In thailand without visa

[VodkaWizard]

I am posting here for a friend of mine that didn't obtain a valid visa for thailand (due to corruption by officials). So now he's  not sure if he could get a visa legally here, or if it would be better to go to a nearby country where immigration is easier.  If he for example went to Laos without crossing any official checkpoints,  Would the immigration there let him leave without a lao-visa in hes passport?   Or is every entry computerized like it is in thailand? 

My advice to him so far is to get a new passport in laos,and then exit a smaller border crossing from there. However I am not a expert on these things so though I would ask here.

 

Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

 

 

[Peterw42]

What country is your friend from and what visa is he trying to get? Most countries can enter laos without a prearranged visa. Thailand wont stop him leaving.

I dont understand the need for your friend to sneek in and out of laos ?

Edited December 5, 2016 by Peterw42

[sanemax]

He should go to a land border, walk a kilometer away, jump over the border fence , walk to the Laos border and just walk through Laos immigration, if they ask why he didnt get stamped out of Thailand, he just has to say that he fell out an aeroplane and landed in the space between Thailand and Laos and so he wasnt in Thailand at all .

    Tell him to take a bed sheet along with some rope attached to each corner and tell Laos immigration that  he used that as a parachute 

[elviajero]

Regardless of any corruption, if your friend entered Thailand without permission he's at fault and illegal.

• If he is illegally in Thailand then he will not be able to leave without at least paying penalties, and maybe after prosecution and deportation.
• He will not be able to legally enter Laos without an exit stamp from Thailand.
• He will have problems trying to leave Laos if he entered Laos illegally.

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, VodkaWizard said:

I am posting here for a friend of mine that didn't obtain a valid visa for thailand (due to corruption by officials).

How and where did he enter Thailand?

That would help a lot to answer your post.

[Peterw42]

22 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Regardless of any corruption, if your friend entered Thailand without permission he's at fault and illegal.

• If he is illegally in Thailand then he will not be able to leave without at least paying penalties, and maybe after prosecution and deportation.
• He will not be able to legally enter Laos without an exit stamp from Thailand.
• He will have problems trying to leave Laos if he entered Laos illegally.

 

My mistake, I read the OP as the friend was on a visa exempt and wants a long stay

Edited December 5, 2016 by Peterw42

[midas]

Anyone who messes around with the Laos authorities must be stark raving mad.

You should read the book by Australians John and Kerry Danes about their experience of being held in a Laos prison for many years.

And the Laos authorities wouldn't even listen when even John Howard the Prime Minister and Alexander Downer the Foreign Minister intervened on their behalf and at that time Australia was one of the biggest aid donors to Laos.

Thailand's detention centres and prisons would be like holiday camps compared to being detained in Laos

 

http://www.phaseloop.com/foreignprisoners/case-danes.html

 

[VodkaWizard]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

What country is your friend from and what visa is he trying to get? Most countries can enter laos without a prearranged visa. Thailand wont stop him leaving.

I dont understand the need for your friend to sneek in and out of laos ?

They won't stop him even when he does not have a thai visa? 
My friend is from austria and preferably he would want a thai visa. However he would not want to pay any large sums of money for it. 

[VodkaWizard]

58 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Regardless of any corruption, if your friend entered Thailand without permission he's at fault and illegal.

• If he is illegally in Thailand then he will not be able to leave without at least paying penalties, and maybe after prosecution and deportation.
• He will not be able to legally enter Laos without an exit stamp from Thailand.
• He will have problems trying to leave Laos if he entered Laos illegally.

Thanks for the info.

[sanemax]

How did he get into Thailand without a visa ?

[VodkaWizard]

49 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

How and where did he enter Thailand?

That would help a lot to answer your post.

He entered Thailand from Myanmar with boat. about 3 years ago.

[dabhand]

35 minutes ago, sanemax said:

He should go to a land border, walk a kilometer away, jump over the border fence , walk to the Laos border and just walk through Laos immigration, if they ask why he didnt get stamped out of Thailand, he just has to say that he fell out an aeroplane and landed in the space between Thailand and Laos and so he wasnt in Thailand at all .

