Overstay...WHY?

[colinneil]

I overstayed last year 35 days. 7 days before my retirement extention due , i had a serious accident.

Iwas unable to do my extention, due to being in a coma.

When i was able to tell my wife she went to immigration, and was treated terribly by them.

They insisted she pay 20.000 baht overstay( before anybody tells me it should have been 17.500) i know but

they insisted she pay or they would get me deported.

Fact she had proof from hospital of my condition did not matter.

Never overstay if it can be avoided, immigration are a law unto themselves when it suits them.

[ATF]

colinneil, on 09 Jan 2015 - 06:16, said:

I overstayed last year 35 days. 7 days before my retirement extention due , i had a serious accident.

Iwas unable to do my extention, due to being in a coma.

When i was able to tell my wife she went to immigration, and was treated terribly by them.

They insisted she pay 20.000 baht overstay( before anybody tells me it should have been 17.500) i know but

they insisted she pay or they would get me deported.

Fact she had proof from hospital of my condition did not matter.

Never overstay if it can be avoided, immigration are a law unto themselves when it suits them.

Your doctor and the hospital was negligent in not issuing a letter for an extension of stay on medical grounds. Most hospitals will arrange this for you.

You say your wife had proof, but Immigration need an official letter from the hospital.

[colinneil]

ATF my wife had an official letter from hospital it made no difference.

Immigration officer would not listen.

[lazygourmet]

ATF my wife had an official letter from hospital it made no difference.

Immigration officer would not listen.

I did overstay three months during 2011 flooding.

I had an official letter from Nonthaburi immigration to cover the reason of my overstay but, at the airport, I still had to fork out to 20,000 fine...

[Neeranam]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

[ATF]

colinneil, on 09 Jan 2015 - 06:46, said:

ATF my wife had an official letter from hospital it made no difference.

Immigration officer would not listen.

Sorry to hear that Colin but the IO was definitely wrong.

[willyumiii]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

My dearest Neeranam...

I, the OP, do realize that there are justified reasons for an overstay. Illness, death, injury....and there are provisions to deal with all of these.

Even in the event of the death of a close one....life still goes on and so do it's responsibilities.

" I forgot" and I didn't care" just don't cut it.

Sorry, but that is the real world!

[krisb]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

What a story!

[samsensam]

why indeed.

why date/marry a bar girl/prostitute?

why pay someone to be your g/f, b/f or wife?

common sense says dont do these things but the problem with common sense it that its not that common.

[kurtramsbottom]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

My dearest Neeranam...

I, the OP, do realize that there are justified reasons for an overstay. Illness, death, injury....and there are provisions to deal with all of these.

Even in the event of the death of a close one....life still goes on and so do it's responsibilities.

" I forgot" and I didn't care" just don't cut it.

Sorry, but that is the real world!

Willyumiii would you grass on a person you knew were overstaying?

[Neeranam]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

What a story!

That was 13 years ago and he very nearly died too but now stronger than ever.

It's also hard on some guys who are getting on in years. I've forgotten my 90 day reporting but always got off with it. Speaking Isarn and directing my kids what to say always works.

[tom21]

I can not see why I would want or anyone would want to overstay in Thailand , it is not that good. the main reason why people overstay is that it looked like a good idea at the time

[robblok]

Purely economical,

I mean I can understand it for a few days overstay, it might be cheaper and less of a hassle to overstay 4 days then get a visa. The people at the airport make no problems, however if your caught before..... not a risk id take.

[Gayllips]

There are circumstances where an overstay is understood but the fact is that there are overstayers who deliberately break the rules because they believe that the rules don’t count for them.

Some of these cretins even know that they will overstay before they have arrived in the kingdom.

If someone intentionally breaks the law they should be thrown into the can to rot, it is ridiculous that these morons do as they please while honest law abiding people are made to jump through loops.

This board is now becoming a haven for undesirables.

