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Do you wish to clear a visa overstay case in Thailand? It is very important not to panic when finding yourself in a visa overstaying scenario. There are many available solutions to resolve this issue, and for a fact everybody make mistakes. Overstaying your visa anywhere in the world is technically illegal; although it is not considered as a major criminal offence in Thailand there are still cases wherein it can be far more serious. See further reading here and here.
In some cases, you can just pay your fine at the airport or any point of exit from Thailand. But bear in mind, anyone caught by an immigration officer overstaying in Thailand can go to prison and in some cases jail fined and deported from the Kingdom. To resolve this issue, Immigration officers in Thailand allows those with overstaying concerns with their visas to pay the fine. You can then go back to your normal life and stay in Thailand after obtaining the proper visa.
Children who are below 15 years of age will not be charged for overstaying but would still get an overstaying stamp in their passports when they leave Thailand. Being exempted from paying the fine does not mean they are exempted from being required a valid visa to stay in the country.
Most foreign nationals entering Thailand are given a visa on entry which normally lasts for 30 days from the date of arrival, which usually covers a normal holiday that lasts for two to three weeks. Unfortunately, most foreigners visiting Thailand tend to forget about the importance of their visa stamps, and some run into overstay especially those who are new to the Kingdom.
It is also very common for foreigners to have issues regarding overstaying because they have been hospitalized or have acquired some kind of sickness while in Thailand. Having this as your reason for overstaying would put the Thai immigration officer in a position wherein you will be required to show proof from a hospital or a letter from the doctor who is handling your case. This would not exempt you from paying the penalty, but will surely help in order for you not to have more issues or even be banned from coming back to Thailand in the future.
Also, financial problems are common and can occur if you are in a foreign country like Thailand leading to foreigners to not have enough funds to clear their visas for a very long time. It is highly recommended to have an emergency contact in Thailand or overseas who can pay your fines including your flight for you to be able to leave the country.
Overstaying your visa in any country is not a good decision to make, and for those doing it in Thailand is risking the opportunity to enjoy the paradise that this country has to offer. Recently, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered the military and other government agencies to initiate a crack-down on those overstaying their visas in the Kingdom.
It has been reported before that there has been more than 100,000 foreigners with expired visas in Thailand. Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit stated that some of these individuals overstaying in Thailand are involved in criminal activities. There have been several cases where foreigners caught committing crimes such as trafficking of humans, drugs and weapons have expired visas.
See also: Thai permanent residency as well as Thai residency requirements with the ability to clear a visa overstay as well as being blacklisted in Thailand as well.
It has also emerged that those overstaying their visas are involved in bribing the local authorities to be able to stay in the country longer. Specifically in Phuket, it was made known that a group of 140 foreigners are paying as much as 100 million Baht every month in order for them not to be reported to immigration.
For most foreigners, it is inconvenient for them to travel to the immigration office to extend their visas, or head across the border for some, but the punishment one will face for overstaying is as much troublesome as processing the visa properly. On top of the 500 Baht per day fine for overstaying, there are also other punishments involved depending on the length of your overstay.
– Overstaying for more than 90 days – Banned from entering Thailand for 1 year
– Also overstaying for more than 1 year – Banned from entering Thailand for 3 years
– Overstaying for more than 3 years – Banned from entering Thailand for 5 years
– Also overstaying for more than 5 years – Banned from entering Thailand for 10 years
– Overstaying for less than 1 year, got arrested – Banned from entering Thailand for 5 years
– As well as overstaying for more than 1 year, got arrested – Banned from entering Thailand for 10 years
The fine for overstaying in Thailand is 500 Baht per day, with a maximum of 20,000 Baht for those overstaying for less than 90 days. When overstaying for a significant amount of time, 90 days or more, the violator will be banned from entering the Kingdom again in the future. Those overstaying for just two or three days and are about to leave Thailand can do so normally.
Once you reach immigration you will be asked to pay the fine, and your overstay issue would be resolved within 10 to 15 minutes without any further sanction, provided that you have no prior similar violations. For those who are overstaying in Thailand by a few days but still has further plans to stay longer in the country, it is advised that you head to the nearest Thai immigration office to pay the fine and explain your situation in order for you to be able to apply for a visa extension to cover the remaining days of your stay in the Kingdom. Again if you wish to clear a visa overstay case in Thailand then speak to us today.
