then you are to be returned to your country that you departed from, such as the UK.

When leaving Thailand, the country of last depart is Thailand, therefore you are subject to Thai Law, until you lawfully admitted to your destination.

With regard to duty free, this is of the discretion of the country of last depart (most countries offer duty free), but this doesnt mean you are in a no mans land.

if you depart BKK and land at London Heathrow with 50kg of Heroine, then the law enforcement of that country can lawfully detain you once you enter their airspace and make you subject to their laws.

According to international law, you cannot ask for asylum until you reach the border of the country you arrive at, in the case of UK, USA and Austrailia to my knowledge their are official border lines which is the point you present your passport. Technically, another country cannot enforce their laws to this border line if landed by plane, but as far as I am aware this has never been tested.

For instance, lets say you boarded an Emirates flight from Dubai to Manchester and on the plane you became intoxicated, when the plane lands at Manchester, technically you are subject to Dubai law, which forbids intoxication in public, but become unenforceable in UK airpspace which belongs to the UK. The UK authorities cannot arrest you for drunk and disordily until you reach the customs point where you provide your passport. They could if they wanted cross the border and arrest you and detain you as you are in their airspace, although I doubt the CPS would be willing to proscecute, except for serious offences as the legal rammifications would be significant.

If a baby is board mid flight or at any airport the parents have the right to register the birth at either the country of departure, transit or destination.

I hope this rather long winded answer satifies your curiosity.

It really does, thank you

[IMA_FARANG]

Consider the case if you have just arrived in Heathrow and entered the country (having your passport stamped if you are a foriegner arriving in Heathrow),

Yet you haven't yet left the arrival area.

Are you still under British law and could or would you be tried under British law if you commiyed an offense?

Of course you would.

The same thing applies to Thailand ... or any other country on entrance or exit.

I happen to know also, although it never affected me personally, about the Cambodian LAND border.

At the border crossing I remember there is a wooden bridge, less than 10 meters long. On one side you're in Thailand, and on the other side you're in Cambodia.

On the Thai side you're under Thai law, on the other you're under Cambodian law.

Come to think of it, don't know whose laws apply in the middle of that bridge.

[homeownership]

Consider the case if you have just arrived in Heathrow and entered the country (having your passport stamped if you are a foriegner arriving in Heathrow),

Yet you haven't yet left the arrival area.

Are you still under British law and could or would you be tried under British law if you commiyed an offense?

Of course you would.

The same thing applies to Thailand ... or any other country on entrance or exit.

I happen to know also, although it never affected me personally, about the Cambodian LAND border.

At the border crossing I remember there is a wooden bridge, less than 10 meters long. On one side you're in Thailand, and on the other side you're in Cambodia.

On the Thai side you're under Thai law, on the other you're under Cambodian law.

Come to think of it, don't know whose laws apply in the middle of that bridge.

You would be subject to British Law the moment you entered British Airspace. The arrival area is merely a processing area where you cross from one percieved jurisdication under immigration law to another.

You can imagine the chaos caused if you merely had to be in UK airpace to be in the UK, every illegal immigrant would claim assylum onboard the aircraft stating they were technically in the UK.

The airspace around the UK is currently 20 miles around the UK, currently overlappling French Airspace where it is subject to a reduced 12 mile limit over the channel where infringement applies.

The middle of the bridge is the country of last depart. If you came from Thailand and stood in the middle of the bridge you would be subject to Thai Law. If you came from Cambodia and stood in the exact same spot then you are subject to Cambodian Law.

[stevemcfish]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_zone

[TommoPhysicist]

Until you cross land border or leave a countries airspace 12 miles off their coast you still fall under their laws. The same applies when arriving at destination. The international space is covered by international conventions and treaties.

That is a good point. But why are there casinos between the land borders if gambling is illegal in Thai law?

This no mans land. So is it an agreement between the two bordering countries?

In a land crossing it is a lot different to an airport, because a land border is an adjoining space between 2 countries, yet an airport is between the country it is in, and the 'rest of the world'.

As far as I know there are no casinos between boarders ....... I've always had to enter another country to get in them.

[anton01972]

Once I was stuck in no-man's land between Thailand and Malaysia - neither of them would let me in! I've heard of some being stuck there for months.

Yes... I almost fell foul of the same situation many years ago in the territory between Tanzania and Malawi. Malawi would not let me in and Tanzania would not let me back. It's a long story, but the upshot of it is, I ended up bribing a Malawian immigration official for a 7 day transit visa. Without that bribe, I would have been locked out in nowhereville for god knows how long, as both countries refused to take responsibility for me.

isn't Malawi smack bang in the middle of South Africa?

[Sophon]

Once I was stuck in no-man's land between Thailand and Malaysia - neither of them would let me in! I've heard of some being stuck there for months.

Yes... I almost fell foul of the same situation many years ago in the territory between Tanzania and Malawi. Malawi would not let me in and Tanzania would not let me back. It's a long story, but the upshot of it is, I ended up bribing a Malawian immigration official for a 7 day transit visa. Without that bribe, I would have been locked out in nowhereville for god knows how long, as both countries refused to take responsibility for me.

isn't Malawi smack bang in the middle of South Africa?

No. Maybe you are thinking about Lesotho?

Sophon

[chrisinth]

Once I was stuck in no-man's land between Thailand and Malaysia - neither of them would let me in! I've heard of some being stuck there for months.

Yes... I almost fell foul of the same situation many years ago in the territory between Tanzania and Malawi. Malawi would not let me in and Tanzania would not let me back. It's a long story, but the upshot of it is, I ended up bribing a Malawian immigration official for a 7 day transit visa. Without that bribe, I would have been locked out in nowhereville for god knows how long, as both countries refused to take responsibility for me.

isn't Malawi smack bang in the middle of South Africa?

No. Maybe you are thinking about Lesotho?

Sophon

Just for anton01972: