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

[Elcid]

I don't understand why foreigners don't respect the immigration laws of Thailand. And why some get angry when they try to enforce the laws of the land.

[Japhrodisiac]

It's very easy to overstay, by a day. Longer than that is suspect. I booked my ticket with a flight arrival time late at night, went though immigration at 11:45pm or so, that counts as 1 day. My return ticket was 30 days later, but they counted it as 31 since I was there for the extra 15 minutes. 500 baht please. 

 

When I left, I had to pay the fine, in a lineup with a dozen or so others. Out of the massive problem of 70,000 overstayers per year, the vast majority are of this type. Very few of the old scraggler types left in Thailand now, they have moved on to 'greener' pastures. 

[chrisinth]

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So as I take it then a Farang who retires in Thailand should always carry his or her passport with them even if only crossing street to get food for there condo. Maybe if person is married to a Thai or here on retirement visa not working thus not a threat could be issued at the time they get stamp in passport stating long term stay be issued an an photo ID so they can safe guard there passport. But bring original to do there report. This way they can travel freely within country and spend there baht. So LOS remains LOS and not LOSS= Land of Stupid , Well you get the point.

So you still think its LOS?

 

 

Lots Of Speculation, yes.....................

 

[SICHONSTEVE]

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!

 

 Just what I was wondering.

 

Makes much more sense to produce it at the local police station within a reasonable time period than risk the chance of losing it or having it stolen!!

 

 Unfortunately, Thailand doesn't do common sense.

 

 It is ridiculous fining someone 400 quid if they are not carrying their original passport if everything is au fait with correct visas and the like!!

 

 Someone turf this idiot making these zany rules up out before Thailand's tourist industry takes a dive into the Andaman sea!!

[Anon999]

Apart from the officially released document regarding overstays, can anyone point me to a link confirming that any of the subsequently stated new regulations have been encompassed into immigration law or already are? Until such time as they have been then surely all these press releases are, in many cases, a wish list of people who may well not be authorised to implement them.

 

Thanks

Edited July 31, 2014 by Anon999

[Oziex1]

 

 

Exceeding one's permit to stay in the kingdom for more than 90 days is just snubbing one's nose at the law and the authorities. A 10 year ban for such actions is inadequate. Life long blacklisting would be much more fitting for these unsavouries.

 

Dont be such a god damn snob!  You and your ilk are one of the main reasons I refuse to drink in the Thai Visa Bar!

 

There will always be one "dick head" who decides that the  country's rules do not apply to him.

 

Judging from the comments here and how recent announcements on this subject have fired a posting frenzy I would say more than one, i guess you were just understating, yeah.

[camsouth]

well this makes it harder for people like me who just want to live here and retire with my wife. get the right visas and live ,i dont need to work so. all the people who work here with out the right visa we have to thank. and in any other country you be in jail or deported.so i understand why they are doing it. i met a guy who is russian on a visa run (first one for me this year) and he been here working as a tour guide for russian speakers with out a permit,as well as his brother for 3 years.so this is why. they pay no taxes here and work  that seem fair to all who do it right ???

[Time Traveller]

"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".

 

So in 2 days, the fine went from 2000 bt to 20,000 bt. Maybe this punishment is not hard enough, how to make the fine for no passport 20 million Baht and 20 years in jail, or even 50 years!. 

 

Imagine, tourist goes swimming/diving/drinking, gets passport stolen. Police stop him, then gets free tourist visa extension of 2 years! So, passport gets stolen we must turn ourselve in to the police for our 2 years jail

Thai military really are just buffalo soldiers.

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2014 by Time Traveller

[oldsailor35]

Something is happening, because a mate did a visa run from Samui to Sadao recently. Only 9 on the bus, and he was told that instead of several busses per day. Only one bus running now. Apparently, previously most of the runners were Russian.

[OZEMADE]

If I were an over stayer, I would be reporting to Immigration now before these new penalties/punishments start.

Nothing has changed except the penalties and punishments, they are going to be much harsher.

I personally think it is a good thing and will get rid of a lot of undesirables, good riddance to rubbish.

Everyone has been warned about carrying their passport as ID and there will be no excuse when caught without it. Your passport has all of the info the Immigration, Police and Officials wish to know as to you legally being in Thailand. You may be pulled up in a bar, the street, or any one of the check points always being set up.

