mojo80 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boredinbangkok Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. Thank you. Did they say anything about blacklisting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonrakers Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I see that the self righteous crew are loving this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo80 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. Thank you. Did they say anything about blacklisting? Nadda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tijnebijn Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. I've got the need to not believe what you are saying directly , perhaps you could show us a picture of your overstay stamp , also of curiosity what the stamp in your passport looks like , and to keep this thread on a more serious note and not only hearsaying . thank you very much . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 So maybe all that 'paper work' gets fed into one of them thar computers ... just awaiting your return ... who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boredinbangkok Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. I've got the need to not believe what you are saying directly , perhaps you could show us a picture of your overstay stamp , also of curiosity what the stamp in your passport looks like , and to keep this thread on a more serious note and not only hearsaying . thank you very much . I dont think thats a hearsaying - its been a dozen people that cleared up there overstay the last few days and none of them got in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo80 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. I've got the need to not believe what you are saying directly , perhaps you could show us a picture of your overstay stamp , also of curiosity what the stamp in your passport looks like , and to keep this thread on a more serious note and not only hearsaying . thank you very much . Fair point, and i was actually close to doing that to really prove a point, if there are more threads from the op/tv/pattaya one trying to defend this discustingly bad attempt to create media hype, then its most certainly being posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buchholz Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just cleared 5 months overstay.........i did it intentionally and will continue to do as i see fit! it all a load of balls! Some more details please. Did you fly out of the country and came back the same day, or did you go the immigration in changwatana and cleared it there? More info would be useful.. I flew out of sooyouwannaboomboom( im sure thats is the wrong spelling-ooops) airport at 11.30pm last night, so i cleared immigration around 10pm. A female immigration office who showed me to the overstay desk grinned and said "so you like thailand" in a pleasant manner. The officer who then proceeded to fill out the papaer work was nice and polite, i asked him whats the most overstay he has seen today, he replied "5 years" with chuckle. I also asked about if people have been arrested or detained, he said no! I enquired further, and it seems if you cant pay then they sometimes hold you untill you can, but mostly incases where the fine is alot of money 20k plus! I havent returned to bangkok as will be staying in another asian country for a while. I've got the need to not believe what you are saying directly , perhaps you could show us a picture of your overstay stamp , also of curiosity what the stamp in your passport looks like , and to keep this thread on a more serious note and not only hearsaying . thank you very much . I'm more interested in seeing the scanned copies of arrest warrants, jail confinement orders, and official blacklisting that this "vindicated story" from pattaya one said would happen to over-stayers. Otherwise, the story seems to be based on "only hearsaying." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badbanker Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 (edited) Today I had a long conversation with the specific person at the British Embassy who wrote about the possibility of Jail Time if you overstay your visa on the British Embassies Website. He quite rightly said that it is his duty to warn all British Citizens, that Thai Immigration Law is clear that you can be subject to immigration detention and fines even if you turn up with the right amount of money after 42 days. That is why the website has been changed. It depends on your circumstances, your attitude, the presence of your TM card and the way the officer is feeling at the time. He said from his experience 80% of the time people with an overstay of longer than 6 months get home free after paying the 20k. He has seen as I have seen a number of cases where people have been detained and there has been further investigation and jail time. Most important is that if you have a long overstay that you go to immigration first WITH A LAWYER! This will ensure that you are dealt with in the manner you wish and the law stipulates. Not the airport! This also ensures that a Black Listing is not put on your name as the lawyer knows the officer doing the clearance and can come back to him if there is a problem. At the moment there are 11 British nationals at the IDC so he does know what he is talking about! BB Edited October 4, 2010 by Badbanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeO Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Real consequences would be blackballing the person for a 3 or 5 year (or maybe longer) period of time from returning to Thailand. Does not make sense to prevent an overstay from leaving but from returning - get rid of the deadwood. Now if you catch them way overstaying as a result of on interaction with law enforcement and this is discovered (not by immigration sweeps to pocket baht) then this is the grey area where LE and immigration have to figure out and standardized (good luck with this in Thailand) a relatively equal and fair consequences. Bottom line for me is play by the rules = no worries. I must say that I have to agree with those who are astonished by the audacity of anyone who feels he/she can stay in a foreign country in total contravention of its immigration laws. How would the home country of these people deal with any similar counterparts? I suspect that there would be probes into finances/earnings/bank/savings accounts and action taken to recover unpaid taxes (whilst the culprit remained in detention)! The Thai authorities should make a very loud and clear announcement: "You have thirty days to show up and ship out, with sufficient funds to pay for your overstay, in order to avoid detention"...after that, the full weight of the law should be enforced in the form of a two-year prison sentence. With luck, those of us who are then left here, and who have consistently demonstrated our adherence to Thai immigration laws, may become better thought of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syd barrett Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Real consequences would be blackballing the person for a 3 or 5 year (or maybe longer) period of time from returning to Thailand. Does not make sense to prevent an overstay from leaving but from returning - get rid of the deadwood. Now if you catch them way overstaying as a result of on interaction with law enforcement and this is discovered (not by immigration sweeps to pocket baht) then this is the grey area where LE and immigration have to figure out and standardized (good luck with this in Thailand) a relatively equal and fair consequences. Bottom line for me is play by the rules = no worries. I must say that I have to agree with those who are astonished