Monkey House for Overstayers - British Embassy Warning

[sluminit]

Patts is a fukin monkeyhouse.

 

I doubt too many mongers would notice the difference.

[blueboy0510]

I thought from previous posts that this was a rumour and nothing had come of it?

[Edge]

I thought from previous posts that this was a rumour and nothing had come of it?

 

The confusion and disagreement is (IMO) because some people took the original report as saying there was a change in the Regulations.

There is no change and the report never said there was.

This is only about the interpretation and implementation of the existing Act by Immigration, which they are empowered to do.

A new boss of Immigration has been appointed and changes have been stated for how overstayers will be dealt with.

It remains to be seen what,if anything, will happen, but remember they only need to delay/detain people for a couple of hours to fcuk them up and who wants that stamp in their passport?

[robertplant634]

I overstayed by a week once, having no knowledge of the rules at the time. There was no fine. They didn't even mention it. I was told by someone that they give you a stamp to say you've overstayed and it may hinder your ability to get back in the country later. I didn't get a stamp either. Guess I was just lucky.

[Edge]

I overstayed by a week once, having no knowledge of the rules at the time. There was no fine. They didn't even mention it. I was told by someone that they give you a stamp to say you've overstayed and it may hinder your ability to get back in the country later. I didn't get a stamp either. Guess I was just lucky.

 

Maybe it was the long blonde curly locks and ridiculously tight trousers that distracted them.

[marc7337]

Maybe it was the long blonde curly locks and ridiculously tight trousers that distracted them.

Now this has me thinking, when I came into the immagration this time the person did not stamp my re-entry visa and only gave me 30 days while it clearly showed that I could stay until next year on my retirement visa and re-entry visa. I went to the supervisor at the airport and he did some funny things on my passport, he just marked through the re-entry visa and wrote in used and stamped my entry date and then went to the 30 day stamp and marked out the 30 days and stamped my retirement date on it. It has me thinking that if he did not go to the computer to change the date in there will I have a problem when I go for my yearly extension. It looks like I could have changed the two entrys my self. I have never had a problem like this in the past, so don't know what I am up for. Anyone had an experience like this before. Could use some words of encouragement.

[kpb]

Now this has me thinking, when I came into the immagration this time the person did not stamp my re-entry visa and only gave me 30 days while it clearly showed that I could stay until next year on my retirement visa and re-entry visa. I went to the supervisor at the airport and he did some funny things on my passport, he just marked through the re-entry visa and wrote in used and stamped my entry date and then went to the 30 day stamp and marked out the 30 days and stamped my retirement date on it. It has me thinking that if he did not go to the computer to change the date in there will I have a problem when I go for my yearly extension. It looks like I could have changed the two entrys my self. I have never had a problem like this in the past, so don't know what I am up for. Anyone had an experience like this before. Could use some words of encouragement.

 

My Advice would be go ASAP to the local Immigration office and check it out now, rather then wait until it is too late to do anything about it. I was a lawyer for many years (British not Thai law) and cannot remember the amount of clients who ignored matters for too long and then attempted the famous "ignorance defence", never works, better to know now, you will sleep better

[Samui diver]

Just to put all the scare mongering and the holier than thou's to rest. As of 20 minutes ago my friend left swampy with 72 days overstay. His 6th consecutive overstay of around the same amount. He did as he has every other time and simply rocked up, paid the 20,000 baht and got on his plane. Yes I know he is an idiot and have told him many times but he still does it, When asked if any problems for coming back he was told no problem. In all the crap that is floating around the various forums about this I have yet to read from somebody that has been jailed for overstay rather than the perceived threat of jail.

[Edge]

Now this has me thinking, when I came into the immagration this time the person did not stamp my re-entry visa and only gave me 30 days while it clearly showed that I could stay until next year on my retirement visa and re-entry visa. I went to the supervisor at the airport and he did some funny things on my passport, he just marked through the re-entry visa and wrote in used and stamped my entry date and then went to the 30 day stamp and marked out the 30 days and stamped my retirement date on it. It has me thinking that if he did not go to the computer to change the date in there will I have a problem when I go for my yearly extension. It looks like I could have changed the two entrys my self. I have never had a problem like this in the past, so don't know what I am up for. Anyone had an experience like this before. Could use some words of encouragement.

 

If I've understood all that correctly I think all is well.

 

Somewhere in there you will have a Visa which you got extended by 12 months on the grounds of Retirement.

 

The Visa and the Extension are untouched by the error or its correction.

The (Single?) Re-entry Permit is spent and the 30 day stamp corrected to your Extension date.

 

No harm in checking at Immi' but it sounds good to me and I doubt the computer knows much about any of it.

[Edge]

Just to put all the scare mongering and the holier than thou's to rest. ...................................

In all the crap that is floating around the various forums about this I have yet to read from somebody that has been jailed for overstay rather than the perceived threat of jail.

 

Fine so that's sorted, but why don't you write and tell the British Embassy and the newspapers that you know best because your mate told you so instead of flaming BMs on here who are simply reporting what has been in the press and on other forums.

 

Tell us on which stool in which bar you hold court and we can all just pop in there and get the real facts. :Stupid1:

 

Actually I don't think the new broom has taken up office yet, so I don't know why you're chomping on your bit.

[Dick Farang]

Now this has me thinking, when I came into the immagration this time the person did not stamp my re-entry visa and only gave me 30 days while it clearly showed that I could stay until next year on my retirement visa and re-entry visa. I went to the supervisor at the airport and he did some funny things on my passport, he just marked through the re-entry visa and wrote in used and stamped my entry date and then went to the 30 day stamp and marked out the 30 days and stamped my retirement date on it. It has me thinking that if he did not go to the computer to change the date in there will I have a problem when I go for my yearly extension. It looks like I could have changed the two entrys my self. I have never had a problem like this in the past, so don't know what I am up for. Anyone had an experience like this before. Could use some words of encouragement.

 

Last September I visited my home country.

 

As I have a retirement visa, I got a (single) re-entry permit before leaving with the expiration date of my retirement visa stamped in red on it.

 

On my return this re-entry permit was stamped “USED” and I got an Immigration stamp with VISACLASS = “RE” and an UNTIL date = the expiration date of my retirement visa.

 

Also the flight number “CI66” was written down in my passport.

[Dick Farang]

First of all: I never overstayed, nor intend to do so.

 

Second: I follow several fora and these rumours seem to have only one source: Pattaya One, taken over by Thaivisa & Pattaya Times & Pappa & that police volunteer turned British consul in Pattaya.

[marc7337]

Last September I visited my home country.

 

As I have a retirement visa, I got a (single) re-entry permit before leaving with the expiration date of my retirement visa stamped in red on it.

 

On my return this re-entry permit was stamped “USED” and I got an Immigration stamp with VISACLASS = “RE” and an UNTIL date = the expiration date of my retirement visa.

 

Also the flight number “CI66” was written down in my passport.

 

That is the way it has always happened in the past, the re-entry stamped USED and below the re-entry visa the entry stamp with the expery date. this time the USED was not stamped on my re-entry and she went all the way to the pages where the Cambodian and Philippines stamps were and stamped the 30 day stamp. Strange to say the least.

[miles stewart]

For the goody two shoes amongst us who would be worried shitless about such a situation, are you able to tell us how that came about, or was it just in the knowledge that it would only be a fine?

I have to say (as Cerberus aluded) that personally I would be concerned about getting the black red mark.

 

i overstayed on my last visa renewal by 2 days,simple oversight,just got an extra stamp in the passport says 2 days and 1000 baht,it didnt cause me any problems getting my next 1 year visa when i sent it to HULL 3 days later.

[Edge]

................................

Second: I follow several fora and these rumours seem to have only one source: Pattaya One, taken over by Thaivisa & Pattaya Times & Pappa & that police volunteer turned British consul in Pattaya.

I don't know how you arrived at that conclusion if you have read everything about it.

 

Are you saying that the British Embassy has not put a warning on their website? I doubt that the Honourary Consul has much control over that.

 

i overstayed on my last visa renewal by 2 days,simple oversight,just got an extra stamp in the passport says 2 days and 1000 baht,it didnt cause me any problems getting my next 1 year visa when i sent it to HULL 3 days later.

 

I dare say we could fill these pages with such examples.

 

As I understand it, this has stemmed from a statement of intent for the future from Immigration.

As with any crackdown in Thailand none of us here know whether anything will come of it, but it is certainly within the powers of Immigration to do what they have warned of.

If anyone chooses to ignore it that's up to them, but they have been warned that's all.

[miles stewart]

i can in some way see the Thai logic in this.

 

40 days is the 20,000 maximum fine,guess they are getting pissed off with all the lost funds for overstays of 60 70 80 days etc,be easy to just get rid of the 20,000 max and continue to rake it in.

 

if you cant pay then you get locked up until you can settle up.

[Dick Farang]

That is the way it has always happened in the past, the re-entry stamped USED and below the re-entry visa the entry stamp with the expery date. this time the USED was not stamped on my re-entry and she went all the way to the pages where the Cambodian and Philippines stamps were and stamped the 30 day stamp. Strange to say the least.

 

Strange indeed.

 

Perhaps she was a newcomer.

[Edge]

i can in some way see the Thai logic in this.

 

40 days is the 20,000 maximum fine,guess they are getting pissed off with all the lost funds for overstays of 60 70 80 days etc,be easy to just get rid of the 20,000 max and continue to rake it in.

 

if you cant pay then you get locked up until you can settle up.

 

I haven't read of any proposal to change the maximum fine. The option for jail is already there and, as I said earlier, even a couple of hours in detention could prove very expensive in terms of air fares and other commitments.

 

I assume if they can't pay they don't turn up at Passport control, but what happens to them if they do I don't know. If they think some relatives will bail you out then they might hold you, but otherwise I imagine a stamp disallowing future entry and an escort to your plane is more likely than a jail sentence. I don't plan to find out.

 

I think it's as you say they're pissed off, but maybe more pissed off at Overstayers turning up with 20k in their hand and a smile on their face.

All I'm reading into this whole thing is that Immigration generally and their new boss in particular have had enough and intend to teach farang that they can't make that assumption.

 

We have to wait and see what happens to those who ignore the warning in the coming months.

[ivorbiggun]

I dont know why the thailand visa ststem is so complicated.

I lived in the phillipines for nearly two years.

To renew my visa i just went to the imigration office paid the fee, then i left with my 60 day visa.

The only thing you have to do, if you stay over 16 monthe in the phillipines, you have to get a exit visa before they will let you leave the country, its a much better system.

So i am off to nong khai on monday on a visa run, the trip is a nightmare, though it must be done.

ivorbiggun

[sluminit]

If stopped and looking at being banged-up, claim political asylum.

 

After all, most of the right-minded, but completely, wrong people on the planet, think you must be insane if you enjoy Pattaya.

[donnyhedge]

.

British Embassy Warning at Post # 23

 

This from Thaivisa HERE

 

 

THAI IMMIGRATION INTRODUCES JAIL TIME FOR OVERSTAYERS

 

VISA OVERSTAY: The Untold Story

Jail time for foreigners

 

Immigration Detention Center, Suan Phlu, Bangkok

-- File photo

 

BANGKOK (thaivisa.com): -- Allegedly tired of overstaying foreigners arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport with a valid air ticket and the maximum fine of 20,000 baht in their hands, the Immigration Department is now arresting and jailing people before permitting them to leave Thailand.

