Visa troubles: Expensive trip across the border at Mae Sai
Just returned from a month on Sunday 21st November holiday in Thailand with my wife.
We arrived in Bangkok on October 21 and got a visa there until November 19, the exact date of our return flight, so everything neatly according to the visa rules. During our holiday, we also visited Mae Sai on October 28, and yet we also briefly crossed the border at Mae Sai, because then you have also been in Myanmar for a while.
For me it cost 500 baht to cross the border and for my wife 20 baht, because she used her Thai ID. Crossing the border was not so attractive afterwards, because as soon as you set foot in Myanmar, you will be attacked by pushy salesmen who want to sell you cigarettes, Viagra, etc. That was so annoying that we quickly decided to go back to Thailand. My thought was that I was now completely saved with my visa, because I was given another 30 days to be in Thailand. Didn't check this when we went back to Thailand again.
I found out when we went back to the Netherlands. At customs control I was taken aside and told that I had a so-called overstay. I was totally amazed, because how could this be? So then I saw in my passport that the new visa was only valid until November 11, namely 15 days from the day of entry into Thailand.
Turns out Thailand changed the rules for this two years ago. The consequence was that I could pay 4.000 baht, 500 baht per day overstay. Quite frustrated by this, but paid anyway, because you have no choice. You absolutely do not think about this and do not check it. You do not expect that your initial visa will suddenly be shortened by 1 days due to a 8-hour visit to Myanmar.
Can certainly not be the intention of the visa rules, but it is a consequence of this. Have sent an email about this to the immigration service with the recommendation to make this explicitly clear to tourists at such border crossings, so that such unpleasant surprises are avoided. I don't have much faith in that happening though.
This message is mainly intended to warn others, so that they will not be faced with such unexpected expenses.
Henk Knoll
Upon arrival in Thailand you will not receive a visa, but a visa-free entry of 30 days. The moment you leave Thailand, this visa-free entry of 30 days ends.
When entering Thailand via an airport you get 30 days, when entering by land you get 15 days. This was indeed introduced a few years ago to make things more difficult for the “eternal tourist”. In theory, you may not even get such a 2-day visa-free entry more than 3 or 180 times within 30 days. In the beginning there were threats that this legislation would also be implemented, but it seems that this is not happening. But if it pleases the relevant immigration officer, he/she can do so.
So if you want to go out and in Thailand during your holiday, it is a concern to see whether this is possible given the immigration rules. You could also get a multi-entry tourist visa in advance at the embassy in The Hague or the consulate in Amsterdam.
Chang Noi
I honestly think most of them know they only get 15 days left on a “run”! Had a triple entry last August and a double entry in June, but with a mention in my passport that the next application might be refused! Yes. they make it easier…
I can imagine the story of Henk Knol a bit. Henk I assume you haven't been to Thailand often? And if you have been, you probably didn't familiarize yourself with the immigration rules.
Those rules are often changed, it is no different, and we owe that to travelers from all countries who have different reasons to stay in Thailand.
How easy was it to go from Thailand to a neighboring country, if necessary with a minibus for a few hundred baht, including video, lunch, etc.
On your return another 30 days, and so you can endure it for a long time and you remain "out of harm's way" for tax, justice, etc.
For the correct information, look at
http://www.mfa.go.th
Hi Rene,
I have been coming to Thailand for many years now. However, never leave the country for a while with the intention of staying in Thailand for an extended period of time. It was only about having crossed the border with Mae Sai for a while, while you're there anyway. Of course I should have paid more attention, but I can imagine that more people in a similar situation do not think about this at all, if you are only there for a holiday. This is also intended for those people, because you will want to go back home, have to pay 4000 baht for an overstay and have no money left (students for example).
Renee Thai,
I clicked on it, but all I see is a white page with no text.
message from isaan, I have been crossing the border in Laos for years, I immediately ask for two entrances, the price is 2000 baht, the Laos visa costs 1500 baht, with those two entrances you have to leave the first time, that is two months, the last entrance is two more months later, only at the first entrance go in and out of laos price only visa laos 1500 bath, so no problem at all.
As for getting a new visa at a Thai embassy or consulate, you go to Savannakhet consulate almost no foreigners, in the capital Laos very busy at the embassy, sometimes up to 300 people, good advice go to savannakhet quiet area.
greetings from richard
If you pay with US dollars in Laos it will be even cheaper than paying with Thai bath, as a Belgian I pay in US dollars 35 if you calculate that in bath that is a saving, well I don't know how the conditions for the Dutch are.The French who only pay 30 dollars.