We even have a member on this board who boasts about how he can bend or break the ed visa rules with no repercussions and brags about how he was able to make a gay hardcore porno movie in Thailand on a tourist visa and without a work permit.

If someone comes on this board and boasts about drink driving they would be shot down and torn to shreds, so why are some criminals treated as heroes on this board?

[robblok]

There are circumstances where an overstay is understood but the fact is that there are overstayers who deliberately break the rules because they believe that the rules don’t count for them.

Some of these cretins even know that they will overstay before they have arrived in the kingdom.

If someone intentionally breaks the law they should be thrown into the can to rot, it is ridiculous that these morons do as they please while honest law abiding people are made to jump through loops.

This board is now becoming a haven for undesirables.

We even have a member on this board who boasts about how he can bend or break the ed visa rules with no repercussions and brags about how he was able to make a gay hardcore porno movie in Thailand on a tourist visa and without a work permit.

If someone comes on this board and boasts about drink driving they would be shot down and torn to shreds, so why are some criminals treated as heroes on this board?

Because drinking and driving endangers others and making a porn movie does not... Logic alien to many Thaivisa members. Then again the amount of alcoholics here will always say that drink driving is ok. But I was not drunk.. but I drive better drunk as a Thai sober.. That kind pathetic excuses.

But let us not forget before the Thais did not care to much about overstaying as long as you were not caught and paid at the airport. It was only till recent they changed the laws. Many got away with years of overstay, it was the Thais who did not care.

[Gayllips]

There are circumstances where an overstay is understood but the fact is that there are overstayers who deliberately break the rules because they believe that the rules don’t count for them.

Some of these cretins even know that they will overstay before they have arrived in the kingdom.

If someone intentionally breaks the law they should be thrown into the can to rot, it is ridiculous that these morons do as they please while honest law abiding people are made to jump through loops.

This board is now becoming a haven for undesirables.

We even have a member on this board who boasts about how he can bend or break the ed visa rules with no repercussions and brags about how he was able to make a gay hardcore porno movie in Thailand on a tourist visa and without a work permit.

If someone comes on this board and boasts about drink driving they would be shot down and torn to shreds, so why are some criminals treated as heroes on this board?

Because drinking and driving endangers others and making a porn movie does not... Logic alien to many Thaivisa members. Then again the amount of alcoholics here will always say that drink driving is ok. But I was not drunk.. but I drive better drunk as a Thai sober.. That kind pathetic excuses.

But let us not forget before the Thais did not care to much about overstaying as long as you were not caught and paid at the airport. It was only till recent they changed the laws. Many got away with years of overstay, it was the Thais who did not care.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

A criminal is still a criminal no matter how you dress them up.

[SOTIRIOS]

....the whole process of......visa......legal..illegal.....constantly......is very stressful.......

...add the uncertainty due to the constantly changing conditions and the sometimes seemingly arbitrary application of the laws.....

...if you have it all settled and sorted out for yourself...good for you.....

...don't 'bash' other people....

...I am sure they are doing the best that they can....trying to comply.....

...don't forget that they don't have the convenience of ..........'just saying sorry and it all goes away' ..............

Edited January 9, 2015 by SOTIRIOS

[robblok]

There are circumstances where an overstay is understood but the fact is that there are overstayers who deliberately break the rules because they believe that the rules don’t count for them.

Some of these cretins even know that they will overstay before they have arrived in the kingdom.

If someone intentionally breaks the law they should be thrown into the can to rot, it is ridiculous that these morons do as they please while honest law abiding people are made to jump through loops.

This board is now becoming a haven for undesirables.

We even have a member on this board who boasts about how he can bend or break the ed visa rules with no repercussions and brags about how he was able to make a gay hardcore porno movie in Thailand on a tourist visa and without a work permit.

If someone comes on this board and boasts about drink driving they would be shot down and torn to shreds, so why are some criminals treated as heroes on this board?

