Overstay....is there EVER a valid reason

[novo58]

The issue of overstays is "hot" at the moment due to the up-coming new regulations that will be applied after 20th March.

I have asked this question in many other threads , sometimes earning the ire of the mods.

So , a new thread specifically for this question .

Is there EVER a valid reason for an overstay , particularly one that extends into multiple years?

To my mind if the reason is health issues, or family issues .....................surely this is the exact reason that the matter should be formalised and legalised as quickly as possible ..................not just put in the too hard basket.

I am NOT interested in how one person's overstay affects others staying in Thailand..........................just why people overstay in the first place.

When we arrive in the kingdom we all know what we are entitled to, we all know re-newal dates, we all know the options that are available to us.

So just why do some people think that the law does not apply to them ????

[robblok]

I really hope they go on with forcing insurance on long term visa's a lot of the older guys then will be in overstay because they can't afford the insurance. It would cut back on holier then you post from people like the OP.

I get tired by how those who can get an easy visa look down on those who cant. Oh I am on the elite visa before people think I am on overstay.

[lkv]

The reason why people overstay is because it was a cost effective way to reside in Thailand long term, many also did it because they were sick and tired of border runs and because the risk of it was low and it could have always been paid off if necessary.

They just thought Thai laws in general are a joke.

They were right in their assesment up until now at least.

[F4UCorsair]

No there isn't.

Except.........and I agree with the OP on this, health and family issues, and as I understand it, a health problem is covered, but not sure about family.

Everybody knows their due date, so complying can't be difficult. Forgetting is not a valid excuse/reason. Neither are financial reasons. If you can't afford the visa runs, or whatever else is required, you can't afford to be in Thailand.

[novo58]

It took one post for someone to try to hijack this thread.....................great effort Robblock. And it is not a case of looking down on others..............if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

[robblok]

Now lets look at it.. a guy has 800.000 in the bank.. gets sick.. has to dip in his savings.. all of a sudden he does not qualify anymore and has to leave his family and friend behind here. Personally I have no problem with people who overstay. I see it as a victim-less crime. But I bet guys like novo would want them to wear yellow stars.

[taotoo]

I overstayed when my extension of stay application was held up by a relevant government department moving premises. The legal firm handling it didn't notify me until after I was already in overstay, and I'd assumed I'd already been given a 30 day temporary extension while the application was under consideration.

[robblok]

People overstay because especially for younger people there are not a lot of options for Visa's. Is it good.. no.. understandable..yes. Their life their risk and the Thais problems.

[lkv]

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

Well maybe it's not a valid reason for you but it was for those who overstayed.

I did not overstay myself apart from 3 days 3 years ago, genuine reason being I forgot.

You are in a country where everything has a price, and sadly, where local people themselves think it's ok for everything to have a price.

It's just that the people that overstayed took their moral guidance according to and from the country they found themselves in.

You've got to have models to follow no?

Edited March 10, 2016 by lkv

[ubonjoe]

Since this is just a commentary topic it does not belong in the visa forum. Moved to the pub.

[colinneil]

Please stop posting saying health reasons are accepted as a valid reason for overstay.

I was in a coma my retirement extention ran out.

When i was able to communicate with my wife i was now on 35 days overstay.

My wife went immediately to immigration was fined 20.000 baht for my overstay and was told that being in a coma was not an accepted excuse.

[CNXSTEVE]

There's always a valid reason, even if it is a lack of funds. One cap does not fit all. All the pontificators better hope that karma does not come back and bite their asses.

[MrTee]

Why are some TVF users overly concerned with everyone else's status?

If you are not over staying then good for you.
If you are over staying then seek help, and take control of the situation before you get captured and banned.

Is there EVER a valid reason to concern your self with everyone else's business?

[ukrules]

I overstayed by a few weeks once. There was this volcano disrupting european air traffic and when I called to rebook my flight the told me it would weeks later before I could get another seat (Eva Air), this would put me well into overstay by about 3 weeks I think. The volcano interrupted air traffic a few days before I was due to fly and with just 1 flight a day I guess there were a thousand or more people trying to rebook seats on planes which were already nearly full - this can lead to massive delays as they fit people in where they can.

The government had made two announcements about people on overstays due to this situation. The first saying nobody would need to pay any overstay fine for the fist couple of weeks, the second one saying nobody would pay any fine whatsoever if delayed for any amount of time due to the volcano.

