overstay

  • Thailand News

    Sightseers sans stamps: Syrian, Egyptian guests nabbed for visa overstay in Bangkok hotel

    Immigration police arrested a Syrian man and an Egyptian woman at a hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 4 in Bangkok for overstaying their visas. The Syrian man was discovered to have committed several prior offences. Immigration Bureau officers announced news of three successful operations at a press conference yesterday, January 31. The three cases included the arrest of a British man…

  • Crime News

    Thailand’s IB busts 1,272 foreign overstayers in just 9 days

    Thailand’s Immigration Bureau (IB) reported a dramatic increase in cases of foreigners overstaying their visas, uncovering a substantial 1,272 overstayers in their latest nine-day crackdown. High-ranking IB officers held a press conference on Friday to report the fruitful rewards of their latest crackdown on illegal foreigners in the kingdom, reports ThaiRath. Between May 4-13, the IB caught 1,272 foreigners residing…

  • Thailand News

    6 Indian men arrested for overstaying in southern Thailand

    Tourist police arrested six Indian men for overstaying their visas at a rental house in the Tamot district of Pattalung province in the southern part of Thailand. They also worked illegally in the province as ice cream sellers. The arrest took place today, May 19, following a tip-off from residents. The six foreigners had been residing together in a rental…

  • Visa Information

    Phuket Immigration discovers 186 visa overstayers in just 7 days

    In a single week, 186 foreigners in Phuket, southern Thailand, were found to have overstayed their visas, Phuket Immigration reported this morning. From April 28 – May 4, 2023, 120 police officers inspected the documents of 216 foreign targets on the island under orders from Phuket governor Narong Wunsiew, Chief of Phuket Police Pol. Maj. Gen. Sermpan Sirikong, and Chief of…

  • Crime News

    Pattaya cops swoop on Chinese and Burmese nationals for illegal entry and overstay

    Pattaya cops swooped on a group of Chinese and Burmese nationals caught illegally entering Thailand, and overstaying their visas. Pattaya Police raided a house in the Takhian Tia sub-district of Bang Lamung district of Bang Lamung district yesterday. This was after an investigation revealed that the house residents reportedly got into Thailand without obtaining proper documents. The group included three…

  • Pattaya News

    Chinese man arrested in Chon Buri for overstaying and corruption

    Immigration Bureau Division 3 officers arrested a Chinese man in Chon Buri for overstaying his visa by about 800 days and for evading corruption charges in China. The Immigration Bureau recently implemented strict measures to eliminate the influx of foreign criminals who use Thailand as a hiding place. On Wednesday, April 5, the officers in Chon Buri summoned a Chinese…

  • Visa Information

    Elderly British man overstays visa in Thailand by 11 years

    Immigration Police arrested a 76 year old British man in Bangkok who overstayed his visa in Thailand by a total of 4,142 days (11.3 years), reports KhaoSod. Thailand’s immigration authorities are taking their latest crackdown on foreign overstayers in the kingdom seriously – catching a British national who managed to slip through their net for more than a decade. He might…

  • Crime News

    Cops arrest Iraqi in Pattaya who overstayed visa by 8 years

    Cops arrested an Iraqi man in Pattaya who overstayed his visa for more than eight years. Chon Buri Immigration and Pattaya Police arrested the man at his house in Pattaya’s Map Yai Lia community on Tuesday. The man was sitting in front of his house when the cops showed up. The man turned pale and fainted when he saw the…

  • Crime News

    Indian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days

    Immigration police arrested an Indian national in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, found to have overstayed his visa by 2,048 days (more than five and a half years). Police believe he is part of a call centre gang, reports KhaoSod. The police stopped 38 year old Jatinder Singh – who resides in the Na Jomtien area of Sattahip district –…

  • Hot News

    Russian man arrested in Koh Pha Ngan for overstaying visa 993 days

    An unidentified Russian man has reportedly been arrested on the island of Koh Pha Ngan for overstaying his visa by 993 days or over 2.5 years. According to TPN National, the 34 year old man was arrested and taken to the Koh Pha Ngan Police Station to face charges of overstaying and will be deported. The arrest followed the Surat…

  • Visa Information

    Russian arrested for 188-day overstay on Koh Pha Ngan

    A Russian national has been arrested at Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani for overstaying his visa by a staggering 188 days. Surat Thani Immigration officers confirmed the arrest of 50 year old Leonid Toisloi. The Russian man was apprehended in front of a convenience store in the northern town of Chalok Lam earlier this week. The authorities have taken…

  • Crime News

    Thai woman protests agains Polish husband’s deportation in Bangkok

    UPDATE A Thai lady and her relative staged a two-person protest at the United Nations HQ in Bangkok to appeal for “justice” for her Polish husband, who says that forcing him to return to Poland is a certain death sentence for him, reports SiamRath. Sornsiri Khittook’s 37 year old husband Michal Kamil Wielebinski, was arrested and detained in Koh Samui…

