Cancel entry visa in my kid's UK passports achievable?

[jonjcuk]

Hi

 

Looking for some help. My kids (12 year old girl and 8 year old boy) have just arrived back from the UK after having been away for 5 weeks. They have travelled with Eva Airways as Unaccompanied Minors and my daughter has obviously had a "blonde moment".....

 

Instead of using their Thai passports to enter Thailand, she (and the Eva Airways stewardess / bimbo) have filled out an immigration card for both my daughter and son - and today they have entered the country using their UK passports and are therefore now only entitled to be in the country for a 30 day period, even though they are Thai!

 

Rather than go through the crazy hassle of having to have both of my kids (and I) leave the country again simply to get an exit visa on their UK passports and then re-enter on their Thai passports, is it possible to achieve this also if I (for example) go and explain the situation to Immigration at Chaeng Wattana?

 

The kids go back to school in 2 weeks time here in Bangkok and the last thing I want to have is the hassle of time and expense to have to take them out of Thailand just because of a wrong stamp in a passport.....

[Mario2008]

Not possible, they have to leave and re-enter Thailand.

 

But you don't have to do it right now. Given their age it can wait as there is no fine for children under 15 years old. Alternatively on show of heir Thai passport they can get a 1 year extension of stay from immigration without any problem.

[laolover88]

If I understand correctly you/they do not need to worry
If they are Thai, have Thai ID cards and Thai Passports no-one much is going to care in Thailand. When/if they leave
again they will exit on their Thai Passports but presenting their UK Passports as proof they have UK entry clearance.
If the above is correct they certainly do not need to leave the country
Looks like EVA dumbos!

[Mario2008]

They need to leave the country on the passport of the nationality they enter on otherwise they will be considered as still being in the country and on overstay.

 

 

OP could of course try to let EVA-air sort it out. They do have contacts with immigration.

[samran]

If I understand correctly you/they do not need to worry
If they are Thai, have Thai ID cards and Thai Passports no-one much is going to care in Thailand. When/if they leave
again they will exit on their Thai Passports but presenting their UK Passports as proof they have UK entry clearance.
If the above is correct they certainly do not need to leave the country
Looks like EVA dumbos!

Not quite, next time they leave they'll have to depart on their UK passport as that is what they entered on.

[utr]

i believe because they are thai [and thus legally entitled to be here] you can go to immigration with the appropriate documents, eg., their thai ids, thai passports, birth certificates, and immigration will give them each a 12 month extension of stay in their uk passports.

[IMA_FARANG]

If I understand correctly you/they do not need to worry
If they are Thai, have Thai ID cards and Thai Passports no-one much is going to care in Thailand. When/if they leave
again they will exit on their Thai Passports but presenting their UK Passports as proof they have UK entry clearance.
If the above is correct they certainly do not need to leave the country
Looks like EVA dumbos!

----------------

No that's incorrect.

As they entered on their British passports they must leave on their British passports.

I know it sounds silly, but two U.K. passports entered Thailand, and two U.K. passports must leave Thailand.

It balances out that way.

However, as Mario2008 points out they are not liable for overstay fines until age 15, so they can go (or be taken) by a parent to immigration and get a one year extension of stay.

Then later, during a school vacation break, take them to Singapore or Malaysia for a tourist visit.

Exit on their U.K. passports, and re-enter on their Thai passports.

Make it a family weekend trip.

And explain why you had to do it to your daughter, because she getting to the age where she needs to know about such things as in only  a few years it will be her responsibility to take care of her own visa stuff.

Might as well learn now.

[jonjcuk]

Thanks for all the feedback.. It is greatly appreciated. If I understand the latest post/response, I should be ok to let the kids overstay until December?

The reason I ask is that we are supposed to be visiting Siem Reap in early December. As that is the case, and assuming there is no fine to be levied against my two kids for overstaying (by approximately 2 months) on their UK passports, I would propose to simply exit in early December using their UK passports but with their Thai passports as evidence / explanation for the overstay and mistake by Eva Airways.

Even if Immigration kicked up a fuss, assuming everyone is correct, there is nothing that can happen because my kids are both under 15 years old and regardless possess Thai passports also.

When we ultimately return from Cambodia, I would be accompanying them this time and would ensure that they used their Thai passports to re-enter the country?

Does that make sense, or does anyone see a risk in my not going to immigration and applying for a one year extension of stay before their visas expire on 2nd September? I was only hoping to avoid the hassle of Chaeng Wattana.......

[ubonjoe]

They will not be charged for the overstay fine but do get overstay stamps.

Since it will be easy to get them the one year extensions at immigration that is what I would.do.

Are you going to Siem Reap by air or overland? You may not be able to do the passport swap if doing it overland.

[jonjcuk]

We are going by air through Don Muang. One final question though?

If they would be simply leaving the country in early December, and (theoretically) due to pay for an overstay fine, do they still theoretically have to apply for a one year extension of stay at the airport?

Or do we simply go through immigration, get "caught" and then explain the whole mess, and obviously refuse to pay any fine, etc. and just (I assume eventually) be allowed to leave the country on our flight to Siem Reap (with the kids having exited on their UK passports)?

[NanLaew]

...
Does that make sense, or does anyone see a risk in my not going to immigration and applying for a one year extension of stay before their visas expire on 2nd September? I was only hoping to avoid the hassle of Chaeng Wattana.......

The inconvenience of going to Chaeng Wattana may be seriously trumped by either a recalcitrant exiting Immigration passport stamper at Don Meuang at Christmas or an arbitrary change in the existing regulations in the interim.

If it was me and my kids, I would forego any possible last-minute airport drama and get them 'legalised' well beforehand.

Good luck.

[ubonjoe]

By air you will not have a problem doing the passport swap. They can enter Cambodia on their Thai passports and get a 14 day visa exempt entry.

There will be no extension done at he airport.

The overstay will be noticed when the immigration officer checks their stamps. There will be no fine but they will get get stamped for having an overstay. Children leave all the time with overstays. There will just be a short delay while they do the stamps.

[lopburi3]

I would suggest just going to Chiang Watanna and getting (or at least trying to get - they might say don't worry about it) normal Thai citizen extensions of stay due to new/serious overstay laws (blacklisting) going into effect this month.  Although they should not have any effect on a Thai citizen it could cause delays.