Over-Stay Charges / Border Run Question

[steve187]

Anyone that has overstayed their permission to stay stamp is liable to arrest regardless of any visa they hold.

Why do people do it, 2 things are the most important in Thailand,

1, your permission to stay stamp date. and

2, your passport.

surely it is so easy to remember those 2 simple things, - ''when do i have to leave the country'' and ''where is my passport''

people that forget one of these things are irresponsible, and should travel with a responsible adult.

Why do people do it ...you ask.

Basically "they", as in some other people , do "IT" because there are no harsh enforcements of the immigration laws for that particular violation of the Thai immigration laws....And that is the best way to have IT while that is the way it has been for 30 plus years and I am more than certain 99 % of the foreigners coming to Thailand would want "IT" to remain the way IT has always been.

In other words: Please do not encourage the immigration authorities or other relevant Thai government authorities to criminalize and or harshly penalize anyone for overstaying their visa.

Cheers

I dont encourage anyone, the Thai authorities do as they please, people that take the mickey out of the system, and overstay because they can are the ones that encourage the authorities to think about tougher penalties for overstayers.

Your writing is very colorful are you an artist,

[stoneyboy]

As always obfuscation on the part of certain posters leads to mis information and bickering,if people clearly state what visa they have from the get go all this can be answered clearly and concisely by the many excellent people and moderators who frequent this site.

Nothing is gained by being an expert on Thai immigration and visa issues,all of which can be clearly understood by searching the Internet,the biggest problem is inconsistency on the part of Thai immigration offices throughout the Kingdom and neighbouring embassies and consulates.

It takes about 2 hours to understand the rules that apply to your own personal situation,it's really very very easy after a while.

Edited December 13, 2015 by stoneyboy

[Stuey747]

Lmao! 'Do i get charged overstay when im not in the country'!!!! Really?! Made my day...

[4evermaat]

"Multiple entry" means you are allowed to leave Thailand, you are not obliged to do so. It's up to the immigration. You can also send a lawyer to immigration if you're afraid to show up personally. This is for Pattaya Immigration, maybe handled in a different manner elsewhere.

If you have a multiple entry non immigrant visa issued by an embassy it only allows a 90 day entry unless it is one that that has an A at the end like a non-oa visa does which allows a one year entry.

Only if you apply for an extension of stay can you stay longer than 90 days or one year with a OA visa.

Exactly. You *can* leave and return to Thailand without any need for a new visa. Your temporary absence should not be considered to be a border run just because you visited one of the neighbouring countries. Believe it or not, I've been through that quite a few times.

And, of course, I had a severe dispute with a German guy at the immigration who thought he knew it better and adviced me to go for a "visa walk" to Cambodia when my pensions were withhold by German banks. Guess this German is not working for Immigration in Jomtien anymore.

You are confusing a Visa with Permission to Stay or Extension of Permission to Stay. In this example, you are confusing a 1 year extension with a 1 year non-immigrant visa. Normally you get 90 days permission to stay. An exception is the non-OA and the thai elite visas which gives you 1 year permission to stay on each entry. Some people can then choose to extend their permission to stay with a 1 year extension at a local immigration office; this requires certain paperwork and approval.

So for those with a multiple entry visa that is still valid, instead of extending in-country, they can just do an Out-In border run at the end of their permission to stay (normally 90 days for a non-imm visa) and then get a new 90 day permission to stay stamp. They can do this as often as they want until their visa expires.

It's worth pasting the quote here for this thread:

....The confusion is usually about not understanding the difference between visa and extension of [permission to] stay. Most expats not intimate with the process often confuse the two and call everything that allows them to stay in the country a 'visa'.

Visas are mostly issued at Thai Embassies or [honorary] Consulates outside Thailand. there are minor exceptions when converting a tourist visa to a non-o at the Bangkok immigration (Chaeng wattana or maybe airport locations).

permission to stay are always granted at the entry border immigration when you actually enter Thailand. The stamp tells you how long you are allowed to stay in-country.

extensions of stay (or extension of permission to stay) are normally granted at local immigration offices where you reside, The new stamp tells you how much longer you are allowed to stay in-country.

When you hear the term visa exempt, that just means you just got a permission to stay without getting a visa first; only available for certain countries. Some confusion is caused when people say that they got a visa-on-arrival, but really it was visa exempt. Only a few countries qualify for visa on-arrival, you normally either use the visa exempt privilege or apply for a visa at a Thai embassy/consulate prior to arrival. I think I covered everything.

[micmichd]

Exactly, that's the law.

Not very different from UK at times when I was young, except I only needed a passport (no visa) for a one year extension of stay.