I once paid in Thai bath, which also cost me 1500 bath, all the other times I paid with dollars and it always costs me 35 dollars, try it out for yourself.
mae sai is still a good solution, do you have a one-year visa, do you just cross the border for 3 months, costs 500 THB for Myanmar with half an hour back and you have another 3 months stay in your passport, go you have to pay 1500 THB for a visa to Laos, so a great solution for the people in the north, the people near BKK have Cambodia within reach, but it is a bit far from Chiangmai
Am I not informed again? A few years ago I also wanted to go to Burma; in Mae Sai passport issued to Thai customs and with two photocopies across the river to Tachylek. There I handed over those two copies to the Burmese customs and paid ten dollars and instead a cloakroom number and the statement that I had to be back before 5 o'clock. After looking around in Tachylek, handed in wardrobe number, one photocopy back, handed in in Mae Sai and got passport back. Never been out of Thailand, have you?
Have also been to mae sai once and went just like you Leo. There was also a Canadian on the bus who left a km before the border because, according to him, the immigration was there for a stamp.
I think it's just a whole thing that stuff with stamps. Now just go to Bali with the wife for a week and then go somewhere again. Spend nice money in Taipei or something and then the Thai should feel it.
I don't understand why they have to make it so difficult for me, but I don't get it anymore. There are of course also farang who live on 2-300 baht a day and they don't want them here for too long, I understand that, but there are probably other ways to bully them.
My in-laws live in Bueng Kan (Isaan) on the Mekong.
I usually go +/- 4 weeks. I crossed the border at Vientiane once. Been a day and back. Cost you a lot of money. After that time I just let a few days expire and pay 1 baht per day at the airport. If you exceed that by a few days, it is much cheaper and you don't have all that nagging.
MVG
Dear Hans,
You may not be aware of the risk you run. a few years ago a minibus from Phuket, on its way to Ranong, was stopped, the occupants of which wanted to do a visa run. Those with an expired visa of a day or more were all thrown in jail unceremoniously. whose deed. If I remember correctly they were there for a week.
With question.
Peter.
Agree with you Peter. This has happened before and when repeated, people sometimes forget that it can have expensive consequences! Don't talk about money, but about being deported and then refused. You just break the law, why as farang is my question? Just obey the law and just don't do "arrogant" things.
Just see what happens when you are at immigration with 3 overstay stamps in your passport.
can you please contact me [email protected]
Been to Chiangmai again from June to August. I had booked the return trip a day later than my visa had expired. Went to immigration and asked what the best solution was; ok, I could have crossed the border at Mae Sai as I normally always do and automatically got a 3 month extension (multiply annual visa) but now I didn't feel like driving that far for that one day. Immigration could extend my visa, I thought by a week, but that cost more than I had to pay at the airport at immigration, so they advised me to do so.
Immigration at the airport didn't say a word about the expired date and so I was able to continue without paying ... a bit of luck (immigration did notice it but made a note)
I have never heard or noticed a visa run here in Chiangmai, but I will pay more attention to it in the future; A warned person counts for two;-)
A day overstay actually costs 500 B., but is not charged. Two days costs 2x 500 B. You can risk not being stopped for a check during that period, but if you are unlucky, you do have a problem. There is a special prison just around the corner for this kind of thing. If no one shows up to pay for you, you can sit there for a very long time. There are people, mostly poor people from neighboring countries who came to seek happiness, who have been there for years and may never be released again.
That's too bad. That makes me think again. I just thought I had found a nice solution.
And I just tell my partner. No, no, no risk at all!
Still instructive here, I stay 5 weeks in chiang rai on a tourist visa
after 28 days cross the border in mae sai come back and can stay another 14 days
and that for 500Bath
thanks for the information
no one living in Cr no babysitting am 60 but a cup of coffee or a beer
drink and show me around
Thank you
he
Good advice from aunt Kaat, check immediately after issuing the stamp. Don't understand that you didn't. Nonchanance is paid dearly. Som took naa!!
Bart.
I have an annual visa but before then I also went to Mae Sai every month in the beginning. Later it changed and you got fifteen days which was actually thirteen days. Now that Thailand is in such a bad state with flooding and the like and less than seventy percent fewer tourists have come compared to last year. Thailand's income from the tourist industry has fallen enormously. I wonder why not change the whole visa thing. from fifteen days to two or three months. It seems to me that in this way Thailand does not want to let tourists in, despite the fact that it has been tested on the tourist in terms of income.
Ganymede
The normal tourist does not come for 2 or 3 months, he comes for 2 or 3 weeks, so those 30 days are enough.
The reason that tourism is declining has other causes, floods, expensive baths, etc.
You are right Henk in your examples, but a little more critical examples really can't hurt. I keep it more in the attitude. The land of smile is outdated, the farang is stupid..... But people will think about that again in 2 years.