Visa Thailand question & answer: I am temporarily leaving for the Netherlands, so I cannot comply with the 90-day notification
Dear editors,
I have a question and have already looked through Google and on your site, but I can't quite figure it out. I want to use a re-entry for the first time and I also know which procedure to follow.
At the end of May, beginning of June, I will go to the Netherlands for a period of 3 months, including a visit to family. Soon, at the end of April, I will report to the immigration office again for the 90-day procedure. So I should show up again after 3 months, so end of July. But I'm leaving for the Netherlands at the end of May, beginning of June. That means that if I come back 3 months later, at the end of August, beginning of September, I will be at least 1 month late to report to the immigration office, 90 days procedure.
Do I have a problem or is it something else?
Your advice please.
Sincerely,
Dave
Dear Dave,
You don't have to worry. You have no problem and it is simple. That 90-day count only continues if you have an uninterrupted stay in Thailand, ie if you are actually in Thailand. From the moment you leave Thailand the counter stops and the count expires. The moment you enter Thailand again, you start again with day 1.
In your case, the counter will stop at the end of April/June when you leave Thailand. When you come back August/September you start counting again from 1 (so DO NOT continue counting where you stopped in April/June!).
In the Dossier Visa Thailand you can find it in the form of a question/answer and in the text:
www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/Dossier-Visa-Thailand-full-version.pdf See page 4, question 14: What is meant by the 90-day reporting obligation?
Every foreigner who stays in Thailand for 90 consecutive days must report to Immigration. This must then be repeated every 90 subsequent days as long as Thailand is not left. Like almost anywhere else in the world, the Thai government wants to know where you reside as a foreigner; there are fines. For Non-Immigrant O 'year visas': when you leave Thailand, the 90-day count ends; this starts again upon entry; your arrival = day 1.
See page 28: The 90 Day Notification.
Anyone staying in Thailand for more than 90 days must confirm their place of residence with Immigration every 90 days. This process is gradually being automated. If there is no Immigration office in the place of residence/area, this can also be done at a police station. There are no costs associated with the notification. The notification must be made between 15 days prior to & 7 days after the expiry of the 90 days. If you receive a 1-year extension of your visa, this also counts as a 90-day report. When you leave Thailand, the period does not continue. The 90-day period then starts counting again from the day you re-enter Thailand. The day of arrival is then day 1.
On the following webpage of (Bangkok) Immigration you can also read everything about the 90-day notification.
bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=90days
www.immigration.go.th/ (If necessary click on “Notification of staying over 90 days” in the left column)
Regarding the arrangement when you leave the country, you can read the following Note at the bottom of the webpage. See especially the last line of this Note.
I'll pass along the note as it is:
The notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days is in no way equivalent to a visa extension.
If a foreigner stays in the kingdom over 90 days without notifying the Immigration Bureau or notifying the Immigration Bureau later than the set period, a fine of 2,000.- Baht will be collected. If a foreigner who did not make the notification of staying over 90 days is arrested, he will be fined 4,000.- Baht.
If a foreigner leaves the country and re-enters, the day count starts at 1 in every case.
Regards,
RonnyLatPhrao
Disclaimer: The advice is based on existing regulations. The editors accept no responsibility if this is deviated from in practice.