While some foreigner passport holders do not need a visa to enter Thailand, they are eligible to stay with their tourist visas for only 30 days. Some may be able stay for 60 – 90 days, but only if they are holding other types of visas.
For those who want to stay in Thailand for a longer time, they may apply for visa extension. A certain fee will be charged by the immigration department, and for most cases only 1 week of extension will be granted. Some applicants from the European countries or the US might be given 30 – 60 days extension, but it is completely up to the official’s decision.
Extension will only be allowed for 1 time. After that you will have to leave the country or re-enter again. As Cambodia is just 2-3 hours away from Bangkok, some may find re-entering from there be an option, and the Thai officials seldom check and ask for reasons about frequent entry.
Overstaying in Thailand is a serious criminal
Thailand does have clear writings in their laws indicating that overstaying is a serious crime, as it has violated the terms of entry, no matter what reasons you have.
Recently, vigorous campaigns against illegal immigration have been undergoing throughout the country, and even if you overstay for just a few days, you can be fined or detained in a local prison where hygiene conditions are far from satisfaction.
In lucky case, you will be deported, blacklisted and banned from stepping into the land of Thailand for at least 5 years. But you can still be fined for US$10,000 for overstaying a considerably long period of time. Though the Thai law does not have clear definition of how long would that be, it is known that if you are found having intention to overstay, for example, over 1 month, you will likely to face serious legal consequences if you are caught by the local police.
Besides, records will be stored and stamped on your passport, that would severely affect your travel experience with other countries.
What should I do if I have overstayed in Thailand?
It depends on how long you have been overstayed.
For some reasons when you have found yourself overstayed in Thailand, and if it is just 3-4 days, you should go directly to the immigration centre and apply for an extension. You will be fined at a per day charge of 500 Baht plus 4,900 Baht for extending 1 week, and the number of days overstayed will be counted within the period, e.g. you have overstayed for 4 days and be granted 1 week extension, then you will have to leave in 3 days.
You are always be advised to be accompanied by a local Thai or a representative from any agency when it comes to legal procedures with the Thai officials, as you will be asked a lot of questions. It is not them wanted to be harsh towards foreigners, as they will have to complete a series of clumsy yet strict procedures for dealing with overstay problem, not to mention about the language barrier you have with them.
But if you have overstayed for over 1-2 weeks, you are advised not to pump into the immigration or custom or you might be caught and fined right at the border. You should apply for visa extension with a local agency and let it deal all the things for you.
Some agencies will have their way to let you extend for unlimited times. For some of their service, your overstay records can even be written off. You should hire agencies that have local support in Thailand.
For such kind of agency you may refer to Thai visa extension service here.
Be reminded that if you are now overstaying in Thailand, do not go to bars or any entertainment venues as these places are frequently raided by the police. Once you are caught, you will have no chance to ask for help. Or if the embassy is involved, your bad records with the country will always be stored in the immigration system to be shared among some other Southeast Asian countries.