What can I do if I risk overstay due to cancelled flight?

[BadCash]

Flying from Don Mueang to Vientiane at noon on Sunday, and now they say there are gonna be storms. It's the last day of my visa exemption, and they warned me at Suvarnabhumi last time that I was on the border of having too many visa exemptions and back-to-back visa runs.

 

What are my options if the flight is cancelled? It's a Sunday, so CW immigration complex will be closed. I don't trust that immigration will have much understanding of an overstay due to cancelled or delayed flight - already had problems one time despite the airline saying "don't worry, they make an exception for only one day". The next day I got taken to the overstay counter and a grumpy guy told me "don't overstay again", he didn't care that the airline cancelled the flight the night before.

 

Of course there's a (big?) chance that the flight will be okay, or at least just delayed within sunday, but I'd like to have a backup plan in place, if possible. Should I contact immigration at Don Mueang as a preventative measure if it looks like I'll be forced to have an overstay? Is it even possible to talk to immigration at DMK, aside from when entering or leaving?

Edited May 4, 2017 by BadCash

[BritTim]

Relax. A one-day overstay because of a canceled flight caused by bad weather is not going to have any repercussions now, or in the future. Anyway, in practice, even with storms around, the Air Asia flight is unlikely to be canceled altogether. They are quite happy to run a flight 8 hours late. They might even give you a Pepsi as compensation.

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post.

[BadCash]

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

Relax. A one-day overstay because of a canceled flight caused by bad weather is not going to have any repercussions now, or in the future. Anyway, in practice, even with storms around, the Air Asia flight is unlikely to be canceled altogether. They are quite happy to run a flight 8 hours late. They might even give you a Pepsi as compensation.

 

After lasts nights "storm" it does seem that the weather warning might be exaggerated

 

I'm not worried about the overstay itself, but since they let me off with a warning last time I arrived in Suvarnabhumi, adding an overstay to the computer records - no matter what the reason - seems like pushing my luck. But as you say, there is plenty of room for the flight to be delayed since it's scheduled early in the day. My concern was that if this supposed "storm" will affect earlier flights as well, they simply might be backlogged with insufficient planes at DMK. Small risk, but I'm still interested in having a backup plan, just in case.

[Mad mick]

2 hours ago, BadCash said:

 

After lasts nights "storm" it does seem that the weather warning might be exaggerated

 

I'm not worried about the overstay itself, but since they let me off with a warning last time I arrived in Suvarnabhumi, adding an overstay to the computer records - no matter what the reason - seems like pushing my luck. But as you say, there is plenty of room for the flight to be delayed since it's scheduled early in the day. My concern was that if this supposed "storm" will affect earlier flights as well, they simply might be backlogged with insufficient planes at DMK. Small risk, but I'm still interested in having a backup plan, just in case.

Don't worry flight cancelled u dont have a problem 1 day there is no fine .

[fdch]

31 minutes ago, Mad mick said:

Don't worry flight cancelled u dont have a problem 1 day there is no fine .

1 day = 500 bth 2 days= 1000 etc no way no fine

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, fdch said:

1 day = 500 bth 2 days= 1000 etc no way no fine

If leaving the country at either airport in Bangkok they do not fine people for one day of overstay. At other other airports and at border crossing the 500 baht fine would be charged.

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If leaving the country at either airport in Bangkok they do not fine people for one day of overstay. At other other airports and at border crossing the 500 baht fine would be charged.

That's interesting as my current visa exempt stamp expires on a Saturday and I want to apply for a tourist visa the following Monday. If I flew out on Sunday would there be no repercussions? 

[buick]

i think your back up plan is to head to CW immigration on monday if you don't make it.  as far as i know, you aren't on overstay when you arrive at CW on a monday and your permission to stay ended on sunday.  apply for an extension at CW, if you already got your 30, day ext,  they'll give you a 7 day.

 

i wouldn't worry too much about a one day overstay but you asked for a back up plan so i offered one up.  you could even stay overnight at the amari by don muang and be at CW first thing monday.  wouldn't that be a fun 24 hrs !!!!

[JohnThailandJohn]

I had a flight cancel once at BKK and immigration just stamped everyone back in but we were already stamped out when the flight was cancelled.

[USPatriot]

Stay on the other side of the gate.  Once you get the stamp no overstay

[Joosesis]

Once you clear immigration, you're out of the country.  Whatever happens to the flight at that point, you're taken care of.  I once sat on the tarmac in Bangkok (back when Don Muang was the main international airport) for several hours before they realized the flight could not take off.  They brought us back into the airport, confiscated our passports, put us on a bus and kept us sequestered in a hotel for 2 days until they could figure out how to fly us all out.   We weren't allowed in or out of the hotel, and no additional guests/visitors were allowed in or out of the hotel.  They told us that we were still to be considered in 'international' territory and not free to move about the kingdom.

 

That was a fun call to my boss...  "Um, I'm going to be late, I'm sequestered in Bangkok."  My Boss:  "Hahaha, nice try"  but...but...

[BadCash]

12 hours ago, USPatriot said:

Stay on the other side of the gate.  Once you get the stamp no overstay

This seems like the most reasonable solution.

Only problem would be if the weather is so bad (so far the weather warning seems ridiculously overblown!) that they cancel or delay the check in entirely. Extremely unlikely in this case since the flight is scheduled at noon, with plenty of room for delay until midnight. But using online or smartphone app check in to obtain a boarding pass, one should be able to pass immigration without waiting for the check in counter anyway. 

[gandalf12]

I had this happen to me a few years back when traveling to Saudi. I passed through immigration and the flight was cancelled. What happened was they kept my passport and I was put in the Amari hotel opposite the airport for the night. Went back the next day and was taken straight through passport control to the boarding lounge.