overstay visa and bans.

[Ajahnski]

I don't see how you can misread an entry stamp, you know before entering how long you will be given 15,30,60,90 or a 1 year stamp.

its not a pick any stamp up and put it in the passport, yes the immigration officer can make a mistake,but all stamps should be checked at the time.

Surely before planing a trip to Thailand you work out how many days you are staying, have the correct visa and travel insurance, and a plan on re-entries etc.

A long term 1 year extension may be forgotten, but again its just bad planing, and not putting that renewal date in a diary, phone, computer.

Lots of people don't realize the date is on the stamp and do their own calculation on their head (30 days) and are off by 1 day (which is probably why they don't fine for one day) [i.e. 30 days means 30 nights -- when it actually only means 29 nights]

This. When I first came to Thailand - I came from China, where the 30 day period on your visa starts the day after you enter the country, whereas in Thailand it starts on day of entry. So, I was exactly 1 day over when I left Thailand to move to Cambodia. I paid the fine, said sorry and haven't done it again. I find it hard to fathom missing a visa date by a month but a day is pretty easy to do.

In the States, we switch our month and date around. So, March 4, 2016 is 3-4-2016 for us, but 4-3-2016 here. I can see you someone would get it mixed up. I have nearly made that mistake a few times.

[Ajahnski]

I have no doubt honest mistakes cause some people to overstay sometimes...but unfortunately we always have people "who play the honest mistake game (that is, they clearly understand they are overstaying)." How does and will immigration distinguish between such people?

I expect it's going to be treated along the same lines as "ignorance of law excuses no one" which is a legal principle that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely because he or she was unaware of its content.

I would feel inclined to agree that ignorance of the law is no excuse if gov't officers actually respected their country's laws. It's difficult enough to follow the written law sometimes. I went through law school and still have difficulties understanding the way certain parts of the law are written (translated.)

Changing rules every other month depending on the whims of officers at a particular checkpoint or immigration office only serves to destroy the law. How can we be expected to know the whims of these people?

Thank goodness that there are folks here on TV who have enough experience that they can tell us how the law is ACTUALLY applied.

[muzmurray]

I have no doubt honest mistakes cause some people to overstay sometimes...but unfortunately we always have people "who play the honest mistake game (that is, they clearly understand they are overstaying)." How does and will immigration distinguish between such people?

I expect it's going to be treated along the same lines as "ignorance of law excuses no one" which is a legal principle that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely because he or she was unaware of its content.

I would feel inclined to agree that ignorance of the law is no excuse if gov't officers actually respected their country's laws. It's difficult enough to follow the written law sometimes. I went through law school and still have difficulties understanding the way certain parts of the law are written (translated.)

Changing rules every other month depending on the whims of officers at a particular checkpoint or immigration office only serves to destroy the law. How can we be expected to know the whims of these people?

Thank goodness that there are folks here on TV who have enough experience that they can tell us how the law is ACTUALLY applied.

The rules are very rarely changed - what changes is the level of enforcement of them.

[Ajahnski]

Good faith is not an excuse.

No, but the law does consider it a prerequisite with transactions.