Thailand Visa question No. 027/24: To overstay or not?
Questioner: Peter
We have a 3 month Non-immigrant O visa until March 11, 2024. We discovered that we were 1 day short, because our flight departs on March 12, 2024 at 12,30 in the afternoon.
We have already been to Hua Hin (Blueport) immigration. We were told that a 7-day extension is possible for BHT 1900 per person, so a total of BHT 3800. Do you see another solution?
thanks in advance
Reaction RonnyLatYa
There are 3 options.
1. You take the risk and go to the airport. The chance that something could happen is small, but not non-existent of course. At the airport you will only receive an overstay stamp. In principle, this will not be charged with a fine, although that depends on the immigration officer who ultimately decides on this.
Whether someone wants to take the risk or finds it worth overstaying is up to me. You have to consider it yourself.
2. You take those 7 days of immigration, although I also realize that in the end it is only for that half day...
3. I don't know what you plan to do in the future, or how often you want to stay in Thailand.
You might then consider applying for a one-year extension. With a re-entry, it remains active when you leave Thailand and you no longer have to apply for a visa in the future when you go to Thailand. Just make sure that you are in Thailand every year on the end date of your stay period to renew.
The financial requirements will already be known by now. If you are married, there is a possibility that one of you may become dependent on the other. Only one of the two has to meet the financial requirements
Additional information for the reader:
As for the “extension” of 7 days, your stay will of course be extended by 7 days, but it cannot actually be requested as an extension as standard.
Those 7 days should be allowed if another extension request is denied.
For example, someone applies for an extension and it is denied for some reason. In order to give the applicant the opportunity to legally leave Thailand within a reasonable period, the applicant will be given an extension of 7 days.
“….
4. In case where an applying alien does not meet the full qualification stipulated by the criteria herein, the alien must be notified of the nonpermission order and must depart from the Kingdom within seven days from the date on which the permitted period has lapsed.”
There are immigration offices that still give those 7 days without this being specifically a result of a previous refusal. It will cost you 1900 Baht for those 7 days. They have the option to let everyone stay longer if they feel it is justified.
https://www.thaiembassy.cz/uploads/download/EwgNBPpX8T2vY5jxRdR.pdf
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