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.
Hello Sir,
I am in thailand with Non B visa and work permit. I told my employer my last working day is 22nd June. He cancelled the visa and workpermit and got the stamp to leave thailand on 23rd June.
I was under the impression the immigration office will automatically give 7 days extension. I also doubt my employer was lazy to apply for extension.
I have plans to leave on 4th July as I need to settle my things and move my house from bkk to samui where my gf is living.
Please advise should I go to immigration and explain my situation to get extension or should I over stay and pay the fine. The over stay will be less than 14 days. I do not want to be banned and have black mark as I plan to travel to thailand to visit my gf in the future.
Please advise.
You will be able to get a 7day extension at Immigration. But if you explain your issue and show proof of leaving Thailand they might give you 14 days. It will depend on the officer in charge.
But there won’t be any ban for a short overstay.
Thank you so much. I have got 7 days extensions. I mentioned upon the application that I need 10 days. However they only gave 7 days extensions which state I need to leave on 30 June. I got my flight 3rd of July out of Bangkok.
If I over stay 3 days and pay fine upon departure, will I be able to return in the future with you any problem?
Yes, pay the overstay fine at the airport. Lots of people have short overstays, it shouldn’t be any problem to return to Thailand in the future.
Hi! I’m on spouse visa, and I fail to report the 90 days report by 9 day’s, what will happen? I’ll go first thing in the morning at emigration. Thank you!
The worst thing that can happen is a fine. There is some leeway, up to 7 days after the due date.
Dear,
I have a question for my friend.
He is coming to Thailand on 16th June with VISA-free 14 days staying. He miscalculated the staying date and booked returned flight for the 1st of July which he is not allowed to stay beyond the 29th of June. In this case, can he notify any of the immigration offices in Thailand to overstay with 30 days’ notification and return on the 1st of July?
Thank you in advance.
Hi, I lived in Thailand for 6.5 years now, if I shall get extension for one year as usual 16 of June, and am in another city in Thailand so I can be at the immigration in my city 20 of June, do they charge me for 4 days when it is Thai holiday 18 of June and Sunday 19 of June, and can this make other problems for me in any ways, I mean we foreigner sometimes, me the first time have obligations we have to do, and accept to pay fine but also have to be punished for this is totally insane.
Dear,
Sir
I’ve been overstaying in Thai for 22 days now. My Non-immigrant ED visa has expired. Can I extend my non-immigrant ED visa from the new admission University in the next month? Can you please give me advice on what should I do? I don’t want to back to my country because I got a scholarship for a Double MSC (Master’s of political science) from one of the organisations in my home country. Do you think sir can I extend my visa for the next month if I pay to overstay fees. ? The organisation will help me with all costs payments. Please give me advice as much as possible
Your university will have staff that handle cases like this with Immigration. Explain the situation to them and they should be able to arrange for a member of the admin staff to accompany you to immigration to get your visa extended.
I over stayed for almost 1 year can I pay the penalty 20k BHT and be free to go my country with out any prison problem?
You can pay the fine and receive the overstay ban at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Then you can fly to your home country.
Hi
I’m a Myanmar citizen doing a housemade job in thailand.i have a plan to visit India on tourist visa in next month; and come back thailand after one month.can you tell procedure in Bangkok airport immigration section.
Thanks in advance
If you have a Work Permit then you need to get a Re-entry permit before you leave Thailand. Then you can re-enter the country on the same visa. You can get this at your local immigration office or at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Hi sir 2016 I overstay thailand banned 10yers now I saty In India 6 years I want to go back thailand 2 baby in Thailand Thai wife wait me can I go back thailand problem have or not
If you were banned for 10 years, you can return in 2026.
Until then, your Thai wife can travel to India if she wants to see you.
Hi I have a question.my passport has a blacklisting stamp by Malaysia government for overstaying.i would like to know if I be denied entry to Thailand with this stamp on my Singapore passport.i intend to visit Thailand this august for holiday.it just worry me that I would ask to turn back to singapore
Stamps from another country shouldn’t affect how you are treated by Thai immigration. But if the immigration officer suspects that you are not a genuine tourist then you should be prepared to show proof of hotel booking, return flight and funds to support yourself during your stay in Thailand.
Hello,
I am in thailand and visa for 2 months stay but I got a small problem with the authorities, I went to court and paid a small fee of 500 baths as penalty. In the meanwhile I was suppose to picked up my passport and they theatened to cancel my visa. Is this enough for a visa cancellation? If so, do I have to leave imediatly thailand? When can I come back? Thnks*
You should check with your local immigration office if your visa has been cancelled. Under the law, your visa can be cancelled if you are convicted of a criminal offence. But that will probably depend what the 500 Baht fine was for.
