Overstaying your visa is illegal. If you overstay for a short period you will have to pay a fine. However, if you overstay for more than 90 days then it is a serious offence and the result will be you are deported from Thailand and banned from visiting again. The length of the ban depends on how long you have overstayed your visa.
If you are caught overstaying by an Immigration officer, then it can result in being taken to jail if you are not able to pay the fine or have a long overstay.
From 20th March 2016, if you are caught overstaying by even one day, you will face a ban from re-entering Thailand of five years. If you have overstayed by more than one year, you will face a ban of ten years.
If you have a very long overstay and turn yourself in to the authorities you will have to go before a judge in court. The overstay fine is usually waived and in it’s place a smaller fine imposed. You will then be held in the IDC ( Immigration Detention Center ) until you can arrange for a ticket on a direct flight back to your own country. You will then have to pay a small fee to the immigration officers to take you to the airport and accompany you through Immigration, where you will get the blacklist stamp in your passport, and to the gate. Your passport will be given to a steward on the flight and they will return it to you when you land in your home country.
How much is the fine for overstaying?
The fine depends on the number of days you have overstayed. The minimum charge is 500 Baht per day. This goes to a maximum of 20,000 Baht for overstays of 40 days or longer.
The good news is that if your overstay is under 90 days and you pay the fine then leave the country then you won’t have any problem returning to Thailand at a future date. There won’t be any black mark next to your name.
What is overstaying?
Overstaying is when someone resides in Thailand for a period exceeding the length of time they are permitted to do so by their visa or entry stamp.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not overstay.
However, the Thai Immigration officials realise that sometimes people make mistakes and book a flight a day too late or their plans change, a flight is cancelled and they have to leave a day late. In cases such as these, with a few hours overstay, the 500 Baht overstay fine is usually waived.
If you are in a situation like this, don’t panic. Just explain to the immigration officer when you are being stamped out of the county. Apologise and you will be treated fairly.
If you have a longer overstay, for example, 1 week, then you will be required to pay this ( 7 days x 500 Baht = 3,500 Baht ) before you can leave the country. It is easiest to pay when you fly out. Again, explain the reason to the immigration office at the airport, then you will be taken to a nearby counter when you can pay the overstay fine. Please ensure that you have enough funds to cover this. If not, then you may be taken to the holding cells until you can raise funds.
Children under the age of 15 are not charged a fine for overstaying but still get overstay stamps when they leave the country. Being exempt from the fine does not make them exempt from needing a valid visa entry or extension to stay in the country.
Consequences of overstaying your Thai visa
Please note that repeated violations of overstaying can hold serious consequences. In the event that you have had a few overstays, your passport could be stamped with a stamp declaring you in violation of the immigration laws and regulations of Thailand.
This stamp will label you as an “undesirable alien”, which could make travel and obtaining entry to other countries much harder than it should be.
Where is the Immigration Detention Centre?
The IDC is located in central Bangkok at the Immigration Office on Soi Suanplu, Bangkok. This is where anyone who has been arrested for overstaying will be held prior to attending court and then whilst waiting for their flight back home to be arranged.
You can call on: 02 213 2369 but it is better to go in person. Go to Building 5 at the IDC. You will need the overstayer’s details: Name, nationality, age, arrest date and location.
dear sir
I’m a minority Buddhist person from a Muslim country. I submitted the request to UNHCR reopening of my asylum closed case and waiting for the result but it will take many months to verification. I was a former asylum seeker but my asylum application case has closed in 2024 . recently I received Death Threat with AK-47 rifles from local Armed groups in my home country, so my life is in danger if I back to my country surely they’ll kill me . I have evidence, screenshot, video recording, newspapers article and police GD but the local authority can’t give me protection due these armed group have close link with the intelligence military. military backup them to control other ethnic political party that is government policy. In this case, could you please provide suggestions what can I do ? unlikely if Thai authority arrested me , do still they deport me forcibly .
thank you sir please give me more suggestions.
The best course of action is to contact NGOs that help refugees in Thailand
These groups can sometimes help with legal advice or advocacy:
Asylum Access Thailand
Jesuit Refugee Service Thailand
Bangkok Refugee Center
They can:
Help communicate with UNHCR
Provide legal guidance
Sometimes assist if detention happens
Prepare a clear explanation of your case and the threats which shows the time line of what has occurred and what you have done. This will make it easier for them to assist you.
