This is a question for Ubon Joe

A friend of mine was on a tourist visa, whilst on this visa he had to apply for a new passport, by the time the passport arrived he was on a 28 day overstay from his Tourist Visa and Immigration in Hua Hin told him the stamps could not be transferred as he was on a overstay and the visa was no longer valid, he then went to the Nong Khai border ready to pay the overstay fine and depart but he was refused and they told him he could only leave by air which he did

Why was he not allowed to leave via Nong Khai and pay the overstay fine there?

Edited December 17, 201510 yr by darrendsd

If your question is only for UbonJoe why don't you send him a PM?

Because i'm not sure if he appreciates PM's at 8 30 at night

Do you have anything positive to contribute?

Laos could have refused entry as he would not have any exit stamps in his valid passport. Travel by land requires the exit stamps - by air they are not required and suspect the overstay would prevent a normal transfer into new passport.

Laos could have refused entry as he would not have any exit stamps in his valid passport. Travel by land requires the exit stamps - by air they are not required and suspect the overstay would prevent a normal transfer into new passport.

He was refused exit at Nong Khai, not entry into Laos

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Because i'm not sure if he appreciates PM's at 8 30 at night

Do you have anything positive to contribute?

Yes.

PM a member if you want a personal reply from them.

You know it makes sense.

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Yes. Because he had nothing to transfer. His stay had expired and he was on overstay.

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Yes. Because he had nothing to transfer. His stay had expired and he was on overstay.

I understand this but why was he allowed to leave and pay the overstay via the Airport however not via a land crossing?

Edited December 17, 201510 yr by darrendsd

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Yes. Because he had nothing to transfer. His stay had expired and he was on overstay.

I understand this but why was he allowed to leave and pay the overstay via the Airport however not via a land crossing?

I don't know.

I assume that it is to do with the new/invalid passport issue and not having an entry stamp in the new passport being used to exit. If the old passport is invalid then it can't be used. I don't think it has anything to do with the overstay.

Edit:

The IO would have to stamp the exit in his invalid passport (not sure if thats possible). When he entered Laos he wouldn't have an exit stamp from Thailand in the new passport so they wouldn't let him in. So that is probably the reason. Flying gets around the exit stamp issue.

Edited December 17, 201510 yr by elviajero

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Yes. Because he had nothing to transfer. His stay had expired and he was on overstay.

I understand this but why was he allowed to leave and pay the overstay via the Airport however not via a land crossing?

I think it has to be done at an immigration office, not at the border. But there is an immigration office down the street from the Nong Khai border. I wonder why they didn't direct him there.

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Yes. Because he had nothing to transfer. His stay had expired and he was on overstay.

I understand this but why was he allowed to leave and pay the overstay via the Airport however not via a land crossing?

I think it has to be done at an immigration office, not at the border. But there is an immigration office down the street from the Nong Khai border. I wonder why they didn't direct him there.

Exactly what I said to him however he is insistent that they told him he could only leave by air which he then did, this was after a 12 hour drive from Hua Hin

I assume he was showing both passports when he was trying to leave. The old one must be used to show the entry/permit to stay stamp.

Did he have a letter from his embassy requesting the stamp transfer?

Normally immigration at Nong Khai will clear an overstay after the fine is paid and allow a person to leave. Lots of people have done it with a longer overstay.

What stamps are you talking about being transferred to the new passport?

Pretty sure they do not transfer tourist visas.

I'm surprised he was able to get the original tourist visa with his passport so close to expiry and that he was able to use it to enter Thailand for the same reason.

Thanks UbonJoe, I will ask him

He was on a Single Entry Tourist Visa

His PP was full not expiring

He was told from 3 different Immigration officers that it is a new rule, if on a overstay due to changing Passports then it is only possible to fly out to clear the overstay, if this only applies if you were on a Tourist Visa I have no idea

No exit by land for some affrican passports

No exit by land for some affrican passports

Only if they were not allowed to enter the other country would that be done..

Pretty sure they do not transfer tourist visas.

Yes they will... at Chaeng Wattana, anyway. When I was picking up my new passport recently, I met a fellow countryman there who was also picking up a new passport.

We shared a taxi out to CW, and he got the stamps transferred and a 30 day extension to the second entry of his tourist visa all in one go.

Pretty sure they do not transfer tourist visas.

Yes they will... at Chaeng Wattana, anyway. When I was picking up my new passport recently, I met a fellow countryman there who was also picking up a new passport.

We shared a taxi out to CW, and he got the stamps transferred and a 30 day extension to the second entry of his tourist visa all in one go.

