90 day report - required or not ?

[magpie3]

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Hi guys,

A rare post from me I know, but this is personal and almost confessional in it's nature,

- a personal experience :

About 4/5 years ago I had a Non Immigrant class O visa (from memory 6 months duration). Left Thailand for the UK before the visa expiry having forgotten to do the 90 day report and not been out of the country at all.

Airline staff (Thai Airways?) at check-in commented on the lack of a current stamp in the passport regarding permission to stay. My only defence (of no real validity) was that the departure card was stapled tightly over the stamp that indicated the permission to stay date, so even when I opened the passport there was nothing to remind me of the duration of my tenure in Thailand. Yeah, I know what you're thinking and I'm pretty annoyed with myself for being so complacent about the paperwork.

Here's the rub -

Dragged to immigration and told to pay £400 (can't remember the exchange rate) calculated on a daily rate/maximum value -I guess I had almost 90 days of fines as the arrival stamp would have given me 90 days.

I argued my visa was valid to no avail. So I guessed I was being fined for not doing the 90 day report. (£400 ??!!!!)

Credit card - ? Oh no. Nothing do simple.

Cash only ---!? in Baht---?!

At the time my UK bank only allowed me £200 per day - do not know if the machine would have given me £400 but my wife used her card for the other £200. Who knows what would have happened to anyone without the cash - I almost missed the flight as it was with an atm available close by.

So there's my cautionary tale.

You can cut it up any way you want, and I did carry out numerous post mortems on the beast (seething as i went through it all in my mind, LOL) but I NEVER underestimated the importance or necessity of that report again.

Depends what "visa" you had !

Airline staff did not cause any problem and they did not "drag you" to immigration !

Most likely you did indeed overstay your "permitted to stay" date and were fined correctly the 20,000Bht(£400) for an overstay equaling or exceeding 40 days which was discovered by immigration as you attempted to exit .

This was nothing to do with 90 day reports and if you care to check your passport there is a stamp detailing the overstay and the fine paid.

You will also have been given a receipt for the fine paid.

What purpose is served by your post ?

About as much purpose as your post considering Ubon already - politely - clarified what must have happened.

Has the cat you normally kick gone out mousing?

[Schmeen]

Ah well, I'll continue as I am, they have never ever said anything to date. Actually I'm thinking of complaining about the inconvenience of being dragged there once a year for an hour.......5555

some people cause problems for themself, don't come crying on here when the **** hits the fan

Hahahaha...... you funny I like you..... what exactly could happen to me?

I'd get fined.... couple of thousand baht.... hardly the shit hitting the fan, my agent would probably pay it.

Ten years and nothing, and my next visa is due end of May, I'm due to leave Thailand 3 times before then, doubt I'm going to have any issues again.....

and you don't strike me as someone I'd need to go crying to either.