 

Anybody who has overstayed a valid visa in Thailand beyond a period of six weeks (42 days) is no longer permitted to simply turn up with the cash and an air ticket and leave the country after filling in a few forms and handing over the wedge.

 

For many years now it has been possible for people on long overstay to simply gather together the maximum fine under law of 20,000 baht, purchase an air ticket, travel to Suvarnabhumi and leave Thailand after completing a few formalities. With a change in the command at the top of the Immigration Department ladder this has now altered and anyone whose overstay is 42 days or longer is likely to be arrested.

 

People on overstay of less than three weeks (21 days) are still able to arrive at the airport with the correct amount of folding stuff, pay the fine due and leave Thailand.

 

The grey area is for those whose overstay falls in the period between three and six weeks; that is, between 22 and 41 days. They can potentially have a problem. It is being suggested anyone whose overstay falls into this time frame should be aware that it will be up to the Immigration officer and his superiors at an airport or land border crossing to decide whether to detain the recalcitrant foreigner or permit him, or her, to leave unhindered, after payment of the overstay fine has been levied.

 

As with many legal situations in Thailand involving foreigners and money, the rules tend to bend with the circumstances, and the mood of the relevant official or officials.

 

Nonetheless, it is being stated quite unequivocally that anyone on overstay exceeding 42 days (six weeks) will be arrested. They will then spend at the very least one or two days behind bars while waiting for the necessary paperwork to be processed. Most will eventually spend some time inspecting the stripy sunlight at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok.

 

CLEAR UP OVERSTAY IN BANGKOK

 

Thaivisa.com has been told it is better to clear up long overstay issues in Bangkok rather than in Phuket, Pattaya or elsewhere.

 

SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR EMBASSY

 

While embassy officers cannot circumvent or interfere in the process of Thai law they can advise overstayers on the best course of action and provide assistance for their nationals while in custody.

 

For full story see Edition 1 of Pattaya One out 1 October

 

 

-- Pattaya One 2010-09-24

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

SUMMARY OF CURRENT OVERSTAY REGULATIONS IN THAILAND:

 

Under the Immigration Act 2522 overstay is punishable by a jail term of 2 years and/or a fine of maximum 20,000 baht.

 

"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."

 

Immigration Act download: http://www.thaivisa....Act-EN.pdf.html

 

* Overstay 1 - 21 days: Pay a fine 500 Baht/day at Airport/land border

* Overstay 22 - 41 days: Pay a fine 500 Baht/day, possible arrest/detention, deportation, possible blacklisting

* Overstay 42 days or more: Pay a fine up to 20,000 Baht, arrest/detention, deportation, possible blacklisting

________________________________________________________________________

Who wants to care about Thailand...its a country RIDDLED WITH PROSTITUTES, ARABS, INDIANS, RUSSIANS.

 

Lets get out of here.

[Mavvi]

I over stayed 121 days ending in August - paid 20k at airport and left quietly. Wont be doing that again

[Edge]

Update via Thaivisa :-

 

 

Visa overstay issues causes confusion

UK Foreign Office confirm tougher policy

 

The cover story in the first edition of Pattaya One (published 1 October this year), which noted a tougher line being taken by Immigration officials with foreigners who had overstayed their visas by 42 days or more, created quite a stir, and not a little confusion.

 

A simple reading of the travel advisory posted on the website of the British Foreign Office confirms our version. British embassy officials, as all major foreign missions do, have close connections within Thai government circles and at some point have amended their travel advisory based on advice received from senior Thai sources.

 

The British Foreign Office travel advisory reads as follows:

 

If you stay in Thailand for longer than the time authorised on your arrival, and you do not have an extension of stay or a valid visa, then this is an offence under Thai Immigration law. You will be fined 500 baht per day for every day you over- stay, excluding the first day, up to a maximum of 20,000 baht. Any foreigner found by the authorities to have overstayed their visa is also at risk of being held in detention, fined and deported at their own expense. The Thai authorities have stated they will always en- force detention of overstays for more than 42 days.

