August 29 - heavy new penalties await visa overstays: Thai Immigration

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IMMIGRATION
Heavy new penalties await visa overstays
PANTIPA JITRAWUTTHIPORN
THE NATION 


File Photo

BANGKOK: -- AUTHORITIES will bar visitors who overstay their visas from returning to Thailand for between one year and a whole decade. The longer the overstay period, the longer will be the re-entry ban.

Starting from August 29, the ban will be imposed on any foreigner found to have overstayed his or her visa or visa-exemption period.

The Immigration Bureau decided to mete out such tough punishment after the current penalty, a maximum fine of Bt20,000, had apparently failed to serve as a sufficient deterrent.

Last year, a total of 70,715 foreigners were charged with overstaying their visas. Between January and June this year, the number of visa overstayers reached 30,359.

"We have asked the Interior Ministry to approve harsher punishment," Immigration Division spokesman Colonel Worawat Amornwiwat said.

He said foreigners who turn themselves in would be barred from re-entering Thailand for one year if their overstay time exceeds 90 days. The ban will be valid for three years if their overstay period is more than one year. Those overstaying for more than three years will be barred from coming back to Thailand for five full years. In the event an overstay exceeds five years, their re-entry to Thailand will be prohibited for the next 10 years.

"And if they do not turn themselves in, the ban will be longer. |For example, overstaying for less than one year will result in a five-year ban if [the overstayer] is arrested," Worawat said.

He added that starting from August 29, foreigners who failed to produce their passports would be fined up to Bt20,000 and jailed for up to two years.

Worawat insisted that the tougher punishments were necessary because many visa overstayers were found to have flouted Thai laws in various aspects - such as buying Thai-national identification cards.

A Chinese woman arrested on charges of overstaying said she had come to Thailand to make a living, not to commit any crime.

"Here in Thailand, it's possible to start a small business or stall with as little as Bt3,000," she said. "That would not be possible back in my homeland."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Heavy-new-penalties-await-visa-overstays-30239870.html

[thenation]2014-07-31[/thenation]

[Somtamnication]

Please, falang. Only money is accepted. YOU are not. 

[terryp]

this country is getting more ridicules by the day

 

He added that starting from August 29, foreigners who failed to produce their passports would be fined up to Bt20,000 and jailed for up to two years.

 

 

 

 

 

[hanuman2543]

Blame only the foreigners that the corrupt Police and Immigration haven't done their job for decades. A Thai Government Official can't do wrong. The level of hypocrisy is unbelievable.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Edited July 30, 2014 by hanuman2543

[ColdSingha]

this country is getting more ridicules by the day
 
He added that starting from August 29, foreigners who failed to produce their passports would be fined up to Bt20,000 and jailed for up to two years.
 
 
 
 
 

can see this working out well after it got pick pocketed the night before because some idiot said we have to carry passport at all times [facepalm]

[Kerryd]

In before the 29 pages of "but my case is different than the hundreds of others asking about the same thing with the same details as me" posts that are sure to follow.

 

Of those 70k over-stayers last year (and 30k so far this year) I wonder how many are for over-stays of less than 2-3 days ? TAT claims 26.7 million tourist arrivals in 2013, so 70,000 over-stayers would represent about .0026% of that total (a quarter of 1% of the total). Doesn't seem quite the massive problem requiring draconian measures as it sounded before.

[terryp]

looks like a massive prison building scheme is about to be unveiled ...most prob with Chinese money

[terryp]

In before the 29 pages of "but my case is different than the hundreds of others asking about the same thing with the same details as me" posts that are sure to follow.

 

Of those 70k over-stayers last year (and 30k so far this year) I wonder how many are for over-stays of less than 2-3 days ? TAT claims 26.7 million tourist arrivals in 2013, so 70,000 over-stayers would represent about .0026% of that total (a quarter of 1% of the total). Doesn't seem quite the massive problem requiring draconian measures as it sounded before.