  • Visa Information

    Indian, Pakistani men latest busts in overstay crackdown

    Police are continuing crackdowns on overstayers and have arrested an Indian and a Pakistani man in Patong, both with entry stamps that expired over a thousand days ago. Both were arrested on Phra Baramee Road in the popular Patong area of Phuket on Monday. The 35 year old Pakistani man overstayed his legal visa by 3,270 days according to the…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket Immigration crackdown nets 138 total violations

    After spending the first half of the month vigilantly and vocally cracking down on immigration violations, Phuket Immigration announced the results of its efforts. They focused mainly on people overstaying the stamp on their passports and not being registered correctly at the place where they lived. Immigration was working under the slogan of getting “Phuket to be Crime Free” running…

  • Visa Information

    Overstaying former pro footballer arrested for hawking lottery tickets in Thailand

    Immigration police were suspicious when they came across a Chinese man roaming around Nong Khai province in northeast Thailand selling overpriced lottery tickets earlier today. Upon checking his documents, police found he had overstayed his visa by well over seven years (2782 days). Nong Khai Immigration Police arrested 33 year old Xiang Lix of Chinese nationality on three charges, “being…

  • Visa Information

    Overstay crackdown uses facial recognition tech

    Immigration offices around the country have been cracking down on foreigners overstaying their stamps or visas. A ten-day campaign from December 1 to December 10 is aggressively seeking out tourists who have remained in the kingdom long past the date stamped in their passports. And some provinces are using some creepy Big Brother technology to do it. In Surat Thani,…

  • Visa Information

    Korean woman arrested for 5 million baht theft, 6-year overstay

    A lesson that never seems to be learned is that, if you’re illegally overstaying in a country, try not to commit crimes and bring attention to yourself. A South Korean woman was arrested in Bangkok for stealing a car, bag, and watch valued at over 5 million baht from a South Korean friend. Both the Korean man and Korean woman…

  • Visa Information

    Immigration police round up visa overstayers in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

    Koh Pha Ngan island in southern Thailand is so idyllic that some foreigners just can’t bear to leave, even when their visa runs out. Yesterday, Surat Thani Immigration Police, and Koh Pha Ngan Provincial Police went on a tour of Thailand’s fifth-biggest island on the hunt for visa overstayers in the kingdom. Three foreigners were arrested and detained at Koh…

  • Visa Information

    Chinese man overstays visa in Thailand for 7 years over ‘cult’ beliefs

    Immigration police arrested a Chinese man at a condo in Bangkok this morning who overstayed his visa by over seven years (2,662 days). He said he wanted to stay in Thailand because his religious beliefs are not accepted in China. In the early hours of this morning, plain-clothed immigration officials – one wearing a “rasta baby” T-shirt – were patrolling the Bang…

  • Visa Information

    Overstaying foreigners targeted in Pattaya club inspections

    Pattaya police are continuing their crackdown on nightlife and entertainment venues, but now with a new target: overstaying tourists. In the wake of the meth-fueled daycare centre massacre, police all over the country have been raiding venues and parties and cracking down on drug use. They have also been checking clubs for illegal operations, such as staying open past curfew.…

  • Visa Information

    ‘Big Joke’ orders crackdown on foreigners who overstay in Thailand

    Deputy Police Chief and former Chief of Immigration Big Joke is on the prowl for foreigners who overstay their visa time in Thailand. Not only that, but Big Joke will not stand for immigration officers who give out illicit visas in exchange for bribes, either. Pl. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, aka “Big Joke,” made the comments after a Chinese man was tortured…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket Immigration visiting those in Hotel Isolation to extend visas

    After the story went viral of a man being charged for an overstay because he was locked in Hotel Isolation after testing positive for Covid-19, Phuket is taking action. The Immigration Chief of Phuket is sending staff around to local hotels to make sure that people caught in a 10-day Hotel Isolation do not have their visas expire. If a…

  • World News

    Woman exchanges sex for immigration scam to stay in Singapore

    Not wanting to leave Singapore after her visa expired, a Chinese sex worker got entangled in a complex immigration scam to be arrested so that she was able to stay in the country… for over 3 years. The woman, Liang Qinglan, entered Singapore in May of 2018 with her visa finishing at the end of July. She ended up overstaying…

  • Visa Information

    Hungarian woman arrested in Koh Samui for 10-year overstay

    A Hungarian woman was arrested in Koh Samui by Surat Thani Immigration Police for a visa overstay… of more than 4,000 days. The woman admitted to having travelled to Thailand in November of 2009 on a tourist visa and then stayed with her husband without ever bothering to apply for any visa or extension. The woman’s visa expired at the…

