“Allegedly tired of foreigners overstaying their visa and then arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport with a valid air ticket and the maximum fine of 20,000 baht in their hands, the Immigration Department is now arresting and jailing people before permitting them to leave Thailand.
Anybody who has overstayed a valid visa in Thailand beyond a period of six weeks (42 days) is no longer permitted to simply turn up with the cash and an air ticket and leave the country after filling in a few forms and handing over the wedge.
For many years now it has been possible for people on long overstay to simply gather together the maximum fine under law of 20,000 baht, purchase an air ticket, travel to Suvarnabhumi and leave Thailand after completing a few formalities. With a change in the command at the top of the Immigration Department ladder this has now altered and anyone whose overstay is 42 days or longer is likely to be arrested.
People on overstay of less than three weeks (21 days) are still able to arrive at the airport with the correct amount of folding stuff, pay the fine due and leave Thailand.”
Source and full story- ThaiVisa.com
As with any new “crackdown” regarding enforcement of laws and/or foreigners in Thailand, it will be interesting to see how long this practice will continue. As stated in the original article quotes above-
As with many legal situations in Thailand involving foreigners and money, the rules tend to bend with the circumstances, and the mood of the relevant official or officials.
So what, if any jail time visa overstayers will face remains to be seen, and watched closely over the next few months. Various Thai forums are rife with calls for a one month amnesty period which is highly unlikely.
Blacklisting is also in the cards, which in my opinion in a good thing. The easiest solution of course would be simply to not overstay your visa. Such cavalier visa overstayers obviously don’t take Thailand or the Thai government seriously and are rightly not welcome in the kingdom. I mean, how hard is it to look in your passport and get to the airport before the expiry of your visa?
Below is a summary of the current penalties for overstaying a visa in Thailand.
- Overstay 1 – 21 days: Pay a fine 500 Baht/day at Airport/land border
- Overstay 22 – 41 days: Pay a fine 500 Baht/day, possible arrest/detention, deportation, possible blacklisting
- Overstay 42 days or more: Pay a fine up to 20,000 Baht, arrest/detention, deportation, possible blacklisting
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