Dear Sir/Madam
I was a former PhD student at the University & my visa has been expired on 7 May. This year, I have not extended my visa from the same University due to some personal problems with the organisation that they didn’t keep promising me. The organisation sponsored me for 2 semesters after that they stopped paying me for my continued study. Now I have stopped to further continue my PhD. Now I have taken admitted to another University but at the moment I can’t extend my ED visa until I’m a full-time student then University will provide me visa extension recommendation letter. But I have to wait for 1 month more. So can I extend my ED visa in the month if I pay the overstay fee? Please let me know as soon as possible
You should go to your local immigration office and explain the situation. Ideally ask one of the Admissions staff from your new university to accompany you so they can confirm you have a place and request assistance in getting your visa extended.
Dear sir/madam
I have been overstay in Thailand for more then 90 day and now I want to go back my country I know I will pay for then fine but I want to ask I already get the flight ticket day the fine pay I have to go to the immigration or I pay at the airport and do I have any problems
Thanks
You can pay the fine at the immigration counter at the airport.
HI,
I was supposed to leave Thailand right before the expiring date of my tourist visa, unluckily I caught covid three days before I were about to leave. I am currently doing home isolation to recover. Any advice on what to do in this case as very likely I will have to leave the country after the expiring date of my tourist visa. I am not able to extend my visa in immigration as I am doing home isolation. Do you think they will be able to waive the fine as well when I leave? My visa is expiring tomorrow and I hope to leave asap (once I am recovered).
Looking forward to hearing from you.
To avoid having to pay the overstay fine you will need a letter from a hospital confirming you can’t travel due to having covid.
Then arrange for someone to take that, along with your passport to your local immigration office and ask them to issue an extension on medical grounds.
Hi Admin
I came BKK in year 2019 June but I overstayed and I came back my home country in year 2020 September and I paid the overstay charges 20000 bht on airport but they stamped for 3 years ban . Meanwhile march 23 all the flights stopped due to covid . I want to came back Thailand . What we do ?
You wait until September 20223 when your ban expires. If you feel your ban was unjust you can contact a lawyer who can appeal your case with the immigration department. If you win, then you’d be able to re-enter the country sooner.
Hello ka.. Can you help me with this?
I am supposed to renew my visa on February 28 but the school I am working in had some problems so I cannot renew my visa. I was shocked and told me that I need to cancel my visa and work permit and there would be no problem because I can use the amnesty. I cancelled my work permit and visa but there was a problem with extending my stay because my visa is from Non-b to tourist. I was not prepared so I am 60days overstay because I nees to find a way to buy a ticket. now I have a ticket and will be going home.I also prepares the fine which is 20,000 baht.I am just worried that I will have a problem because I already cancelled everything but then overstayed. What do you think? Will I have a problem at the airport ka? Thank you
You shouldn’t have any problems when you leave. Check in & go through security as normal, then tell the Immigration officer you have an overstay, apologize and ask to pay the fine. Then they will take you to the overstay desk nearby where you can pay etc
The person who overstayed in Thailand and banned to enter the country for 5 years, after banned will lifted up so he/she can re-enter the country or not??
You can try re-entering the country. But will probably have to show proof that you are a real tourist and not planning to overstay again. Eg return flight home, prepaid hotel booking and funds to support yourself whilst in Thailand.
Hi, I overstayed my visa due to family issues, I have aai son and a husband in Thailand it’s been 5 years I don’t know if I have a ban or not, in my passport, I only have overstayed and the pay of 20.000 that stamp nothing more than that, it’s been a nightmare for us as my child needs me and my Thai mom and dad are old I need to get back to my family and we don’t know how my husband went to immigration to check if I am blacklisted but they said they can’t check, my son and husband currently visiting me in Malaysia as am doing my internship in Maine conservation due to bring away from my family I utilized it to study new skills, can you please guide how can we check if I am blacklisted or not, we passed 5 years already, i had a long overstay as my family won’t allow me to marry my husband and sign permission to renew my passport while I was in t.hailaThailand
Contact a lawyer that deals with immigration matters and pay them to check if you are on a blacklist & if your ban from re-entering has been lifted.
