30 Days And 15 Minutes

[fracture]

I've got plane tickets for a trip in a couple weeks and I'm trying to make sure I'll be ok on visa stuff.

I'm landing at 11:45pm at BKK on Dec 20th, and flying out on Jan 19th in the morning. I'm a U.S. citizen.

The 21st to the 19th is 30 days, but I'm technically landing on the 20th. So the question is: will I get away with hanging out for 15 minutes at the airport or something before getting stamped for the 30-day tourist visa-free entry? Or should I hurry up and get a 60-day tourist visa before I go? Any other options?

Thanks for any help...

[Thighlander]

A one day overstay does usually not draw a fine. Never say "never", though. I would lag to the end of the cue and try to make up the extra day coming in. Worst possiblescenario is that they won't let you wait the fifteen minutes (unlikely), and they will fine you 500 Thb for 1 day overstay (even more unlikely). There are far worse offenders at immigration.

[fracture]

Sounds like I'm probably ok then. Thanks for the information.

[Aussietraveller]

If you land at 11.45pm,

it will take more than 15 minutes to get off the plane and walk to immigration.

There are quite a few planes landing at that time, so there is often a bit of a wait to get through.

you will be fine

[lopburi3]

You are on a flight that arrives on the 20th and will probably get that stamp even if you wait in line until the next day. You have time to obtain a tourist visa and I would pay the small cost to be sure. Airline could also not like the day count. If you are stamped overstay it is in your passport for all to see.

It is like insurance - one day of no coverage will probably not hurt - but what if?

[matcube]

You are on a flight that arrives on the 20th and will probably get that stamp even if you wait in line until the next day. [...]

On the way out, I flew out of Thailand at 2.00 AM last time on a day that would have been my 31st, but made sure to pass immigration before midnight. They didn't check my ticket, if I remember right. They don't check your ticket either when you come in, but your flight info is supposedly written on the form.

Lopburi3's is theoretically a good argument, and knowing Lopburi3 it should be considered, but I doubt it, they don't switch the date back and forth on their stamp according to whom is crossing the border: now we have someone whose flight landed at 11.55, next one in line came with a 12.05 flight... and so on. It doesn't make a lot of sense, especially what to do for a flight scheduled at 11.50 that landed at 12.10? Or someone that thought to be safe by landing at 12.05 and the flight happened to be ahead of time and landed at 11.55, it's not his fault! What they do, in my opinion, is that at some point they change the stamp to show the next day and everybody will be affected regardless of their flight.

I would not be worried that you arrive at the immigration point after midnight: you will, and if not you can just go to the toilet or hang around. What I would be more worried about is: are they going to change the date of their stamp at 12.00 sharp? Suppose you walk passed at 12.10, you can't quite ask "are you going to stamp with tomorrow's date, since it's past midnight right?" nor can you complain once they have stamped it... so there is still some risk involved. If you have a companion (or meet someone on the plane) that doesn't have this problem, you could ask him to go past before you, and then give you a hand signal (or an SMS) as to what date he was stamped.

Matcube

[Roger Dodger]

Lopburi3 nailed that one mate! Get that old Tourist Visa and you'll be good as gold!

[Thighlander]

I did a 31 day stay one time. I was not fined, and my passport does not indicate ANY overstay. That was 2004.

[fracture]

Lopburi (et al): How likely do you think it is that the airline doesn't let me board or otherwise hassles me for not having a visa? (I'm flying AA from Dallas to Tokyo, and then Tokyo to BKK.) As far as the plane landing on the 20th, I was thinking I'd try to hang around until a friend of mine lands at 1am on the 21st, and then go through immigration. Think that'll work?

Thighlander: on that 31-day stay, did your airline care that you didn't have a visa for it? How'd that work?

(Thanks for the information, everyone.)

[kayo]

yeah you'll be fine mate. No worries.

have a pint and a smoke and even if you get that extra fifteen minutes... Psh! Mai bpen rai!

[pumpuiman]

I recall reading another thread that said it is the time of your flights scheduled arrival that is recorded as your arrival time, even if the flight is late, this is the time recorded.

Perhaps getting the visa for a small fee, will bring peace of mind.

[lopburi3]

It appears he does not want to get a visa. I suspect there will be no problem with airline over one day. As for check in time from reports the change of date is often done late so do not believe a clock check will be a guarantee. Also there is the factor that Bangkok often asks for presentation of your boarding pass to confirm your flight number.

I don't believe you will have a problem but to me it is foolish to take any chance if you plan to continue trips here in the future. But as is said "up to you". Normally Thai are very forgiving but to me it is counter productive to take advantage of that when there is an option. Let the person who did not know continue to get the benefit of the doubt.