    Tell him to take a bed sheet along with some rope attached to each corner and tell Laos immigration that  he used that as a parachute 

 

Your joking scenario reminds me of a somewhat similar situation that I experienced on the Thai / Malaysian border at Sungai Golok some 25 years back.

 

I have two UK passports for work related reasons and, working in Malaysia at the time , near the Thai border, I was spending most weekends in Thailand and thus rapidly using up the pages to my 'main' passport. So, I thought, why not use my little used 2nd passport as an option.

 

Well, I crossed the bridge into Thailand and handed over immigration card and passport and waited for the usual stamping. Wrong. The IO spent a bit of time looking through the passport - not too long as there were very few stamps to actually see. He then asked me where had I come from. By that time I realised my plan had come unstuck and was thinking the worst. Anyway, rather than try any 'smart' explanation, I sheepishly pulled my other passport from my bag and pointed back towards the bridge as an answer to his question.

 

Rather than be in any way awkward, despite my wild thoughts of being hauled away for a spot of interrogation, the IO handed me a blank form that I filled in and received the desired entry stamp with no further words spoken. Needless to say I have not tried a repeat of that scenario at any land borders. No problem if arriving by air but not by land!! 

[NancyL]

To summarize so far, the "friend" is from Austria and entered Thailand from Burma about three years ago by boat, not bothering to stop anywhere to get his passport stamped.

 

OK, visa gurus, it would seem this guy is in deep do-do, right?

 

 

[sanemax]

10 minutes ago, VodkaWizard said:

He entered Thailand from Myanmar with boat. about 3 years ago.

 

  It is quite a serious offence to enter Thailand illegally .

Anyone know whether he could be charged with overstaying ?

As he didnt have any visa, he hasnt overstayed .

[A1Str8]

If he entered without a visa then he's an illegal immigrant which means he won't get deported but will be sentenced because that's a crime. After that he will be able to leave but won't come back anytime soon. 

 

[Peterw42]

37 minutes ago, VodkaWizard said:

They won't stop him even when he does not have a thai visa? 
My friend is from austria and preferably he would want a thai visa. However he would not want to pay any large sums of money for it. 

I didnt understand your first post. Yes they will stop him

 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, VodkaWizard said:

He entered Thailand from Myanmar with boat. about 3 years ago.

What was the corruption part that prevented him to get a visa for 3 years? Must have had a bit of savings to live here for 3 years.

[JackThompson]

So, he is "on overstay" in Myanmar, now, as far as the paperwork is concerned?  Does he still have the passport he used to enter Myanmar?  Maybe that should be his next stop, and settle things there?  Or maybe that would only add to his legal troubles / risk.  Best advice is talk to a good lawyer.

[Gringogazzer]

^^^
I don't know if Myanmar has an upper limit on overstay fine as Thailand does. ฿20000
$3 a day for the 1st 90 days, then $5 after that. That's $5295 for 3 straight years.
You could get a stamp for a lot less.

[BritTim]

I cannot imagine any approach that is not going to involve significant sims of money (for bribes or legitimate fines) or jail time, or both.

 

Even if you try to find a doctor that will testify that you had an accident on an adventure holiday in Myanmar, suffered total amnesia as a consequence, and only just regained your memory, and (unlikely) immigration believe you, there will still be fines to be paid.

 

If you can afford it, look for a fixer, but expect it to cost a bundle for your situation.

[oldgent]

if this is true I have no sympathy for this person 3 years and he is trying to resolve it now

he deserves everything that can be thrown at him. this only makes it harder for people who have made

genuine mistakes.  

[VodkaWizard]

4 hours ago, dabhand said:

 

 

Your joking scenario reminds me of a somewhat similar situation that I experienced on the Thai / Malaysian border at Sungai Golok some 25 years back.

 

I have two UK passports for work related reasons and, working in Malaysia at the time , near the Thai border, I was spending most weekends in Thailand and thus rapidly using up the pages to my 'main' passport. So, I thought, why not use my little used 2nd passport as an option.