 

As with many stories of this nature, the information Pattaya One presented was quickly taken out of context and turned into something other than the sum of its parts. While the sub-heading read ‘jail time for foreigners’, there appears to have been an assumption the ‘jail time’ meant people with overstays of 42 days or more were going to find themselves before a court where they would then be sentenced to a long stay (months or even a couple of years) behind bars in a correctional facility. This is incorrect. The only overstaying foreigners who can spend up to the maximum of two years inside the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok are those who simply don’t have the money to pay the fine and purchase an air ticket in order to leave. They are arrested, spend a night or two behind bars, face court, are fined and then sent to the IDC.

 

In most cases where an overstayer has the 20,000 baht fine and money to purchase an air ticket they can be held for as little as two days banged up behind a securely locked door. In Pattaya, if one has sufficient funds it is possible to avoid the IDC and instead merely spend a couple of nights in a cell, pay the fine imposed by the court and then arrange to be taken directly to the airport and leave the country. The jails of Thailand are already filled to the gunwales and the last thing they need is a steady stream of more foreigners, who have the cash to get out, clogging up the facilities.

 

With a change at the top of the Immigration ladder, the new broom had allegedly decided to really start sweeping a murky floor, and issued instructions to start detaining people. This simply meant there was a greater chance of long-term overstayers (that is, 42 days or more) being detained and held in jail cells until formalities were sorted to the satisfaction of the authorities.

 

Pattaya One is aware of two British nationals who overstayed beyond the 42 days limit and were subsequently detained. Both of these cases occurred in the past six weeks or so. One of these men managed to get away with just two days in holding cells before being able to leave the country. While two days might not sound a very long time, we at Pattaya One doubt there are many readers who fancy spending 48-hours or more languishing in a typically overcrowded, hot and humid Thai prison cell where room service tends to leave a lot to be desired.

 

Anyone who bothered to read the story closely would have realised we were at pains to make it clear that Immigration officials are not mindless automatons and in extenuating circumstances it is possible for people to avoid spending any time at all behind bars. What the authorities are particularly aiming at are those people who have intentionally overstayed their visas and believe they can simply waltz through the formalities of paying a fine without consequence.

 

Equally, at no point did Pattaya One ever claim there had been a change in the law or the penalties had become harsher. The law remains as originally enshrined in legislation. Section 81 of the 1979 Immigration Act states quite clearly that any foreigner who stays in Thailand, ‘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.’

 

One completely erroneous piece posted by another Pattaya publication claimed an unnamed senior Immigration officer said foreigners could overstay for up to one year without risk of arrest. Perhaps the Immigration officer is blissfully unaware of his own laws.

 

Other publications around the country sought advice from local Immigration officials, who stated there had been no change in enforcement of the relevant laws. Even the Australian mission in Thailand has indicated it does not intend to upgrade its travel advice, stating foreigners on overstay are still being allowed to leave Suvarnabhumi airport after paying fines. They did not indicate whether the overstayers had exceeded the 42-day limit.

 

It is hardly likely that senior officers in the Thai Immigration Department are going to allow the English language media to be privy to their internal workings. Equally, it may well be that in some jurisdictions the overstay law is not being enforced to its full extent as requested by the head office in Bangkok. Once again, this may well be because the situation precludes the need for detention, or simply because this is Thailand and the left hand is willing to get down and dirty while the right hand plays with itself.

 

Of the huge number of tourists who come to Thailand and the large community of expats who live here, a very small percentage overstay a valid visa for any extended length of time. The majority of tourists and expats adhere to their visa regulations and never have to worry about being arrested and detained for breaking Thai law.

 

 

-- Pattaya One 2010-10-13

[oil400]

Foreigners have to respect the thailand law,enter and leave as stated on the visa .