Unclear situation of excempt extension

[Saenchai]

Hello together. I hope someone can help me. I also hope ppl let out the usual "follow the rules" posts and teaching posts without to do it better themselfs. Thanks. ANd please, read it 2 times before you jump on me and start flaming.

My problem:

I arrived in Thailand on day A, entered on a visa exepmt. On the trip to Thailand when getting on board as the woman in front of plane door checks the boarding card, she took it out of my passport and scratched a part of the page out of the passport...The age had a little scratch before but the boarding card got stuck in that scratch and so it took off a little amount of paper. Theres no data on that part of the page but anyway, the immigration at airport gave me problems.

First they didnt want to let me enter Thailand, they brought me to an higher officer (older woman) wich i had a good time with. We laughed after i explained her that im ok and was let in to Thailand with the last words" Ok, i see you no bad man, i let you go but only 1 time na, next time oyu need new passport". Of course added to that i got some wording wriiten into the passport and also to the computer. It was something like "The passenger was informed that he have to buy a new passport". Thats it.

Ok, so i thought np, anyway i either leave after 30 days or get employed and change the state. I came to get employed but was let down the day i entered Thailand and the company never answered me anymore. Then i started job search again and had the luck to get some new interviews. Now the problems start to arise. Some interviews are afer the initial 30 days wich brought me into the need of an exempt extension.

Today i was at immigration, filled out everything, she read the thing on my passport and said: Hmm, ok i give you extension, but only 1 time na". I didnt really understand this because i thought anyway i only get extension 1 time, why she mentioned "only one time" but anyway, thats not the problem. I start to sign the paper when she had a look into the computer, where exactly the same was written as in passport...Then she asked the older office woman to join and of course, that one said "sorry, mai dai". If its computer she cannot do but i help you what to do. But from now on i dont really understand whats happening anymore because they speak exactly as much english as i speak Thai... So we could talk but the needed details for this question wasnt really clear to me.

She told me i should go to my embassy and ask for an emergency passport. With this emergency passport i have to come back. THen i said "but my exempt end on monday (next moday and i was at immigration today). If i wait for emergency passport i will be on overstay. THen she replied "No, not overstay, i transfer exempt stamp to new passport. I really didnt understand what she meant with that and ask another time "my stamp end in 3 day, my passport take 1 or 2 weeks, can i still do it and come after 2 week to ask for extension? ANd she looked at the calendar and showed me the days with her pen...

Like "YOu see here, today and tomorrow and sunday office close (...) you go embassy on monday, ask for passport, after you have passport you come back, i transfer stamp."

Nw my question is, how the hell will this work? Im really scared that im going to jail when i arrive at immigration with 2 week of "overstay". You think she noted in the computer that i was there at that day or how in all world shouldt this work out?

Im really thankful for answers about what you think. And with "you" i mean people that could know what they talk about, im running out of time and have no sense for comics now.

I mean, i cannot even make a visa run now with this damn mark in passport. And i really really dont want to miss on this job opps because i spend a lot of money to come to Thailand to get employed, because that meant i had to give up room in my country and all that. Would be a big pain if i really have to fly home now, be there without job just because of this damn passport thing.

What i forget to say, 2 woman where talking to me the same at immigration, since i mentioned, she took the older one into the discussion. So basically they both told me i wouldnt be on overstay.

[TerryLH]

"She told me i should go to my embassy and ask for an emergency passport. "

Do you really know how long an emergency passport takes to get from your Embassy?

I'd suggest you go talk to them.

[ubonjoe]

Getting a new passport does not make anything in your old passport void.

After you get the new passport you will show both passports on departure from the country and the will transfer you current permit to stay to the new one and stamp you out of the country in it.

If you are on an overstay when you leave the country you just pay the 500 baht per day fine. No jail and no ban from the country.

[Saenchai]

"She told me i should go to my embassy and ask for an emergency passport. "

Do you really know how long an emergency passport takes to get from your Embassy?

I'd suggest you go talk to them.

I was at the immigration before already and they told me it takes at least some days, up to 2 weeks. So i would be for sure in overstay.

And thats what i told her many times but she still everytime said "no overstay, i transfer stamp".

Ubonjoe, but i dont have plans to leave the country fast if i get employd. What would mean i have to go to the immigration in chaeng wattana soi 7, not on airport. And i read various things here what can happen there if i arrive with a 2 week overstay.

[nowretired]

If the passport is damaged to an extent whereby the document is considered to be invalid/unusable the OP has no choice . A new or emergency passport will have to be obtained.

Overstay will result in the OP having to leave Thailand after any fine has been paid

Obtaining a visa from a Thai embassy/ consulate in a nearby country would enable a return .

[ubonjoe]

The best thing to do is leave the country after you get your new passport. I would say going out for a tourist visa would be the best option.

Immigration will not do the 30 day extension with a 2 week overstay. They might let you pay the fine and get 7 days to leave the country after you pay the 1900 baht fee.

[paz]

Most countries can issue an emergency travel document the same or the following day. The OP should have done that earlier, but the note from immigration and the closeness of stay expiration should help with that. Then when he returns to Thailand he'll have all the time to receive a regular passport.

I would be curious see to the tear on a page with no data that Thai Immigration deemed serious enough to invalidate the passport.

[Saenchai]

I really wonder why the woman insisted that i wont be on overstay. But i will never know probaby...

This situation sucks.

[paz]

I really wonder why the woman insisted that i wont be on overstay. But i will never know probaby...

Because if you obtain an emergency travel document on Monday (which should be your last day allowed), they will issue the extension and transfer entry stamp. Even if you were to do that few days later you would just pay Bt 500 fine a day and still get the 30 days extension.