There were some disagreements about the announcements when it came to immigration. The lady from Eva Air in charge of the check in process argued my point with immigration for over an hour before they backed down and allowed me to leave without paying. It wouldn't have been a big deal anyway but I argued my point and won.

So not only did I overstay by some 20 odd days but I didn't pay any fine either. This is the very definition of a valid reason.

Edited March 10, 2016 by ukrules

[hobobo]

Now lets look at it.. a guy has 800.000 in the bank.. gets sick.. has to dip in his savings.. all of a sudden he does not qualify anymore and has to leave his family and friend behind here. Personally I have no problem with people who overstay. I see it as a victim-less crime. But I bet guys like novo would want them to wear yellow stars.

Quite right, and these should be with cross-hairs in them, imo!

[NoshowJones]

It took one post for someone to try to hijack this thread.....................great effort Robblock. And it is not a case of looking down on others..............if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

..if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Another selfish poster with no thought for others. What about those who have been here for years, under fifty, have contributed greatly to

Thailands economy, have bought houses, cars etc?

These guys suddenly find out that they have to jump through more hoops financially. Novo58 says if they find it financially hard to keep staying

here then they shouldn't be here, so as far as he is concerned, they should just leave their houses, cars, belongings, GFs/wives behind and go

back to their own countries.

I hope this poster falls on hard times and see how he likes it.

[garyinhuahin]

I think you need to qualify what you mean by 'valid'.

You, me and the rest of us here may find various reasons/excuses to be 'valid'. That doesn't mean that Thai authorities would, could, or should accept any of them to forgive penalties.

I do know one guy who died his way out of it. As far as I know, he was not fined....

[Crash999]

If you are sick and unable to travel you can get an extension on that basis already. In fact Bumrungrad has a floor with people who take care of this on behalf of their customers.

People overtstay because they can and the penalties were sometimes cheaper than complying. Times have changed.

[NoshowJones]

Please stop posting saying health reasons are accepted as a valid reason for overstay.

I was in a coma my retirement extention ran out.

When i was able to communicate with my wife i was now on 35 days overstay.

My wife went immediately to immigration was fined 20.000 baht for my overstay and was told that being in a coma was not an accepted excuse.

Much as I love Thailand Colin, what happened to you was unforgivable, yes Thailand has the right to make up it's rules like any other country, but

I find it hard to have any respect for the Thai Immigration, what you have mentioned is just another reason why I detest the "we are Guests in this country" brigade.

[jspill]

Maybe they read in Reuters how Thailand trafficked in thousands of migrants without visas, worked them to the bone, extorted them for money, tortured, killed and buried them in mass graves... and thought hmm ok maybe they don't take immigration rules all that seriously here?

[NoshowJones]

I overstayed by a few weeks once. There was this volcano disrupting european air traffic and when I called to rebook my flight the told me it would weeks later before I could get another seat (Eva Air), this would put me well into overstay by about 3 weeks I think. The volcano interrupted air traffic a few days before I was due to fly and with just 1 flight a day I guess there were a thousand or more people trying to rebook seats on planes which were already nearly full - this can lead to massive delays as they fit people in where they can.

The government had made two announcements about people on overstays due to this situation. The first saying nobody would need to pay any overstay fine for the fist couple of weeks, the second one saying nobody would pay any fine whatsoever if delayed for any amount of time due to the volcano.

There were some disagreements about the announcements when it came to immigration. The lady from Eva Air in charge of the check in process argued my point with immigration for over an hour before they backed down and allowed me to leave without paying. It wouldn't have been a big deal anyway but I argued my point and won.

So not only did I overstay by some 20 odd days but I didn't pay any fine either. This is the very definition of a valid reason.

Yes it is, but Colin Neills reason was a lot more valid than yours, and there were others with genuine health reasons like Colins.

[NoshowJones]

I think you need to qualify what you mean by 'valid'.

You, me and the rest of us here may find various reasons/excuses to be 'valid'. That doesn't mean that Thai authorities would, could, or should accept any of them to forgive penalties.

I do know one guy who died his way out of it. As far as I know, he was not fined....

No, but his wife probably was.

[giddyup]

People overstay because especially for younger people there are not a lot of options for Visa's. Is it good.. no.. understandable..yes. Their life their risk and the Thais problems.

If you can't meet the conditions laid down by the Thai government for a long term stay in Thailand, you shouldn't be here. Simple as that. Their country, their rules.

