Answered9 years ago

What should a foreigner do if they failed to stamp out of Laos and back into Thailand?

Thai Visa Rules Immigration Issues Overstay Penalties Nong Khai Border Procedures Visa Compliance Cross-Border Travel

Tod *********

asked Sep 11, 2017

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Sorry to have deleted that thread.

The guy's wife went to the Nong Khai Border, stamped out of thailand, took the bus across bought a visa and stamped into Lao, turned right around and rode the bus back to thailand. 

She failed to stamp out of Lao and also failed to stamp back into thailand. This happened some months ago.

The only way to resolve it is to go back to the Nong Khai border. 

Face it failure to get stamped in or out of the country happens EVERY day and she's not the first foreigner to do this. 

I don't even think she'd be charged overstay in thailand because in theory she's not here. She could be charged with illegal entry but that's very, very unlikely. 

I think it's far more likely the thai officials would send her across the bridge to the Lao side to sort out the overstay on that side AND to get a stamp out of the country, then she can come back and stamp back into thailand.

Answer summary

A foreigner who failed to get stamped out of Laos and back into Thailand should return to the Nong Khai border to resolve the issue. It is common for such errors to occur, and while the individual is technically not overstaying in Thailand, there may be concerns about illegal entry. Thai officials will likely guide her to rectify her entry and exit stamps, and any penalties may be managed on the Lao side, where overstay fees apply.

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Robin **********

There was no border Control to check stamps? Heh?

9 years ago

Zachery **********

/takes notes ;)

9 years ago

Joe ***********

The Lao side of the Nong Khai border crossing is very confusing - Window 3, Window 4, Window 5... Minimal communication from the Lao Border Police, people outside offering all kinds of advice, queues end at Window 3, then entrance booths further along, with new queues that do not apply to aliens - domestic or cross-border workers only, go around the building - poorly marked routing to get a turnstile ticket, then ushered onto a bus with offers for direct taxis .... A bit of a blurr..

9 years ago

Robin **********

@Tod ********

Oh well

9 years ago

Tod *********

That border is chaotic and if someone wanted to they could walk right past the booths that stamp you in and out

9 years ago

Robert *******

I see that Loas charge $10 a day for overstay, no maximum, if she has to pay she has learned an expensive lesson: Get your passport stamped and check the stamps at border check point.

9 years ago

Tod *********

The only thing that is a matter of concern is the length of time between when this happened and now. I mean there's no way someone on a 30 day visa exempt entry would NOT know they were running out of time.

That's the only thing I can see that would cause a problem (and even then it probably wouldn't cause much of one).

9 years ago

Stephen ********

It must be crazy working at those border crossings, the things you'd encounter each day. A psychologist would clean up with an office there. Ha ha!

9 years ago

Tod *********

@Ste****

, she's from the US and actually bought a visa on arrival for Lao and got stamped in, but just turned around and got back on the bus to cross the Mekong without stamping out of Lao.

Its highly unlikely she'd be charged for overstay seeing as she's not stamped INTO thailand to begin with. ;O

The most they could do would be charge her with illegal entry but so many people forget to stamp into thailand at that border. Those immigration officers deal with it every day when people end up going back to the border to get stamped in once they realize they forgot to.

9 years ago

Stephen ********

It will be interesting to hear the follow-up to this.

9 years ago

Stephen ********

Sounds like she didn't realise Lao visas are for staying in Laos and that you need a Thai visa to stay in Thailand. If they look the other way on the illegal entry they may still charge 60 days' overstay on a presumed 30-day visa exempt entry, before she goes on to approach to Lao authorities.

9 years ago

Robert *******

Well done

@Tod ********

and good advice as usual.

9 years ago