Because drinking and driving endangers others and making a porn movie does not... Logic alien to many Thaivisa members. Then again the amount of alcoholics here will always say that drink driving is ok. But I was not drunk.. but I drive better drunk as a Thai sober.. That kind pathetic excuses.

But let us not forget before the Thais did not care to much about overstaying as long as you were not caught and paid at the airport. It was only till recent they changed the laws. Many got away with years of overstay, it was the Thais who did not care.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

A criminal is still a criminal no matter how you dress them up.

So you never used the services of a bar girl.. (prostitution is a crime). Id say almost all of us are criminals here.

There are gradations of crime.. putting people at risk by driving drunk is in a different category as making a porn movie. But I guess logic is wasted on people like that. I am a criminal too.. I drive on the right side of the road with my kawasaki ERN6 and I accept my punishment.

*correction I mean right lane.. not right side of the road I would never ever go against trafic here on my bike even though its quite common*

Edited January 9, 2015 by robblok

[chrisinth]

I think that it is important to remember that at the moment immigration is tightening up what was once lax regulations on the overstay issue. The 'relaxation' of these rules made overstay an easy hurdle to overcome, stay as long as you want, keep your nose clean, don't get stopped, pay your 20,000 baht, leave and start the process all over again.

Yes, of course it is abuse of the system, but for decades it was a tolerated abuse and IMHO, made it no harder for people walking the narrow straight line by getting correct visas and extentions to stay here. Now things are changing, not directly for those overstaying, but for people being illegally employed (as I read it), but this obviously has a knock-on effect.

In addition, and I think this is important, not every visitor is a long term TV member where information is available to them. The majority of advice threads we see seem to come from people reaching out for advice as a last hope. Most but not all.

There are obviously different reasons why people overstay and I can certainly feel sympathy for some of them.

Others, not so much.

"Everyone has a plan, until they get a punch in the face."

Lovely little adage as sometimes it doesn't take that much to upset the apple cart..................

Just for clarity, i have never abused the system, this is just a viewpoint.

[John1thru10]

The problem is they spend all their cash on booze and hookers and waste the rest.

In other words, that's what ATF does and assumes its universal

[Gayllips]

....the whole process of......visa......legal..illegal.....constantly......is very stressful.......

...add the uncertainty due to the constantly changing conditions and the sometimes of arbitrary application of the laws.....

...if you have it all settled and sorted out for yourself...good for you.....

...don't 'bash' other people....

...I am sure they are doing the best that they can....trying to comply.....

...don't forget that they don't have the convenience of ..........'just saying sorry and it all goes away' ..............

And there lies the problem, many make absolutely no effort to comply.

These morons actions are premeditated and planned.

[robblok]

The problem is they spend all their cash on booze and hookers and waste the rest.

In other words, that's what ATF does and assumes its universal

Shhhhtt... and ATF is a criminal too for doing that.. just like gayllips says.

[John1thru10]

Cranky Old Man on TVF...WHY?

[Mosha]

Some think they are under the radar, and will never get caught.

[robblok]

Some think they are under the radar, and will never get caught.

I don't get that one.. I mean once you have to cross the border. Though honestly in all my 9 years here I have never ever been asked for my visa. Except the time I did my Thai driverslicense.

[Time Traveller]

The OP is unfair to label overstayers as careless. Many years ago I was once on a 120 day overstay simply because the company's HR people informed me there was no need to go to immigration and I could stay until the end of my extension of stay stamp after I quit my job. Here was someone in contact with immigration frequently and immigration never informed any applicant that extensions of stay stamp may be invalidated the day you resign. In fact, immigration in those days never even spoke to the applicants and dealt directly with the company's HR dept.