There is nothing new about what the Thai Gov is doing and the same thing is done all over the world. They are enforcing the law and punishing illegals.

Good thing.

[Yann55]

It's very easy to overstay, by a day. Longer than that is suspect. I booked my ticket with a flight arrival time late at night, went though immigration at 11:45pm or so, that counts as 1 day. My return ticket was 30 days later, but they counted it as 31 since I was there for the extra 15 minutes. 500 baht please. 

 

When I left, I had to pay the fine, in a lineup with a dozen or so others. Out of the massive problem of 70,000 overstayers per year, the vast majority are of this type. Very few of the old scraggler types left in Thailand now, they have moved on to 'greener' pastures. 

 

 

I agree.

 

Another typical pattern : a western tourist plans a trip through SE Asia, they're told that they'll get a 30 day visa on arrival, and for a variety of reasons, other constraints, priorities, they realize that they'll have to stay 31, 32 or 33 days instead. Every single travel agent in the West (up to now of course) would tell the person 'in that case, don't bother to get a tourist visa, it's a hassle and will cost you more than paying a few days of overstay'. So, OK, the people who do that are deliberately bending the rules, but hello this is not what I call 'criminal', and it has been encouraged by just about everyone concerned up to now, including the immigration officers at the airports who always treated it like a mere formality.

 

What strikes me most in this whole business is the lack of thinking ahead, rational analysis of the situation, assessment of pros and cons etc before launching the grenade into the bees nest. I thought the military were good at strategy and tactics ?

 

When you know that a few terrorists are hiding in a city of millions, do you burn down the whole city ? I know that Georges W. Bush did just that, but he sure was no Army General.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Yann55

[oldsailor35]

 

oneday, on 31 Jul 2014 - 08:42, said:

This country is becoming a police state.  Carrying a passport at all times for an EXPAT is ridiculous especially since many of us have real Thai driver's licenses which are just as good as a passport.  It is definitely time to head home.

 

 

How can they check if you have an overstay issue if you show your DL?

 

Follow your name and details through Immigration.  You would have had to produce a current PP when applying for  the licence.

[VINCENT2012]

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.

 

oh...thats too complicated..........................some knows how to count , some doesn't.

it is not about money , it is about governers proudness, how come a stupid and simple farang make overstay in thailand , even if he pays for his leaving? what the hell, what do they think these farang, they can come here and do whatever they like....no no no no.....now up to 2 years in a thai jail...can't be worse ! an excelent decision for tourism and futur tourist

.

[SICHONSTEVE]

If I were an over stayer, I would be reporting to Immigration now before these new penalties/punishments start.

Nothing has changed except the penalties and punishments, they are going to be much harsher.

I personally think it is a good thing and will get rid of a lot of undesirables, good riddance to rubbish.

Everyone has been warned about carrying their passport as ID and there will be no excuse when caught without it. Your passport has all of the info the Immigration, Police and Officials wish to know as to you legally being in Thailand. You may be pulled up in a bar, the street, or any one of the check points always being set up.

There is nothing new about what the Thai Gov is doing and the same thing is done all over the world. They are enforcing the law and punishing illegals.

Good thing.

 

 I just hope you don't have the misfortune of losing your passport, actually it would be a funny thing if you did!!! Would you still be humming the same tune I wonder???

[SICHONSTEVE]

 

 

oneday, on 31 Jul 2014 - 08:42, said:

This country is becoming a police state.  Carrying a passport at all times for an EXPAT is ridiculous especially since many of us have real Thai driver's licenses which are just as good as a passport.  It is definitely time to head home.

 

 

How can they check if you have an overstay issue if you show your DL?

 

Follow your name and details through Immigration.  You would have had to produce a current PP when applying for  the licence.

 

 

 Yeh, but visas run out and reports get missed so how does a DL show that you are currently up-to-date regards these things??

[oldsailor35]

Whats all this crap about.  Really it is simple, abide by the rules, renew your visa before it expires or just leave. What is so hard about that. But then of course there are many here who cannot really safely exist outside of a "Nanny" state and have to be constantly supervised.  

[Oziex1]

The concept may be difficult for many of us to grasp, and I admit to some scepticism and just a touch of cynicism on the issue but maybe just maybe the Thai authorities a interested in creating a more law abiding society.