Hello, We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 children, aged 5 and 11) currently staying in Thailand. Our 60-day tourist visas expire on March 11th, 2026.
We intend to apply for a 30-day extension, which would allow us to stay until April 10th, 2026. However, the earliest available flight for our family is on April 14th, 2026.
Our questions are:
Is there any legal way to extend our stay until April 14th to match our flight?
If we stay until April 14th (4 days beyond the 30-day extension), what are the consequences for the adults and the children?
Can we apply for a short-term “extension to depart” (7 days) after our 30-day extension expires?
Thank you for your assistance.
You can only get a 30 day extension. But you can apply again, get rejected and will receive the 7 day extension to give you time to leave.
If you decide to overstay for 4 days then you and your wife will have to pay 500 Baht a day overstay fine. Children under 15 don’t have to pay the fine. But they will get an overstay stamp in their passport, the same as adults.
Thailand overstay fines in 2026 are one of those reminders that immigration really does keep a calendar – better to leave on time than donate unexpectedly
Hello Sir, I am a retired man from Germany and have been living in Thailand since 2010. At the end of 2021, when the pandemic hit, I contracted the virus and was unable to fly home as planned in September 2021. My Thai partner’s siblings and mother lost their jobs, so I had to provide for everyone and couldn’t abandon them. I have now overstayed my visa by four years and would like to rectify the situation. I was thinking of buying a plane ticket and paying my fine at immigration at the airport. Is that acceptable, or will I be arrested there and have wasted my money? Or should I report to the authorities at the Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok? I am very grateful for your help and information.
The best way is to buy your ticket home and then pay the fine and do the paperwork for the re-entry ban at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is done at the Immigration counters after you go through Security.
Sir,
What should I do? I am currently in the Mae Sot area, and I have overstayed for 9 months. My Indian passport also expired on January 19, 2025. Please give me some suggestions because i have the fine money with me and also want to go to bangkok and apply for the EC to fly back india. For that what is the process
A lot of people took jobs on the Myanmar border near Mae Sot and then had visa problems in Thailand. Your embassy will be able to advise you the best way to proceed after you get your new passport or emergency document that will allow you to fly home. That is the first thing to do.
good day my friend overstayed in Thailand for more than 1 year. he is gay and his partner a Thai local wants to get married before he goes home to the Philippines. can he come back immediately to Thailand again when he decides to comeback in less than a year? will the Thai marriage visa help solve his over stay in Thailand? please help. thank you!
He can get married but he won’t be able to get a Non Immigrant visa based on marriage as he is currently overstaying.
So he should get married then return home, wait until the ban expires and then try to re-enter Thailand again. Whilst out of Thailand the couple should document their relationship so they can prove it is genuine when he tries to return to Thailand or apply for a Non Immigrant visa.
If you do not have a valid visa, then you will not be able to get married because this will be done at the local office, amour and if all the documents are not in order, they will refuse to do it. Plus all other documents are needed like affirmation of freedom to marry. This has to be translated and given to DFA, and if found with overstay could be arrested then and there. it is best to leave and organise it later.
Hi there,
My friend has been in Thailand for over 5 years, has overstay of almost 5 years, he has a Nigerian passport, now he wants to pay a 5-year fine of 20,000 baht and want fly to Dubai on a Dubai ticket with a visa, is that possible or should he return to his country Nigeria first?
It should be OK. But it will depend on the immigration officer on duty
could your friend fly to Dubai without a problem after paying fine at airport?
hi ,
my friend over stayed for 5 months tomorrow she booked the tickets she is carrying 20000 bhat fine amount, it will be cleared or police will arrest her, please give me some details
She shouldn’t have any problems paying the fine when she leaves. ( Assuming it is a simple overstay and there’s no reason why Immigration officers would want to detain her.)
I’m malaysian, my wife is Burmese, she overstayed in thailand more than one year, now she want to come to malaysia from Thailand, she still got valid marriage visa malaysia. She planned to take a flight from chiang mai airport to fly back to kulala Lumpur malaysia. Please advice the step. Thank you
It will be a lot easier if you fly to Chiang Mai and fly back to Malaysia with her. It will make it a lot easier if you are together and getting married. Rather than her trying to explain to immigration officers on her own.
She need to go chiang mai immigration office to surrender and get a permission to leave “overstay clearances letter ‘ more safer than she direct to airport counter to surrender. Which is better and safe. Thank you
Which matter is more safer to surrender.