by the audacity of anyone who feels he/she can stay in a foreign country in total contravention of its immigration laws. How would the home country of these people deal with any similar counterparts? I suspect that there would be probes into finances/earnings/bank/savings accounts and action taken to recover unpaid taxes (whilst the culprit remained in detention)! The Thai authorities should make a very loud and clear announcement: "You have thirty days to show up and ship out, with sufficient funds to pay for your overstay, in order to avoid detention"...after that, the full weight of the law should be enforced in the form of a two-year prison sentence. With luck, those of us who are then left here, and who have consistently demonstrated our adherence to Thai immigration laws, may become better thought of! I know someone who overstayed seven years, turned up at his local immigration office and said he didn't have the 20,000 baht fine or a plane ticket. He went to jail for 8 days, a return one way flight was arranged from funds from family in the U.K. and he left Thailand. Six months later he was back here on a short holiday, no questions asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafia Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 (edited) There is little to be gained discussing the rights and wrongs of this issue. The facts are simple and straight forward. The Thai authorities are entitled to make their own laws and rules all we have to do to avoid penalty is comply. Tourist visas are free...for me its a no brainer...... The law stipulates (and always has) as a penalty a fine upto 20,000 Baht and can imprison for up to 2 years. The warning is clear !! Now it's up to the individual to follow whatever line he or she wishes, comply and play safe.... or.......overstay and take the chance! If as many seem to be reporting that overstayers are currently being treated as before.. ie...the fine and no imprisonment, it may be that Imm are giving some initial flexability since publishing their change of policy...maybe / maybe not....... who knows? Maybe its time for overstayers to consider their options. We all have the choice !! Edited October 4, 2010 by Tafia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldgit Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 ^^^^^ Well summed up Tafia. Before people criticise the Thai authorities for their Immigration Detention Centres, it's worth noting that the UKBA has 11 Immigration Detention Centres throughout England and Scotland, one is closing at the end of the month, as well as a number of Short Term Holding Centres, I suspect the conditions are far superior to those in Thailand. A bit of trivia, in the UK they are now called Removal Centres, David Blunkett ordered the name change some years ago to give a clear message that people held in those facilities are about to be removed from the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badbanker Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 There has been no change of policy what-so-ever! Either in action of written form. This has been borne out by: Checks with Thai Immigration IDC officers Checks with Embassies with people in the IDC Checks with the Suwanapum Airport overstay enforcement officers Checks with and confirmations multiple people who have overstayed and exited as before without detention Sadly this story is dead. I respect this forum, but quoting unconfirmed Pattaya One sources is irresponsible and has caused panic. Since this story broke embassies have been inundated with requests for confirmation or denial of the "supposed new policy"! Every embassy I have spoken to has confirmed business as usual with overstays at the moment. Breaking the law is still breaking the law and to be frowned on by one and all. BB If as many seem to be reporting that overstayers are currently being treated as before.. ie...the fine and no imprisonment, it may be that Imm are giving some initial flexability since publishing their change of policy...maybe / maybe not....... who knows? Maybe its time for overstayers to consider their options. We all have the choice !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buchholz Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Sadly this story is dead. I respect this forum, but quoting unconfirmed Pattaya One sources is irresponsible and has caused panic. Since this story broke embassies have been inundated with requests for confirmation or denial of the "supposed new policy"! Every embassy I have spoken to has confirmed business as usual with overstays at the moment. Thank you for clearing up this "un-vindicated" Pattaya One story. Hopefully it will be the last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tafia Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 (edited) There has been no change of policy what-so-ever! Either in action of written form. This has been borne out by: Checks with Thai Immigration IDC officers Checks with Embassies with people in the IDC Checks with the Suwanapum Airport overstay enforcement officers Checks with and confirmations multiple people who have overstayed and exited as before without detention Sadly this story is dead. I respect this forum, but quoting unconfirmed Pattaya One sources is irresponsible and has caused panic. Since this story broke embassies have been inundated with requests for confirmation or denial of the "supposed new policy"! Every embassy I have spoken to has confirmed business as usual with overstays at the moment. Breaking the law is still breaking the law and to be frowned on by one and all. BB If as many seem to be reporting that overstayers are currently being treated as before.. ie...the fine and no imprisonment, it may be that Imm are giving some initial flexability since publishing their change of policy...maybe / maybe not....... who knows? Maybe its time for overstayers to consider their options. We all have the choice !! Every embassy I have spoken to has confirmed business as usual with overstays at the moment. I read those last few words with interest....at the moment Whether there has been a change of policy or not, the law remains the same and they can impose a prison sentence, you missed out that important part 'They Can' so as I said its all upto the individual, but why someone would want to take the risk knowing the possible consequence is beyond me!! I'm not sure I would rely on anyones information when my liberty may be at stake and the law is so clear. Theres been enough written on this subject to ensure people think about their actions, whether they do remains to be seen but....... No one can say they haven't been warned !! As I said ~ Everyone has a choice. Edited October 5, 2010 by Tafia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkeebler Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 (edited) So anyone heard of any arrests of foreigners that showed up with 20k and a ticket at the airport? Anyone blacklisted...? I ignorantly stayed 90 days rather than my allowed 30 days on my first trip to Thailand to visit my new lady. I paid the 20,000 b fine and off I went. I have been back there two more times and I am going again at the end of this month. This is easy money for them, I doubt they will actually waste time and money detaining people when they can just cash in on them and send them off. Of course now I am a little more educated on visa's.. :-) PS: And as some have stated, the possibility is always there so why risk it. It is easier to just make yourself legal in all ways possible so that you can relax and enjoy yourself with some peace of mind. Edited October 7, 2010 by mkeebler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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