Hello Sir,
I have overstayed my visa for almost 3 years now and I’m planning to go back home to my country as soon as I get the international vaccination passport. Really big mistake that I overstayed my visa this long and I plan to surrender myself to the airport immigration police once I have all the documents I need to get back home and the overstay fine of 20k baht. My question is will I also be required to pay the fine for unreported 90-days notification? If I booked a one-way flight ticket back to my country, surrendered myself, paid the fine, and get the blacklisted stamp on my passport, will the airport immigration police let me take the flight back home or will they hold me longer in detention center…?
You can pay the overstay fine at the airport, receive the ban and fly home. There won’t be an additional fine for missed 90 day report.
Hello, where specifically can one pay for an overstay in the airport at suvarnabhumi? Would it be before check in? Or after check-in? Thank you
Check in an go through Security as normal. Then you pay at the Immigration counters where you normally get stamped out of Thailand. Just tell the officer you have an overstay, they will take you to a special counter nearby where you can pay the fine etc
Hey! I previously overstayed my 30 day stamp because of Covid situation and was fined + banned for 1 year. 1 year has passed and I am wondering if I would have any issues at the border when entering Thailand. As far as I understand there is a chance I might not be allowed to enter. But it is not clear to me how likely/unlikely it is and what(if anything) can I do now to make sure I am allowed to enter the country?
You will probably need to prove to the Immigration officer that you are a genuine tourist and aren’t likely to overstay again. Eg – show a return flight ticket, paid hotel booking, at least 20,000 Baht in funds to support yourself.
I have overstayed on tourist visa extension by approximately two months.
I’m British but have a flight to Vietnam booked on or about the 90 day overstay date.
What is my best option?
The best option is not to get caught overstaying whilst in Thailand and to pay the 20,000 Baht fine when you fly out to Vietnam. If you don’t want to receive an automatic ban & be placed on a blacklist then it’s better to keep the overstay under 90 days.
2015 I have one day over stay in Thailand by mistake i explain the immigration officer if i go back again there something issue?
A one day overstay won’t be any problem. This is common when people miscalculate the length of their stay in Thailand or their flight changes by a few hours. Plus yours was 7 years ago.
Hi! I’m a Thai citizen living in the US.
I booked my ticket to go to go to Thailand for two months with my son. My son is 5 years old and has an American passport, does he need to get a visa before we leave or can we go get it while we there? I’m also gonna apply for his Thai passport during this visit.
Thank you for your time
The easier way to do it is for them to enter without a visa. They’d be given 30 days stay automatically as an American citizen. Then you can extend this for another 30 days at your local immigration office, for 1900 Baht. If you happen to stay longer than 60 days then it isn’t a serious problem, as young children don’t have to pay an overstay fine and can’t be blacklisted from re-entering Thailand.
Hello,
My working permit and working visa will expire on April 15, 2022. I booked a flight on April 11, 2022 to my home country for good. Do I still need to go to the labor department to cut my working permit and to the Immigration office to cut my visa? Is it ok if I will just let it expire since I am not in the country anymore?
Thank you!
Technically you should cancel it. But in reality there’s no problem with just letting it expire. There won’t be any black mark against your name if you return to Thailand on holiday, for example.
Hi Good afternoon sir my name is milan and i have 70 days ovestay already so everyone knows is because of Covid19, and dear sir so how much i pay for 70 days ? and i After How many days can come in thailand ?
The maximum overstay fine is 20,000 Baht. There shouldn’t be any ban on re-entering if you overstay under 90 days. But if you try to return quickly, expect to have to prove to the immigration officer on duty that you are a genuine tourist. Eg show prepaid hotel booking, return flight, funds to support yourself etc.
My non b visa will expire on April 30,2022 but i will change to a new employer and my old employer will cut my work permit on march 31,2022. I know that normally when the work permit has been cut you need to go to the immigration office to cut the visa too. My concern is can i use the remaining 30days of my visa in april just to give my new employer an ample time process my new work permit and for my visa? Or can i just apply for visa extension? What can you suggest? Can my new employer still process my visa if i overstay? I don’t want to leave Thailand due to covid situation and many travel rules and regulations. Thank you!
You should go to your local immigration office with the staff from your new company who is responsible for dealing with paperwork for foreign workers and ask for advice how to proceed.
Good evening to Thailand!
I have a question:
In June 2019 I was banned for 1 year for an overstay. The ban ended in June 2020. Now I would like to enter Thailand again soon. Is that possible after such a long time without any problems if I show a return ticket. Anything else I need to watch out for? Thank you very much.
Greetings from Michael
You might be asked for proof of funds to support yourself and hotel bookings. As you might have to prove to the officer on duty that you are a genuine tourist.
Thank you for your answer.
Can you tell me what proof of funds you mean.
I want to prepare the journey to thailand correctly.