 

Well, I crossed the bridge into Thailand and handed over immigration card and passport and waited for the usual stamping. Wrong. The IO spent a bit of time looking through the passport - not too long as there were very few stamps to actually see. He then asked me where had I come from. By that time I realised my plan had come unstuck and was thinking the worst. Anyway, rather than try any 'smart' explanation, I sheepishly pulled my other passport from my bag and pointed back towards the bridge as an answer to his question.

 

Rather than be in any way awkward, despite my wild thoughts of being hauled away for a spot of interrogation, the IO handed me a blank form that I filled in and received the desired entry stamp with no further words spoken. Needless to say I have not tried a repeat of that scenario at any land borders. No problem if arriving by air but not by land!! 

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by VodkaWizard

[VodkaWizard]

So they just check the stamps mostly? or will the immigration people look closely to see if your face fit the picture in your passport? 

[VodkaWizard]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

I cannot imagine any approach that is not going to involve significant sims of money (for bribes or legitimate fines) or jail time, or both.

 

Even if you try to find a doctor that will testify that you had an accident on an adventure holiday in Myanmar, suffered total amnesia as a consequence, and only just regained your memory, and (unlikely) immigration believe you, there will still be fines to be paid.

 

If you can afford it, look for a fixer, but expect it to cost a bundle for your situation.

 

 

 

Do you have any knowledge of which borders that would be best for a this kind of bribe (in exchange for a exit stamp)?

[elviajero]

5 hours ago, sanemax said:

It is quite a serious offence to enter Thailand illegally .

Anyone know whether he could be charged with overstaying ?

As he didnt have any visa, he hasnt overstayed .

 

4 hours ago, A1Str8 said:

If he entered without a visa then he's an illegal immigrant which means he won't get deported but will be sentenced because that's a crime. After that he will be able to leave but won't come back anytime soon. 

 

There is no specific law regarding overstay. It is classed as staying in the country without permission. Overstaying or entering illegally falls under the same clause in the Immigration Act. In either case the alien can be deported.

Section 54 : Any alien who enters or come to stay in the Kingdom without permission or when such permission expires or is revoked , the competent official will deport such alien out of the Kingdom. 

 

Anyone that overstays or enters illegally can be penalized as follows. 

Section 81 : Any alien who stay in the Kingdom without permission or with permission expired or revoked shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht or both. 

 

If your friend gets caught they will be arrested and prosecuted. They will be fined by the court which should be less than 20K at around 5-6K. They would be detained until providing a flight to their home country. They would almost certainly be banned for overstaying for 10 years.

Edited December 5, 2016 by elviajero

[sanemax]

8 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

So they just check the stamps mostly? or will the immigration people look closely to see if your face fit the picture in your passport?

 

 

   It is all computerised these days .

The computer will show them when you arrived ...........well, it wont show them when you arrived

     

[VodkaWizard]

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

So, he is "on overstay" in Myanmar, now, as far as the paperwork is concerned?  Does he still have the passport he used to enter Myanmar?  Maybe that should be his next stop, and settle things there?  Or maybe that would only add to his legal troubles / risk.  Best advice is talk to a good lawyer.

That is the problem . he doesnt have the old passport,and he cannot go to Myanmar because of the situation with business dealings in that country. 

[sanemax]

11 minutes ago, VodkaWizard said:

 

 

 

Do you have any knowledge of which borders that would be best for a this kind of bribe (in exchange for a exit stamp)?

 

   You will have to contact a lawyer to make "arrangements" .

Its about 50 000 Baht to avoid getting a ban , although they may not be able to assist you, because you have no Burma exit stamp or Thai entry stamp

[VodkaWizard]

23 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 

 It is all computerised these days .

The computer will show them when you arrived ...........well, it wont show them when you arrived

 

 

Quote

 

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by VodkaWizard

[VodkaWizard]

Sanemax,  Are you sure that is the case for all laos borders?  say he said he arrived from vietnam to Laos and then lost hes passport in Laos, do you really think they have all records in a database from every single remote border in that country?  And even then ,how to tell if there weren't a computer breakdown at the time he entered? With a new passport I doubt they will throw you in jail anyway