[giddyup]

It took one post for someone to try to hijack this thread.....................great effort Robblock. And it is not a case of looking down on others..............if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

..if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Another selfish poster with no thought for others. What about those who have been here for years, under fifty, have contributed greatly to

Thailands economy, have bought houses, cars etc?

These guys suddenly find out that they have to jump through more hoops financially. Novo58 says if they find it financially hard to keep staying

here then they shouldn't be here, so as far as he is concerned, they should just leave their houses, cars, belongings, GFs/wives behind and go

back to their own countries.

I hope this poster falls on hard times and see how he likes it.

You are still a visitor here, like it or not. If you buy a house (which you don't own) as I and many others have done, you do it with the full knowledge that your stay in Thailand is as a guest of the government, who can change policies as they see fit and you just have to wear it.

[jspill]

Meanwhile everyone in this thread probably breaks several Thai laws a week, if not every day.

[8OA8]

In answer to the OP question, Yes!

One time when I went to renew my Visa I was informed that I had an over 300 day overstay!

An unintentional mistake on my behalf, they issued me with a 30 day extension and sorted the problem for me.The fine that I had to pay was somewhere in the region of Baht 3,000 All done without having to leave Thailand.

[NoshowJones]

It took one post for someone to try to hijack this thread.....................great effort Robblock. And it is not a case of looking down on others..............if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

..if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Another selfish poster with no thought for others. What about those who have been here for years, under fifty, have contributed greatly to

Thailands economy, have bought houses, cars etc?

These guys suddenly find out that they have to jump through more hoops financially. Novo58 says if they find it financially hard to keep staying

here then they shouldn't be here, so as far as he is concerned, they should just leave their houses, cars, belongings, GFs/wives behind and go

back to their own countries.

I hope this poster falls on hard times and see how he likes it.

You are still a visitor here, like it or not. If you buy a house (which you don't own) as I and many others have done, you do it with the full knowledge that your stay in Thailand is as a guest of the government, who can change policies as they see fit and you just have to wear it.

We are not guests, we are just tolerated. Although what you are saying (apart from the "guest" bit) is true, you give the impression that it is OK if rule changes force some genuinely decent people to leave Thailand whose economy they have been contributing to.

[giddyup]

It took one post for someone to try to hijack this thread.....................great effort Robblock. And it is not a case of looking down on others..............if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Ikv ..........thanks, the first reason someone has actually given me ..................but I personally do not consider it to be a valid reason---cost effective maybe, but also thankfully ....no longer.

..if people dont qualify for a visa they shouldnt be here.

Another selfish poster with no thought for others. What about those who have been here for years, under fifty, have contributed greatly to

Thailands economy, have bought houses, cars etc?

These guys suddenly find out that they have to jump through more hoops financially. Novo58 says if they find it financially hard to keep staying

here then they shouldn't be here, so as far as he is concerned, they should just leave their houses, cars, belongings, GFs/wives behind and go

back to their own countries.

I hope this poster falls on hard times and see how he likes it.

You are still a visitor here, like it or not. If you buy a house (which you don't own) as I and many others have done, you do it with the full knowledge that your stay in Thailand is as a guest of the government, who can change policies as they see fit and you just have to wear it.

We are not guests, we are just tolerated. Although what you are saying (apart from the "guest" bit) is true, you give the impression that it is OK if rule changes force some genuinely decent people to leave Thailand whose economy they have been contributing to.

Whether we consider a Thai decision "OK" or not is really irrelevant, we just have to abide with whatever new rules are imposed on us. I'm sure if they decided to increase the 800,000 baht to 1 million it wouldn't go down well with a lot of falangs, but you either comply or you leave.

[NickJ]

My Mom lived here for years. When she went into hospital everyone knew she would never leave. I kept her extension of stay current. When her year ended they would only extend three months at a time. I was fine with that. It cost a bit more but the hospital did all the work. Then after a year or two the IO started extending for a month at a time. Everyone was angry over this. I had to talk with the head honcho Immigration Dr over the phone. What a knob. He threatend to have her removed from the hospital and deported. She was in ICU at the time. He said he was the only person in Thailand that could help me and I would need to see him in person.Both the hospital and the embassy just said to let her go onto overstay. They figured he was after his cut of the pie.......So my Mom died a year and a half later on overstay....So Yeah....thats was a valid reason.

[NoshowJones]

Giddyup, I know what you are saying is true, but you do have to feel for certain people.