1) Buy ticket and direct go to airport surrender and pay the fine.
2) Go go to chiang mai immigration office Surrender and pay fine get permission realese letter. Ticket book day after surrender date.
Immigration office address :
71 Moo 3, Sanambin (Airport) Road, Suthep Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Please advice.
The easiest will probably be to go to the airport and pay the fine when she is leaving.
Dear Admin Officer,
I hope you’re well.
I would like to ask: If someone has overstayed for one year or more than but has a legal explanation or documented reason for the overstay, is there a possibility to regularize their status? Additionally, if we hire a lawyer to file a case and present our situation formally, would that increase the chances of becoming legal?
Thank you for your guidance.
Unlikely unless you have extremely good reason why. You should contact some lawyers and ask for their opinions and fees. If you find one who can help and for a reasonable price, use their services.
Hello Admin
Back in December a thai person I knew offered to help me change my visa to a longer stay visa through an agency he knows. I payed what he asked and he said I am in the system. I recently decided to take a job back home but this person is not answering my texts or calls. If he fooled me, that means I overstayed my visa for more than 90 days. I have a flight tomorrow, what should I do about this?
It is your responsibility to ensure your visa is up to date. You decided not to do it the legitimate way. So you will be responsible for the consequences.
If you have overstayed you will have to pay the fine when you leave Thailand. That will be 20,000 Baht. You will need to have cash on hand.
If you are here legally your passport will be stamped with the date your visa is valid to.
The alternative is to go to the police and make a complaint. But you will probably be arrested for overstaying.
Should I go straight to the airport or go pay the fine in the immigration office or immigration detention centre to explain my situation? Kindly advise what do you think the best course of action would be in my case. I got the flight in the evening
You pay the overstay fine at Immigration at the airport when you leave the country.
Thank you so much for your assistance! All the best
Where can I submit my appeal for being blacklisted from Thailand. I’m currently in America. Do I mail the appeal to the Administrative Court in Thailand or America? and can I have the mailing address. Thank you.
You can contact a lawyer who specialises in Immigration appeals and they will be able to handle it for you.
What if my flight is tomorrow?
Prepare 20,000 Baht to pay the overstay fine.
Hello,
First of all, I sincerely apologize for my situation and any mistakes I have made.
I arrived in Thailand on a tourist visa in December 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, my visa has long expired, and I now wish to return to my home country.
However, I am very worried, as I have heard that some people have been detained at the airport even before reaching the immigration checkpoint. I am suffering from depression and anxiety, and this situation is causing me a great deal of stress. I truly do not want to harm myself, but I am feeling overwhelmed and helpless.
Please advise me on the best and safest way to return home. I am desperately waiting for your response.
Thank you for your understanding.
Buy a ticket back home, go to the airport. Bring 20,000 Baht cash to pay the overstay fine. Check in, go through security, at Immigration tell the officer you know you have overstayed, You will be taken to the counter nearby to be processed, pay the fine and receive the ban.
थाईलैंड इमीग्रेशन ने मुझे 1 साल के लिए बेन कर दिया था, लेकिन वह एक साल समाप्त हो गया। उसके ऊपर दो साल हो गया है और मैं फिर से थाईलैंड जाना चाहता हूं तो क्या कोई प्रॉब्लम होगी?
You can try to enter Thailand again. But you will need to prove you are a genuine tourist – so be sure to have paid hotel booking, return flight and funds to support yourself.
hello,
my friend got serious problem, she was overstayed 5 years, 2 days before she booked a flight to go back her country, after she received boarding pass she got detained, before immigration counter. i am confused now. why she got detained. please answer and how to fix this issue. i am waiting
She got detained because she was staying illegally in Thailand. She will have to pay a fine and be deported.
You would have had to go IDC in Suan Plu, and pay the overstay and other charges and they would leave from there, once the flight is booked.
My sibling overstayed his visa, we have lost contact as he was taken by immigration. He was living in the Mae Sot area of Chiang Rai province close to Burma. Please tell
Me what immigration detention center he will be held in? He had a flight to leave Thailand March 17 and had overstated his visa by about 9 months. Will immigration avoid arrest him and just allow him to leave on his flight and pay the fine on departure? Or will they still arrest him? Please help family is nervous
If you contact your country’s embassy in Bangkok they will be able to locate him. Or try the Tourist Police headquarters in Bangkok, their email : info@touristpolice.go.th
I think you need to contact Mae Sot İmmigration office.