  • Crime News

    Immigration police arrest Frenchman on drug charges, 3 other foreigners for overstay

    Immigration police arrested a French man who was allegedly involved in a crime network who allegedly smuggled cannabis, and arrested 3 other foreigners on overstay charges. Police say the crime network sold cannabis to foreigners living in tourist cities in Thailand. Officers say they suspect there are more people involved in the alleged smuggling operation on the Eastern seaboard, which…

  • Visa Information

    Visa Emergency Extension extended to May 30 this year for stranded tourists

    Stranded foreign tourists, either genuinely stuck in Thailand since April 2020, or stuck here by choice, are able to stay in Thailand until May 30, according to an order signed by the Immigration Bureau last week. The order empowers local officers to grant a 60 day visa extensions from January 29 up to May 30. The order coincides with the…

  • Things To Do

    When next in Thailand, don’t do these things – VIDEO

    Most of the time you’re spoiled for choice with things to do in Thailand. It’s what makes the country so popular for overseas visitors, and as a place to live. But there are a few things that may be worth avoiding, despite being available, during your time in the Land of Smiles. Here’s The Thaiger’s Top 10 list of potential…

  • Visa Information

    Some immigration offices open tomorrow for last minute visa extensions

    The latest amnesty is up tomorrow (October 31) and some immigration offices will be open for those who still need to apply for visa extensions. Those who miss the deadline could face fines for overstay, immigration officials warn. The extensions all go into effect on November 1 and allow a 60 day stay. Some immigration offices that are typically closed…

  • Visa Information

    60 day visa extensions, filed during amnesty, go into effect November 1

    Foreigners currently on visa amnesty, who didn’t make the initial September 26 deadline to file for extension, can extend their visa between now and October 31. The Immigration Bureau is trying to reduce overcrowding at local immigration offices and say that no matter what day the 60 day extension is made, it will go into effect on November 1. In…

  • Visa Information

    Get a visa or go to jail – Thai Immigration

    “Overstaying the tourist visa is punishable by both a jail term and fine under the Immigration Act.” Tourists have 5 days to renew their visa or they could get arrested. The current visa amnesty ends on September 26 and there isn’t going to be another sudden announcement for another grace period, according to immigration officials. Those who overstay will face…

  • Covid-19 News

    Visa amnesty extension “very likely”. Decision this week.

    Only 11 days to go until we reach the end of the current visa amnesty, which has allowed people with expired visas to remain in the Kingdom during the midst of Thailand’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak. But even today Immigration officials say that a proposal to extend the visa amnesty, or some similar alternative, is before the government for…

  • Expats

    Immigration official says visa amnesty extension “is unlikely”

    As the deadline for the visa amnesty draws closer, conflicting whispers are emerging from Immigration offices around the country. The Thaiger is privy to a discussion with an Immigration officer this morning where an extension was said to be likely, for 1 month beyond July 31. But just this afternoon Khaosod English has published a contrary story saying that an…

  • Covid-19 News

    Migrant workers in Thailand can now stay until November 30

    Yesterday the Thai government officially announced a blanket extension for the country’s migrant labourers. They will now be permitted to stay until November 30 this year and will be exempted from any sort of overstay penalty. Government Spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat says that the government has backed the Ministry of Labour’s review of the Cabinet resolution on March 24 on the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Visa amnesty for foreigners – but conditions apply

    “All foreign nationals are advised to closely monitor the Immigration Bureau’s website for updates, though the measures announced on Wednesday are valid until April 30 unless otherwise updated.” The visa amnesty has been announced, hopefully relieving some of the stress on stranded tourists and other foreigners that have ended up without flights or ways to get home. Many flights have…

  • Covid-19 News

    Phuket immigration offers 30 day extensions for stranded foreigners

    “Please, any foreigners coming to the Immigration office must wear face masks. If they don’t have one, they will have to go get one first, then we can talk.” On Wednesday the Sorts and Tourism Minister said that he’d been discussing the problem of overstaying tourists and visitors, due to a lack of flights or border closures in their home…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai tourism minister plans help for tourists stranded and worried about overstaying visas

    There are a growing number of tourists who are becoming stranded in Thailand as their home countries raise the drawbridge and lockdown their borders. Many European countries have started sealing their borders to deal with the Covid-19 coronavirus and other countries, closer to home, are starting to act as well. Last weekend Malaysia virtually locked down its borders. Thailand is…

  • Pattaya News

    Disabled Belgian man busted by Chon Buri’s “smart car”

    A 57 year old Belgian man, who is disabled and uses a walker for mobility, was arrested earlier this week in Chon Buri province for overstaying his visa. Immigration officers found the man behind the Burapha hospital in the Bang Saen area on Thursday. They were using Chonburi Immigration’s new “smart car,” which allegedly identified the man using facial recognition…