Overstay

[Mahseer]

Can someone confirm that paying for overstay is straight forward at the airport, I know it is at Bangkok but have never been in the situation to have to pay in CM. I am only talking 3 days but just need someone with prior experience to confirm.

Thanks

[tominchaam]

Can someone confirm that paying for overstay is straight forward at the airport, I know it is at Bangkok but have never been in the situation to have to pay in CM. I am only talking 3 days but just need someone with prior experience to confirm.

Thanks

CM or BKK makes no difference. Just give yourself some extra time as you are likely to be taken to another officer next to the normal passport checking.

[chanchao]

Note that if you pass immigration in Chiang Mai, you can contact the overstay desk even before submitting your passport. It's on the left hand side just before the usual immigration booths.

Doesn't matter though, otherwise the usual immigration guy will spot the overstay soon enough, then you will go to said desk, pay the fine and get a receipt.

BTW.. don't get caught before that.. Could mean serious trouble. (This as a warning to anyone else reading this at any time in the future thinking that overstay is no big deal: It can be. But if you make it to the airport immigration then it's indeed not a big deal.

I believe it's 500 baht a day now? Or 400? Anyway.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Mahseer]

Thanks lads. Yes I wil be clearing immigration in CM and know the office you refer to. 1 day overstay is waived but 2 days the cost is 1000baht (to make up for the freebie!) and 500baht a day thereafter.

Thanks again

[PREM-R]

I was at Nong Khai border post last week (waiting for GF to come back from Duty Free shopping) when the officer from the overstay office came out and sat with me. He spoke good English and we chatted for a while. I asked him about the "official" line on overstay, he told me that now if you overstay just one day you pay (500 baht) so no grace period, if you overstay 40 days (20,000 baht) which is the maximum then he is required to call the police to arrest you even if you have the money to pay the fine. He said the only place that will deal with long overstay is Bangkok Airport and, even there, for a very long overstay they have the option of "blacklisting". So if you have a big overstay, go to Bangkok, keep out of the way of the police and have the fine money and a ticket out of Thailand. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE A LAND BORDER

[jackr]

I wouldn't even risk one day. Got fined a few years ago for just the one day and also had a bit of a bollocking. Not worth the nasty stamp in there should it adversely affect being granted future visas etc and, of course, if you get stopped before you get to the airport; look out! Nearly overstayed a couple years back by 8 hours, but decided to pay the 1,900 even for that as was going for a non-imm visa the day after so wasn't worth the risk of possibly being refused I thought. With all that's going on with the visa situation at the moment, I'd be inclined to stay clean.

[Mahseer]

For clarification I went out to the airport and had an excellent chat with one of the officers on the immigration departure desks and he verified exactly what Chancao said in an earlier post:

If you pass immigration in Chiang Mai, you can contact the overstay desk even before submitting your passport. It's on the left hand side just before the usual immigration booth doesn't matter though, otherwise the usual immigration guy will spot the overstay soon enough, then you will go to said desk, pay the fine and get a receipt.

The officer also reinterated very clearly what Chancao also pointed out:

BTW.. don't get caught before that.. Could mean serious trouble.[/i]

I offered to pay the fine ahead of time but was told I couldn't as I need to be stamped out of the country which they obviously cannot do prior to actual departure.