His visa was certainly not transferred. Immigration cannot transfer a visa. All they did was a annotation of his visa and then transferred his entry/permit to stay stamp to his new passport. And then did the extension in the new passport.

If he had not been applying for the 30 day extension immigration might of turned him away and told him to do it on departure from the country.

Pretty sure they do not transfer tourist visas.

Yes they will... at Chaeng Wattana, anyway. When I was picking up my new passport recently, I met a fellow countryman there who was also picking up a new passport.

We shared a taxi out to CW, and he got the stamps transferred and a 30 day extension to the second entry of his tourist visa all in one go.

Immigration never transfer visas, they only transfer permission to stay.

Because i'm not sure if he appreciates PM's at 8 30 at night

Do you have anything positive to contribute?

a PM at 8.30pm is hardly a phone call in the middle of the night is it?

Because i'm not sure if he appreciates PM's at 8 30 at night

Do you have anything positive to contribute?

a PM at 8.30pm is hardly a phone call in the middle of the night is it?

Sigh,

Anyway moving on...

He is a British Citizen, he had the Embassy letter, both Passports and the money to pay the 28 day overstay, they wouldn't let him exit and told him he could only fly out to clear the overstay, he was on a single entry tourist visa, the visa had expired as he was on a overstay, his old passport had not expired, it was just full of stamps hence the need to get a new one

He is a British Citizen, he had the Embassy letter, both Passports and the money to pay the 28 day overstay, they wouldn't let him exit and told him he could only fly out to clear the overstay, he was on a single entry tourist visa, the visa had expired as he was on a overstay, his old passport had not expired, it was just full of stamps hence the need to get a new one

Was he trying to leave on a weekend or after 4:30 pm? If he was then that may be why he was turned away. The officers at the bridge send people to the immigration office near the bridge when it is open to have stamp transfers done.

He is a British Citizen, he had the Embassy letter, both Passports and the money to pay the 28 day overstay, they wouldn't let him exit and told him he could only fly out to clear the overstay, he was on a single entry tourist visa, the visa had expired as he was on a overstay, his old passport had not expired, it was just full of stamps hence the need to get a new one

Was he trying to leave on a weekend or after 4:30 pm? If he was then that may be why he was turned away. The officers at the bridge send people to the immigration office near the bridge when it is open to have stamp transfers done.

Not as far as I am aware Joe, he was told it's a new rule, he was told this by the officials at Nong Khai, he then phoned a Immigration Officer in Hua Hin who he knows and he confirmed it also

It all sounds strange to me that he was not allowed to transfer stamps and then exit as normal, I doubt he would have then gone to BKK and flew to Singapore unless he was totally sure that this was what he was being told

Laos could have refused entry as he would not have any exit stamps in his valid passport. Travel by land requires the exit stamps - by air they are not required and suspect the overstay would prevent a normal transfer into new passport.

He was refused exit at Nong Khai, not entry into Laos

Why could he not transfer the stamps from his old PP into his new PP at any Immigration as is normally the case? He was told that this was because he was on a overstay, is this correct?

Hi. That raises a peculiar question - i've been back and forth at that crossing many times but... after you've exited Thailand but are still going over the bridge on the bus, WHERE are you exactly ? Legally. Not in Laos yet ? In no-man's-land ? Where ?

Strange he could not exit on time with his old visa. Normally your Embassy would not keep your visa that is about to expire until the new one arrives. Then the old one is punched and returned to you.

Laos could have refused entry as he would not have any exit stamps in his valid passport. Travel by land requires the exit stamps - by air they are not required and suspect the overstay would prevent a normal transfer into new passport.

I don't understand this. I have exited by Nong Khai, with an overstay on a 90 day stamping run for a years visa. They cancelled the year's visa at the same time because it was out of time, although they would not have cancelled it if I had exited within the 8 days. They only exit stamp the passport when you actually exit. By air or whatever. My problem was returning.

Whereas the exiting officer gave me another 3 months, on returning the incoming officer cancelled the year's visa and gave me a 15 day tourist visa and when I complained he said I was lucky.

This was not just exit on an overstay - he also had that overstay in an invalid for travel passport. As explained they seem to be under orders to not allow stamp out in new passport in the case of overstay in old passport. By air this would not be an issue but by land access to other country could be refused due not having that stamp in valid passport. It was reported to be new policy.

This was not just exit on an overstay - he also had that overstay in an invalid for travel passport. As explained they seem to be under orders to not allow stamp out in new passport in the case of overstay in old passport. By air this would not be an issue but by land access to other country could be refused due not having that stamp in valid passport. It was reported to be new policy.

Going off what he was told by Immigration this does seem to be the case