Immigration stamped my passport with the wrong date!

[fide]

Hi all,

I noticed a problem when checking my passport today; I applied for a Double Entry Tourist Visa (my first ever). It says, on the visa; "Date of Issue 3 Mar 2014", and "Enter Before 2 Jun 2014" (90 days)

It's my understanding (from reading online) that I have to extend after 60 days to receive the next 30... ands that's fine, but I checked the stamp in my passport today that I received and I noticed that immigration had given me a 30 day stamp (which had expired 3 days ago).

The information I read was:

(copied and pasted)

How Does a Double-Entry Tourist Visa Work?- A double-entry tourist visa basically means you're allowed to come and go into and out of Thailand twice on one visa.

When you first arrive in Thailand, your passport will be stamped allowing you an initial 60 days stay. At the end of these 60 days, you must go to a Thai immigration office in the country and pay 1,900 baht for an extra 30 days. So, for your first entry on your double-entry visa, you're allowed 90 days stay in Thailand.

On the day your initial 90 days expires, you must exit Thailand by entering into another country. You can immediately turn around and come back and the second entry of your tourist visa will be activated, giving you a second 60 days. Just like the first time, at the end of this 60 day period, go back to Thai immigration and pay another 1,900 baht for another 30 day extension.

All told, a double-entry tourist visa gives you 180 days (approximately six months) in Thailand legally, before you have to leave and get another visa somewhere else.

So, a few questions:

* Is this a error on their part? or have I misunderstood the information I read / got misinformed by wrong information?

* How do I rectify the situation? (I am currently in Phuket), where do I go? who do I speak to?

* Am I right there is a national holiday tomorrow (Monday 7th April)? Will the place I need to visit be closed for the holiday?

* Is there likely to be a charge (overstay fine etc)?

* Will this affect my current visa in any way?

* Does an overstay go onto a database? and will that affect me in the future if I want to return?

So sorry for the long post people, any help greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[Mario2008]

On Tuesday or better Wednesday you go to immigration and ask for the stamp to be corrected. There will be no overstay fine and it shouldn't be a problem. It does happen from time to time.

(Tuesday will be very busy).

[allane]

Not a direct reply to your questions, but...

- yes, April 7 is a Holiday, or at least a substitution day for Chakri Day, which is today, Apr. 6.

- I once noticed, immediately after receiving my passport back, that Immigration had given me only 60 days, instead of the 90 to which I was entitled. They changed it for me on the spot.

- They once gave me a one year, Non-immigrant "B" visa, even though I had only about 7 mo. left on my passport.

They will admit errors, and will make changes.

Edited April 6, 2014 by allane

[thepool]

Did you enter the visa number on the arrival card ?

The immigration officers in Phuket may correct the date or may send you back to the airport for the correction to be made.

As you have left the matter for so long you may be required to leave and return on the second of the two entries.

If you are charged an overstay fine it will not affect any future visits to Thailand

It is your personal responsibility to ensure stamps entered in the passport are correct. Immigration officers are human and errors occasionally will occur

Edited April 6, 2014 by thepool

[fide]

Thank you guys for the help! In response to thepool:

Yes, I filled out all the information on my arrival card. However I didn't fly into Phuket airport, I came in from Laos. I really hope they don't want to send me back there!

I understand that I should have checked my stamp at the time and believe me, I will do from this day forth, and I understand that human errors occur but it is the officers job to check passports - something they must do thousands of times. He knew where to look and what to look for and still got it wrong?!? This is a first for me from any country I have visited and I never checked any of those stamps at the time they were given. I normally learn these lessons the hard way!

I will always check now! thanks for the info.

[Mario2008]

If they send you away at Phuket, try it in BKK first before going to the border crossing itself. They will rectify it in BKK, where they have a special section that deals with wrong stamps.

[IMA_FARANG]

Fide:

You probably did not enter your visa number on your arrival form when you entered Thailand.

Therefore what you got was a 30 day visa exempt entry.

Also you received your double entry visa from Savannaket, Laos.

Most Thai consulates will give a 180 day "must enter by" date, but Savannaket is known for only giving 90 days"must enter before" dates.

The entry error can probably be corrected at immigration .... and I don't think they will say you overstayed.

However, since your double entry visa expires after 90 days (that 'must enter before" date) you need to complete BOTH double entries before that date.

So after the error is corrected, you need to go and do the extension for 30 days.

Now, do not wait for the next entry on the 91st day., or your visa will be expired.

I would plan to go and do a "border run" on the 89th or 90th day,

Exit Thailand being sure to get an exit stamp as you leave and then an entry stamp into a neighboring country.

Once you've done that, turn around and re-enter Thailand for your 2nd entry on that double entry visa.

This time be sure to enter that visa number where it asks for visa number on the arrival form.

That will get you another 60 day "permitted to stay" stamp from that entry date.

Even though your visa actually will expire on the 91st day ,,,, you can still stay in Thailand because of that permitted to stay stamp.

And you can then extend that stamp ay immigration for another 30 days for another 1900 Baht.

That will give you a total of 180 days on that double entry visa...... 2 entries of 60 days on each entry and two extensions of 30 days on each entry.

But be careful, your visa expires on the 91st day.

Use BOTH entries before that 91st day or you will lose the 2nd entry on the 91st day even if you haven't taken it by then.

