Here is a warning for aliens who overstay the allowed entry period of their Thai visa.

As announced by the Thai immigration department, the aliens who violate The Immigration Act. B.E.2522 by overstaying more than 90 days in the Kingdom of Thailand will be forbidden from re-entering the kingdom for a certain period of time as follows;

Normal Overstay

• Overstay of more than 90 days but less than 1 year forbidden entry for 1 year.
• Overstay of more than 1 year but less than 3 years forbidden entry for 3 years.
• Overstay of more than 3 years but less than 5 years forbidden entry for 5 years.
• Overstay of more than 5 years forbidden entry for 10 years.

In the case that an alien is being apprehended:

• Overstay less than 1 year the alien will be forbidden entry for 5 years.
• Overstay more than 1 year the alien will be forbidden entry for 10 years.

For example:

1. When referring to the above if you have overstayed just 30 days ( less than 1 year) and you are traveling somewhere in Thailand and happen to be caught up in a random visa check by an immigration officer then you are being apprehended. The outcome is you will be denied entry to Thailand for 5 years.
2. If you have overstayed more than one year and you are traveling somewhere in Thailand and happen to be caught up in a random visa check by an immigration officer then you are being apprehended. The outcome is you will be denied entry to Thailand for 10 years.

It is possible that you could be apprehended while sitting in a bar enjoying a nice cold drink. However quite a lot of foreigners get apprehended when they have an encounter with the law such as being involved in a bar fight or motor vehicle accident.

Currently the "Black Listing" rules are awaiting approval from the Thai Ministry Of Interior and the normal overstay conditions still apply to those who violate the rules. The normal penalty for overstay is 500 Baht per day up to a maximum of 20,000 Baht.

If your current visa status is "overstay" then you would be highly advised to put your visa in order as soon as you can. One way to do this would be to book a flight to a neighboring country such as Cambodia and pay your overstay fine at the airport on your way out. Once in that country obtain a visa for Thailand at a Royal Thai Consulate.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh is located at
No.196 Preah Norodom Boulevard,
Sangkat Tonle Bassac,
Khan Chamkarmon,
Phnom Penh.

A Thai visa can take up to 3 or 4 days to process in Phnom Penh. So here is a good hotel to stay at not far from the Embassy. This hotel has excellent free Wi-Fi in the rooms and a varied selection of room types. It is located in a quiet street around the corner from the night life strip, within walking distance to the markets, and the museum. The staff are friendly and speak English well. It is a joiner friendly hotel.

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