 

i was one ..had a 2 day over stay due to plane delay over technical problems (plane was not even in thailand)

[iancnx]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name! Edited July 30, 2014 by iancnx

[hanuman2543]

And they always change the rules in such a stupid way that it is really difficult to follow the new regulations or leaves a lot of room for extortion.
Pease put the 70000 over stayers in relation to 25000000 visitors per year. That is less than 1% and the argument is only one thing: Pathetic.
Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Edited July 30, 2014 by hanuman2543

[terryp]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 

LOL first time ive been called that...even when i ran my business here the 50+ staff none never called me that? (most prob much worse)

 

I hope you never miss your flight, get ill or heaven forbid have a flight cancelled due to some unforeseen problem like ...MH17.......remember over stay in only 48 hours

Edited July 30, 2014 by terryp

[siampolee]

As an aside it would indeed be interesting to actually see the numbers regarding the nationalities of these '' long term over stayers.'' One wonders just how many of them  might be of western origin i.e. farangs.

 

People are perhaps seeing wrongly a witch hunt against one specific group of people as opposed to a wider range of people who  are ''overstayers'' who probably blend into the local community without any problems at all and have no need of a sunburn camouflage.

[bannorkbannork]

20k baht fine if i dont show my passport or 2 years in jail? do they want tourists to come to thailand? also read something about if you come here and first u stay in bangkok and u write the adress in bkk on the arrival card if u want to go to another city you have to go to an immigration office and fill out a form? ridiculous usually i come to bkk then go to my partners house in ubon then go to phuket or samui or whereever then back to bkk before leaving that means id have to visit an immigration office 3 or 4 times? lol

[iancnx]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 
LOL first time ive been called that...even when i ran my business here the 50+ staff none never called me that? (most prob much worse)

Terry, my comment not directed at chaps like you. A good number of the 70,000 are no doubt generally law abiding and have just fallen foul of a few days or a week or two. I am talking about beach bum pot head scum bags!

[NongKhaiKid]

Catching foreign over-stayers seems to be a major problem requiring urgent and aggressive attention.

 

Pity such an effort isn't put into catching fugitive Thais.

[iancnx]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 
LOL first time ive been called that...even when i ran my business here the 50+ staff none never called me that? (most prob much worse)
 
I hope you never miss your flight, get ill or heaven forbid have a flight cancelled due to some unforeseen problem like ...MH17.......remember over stay in only 48 hours

See post #14 please......

[sawati]

And i agree with all of that penalties...but at the police station,please,dont finger point me...thanks Mista Colonel!!

[terryp]

im actually looking forward to tomorrows press release as this is getting more stupid by the day...I can feel a huge clarification (U TURN) about to arrive

[terryp]

"We have asked the Interior Ministry to approve harsher punishment," Immigration Division spokesman Colonel Worawat Amornwiwat said.

 

 

 

NOTHING has been agreed or put into the immigration law? ...this is all hot air from a xenophobic wannabe

 

until they start erecting huge posters in airports etc, press and news channel campaigns to inform foreigners of their obligations while staying in thailand, stating these latest conditions it really means nothing

 

[nottocus]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 

Good call.

[siampolee]

terryp post # 18

 

im actually looking forward to tomorrows press release as this is getting more stupid by the day...I can feel a huge clarification (U TURN) about to arrive

 

You may well be right  the consequences may not be those which  were or are expected vis a vis tourism.

 

 

 

[NickyBurma]

Thailand gone too crazy for my likings these days and still they didn't do too bad with fines last year 1414300000THB.

I hope they put the money to good use...

Sent from my S2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Edited July 31, 2014 by NickyBurma

[ukrules]

im actually looking forward to tomorrows press release as this is getting more stupid by the day...I can feel a huge clarification (U TURN) about to arrive

 

I don't think so, things are about to get worse.
 