Thank you very much.
Individuals entering Thailand are required to have proof of funds (over 20,000 Baht) to support themselves whilst in the country. Usually this proof is never asked for. But it can be. And if you cannot show bank statements or cash to cover this amount then you could be denied entry.
Hi sir I’m from Nepal please why not respond my email message sir ?
Because it was the middle of the night in Thailand when you sent it.
Hello Admin
my blacklist ban is now complete by many months, apparently I need to apply to have my name removed from the list to allow travel to Thailand. How do I do this? Grateful for any help.
James
You can contact a lawyer and submit a motion to have your name removed. For example
Hi sir I’m from Nepal and 2 week ago on 14/2/22 i request thai immigration for 60 days visa but immigration returned my passport saying that my visa cannot added so tomorrow on 1/ 3/ 22 will finish my visa and now I’m sickness because of covid so i want rest for 60 days in thailand please sir I’m excuse for you however help me sir :
If you are sick, go to a hospital. Ask the doctor for a letter you can give to immigration to state that you cannot travel due to illness.
Then it will be up to your local immigration office to decide whether to give you an extension or not.
Hi, I have overstayed a little over 4 years and I now have enough money to go back. I can book a flight and pay the 20,000 baht fine, my concern is getting the pre-flight covid test.
I want to return to my country (UK). The UK requests that I get an documented ‘safe to fly’ covid PCR test within 2 days of my departure.
Where can I get a test? I am worried I go to a testing clinic, they ask for my passport and see that I overstayed, and then call the police.
I just want to take the test and surrender myself at the airport, pay my fine, get my ban, and fly home.
Also, I am in Chiang Mai. My flight goes from Chiang Mai > Bangkok > London. Will I have any problems when I land in Bangkok? (p.s. the tickets will all be booked together, not separately).
Sorry for the long message, I don’t see this question answers in the previous comments.
Thank you in advance!
All testing centres will ask for your passport, as they need the details for your covid test certificate. They aren’t required to check for overstays or report any information to the police or Immigration department.
If you are clearing immigration in Chiang Mai you will pay the fine there, if you are clearing in Bangkok, you will pay the fine there.
Sir I am from India I have overstay 3 years I book direct flight from bangkok to delhi Thai airways I will pay my fine at airport 20k baht they will allow me to go India
Correct. You shouldn’t have any problems if you pay the overstay fine at Immigration at the airport and are flying back to your home country.
When I did the PCR testing pre-departure they only look at the first place which is the passport number. They don’t look where the visa stamp is.
Hello Charles. Can you give an update once you left and got back to your home country if everything went okay after you surrender to the airport immigration police and paid the penalty.
Just been to Khon Kaen immigration to explain my tourist visa has expired due to 10 days quarantine. Had letters from the hospital to prove this.
Their response was I had to pay overstay fine with no exception to quarantine
If I overstay by 10 days due to possible PCR test results?
Would the officer waive the fine in such cases?
If I am required to pay, do I need to bring THB with me, or can I pay with credit card?
You would have to get a letter from the hospital confirming the reason for the overstay and contact your local immigration to request an extension based on not being able to leave due to having covid.
If you show up at the airport without doing this, you will have to pay the overstay fine. Credit cards aren’t accepted. There are ATMs at the airport where you can withdraw cash.
Hi
I had a work visa with a company, that company cancelled my work permit in July without my knowledge. I continued to do my 90 day address check at immigration and continued to get the stamps in my passport from immigration without any problems. My work visa and permit was set to expire January 5th 2022. On this day I went to apply for a Covid visa and contacted the company I had been working for, the company informed me that they cancelled my work permit in July for unknown reasons to me. I’m wondering when I arrive at the airport to leave Thailand will they check only the stamp in my passport which is Jan 5th or will they check in the computer system to see my work permit was cancelled in July? If checking only the stamp in my passport I will have overstayed for around a month, will I be blacklisted for this or can I pay the fee without blacklisting? Thank you in advance for your help
They will only check the expiry date of your visa – 5 January. You can pay the overstay fine at the airport. You shouldn’t be blacklisted, but that is at officer’s discretion.
Hello.
I went to immigration to extend my visa but they told me to overstay since the difference between my tourist visa expiration and my flight date is only two days. They insisted on it and said that for me to extend it I would have to leave my documents and passport there for them to consider it during 15 days, which would be after my flight home.
When someone overstays, does the thai immigration at the airport can have access to the police clearance I did, my bank account or documents I sent to the consular affairs? Thank you.
The Immigration officers only have access to information that has been submitted to the immigration department.