[starky]

People have a multitude of reasons and lets be very clear it was Thailand that was very lax about it compared to other countries and I guess until recently a lot of people didn't take it too seriously. All the prudes and stiffs will say what they say and nothing will change. When I first started coming here 16 years ago my offshore rotation was 35 and 35. With my travel time to work I was always in Thailand for 32 days. Basically for years I was a serial overstayer (bring on the haters...) I was always 2 days over but I always wanted to stay here as long as I could and paying 1000 baht at the airport for me was the most viable option. Nothing was ever said and many times immigration waived the fine with a smile and a joke. There was never any mention or indication that I was doing anything serious and as I said I did that for years. Now I have a non-o and do the right thing but I would never want to become one of these self righteous TV posters to seem to know everything about Thai law and are so quick to decry the evil falang who occasionally might do something wrong. Leave it up to police and immigration to deal with that and worry about your own life.

[robblok]

People have a multitude of reasons and lets be very clear it was Thailand that was very lax about it compared to other countries and I guess until recently a lot of people didn't take it too seriously. All the prudes and stiffs will say what they say and nothing will change. When I first started coming here 16 years ago my offshore rotation was 35 and 35. With my travel time to work I was always in Thailand for 32 days. Basically for years I was a serial overstayer (bring on the haters...) I was always 2 days over but I always wanted to stay here as long as I could and paying 1000 baht at the airport for me was the most viable option. Nothing was ever said and many times immigration waived the fine with a smile and a joke. There was never any mention or indication that I was doing anything serious and as I said I did that for years. Now I have a non-o and do the right thing but I would never want to become one of these self righteous TV posters to seem to know everything about Thai law and are so quick to decry the evil falang who occasionally might do something wrong. Leave it up to police and immigration to deal with that and worry about your own life.

2 whole days... and that many times in a row.. how dare you.. bad boy... God this is on par with genocide.

[willyumiii]

I have a friend who was 8 years overstayed and had a very good reason I thought but obviously the OP won't. He had been here over 10 years and when he was due to renew his marriage visa his wife of 8 years was admitted to hospital. He was shocked to find that she had AIDS and she died. He couldn't leave her bedside up country to travel to BKK. After the funeral and discovering he was HIV + and also became an mentally ill with depression. He couldn't afford the overstay. One month led to another then one year to another.

So OP and all the other ignoramuses get off your high perch and have some compassion.

You may become ill one day, physically or mentally - nobody is exempt.

My dearest Neeranam...

I, the OP, do realize that there are justified reasons for an overstay. Illness, death, injury....and there are provisions to deal with all of these.

Even in the event of the death of a close one....life still goes on and so do it's responsibilities.

" I forgot" and I didn't care" just don't cut it.

Sorry, but that is the real world!

Willyumiii would you grass on a person you knew were overstaying?

I am American and am not sure exactly what "grass" means. I assume it means turn someone in???

No, I would not.

I believe in karma and feel all deeds are rewarded or punished on their own eventually.

One of my closest friends in the country has been here since the 70s and has no pasport.

I am fine with that.

But, he is not online whining like he is being mistreated.

[chrisinth]

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People have a multitude of reasons and lets be very clear it was Thailand that was very lax about it compared to other countries and I guess until recently a lot of people didn't take it too seriously. All the prudes and stiffs will say what they say and nothing will change. When I first started coming here 16 years ago my offshore rotation was 35 and 35. With my travel time to work I was always in Thailand for 32 days. Basically for years I was a serial overstayer (bring on the haters...) I was always 2 days over but I always wanted to stay here as long as I could and paying 1000 baht at the airport for me was the most viable option. Nothing was ever said and many times immigration waived the fine with a smile and a joke. There was never any mention or indication that I was doing anything serious and as I said I did that for years. Now I have a non-o and do the right thing but I would never want to become one of these self righteous TV posters to seem to know everything about Thai law and are so quick to decry the evil falang who occasionally might do something wrong. Leave it up to police and immigration to deal with that and worry about your own life.

If i remember correctly, overstay was 200 baht a day then.

As i said in an earlier post, it used to be tolerated with no comebacks, especially for a 2 day overstay. I suspect it wouldn't be too different today given your circumstances, but at least now you have the option of extending for another 30 days.