What happens if my return flight is canceled and I enter Thailand a day after my tourist visa expires?

Tourist Visa Multiple Entry Visa Visa Expiration Thai Immigration Rules Visa Exempt Entry

Apr 21, 2023

2 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Hello everyone,

I have a Tourist Visa (Multiple Entry) which will end on 14 May 2023. Therefore I'm planning now my visa bounce trip to be able to recieve the 60 days one last time for this visa.

I just wondered, what would happen if my return flight on 14 May is somehow canceled and there is no other possibility than flying into Thailand one day later on 15 May... would the immigration officer still grant you the 60 days with proof of canceled flight or are they that strikt that they not recognize the visa anymore?

(I know that the easiest way would be, to just book the return flight min 1 day before the visa expire to have a buffer, but on this day there is no flight available...)

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The consensus in the comments is clear: if your Tourist Visa expires on 14 May and you attempt to enter Thailand on 15 May, you will not receive the 60-day extension associated with the expired visa. Instead, immigration officers will likely grant you a standard 30-day entry stamp, as visa expiration dates are strictly enforced without discretion. It is advisable to book flights allowing for potential delays to avoid these issues.

Tod *********

@Alex **********

Just bounce out and back a day or so BEFORE your current METV expires.

There is no reason at all to wait until the last day,

believe me one extra day here isn't gonna matter in the grand scheme of things

AND

if you mess up and don't get back in by 11:59pm on the 14th you'd have no one but yourself to blame.

don't be a "day counter" 😕

2 years ago

Thekla *********

Maybe book the flight a day earlier giving you a day for any delays.

2 years ago

Ellie *******

If you go through after midnight of 14 May, and that is the time officers click the date stamp, you will enter on visa-exempt/via-waiver if you are eligible.

Here is a real story I knew of. One guy had Non-OA, flown out and back on the last day of his visa expiry to get his second year, supposed to be day count effectively. His flight back was delayed, still arrived at the airport well before midnight. But when he was through passport control, it was after midnight and he was stamped on visa-exempt. He lost a whole 365 minus 30 days.

2 years ago

Martin *******

Visa expiry dates are set in stone, no discretion would be given by the immigration officer.

2 years ago

John **********

If your visa is expired it's expired. The best you would get is a 30 day visa exempt entry

2 years ago

Lloyd ********

"would the immigration officer still grant you the 60 days with proof of canceled flight or are they that strikt that they not recognize the visa anymore?" - Your visa would have expired, it would be impossible for the IO to give you a 60 day entry, you would have to recieve a normal 30 day stamp.

2 years ago

Reply to

Lloyd ********

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What should I do if my return flight is changed, causing an overstay on my Thai tourist visa?

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