I need legal advice - So where better to ask then a monger forum Right?right?

[SlowlyMan]

Ok, so it's not really legal advice. But I thought the headline would get more traffic.

 

So, here is the story. Prior to every trip I send my passport off to Chicago to the Consulate to get a 60 Visa. Same this year.

 

I go to leave the Kingdom and the agent says You over stay must pay fine. I said it can't be an over stay I have a 60 day Visa. He insisted I had over stayed. Finally a manager of some sort came over. She paged through and showed me the arrival agent had ignored the 60 stamp and issued me a standard 30 at the airport. So. she used the 60 to cover the over stay and all was good and I got a deep Wai from the agent.

 

What do you guys do to make sure they use the Visa on arrival?

[tony113]

Sorry, prehaps i,m a bit thick, but i totally mist your point. People make mistakes, and yours was sorted. No problem.

[Sexyfarangman]

As long as your passport is stamped with a 60 day visa, you won't have any problems when leaving as long as you are within the period. The experience you had confirms this.

[SlowlyMan]

Well it was no problem because a manager got involved. The first agent already had me on the way to the cashier to pay the fine. He wasn't hearing anything I had to say about a 60 day visa. The only reason she got involved was because I was getting louder then I probably should have. She came over to see what was up. I would rather they use the 60 day on entry then to argue with a passport control officer on exit about an over stay. Yes it was sorted but it could have easily cost me money.

 

I'm asking if anyone has an idea of how to be sure they use the 60 day.

[James023]

show that page to them on arrival......with your 60 day stamp

[OKAY]

show that page to them on arrival......with your 60 day stamp

 

AND check the exit date they write on the passport page yourself, right then and there, before you walk away from the desk.

[Sexyfarangman]

Well it was no problem because a manager got involved. The first agent already had me on the way to the cashier to pay the fine. He wasn't hearing anything I had to say about a 60 day visa. The only reason she got involved was because I was getting louder then I probably should have. She came over to see what was up. I would rather they use the 60 day on entry then to argue with a passport control officer on exit about an over stay. Yes it was sorted but it could have easily cost me money.

 

I'm asking if anyone has an idea of how to be sure they use the 60 day.

 

My guess is that whoever looked at your passport was not even aware of the 60 day visa policy. Unfortunately, this is not something you can fix. It goes to show poor training or lack of training of airport personnel. To give but one example. When I had to go through customs in 2008, the woman at passport control spoke no English. She spoke to me in Thai. That is the kind of situation you were faced with.

[eXplosief]

I am no expert at all on thai immigration laws, but what i have read until now is that the immigration officer that stamps your entry decides how long you will be allowed to stay, regardless of the visa you have. In this case it was probably a simple mistake to not give you the 60 days, but technically you have been overstaying with a 30 day stamp.

 

You should always check the exit date on your entry stamp immediately, trying to change it later might be difficult.

 

They fave done you a favor, but they could have insisted that you where overstaying and you would have had no legal ground to complain.

[Taeng Mo]

Sounds like the agent (Passport Control Guy?) just had the date set to 30 days, as that is standard for most Farangs.

As other Poster have said, if you are on anything diferent from the usual 30 day Visa on arrival, make sure you tell the guy, then check the dates, both in your Passport and on the Departure card.

[tony113]

My guess is that whoever looked at your passport was not even aware of the 60 day visa policy. Unfortunately, this is not something you can fix. It goes to show poor training or lack of training of airport personnel. To give but one example. When I had to go through customs in 2008, the woman at passport control spoke no English. She spoke to me in Thai. That is the kind of situation you were faced with.

She spoke you in Thai how inconsiderate, i wonder how many passport control officers in the us speak Thai, if you don,t like it learn to speak Thai oir stay in the us.

[bigbill340]

She spoke you in Thai how inconsiderate, i wonder how many passport control officers in the us speak Thai, if you don,t like it learn to speak Thai oir stay in the us.

 

 

That's a little harsh!! but I do see your point!!

[SlowlyMan]

Thanks guys. Just wanted a few ideas. I've been using the 60 Visa for severalyears never had the agent miss it before. I will make a point of showing it from now on and checking the date they put on the stamp.

[Sexyfarangman]

[

 

She spoke you in Thai how inconsiderate, i wonder how many passport control officers in the us speak Thai, if you don,t like it learn to speak Thai oir stay in the us.

 

Anyone who works in passport control in any airport in the world is required to speak English. It is the only way to communicate with all the different people who come through. She is the only person I have ever dealt with in any country in such a position who did not know English. My point was that either she slipped through the cracks or got the job through connections. Do you think anyone would visit LOS if they had to know Thai to get through the airport?

[pubstud]

[

 

Anyone who works in passport control in any airport in the world is required to speak English. It is the only way to communicate with all the different people who come through. She is the only person I have ever dealt with in any country in such a position who did not know English. My point was that either she slipped through the cracks or got the job through connections. Do you think anyone would visit LOS if they had to know Thai to get through the airport?

 

Expecting tourists to learn a language like Thai before visiting the country is bloody adsurd. I've heard this crap before, from farang and Thai as well. It takes years of hard study to learn a language like Thai and even then you can be faced with someone prattling on in a regional dilect and you won't have a clue what they talking about, And what about somebody on a world tour? Are they supposed to master the langauges of Thailand - China - Japan - Korea and on and on and on....?

 

English has been established as the international language. And it's the responsibility of every country to ensure their immigration and customs officials, plus their tourist police, to be reasonably fluent in English in order to correctly deal with their tourists.