I once sorted a long overstay for a friend using a medical extension and the 20000 baht fine plus a 8000baht bribe and the 8000 baht lawyer fee. Not the cheapest way but they didn't have to leave the country. Long overstays aren't such a big deal unless you get caught out without any money, the you go the immigration pokey.
I deal with Civil Serants all the time, it is what my company does, and this situation is a familiar one.
What I suspect is that you were, indeed, unlucky in that the staff you dealt with at that moment in time had no idea how to handle your "problem". Regular overstay, no problem, eleven years, two different passports, probably half the immigration staff would have no idea. There will be a select few people in immigration who know how to handle this work and a decent lawyer will know one or two of them. My guess is that if you hand around ThB 30,000 to a lawyer who knows his stuff you should get this resolved. ThB 20,000 overstay fine, ThB 7,000 goes to the lawyer and ThB 3,000 to the official. Of course the official may well stamp everything, change the computer record, and keep the ThB 20,000 himself if he has sufficient seniority.
Things will be different under Emperor Suthep, apparently.
I see fish. They are everywhere. They don't know they are fish.
^
Ouch, although still cheaper than eleven years' visa runs.
Now unless I'm mistaken; it appears that this entire thing happened at the AIRPORT not at Thai Immigrations. (So in reality the workers at the airport who don't transfer stamps from one passport to another would have abso-tively, posi-lutely no frickin' idea what to do!)
The letter from the US Embassy is addressed to Thai Immigrations NOT passport control at the airport. Even though you went to pay the overstay at the airport that's all that area does is collect the fines and stamp your overstay into your passport.
That letter asks that the old "permission to stay" stamp be transferred to the new passport. Among other things, I believe that was where the O/P started to come off the proverbial rails in this endeavor.
There are conflicting reports on whether long overstays can be cleared at either the airport or at Thai Immigrations inside the country. The cut off seems to be about 5 years.
Again, please read what I typed; I'm saying there are conflicting reports.
Some people seem to skate out at either the airport or a land border. BUT, face it 11 years is the sort of overstay where you can't fall back on, "Oh I forgot!". In fact I called an unnamed source who's pretty in touch with these things as they routinely work with the various embassies on issues like this. They said on long overstays the thaiz want to run you "thru the system", as in go to court, see the judge, get fined, etc so they can see that you haven't run amuck here during the time you've been on overstay.
I honestly think the reason the airport kicked you back was that you hadn't gotten your old "permission to stay" stamp transferred from your ancient passport to your new passport. It doesn't make a difference how old the stamp is, whether it is expired or not, it has to be transferred to the new passport, period.
I'd try this first;
Take the letter from the US Embassy addressed to Thai Immigrations at Chaengwattana (but DON'T go to Chaengwattana seeing as it's closed; go to Thai Immigrations either at Major Hollywood Suksawat, or Imperial World Lad Prao Soi 83), and see if you can;
1- get your old stamp transferred to your new passport (free)
2- pay the 20K baht for your overstay (showing proof that you're winging your way outta here)
3- get an emergency 7 day visa (again with proof that you're going back to the US in the next 7 days). (1900 baht)
4- get a new departure card (free, although it may require a police report)
Unless I'm mistaken now on long overstays (especially ones handled thru the courts) you have to go back to country of passport origin, not just hop out to a neighboring country which allow US people in for free.
Remember going thru the legal system and being deported for an overstay is NOT being black-listed, it's being "invited to leave". There's nothing that says you can't turn around and come right back.
The b/s crap posted by "Thormaturge" is so riddled with errors and so full of spurious information that I wouldn't even waste a second reading it.. I too deal with thai officialdom all the time, as in routinely. I've never ever greased the wheels; only figured out what they want from someone as far as documentation and how to meet those requirements. You can go thru the thai legal system just fine on something like this without someone holding your hand for a fee.
You DON'T need a lawyer, you don't need some mythical hi-up thai to change the dates in the computer magically, you just need to follow the rules concerning an old passport, a new passport and an overstay fine like they're written.
Again, I think this came about because you didn't bother to go to Thai Immigrations and get your old stamp transferred to your new passport, FIRST!
Now as a suggestion; you could show up at oh say, Lumpini Police station (the one which has most of the embassies in its district) and talk with the head of the liaison translator service office there. That service facilitates communication between the police and foreigners. I'm sure the guy who heads it up could advise you on how to go thru the court system to clear the overstay, get out and come back.
Face it, you ain't the first foreigner who came off the rails here and couldn't leave and I'd bet dollars to durian you ain't gonna be the last. It is not that big of a deal in the eyez of the thaiz; they see day in day out. They just want it handled like they want it handled. You don't have to understand their reasoning or their logic you just hafta do it their way..
Sorry this was long, perhaps it was of marginal value to the O/P, good luck. . .
"Whoever said `Money can`t buy you love or joy` obviously was not making enough money." <- quote by Gene $immon$ of the rock group KISS
How did Brandez get on?
I hope he got his overstay cleared by now as the new regulations announced recently would have him banned from Thailand for life.
i wouldn't want to be the one to see if thats true or not
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