 

Does anyone have a problem with this?

 

[Timwin]

The concept may be difficult for many of us to grasp, and I admit to some scepticism and just a touch of cynicism on the issue but maybe just maybe the Thai authorities a interested in creating a more law abiding society.

 

Does anyone have a problem with this?

 

 

By military coup?!

[oldsailor35]

 

 

 

oneday, on 31 Jul 2014 - 08:42, said:

This country is becoming a police state.  Carrying a passport at all times for an EXPAT is ridiculous especially since many of us have real Thai driver's licenses which are just as good as a passport.  It is definitely time to head home.

 

 

How can they check if you have an overstay issue if you show your DL?

 

Follow your name and details through Immigration.  You would have had to produce a current PP when applying for  the licence.

 

 

 Yeh, but visas run out and reports get missed so how does a DL show that you are currently up-to-date regards these things??

 

So now they have you by the "short and curlies"    job done !

[OZEMADE]

 

If I were an over stayer, I would be reporting to Immigration now before these new penalties/punishments start.

Nothing has changed except the penalties and punishments, they are going to be much harsher.

I personally think it is a good thing and will get rid of a lot of undesirables, good riddance to rubbish.

Everyone has been warned about carrying their passport as ID and there will be no excuse when caught without it. Your passport has all of the info the Immigration, Police and Officials wish to know as to you legally being in Thailand. You may be pulled up in a bar, the street, or any one of the check points always being set up.

There is nothing new about what the Thai Gov is doing and the same thing is done all over the world. They are enforcing the law and punishing illegals.

Good thing.

 

 I just hope you don't have the misfortune of losing your passport, actually it would be a funny thing if you did!!! Would you still be humming the same tune I wonder???

 

I would be angry at loosing it or having it stolen. However, I would report it immediately to Immigration, the local Police and my Embassy and request a new passport.

I would get a copy of the reporting lost document from any and all of them. Not rocket science.

[Just1Voice]

Just sent this to the American Embassy via email.

 

Dear Sir or Madam.

I'm not sure if I am sending this to the correct department, so I hope that it will be passed on should that be the case.

With the recent developments in Thailand regarding overstays and visa violations, it seems new rules are coming into effect on a daily or weekly basis, adding to the mass confusion of what is and isn't legal.

Recently the Hua Hin Immigration office has stated that foreigners must carry their passport with them at all times.  There are a number is issues with this most notably having a lost or stolen passport, or even damaged one by things such as humidity and rain.  Not to mention it's inconvenient to carry.  And everyone is aware that stolen passports command a high price on the black market.  Being forced to carry your passport with you at all times means running the risk of having it stolen.

In the past, when asked for ID, usually a Thai driver license, or quality color copy of the passport was sufficient.  That now appears to have changed, and it must be the original passport.

Is it possible that the US Consulate could join with others to propose to the Thai government that they issue an ID card to long term residents, such as those on Marriage or Retirement extensions?  This card would have name, passport number, photo, and other pertinent information on it to identify the carrier, which could be quickly checked via computer to verify it.

Many of us have been here for years, have families, and have no intentions of going anywhere, and abide by the laws of Thailand.  But let's be honest, at times Thailand makes that difficult for us, and seems to delight in doing so.

If Myanmar, Lao and Cambodian workers can be issued a Thai ID, then why not other foreigners who are here legally, which would negate the carrying of the passport every day, everywhere we go.

Is there any way that the US and other Embassies could discuss this and bring it to the attention of the Thai government?

Thank you,

[Baerboxer]

 

 

There is no 20,000 baht fine or 2 year in jail regulation. What is quoted is the rule regarding ovrstay, which is punishable with a fine of up to 20,000 baht and/or a jailterm of up to two years.

 

Failure to carry a passport is reason to hold someone to establish his/her identity and determine ones status in the country, according to the immigration Act. That is a right immigration has.and also the reason they do not have to accept a drivers licence or such and can insist on a passport in case of a foreigner.

 

There is a general requiremnt for an ID, but i understand you must be able to produce it within a reasonable time and than no fine will be levied.

 

 

 

The voice of sanity. Thank you sir!

 

 

That is not what immigration 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." Thai Visa and Immigration both need to get their acts togethers before making major announcements and comments. 

 

 

Did you get that direct from Immigration in an official communication? Or relying on the Nation translating and reporting what the Col, said correctly?

