Anyone tourists arrived recently in the wee hours of the morning?

[Chubzilla]

Has anybody recently landed in the very early hours of the morning? Just after midnight or 1am or something similar. 

 

If so, and assuming you don't have a VISA, when you got the 30 day stamp on your passport, what day was it valid until? 

 

Put another way, is the brand new day considered to be your first day or did they still stamp you as arriving on the day just finished? Possibly the "new day" stamps don't start until some certain time in the morning (if that makes sense). 

 

Might sound like a stupid, irrelevant question, but I actually do have a good reason for asking. 

[Colin back in Pattaya]

Immigration are pretty good about this.

If you reach the immigration desk at just after midnight, you are into the new day, even though you landed before midnight. 

On departure, they tend to cut you a little slack if you hit the immigration desk just after midnight, so you'll probably get away with fractionally over a 30 day stay.

[vivid2]

This actually happened to me last month. I always take a flight that arrives about 22:00, and I always seem to get to immigration before midnight. But this time my flight was delayed and I got to immigration just a few minutes after midnight, and they used the new day as the date of entry.

 

Personally, I don't think that the agents have much voice in the matter...they are working at a computer terminal that gives them the dates to use. I don't believe the government wants these guys to have much in the way of decision making powers. That would leave a big opportunity for potential abuse of the system

[Chubzilla]

OK that's good news. Next time I will aim to arrive as close to midnight as possible, actually there's an Emirates flight from Sydney that gets in at 0100, so I think I will go for that. Anything to squeeze an "extra" day in. 

 

Thanks very much for the reply guys. 

[Lost soul]

I believe the day you arrive is day 1

 

It is not 24hr then your day is completed.

[thestigy]

It might not be an issue for you now. 30 visa exemption now extended to 60 days if I'm reading this correctly.

 

http://m.bangkokpost.com/topstories/429056

[Chubzilla]

It might not be an issue for you now. 30 visa exemption now extended to 60 days if I'm reading this correctly.

 

http://m.bangkokpost.com/topstories/429056

 

Ahh, nice, thanks for that thestigy. An extra 30 days for 1,900 baht, not a bad deal! 

[badboyandy]

My friend has just got back and he was also delayed going into los and passed customs 00:05 and it was counted as the next day

[hardliquor]

I have arrived at 10 PM and departed at 7 AM on the 31st day. They just stamped a waiver in my passport, no fee for overstay. I was not actually in the country for 30 days but they count parts of a day. In the end no problem.

[LRanger]

I have flown on that Emirates flight.  December 30 2012 as I recall.  Quick through immigration, Mr T taxi met me at door 3 and I was in Pattaya with plenty of time for action.

 

And ah yes I was upgraded to business class for $200AUD.  Should've slept but just couldn't

 

I don't think the visa thing will be much of an issue.

[PLUTON]

I am a little bit surprised about the discution here, every time I have been to thailand they put a date on my passport. A date I am suppose to return before it. And it's most of the time less than 30 days.(even as low as 26 days)

Never experienced an overstay, so non idea if the date have to be respected or if it would be allright with the 30 days rule.