[Saenchai]

I really wonder why the woman insisted that i wont be on overstay. But i will never know probaby...

Because if you obtain an emergency travel document on Monday (which should be your last day allowed), they will issue the extension and transfer entry stamp. Even if you were to do that few days later you would just pay Bt 500 fine a day and still get the 30 days extension.

Are you 100% on this?

I have to decide on somethng tomorrow, today i got the letter that my passport is ready to get at embassy.

So when i do that im on a 3 day overstay and have to decide if i tke the risk and enter immigration to ask for the extension or if i fly to KL or something.

Now the other question is, if i fly tomorrow to KL, can i fly back the same day and get another exempt? THis would be 2 exempts after each other, first in start of june, the initial arriving, and now the next one starting july.

A flight to KL and back costs me 2400 Baht

[Mario2008]

A few days overstay is normally no problem.

A second visa exempt should also be no problem, but also depends on your travel history. If many visa exempt entries they can question you.

[Saenchai]

Well, i will have a new passport. Im not sure how it works with german passports, ive got told i have to bring my old one to embasyy and they damage it or destroy it, not sure. Sometime i also heard ppl have to carry it around so im not sure...will see it tomorrow.

So in the new passport wouldnt be any stamps but ive made alot of runs in the past. But years ago. The last visa run was 2010 i think, the entries after it where 1 B visa and a 2 year extension of that one. And followed by that the current stuff got stamped. What is the intial arrival of this trip, on a exepmt. Stamped until 7.July

All in all there are for sure 15 cambodia/laos runs in it but all happened before 2010. So what you think?

[paz]

All in all there are for sure 15 cambodia/laos runs in it but all happened before 2010. So what you think?

15 or 150 doesn't matter. You just need to pay the overstay fine, have the entry stamp transferred, pay and obtain an extension.

[Saenchai]

That answer was related to this:

"A second visa exempt should also be no problem, but also depends on your travel history."

Anyway, im going to get my passport now at embassy. Then i go to immigration and try it.

If my stamp says valid until 7.7.2015, does this mean the 7. is still inclueded? Probably yes.

So it means it would just be the 8. and maybe today, the 9 counted as overstay?

Well, ill let you know

[ubonjoe]

You will only pay for 2 days of overstay if you go today. That would be for yesterday and today.

[Saenchai]

OK, thank you everyone. I'm very nervous.... I hope all will be as easy as it sounds.

[Saenchai]

A little update.

I got my passport yesterday afternoon at 3.40, so i had no time to go to immigration because they close at 4.30 and would have told me to come next day anyway probably, when i arrive.

So i went there today and as you can see, im still alive :-) It was absolutley no problem, i didnt get asked a single question why or what.

I arrived with my cue number, approached her in Thai-language, she smiled and told me to take a seat. I "accidentaly" dropped my old work permit and some western union recievemoney slips and she told me to show her my documents.

Then i just sayd "wait 1 minute, theres a little story to it" and told her that i was here already, showing her the old application form from last week. I showed her both passports, new and old one and the first and nearly only thing she said was "ok, you have 3 day overstay, yo upay 1500 + 1900 = 3400 Baht and continued to write the forms.

Then it was 11.45, and she told me that she bai ginkao now, i have to wait until 1 o clock (i smiled and said ok, i didnt eat yet too, all in thai of course). I went back at 1 o clock, recieved my 30 day extension and signed the documents, payed the money and went home.

End of story

[FritsSikkink]

A little update.

I got my passport yesterday afternoon at 3.40, so i had no time to go to immigration because they close at 4.30 and would have told me to come next day anyway probably, when i arrive.

So i went there today and as you can see, im still alive :-) It was absolutley no problem, i didnt get asked a single question why or what.

I arrived with my cue number, approached her in Thai-language, she smiled and told me to take a seat. I "accidentaly" dropped my old work permit and some western union recievemoney slips and she told me to show her my documents.

Then i just sayd "wait 1 minute, theres a little story to it" and told her that i was here already, showing her the old application form from last week. I showed her both passports, new and old one and the first and nearly only thing she said was "ok, you have 3 day overstay, yo upay 1500 + 1900 = 3400 Baht and continued to write the forms.

Then it was 11.45, and she told me that she bai ginkao now, i have to wait until 1 o clock (i smiled and said ok, i didnt eat yet too, all in thai of course). I went back at 1 o clock, recieved my 30 day extension and signed the documents, payed the money and went home.

End of story

Good to hear you are ok. Next time a immigration officer tells you get a new passport, don't wait do it the next day.

[Saenchai]

Well, it was friday :-)

[Saenchai]

Ahh... sorry. I misunderstood.

The reason i did not make a new passport is simple, and there are even 2.

1. I didnt know its that that she wrote in there. She told me that i cannot enter Thailand anymore with this passport and thats what i thought she write there too. And the first week here i had no one to get it translated, with something like this i really dont want to go to the first Thai i meet and ask about it, its a private thing. And the others cannot speak english well enough to explain it to me. So i just had in mind that i wont be able to enter Thailand again. And i didnt expected to have to ask for an extension.

And after that first week i asked different people, inc a police guy (friend of friend) and they said that they think i will get an extension because im already here.

2. I trusted people who think they know things. I asked in a forum (not this one) if we (germans) can oder a new passport in the Thai embassy. And was told that its not ppossible... at least not a standard one, only an emergency passport is getable they said. And with that i would not be able to extend anyway.

Anyway, i learned something out of this now for sure. I will ask only the involved members directly next time, not trust others "thinkings". So yeah, im aware its my fault, dont bother with posting that :-)