[fide]

Thank you for the informative reply imafarang, pretty sure I did enter the visa number though - I remember asking someone else filling out a card to confirm for me that the number was the one I thought it was (under the foil badge, starts with a letter) and I'm normally pretty thorough with these cards - if there's a box I'll try to enter something. Wish I was more so with checking stamps at the time of issue!!

Your answer sounds like a decent workaround. I'm going to go tomorrow when immigration reopens and hopefully this issue will be resolved pretty straightforwardly. Many thanks again for taking the time to help!

[Bababooey]

Did you enter the visa number on the arrival card ?

Anyone know where this is located?

Would it be on my extension of stay stamp?

Or somewhere in my old passport?

[thepool]

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Did you enter the visa number on the arrival card ?

Anyone know where this is located?

Would it be on my extension of stay stamp?

Or somewhere in my old passport?

If you have an "extension of stay " the visa which was used to enter Thailand is now expired.

Whilst on an extension of a stay a re-entry permit is required if an exit/ return to the country is required.

The number of the re-entry permit is entered on the arrival card instead of a "visa" number.

[UdeBoCM]

They will admit errors, and will make changes.

Corrected: They will partly admit errors

Once, when I still was on tourist visa regime, I had a one year (!) visa stamped on my passport. I thought "how nice! they changed the rules" (as it's often the case).

Six months later I had to exit for a business abroad and went for a re-entry permit. The officer in charge was red faced and told me to go check at the airport office where I had been stamped.

There, they did admit a mistake but as I was late on my normal visa I had to pay the overstay, rounded at 20,000 bahts. ahaha! They corrected the stamp on my passport, the officer who was at fault "help" me with 2,000 bahts (thanks to the diplomatic talk of my consul), but as they rightly pointed at the back of the TM card: you have to check every 90 days for residency (which I did not know as I was still a tourist), and I had to pay 18,000 bahts anyway...

[KunMatt]

Same thing happened to me OP a few years ago. They didn't use my TR Visa and gave me a 30 day entry instead which I had gone over by the time I checked it. I went to my nearest Immigration office (which was in Ubon at the time) and they simply corrected it and applied my Visa. No charge at all and everyone was very nice about the whole thing.

[Dannyboy6]

I just got my Tourist Visa on 3/28 in Sawanaket, wen I leave Thailand 5/13 , how long can I be gone before TV expires for second entry, Thank you

[ubonjoe]

There is a enter before date on your visa sticker . That is the last date you can do an entry to start your 2nd entry.

[fide]

Same thing happened to me OP a few years ago. They didn't use my TR Visa and gave me a 30 day entry instead which I had gone over by the time I checked it. I went to my nearest Immigration office (which was in Ubon at the time) and they simply corrected it and applied my Visa. No charge at all and everyone was very nice about the whole thing.

Interesting Matt, as it happens I have been invited to attend a wedding of one of my hotel owning pals staffs friends, which is close to Khon Kaen (sp?). There are a couple of cars of us driving up on the 10th.

Seeing as my nearest office is currently in Phuket Town and I expect (rightly or wrongly) that the officers might be jaded by the huge numbers of foreigners they have to deal with daily, do you think (in your opinion - or anyone else's ), whether it would be better (less hassle / run more smoothly) to visit an office there instead?

Edit to correct spelling mistake

Edited April 7, 2014 by fide

[lucifer666]

It happened to me once, Mine was stamped for the year before lol. I simply returned and had it corrected.

[jacko45k]

It was your responsibility to check the stamp when you entered the country.

Each immigration official handles hundreds of passports every day

There is a vast array of rules, visa types and nationalities and hence mistakes are inevitable.

Technically you are on overstay, whether you are fined or not depends on the local immigration guys.

It is even possible they say 'not their problem, go back to airport immigration'

Be smiley and friendly and stay cool and get it sorted.

Post back how it went please.

[Keesters]

Many have said that immigration officers are only human and mistakes do happen. True. But the same can also be said of the OP. He too can make a mistake in not checking what the immigration stamped in his passport. IMHO this should be a "no fault" thing and immigration should hopefully correct things for him without charge or penalty of any kind.

[Eneukman]

It was your responsibility to check the stamp when you entered the country.

Each immigration official handles hundreds of passports every day

There is a vast array of rules, visa types and nationalities and hence mistakes are inevitable.

Technically you are on overstay, whether you are fined or not depends on the local immigration guys.

It is even possible they say 'not their problem, go back to airport immigration'

Be smiley and friendly and stay cool and get it sorted.

Post back how it went please.

I always check the date I'm permitted to stay till immediately after I leave the Immigration desk. They made a mistake on one occasion, which I was able to point out immediately. The date was corrected without any fuss. I always enter the number shown on my re-entry permit and place my Immigration card at the correct page in my passport though that doesn't do much good!

Alan

[snowpea83]

I've also had a mistake made and only realised after the 30 days had lapsed (should have been 90).

Was dreading going to immigration to fix it, thinking I would have to pay the overstay fine etc...

Got there and explained what happened, she fixed the stamp with no fuss and no fine.

Faith in humanity restored...

But I think it depend on who you get...

Good Luck!

[fide]

Just an update in how it went.

Arrived at Khon Kaen Immigration today, spoke to an officer who said as the Chief Officer is not here today (the only person with access to the required codes for the database), they would have to call Nong Khai (my entry point) and get them to change the info on their pc. In total about a 5 minute process - very straightforward, no charge levied.

There was another guy there who had noticed his passport was only stamped for 3 days?!? Again, very easy process for him also. Still would be easier to check your stamp at the time of issue!!