[TheSiemReaper]

Not all overstay is intentional. Thailand is one of only two places I've ever overstayed a tourist visa. I miscalculated the 30 days and ended up leaving a day late; it was an honest mistake. Sensibly, that wouldn't cause me any more problems than it did when I hit immigration on that overstay. My other overstay was in Bahrain (they issued a 1-day visa rather than a 3-day visa by mistake) and that was dealt with perfectly; "You have a British passport so we don't care. Have a safe trip."

 

If you've overstayed a visa by 90 days or more; you're taking the piss. There's nothing else to be said. No country in the world looks the other way on that. Try it in China and enjoy a healthy amount of jail time to go with that overstay. And so on... Anyone complaining about this crackdown is delusional; enforcement of holding a valid visa is normal for any country. It's not like the Thai authorities haven't been warning people it was going to happen. They gave people a chance to sort their shit out and get a visa before this all kicked off...

[Nampetch]

 

im actually looking forward to tomorrows press release as this is getting more stupid by the day...I can feel a huge clarification (U TURN) about to arrive

 

I don't think so, things are about to get worse.
 

 

They are for teachers!

 

If you don't have Ed. after your degree title, it's getting harder and harder to get a teaching cert - and thus, a work permit.

 

You can have a Master's degree... but if it's a MA or MSc you're now doomed. Has to be a B.Ed or M.Ed. to get a teaching licence now!

 

<deleted>.

[NongKhaiKid]

Last month I was stopped 3 times driving Udon Thani - Khon Kaen and at one road block had to go to the ' payments table ' manned by a Major and a Sub-Lieutenant.

 

The major was quite happy with the photo-copy of my passport but did ask why I didn't carry the original so I explained my fear of losing it and the resulting ball ache of a hassle.  He was amazed that my current document was obtained via the Hong Kong route and had cost over Bt.8,000 and his amazement grew when I told him about the new system which would require me to go to BKK twice.

 

All he could say was " Crazy " and when driving away I had quite a chuckle at the thought of a Thai official describing another country's bureaucracy in such terms.

Incidentally I never did find out why I was sent to the table other than possibly the language problem. Ii didn't have a licence but the Major said he wasn't gong to fine me !

The biggest problem was everyone freaking out because I have a vinyl cover on the flatbed of my pickup and needing to have a peek to see what I was carrying,  only boring emergency equipment I'm afraid.

[robertmueller]

1. Does "failed to produce" mean the same as I need to carry the passport with me all the time?

2. Or does produce mean that I have time to get back to my home and bring the passport within a reasonable time (e.g. 48hours) to the next police station?

3. What is the exact text of the new regulation (Internet site?)?

 

 

Small differnces could result in big problems!

[WitawatWatawit]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 
LOL first time ive been called that...even when i ran my business here the 50+ staff none never called me that? (most prob much worse)

Terry, my comment not directed at chaps like you. A good number of the 70,000 are no doubt generally law abiding and have just fallen foul of a few days or a week or two. I am talking about beach bum pot head scum bags!

What a strange attitude. Ain't seen any of them creatures in a dozen years, so they aren't exactly thick on the ground in the general community. Mostly I see hundreds of tired, lonely men who drink and drive.

[iancnx]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 
LOL first time ive been called that...even when i ran my business here the 50+ staff none never called me that? (most prob much worse)

Terry, my comment not directed at chaps like you. A good number of the 70,000 are no doubt generally law abiding and have just fallen foul of a few days or a week or two. I am talking about beach bum pot head scum bags!

What a strange attitude. Ain't seen any of them creatures in a dozen years, so they aren't exactly thick on the ground in the general community. Mostly I see hundreds of tired, lonely men who drink and drive.

So you see hundreds of 'bums' a proportion of which might well be potheads, and therefore in my view are most likely scum bags that give the law abiding, visa legal folk a bad name! Edited July 31, 2014 by iancnx

[Zonka]

70,000 overstayers in one year. That puts things into perspective somewhat! Good riddance to the beach bum pot head scum bags that give the law abiding visa legal folk a bad name!

 

Let me guess...... your sh*t dont stink either!

 

How can you lump every overstayer into the beach bum pot head scum bag group?  without knowing each individual case?