 

Mario is trying to clarify things helpfully. I'm sure we'd all love one nice official Immigration announcement clearly stating the law and how it will be enforced rather than series of newspaper articles reporting different interpretations from different officers and offices.

 

Maybe you should tell them you think they need to get their act together - do let us know how you get on.

[MILT]

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For Hardy 99,

 

Being on a multi o marriage visa I go to Mai Sai every 90 days x5 for this visa 1 year and 3 months.

 

I don't actually see an immigration office with this particular visa.

 

That is why I was inquiring about going to a  local police station.

 

 

 

 

 

Why go to Mae Sai when you can go to the immigration nearby the airport? Maybe you like the road trip?

[SICHONSTEVE]

 

 

If I were an over stayer, I would be reporting to Immigration now before these new penalties/punishments start.

Nothing has changed except the penalties and punishments, they are going to be much harsher.

I personally think it is a good thing and will get rid of a lot of undesirables, good riddance to rubbish.

Everyone has been warned about carrying their passport as ID and there will be no excuse when caught without it. Your passport has all of the info the Immigration, Police and Officials wish to know as to you legally being in Thailand. You may be pulled up in a bar, the street, or any one of the check points always being set up.

There is nothing new about what the Thai Gov is doing and the same thing is done all over the world. They are enforcing the law and punishing illegals.

Good thing.

 

 I just hope you don't have the misfortune of losing your passport, actually it would be a funny thing if you did!!! Would you still be humming the same tune I wonder???

 

I would be angry at loosing it or having it stolen. However, I would report it immediately to Immigration, the local Police and my Embassy and request a new passport.

I would get a copy of the reporting lost document from any and all of them. Not rocket science.

 

 

 All FOC and done from the comfort of your chair in the sitting room in 5 minutes no doubt??? Do they send someone around to you, fill in the copious amount of documents for you and liaise between the relevant agencies in different buildings (FOC) as well?? 

 If they did this then 'mai bpen rai' if your passport has done a wander!!!

[INV]

yesterday it was 2000 b fine if not carry passport and today it's up to 20.000 and 2 years in jail? Please Thaivisa can we get this confirmed from some big boss in Immigration in Bangkok? I mean ok to always keep your passport but I run down to 7/11 and forget passport I get 20.000 fine and jail? Please confirm as this is crazy, so damn crazy if true.

[BestBitterPhuket]

It does say 70715 were "charged with" overstay. I presume this means were apprehended and taken to court rather than those who went and handled their overstay at the airport where there are no charges filed. There were may more obviously that went to the airport and settled. Also reading the forums (as Immigration do) one gets the impression there are obviously a significant number with large overstays that have not been apprehended. 
 
 

No, it doesn't mean that LOL. Since when did the thai courts handle that many cases.

[cliwe wilson]

There where hundreds of thousands cambaodians, fleeing the country, just upon roumors.

They are all + back now.

 

So don´t panic!

[Baerboxer]

Something is happening, because a mate did a visa run from Samui to Sadao recently. Only 9 on the bus, and he was told that instead of several busses per day. Only one bus running now. Apparently, previously most of the runners were Russian.

 

Interesting. I went to do a 90 day report yesterday. I have never seen Immigration so empty. Really quiet. It's usually quick but this time was less than 30 secs. In and out. Nobody outside filling forms, no queue. Normally we always have lots of workers from nearby factories, and people from nearby universities, lots of agents and HR officers. Yesterday, one lady and me.

[Time Traveller]

I don't understand why foreigners don't respect the immigration laws of Thailand. And why some get angry when they try to enforce the laws of the land.

 Because those law makers who think they are solving some perceived problem by creating a law don't see when a law becomes stupid. The  real criminals will still find loop holes and continue as before, but many people who for all intents and purposes are law abiding will get caught up in the new law and punished. 

Even a Judge told me that. 

Edited July 31, 2014 by Time Traveller

[Time Traveller]

 I mean ok to always keep your passport but I run down to 7/11 and forget passport I get 20.000 fine and jail? Please confirm as this is crazy, so damn crazy if true.

Yes, you're breaking the law and you're a danger to Thai society. The Thais have deemed that 2 years jail is the fitting punishment for criminals like that

Edited July 31, 2014 by Time Traveller