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What should my partner do about his visa situation while traveling to Thailand from Myanmar?
Visa RulesTourist VisaVisa ExtensionOverstay ConsequencesMyanmar Citizen Visa PoliciesImmigration Advice
May 8, 2022
4 years ago
N**
ORIGINAL POSTERHi everyone, really wanting your advice. My partner is flying for the first time, and me and my friends are meeting him in Thailand. He’s coming from Myanmar and only gets 14 days visa free. Our trip is planned to be 18 days, and it’s really difficult gathering the documents to apply for the tourist visa. Should he try to get a tourist visa no matter what, or pay an overstay fine as it’s 4 days. I’m just afraid that it will look bad on his passport as it’s his first time out of the country. I’d appreciate any advice, thankyou so much.
TLDR : Answer Summary
A user is seeking advice on whether their partner, traveling from Myanmar to Thailand with only a 14-day visa-free entry, should apply for a tourist visa despite it being difficult to gather the required documents, or risk overstaying their visa by 4 days on a planned 18-day trip. Forum members highly recommend against overstaying due to the severe consequences it could bring, specifically for Burmese citizens. Various suggestions include applying for a tourist visa in advance, seeking immigration extensions upon arrival, or consulting agents in Myanmar to facilitate the visa process.
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Sasawan **********
Do not overstay is my advise. It’s like a taint in your record.
Sylvia *****
There are agents in Myanmar who can help him apply for tourist visa before flying
Terary **********
I think overstay wont necessarily be an issue if your partner never wishes to return to Thailand. It probably won't cause them too much trouble in the future. However, it could cause them some trouble and I would recommend avoiding the trouble. Cut the trip short by 4 days, 3 days if they show-up at the airport the day of, or 2:00am next day. Or find a legit visa option.
Brian ********
Overstaying your date in your passport is breaking the law.
Many times on here people ask is it ok to overstay - 1, 2, 5 days etc. The fine at the immigration exit desk is 500 baht per day of overstay. Some immigration officers will waive the fine if it is only 1 day, but you’ll still get a red stamp in your passport.
However if you are stopped inside the country for any reason - like at a police check point - even on your way to airport or border crossing then be prepared for a whole lot of trouble.
The police may arrest you as you have broken the law. If they do you’ll be fined in court and then sent to the nearest Immigration Detention Centre, where you will be kept until you buy a one way ticket back to your home country. If you don’t have the funds for that you will be kept there until you find some means of raising those funds. Once you have your ticket, you will be deported and blacklisted from entering the country for up to 5 years.
Sounds dramatic but it sometimes happens. 500 baht a day sounds cheaper than 1900 baht at a local immigration office but in the overall scheme of things it is never wise to overstay.
Many times on here people ask is it ok to overstay - 1, 2, 5 days etc. The fine at the immigration exit desk is 500 baht per day of overstay. Some immigration officers will waive the fine if it is only 1 day, but you’ll still get a red stamp in your passport.
However if you are stopped inside the country for any reason - like at a police check point - even on your way to airport or border crossing then be prepared for a whole lot of trouble.
The police may arrest you as you have broken the law. If they do you’ll be fined in court and then sent to the nearest Immigration Detention Centre, where you will be kept until you buy a one way ticket back to your home country. If you don’t have the funds for that you will be kept there until you find some means of raising those funds. Once you have your ticket, you will be deported and blacklisted from entering the country for up to 5 years.
Sounds dramatic but it sometimes happens. 500 baht a day sounds cheaper than 1900 baht at a local immigration office but in the overall scheme of things it is never wise to overstay.
Paul *******
Very well said. Although most farang can get away with a few days overstay, a Myanmar citizen could be in big trouble for even one day overstay.
N**
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brian *******
Thankyou so much for your advice, definitely won’t overstay.Reply to
N**
Reply
Kool *******
If he is Burmese the visa exempt is different, and he can get an extension, but it is done at a different immigration office in Bangkok. The countries on the border with Thailand are treated differently than other foreigners.
N**
ORIGINAL POSTER@Kool ******
Oh interesting, would you know the details of where the immigration office is please?Kool *******
@N**
I am not exactly sure, sorry. It is listed on the ministry of foreign affairs website somewhere. There is a list of all the immigration offices in Bangkok, and who they handle.N**
ORIGINAL POSTER@Kool ******
Thankyou so much! So helpful 😊Reply to
N**
Reply
N**
ORIGINAL POSTERThankyou everyone, so definitely DO NOT overstay. So should he go to immigration on arrival or just before the visa free (14 days) period is up?
Craig ********
i would get the visa before entering, or at least try. But yes DO NOT overstay
N**
ORIGINAL POSTER@Craig *******
Thankyou! We will try, trip is in less than 2 weeks.Reply to
N**
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Ang *****
Absolutely never plan to overstay - if he gets caught in Thailand with an expired visa the consequences are not nice.
Ադամ ********
NEVER plan to overstay. Better to go to Immigraton and apply for an extension for 1900 baht. Which will be refused and they will give 7 days to leave the country.
N**
ORIGINAL POSTERIv’e just read about the 7 day extension on arrival, is anyone able to do it? or any other requirements?
Peter ****************
It's 14 days
@Native ***************
. Not 30...Native ****************
@Peter ***************
My apologies I misread the part about Myanmar... I stand corrected. Thanks everyone for the redirect, I am sure it help the OP to gain more confidence about the right thing to do. Here is the website that might help to isolate more precisely what course of action is available. ****************************
Reply to
Native ****************
Reply
Native ****************
Wait until you have a few days left on the 30 days and simply go to Immigration with your forwarding flight ticket and you will get a one time 7 day extension for 1900 Bahts. If your partner plans on wanting to come back to Thailand without any issues, best avoid Overstay stamp at all cost. Hope this helps and safe travels
Nigel *********
@Native ***************
this does not apply to the OPs partner who is from Myanmar. Different countries have different allowancesԱդամ ********
@Native ***************
Other countries one may apply to enter don't like overstay stamps either.Reply to
Ադամ ********
Reply
John **********
@N**
it's not a 7 day extension as such. It's an extension denied stamp which gives you 7 days to leave the countryReply to
John **********
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Craig ********
i would not do the overstay. I would get an agent to help with the visa.
Steve ********
@Craig *******
It's interesting that I've lived in Thailand for 22 years on a variety of different visas/extensions, and have never once needed an agent to "expedite" any process. Time spent at immigration offices is minimal (the longest wait I ever had was three hours, and that's because they took a lunch break mid-way through my transaction). I laugh my head off when I see people paying tens of thousands of baht for something which costs me 1900 baht. And yet these same people will complain endlessly about the entry fee to a national park, the cost of a taxi in Phuket and more recently the proposed 300 baht "entry tax". It's beyond beliefCraig ********
@Steve *******
this person has already stated that the paperwork seem extensive and overwhelming and is also on a tight time schedule. And also is not in-country at this point. In my opinion this would be a reasonable time to consider an agent.As for me personally I don't hang out with people who complain endlessly about anything. I prefer to spend my time with people who are positive minded.
In my short time in Thailand, only 6 months, I have noticed that most of the Farang I have met fall into 2 clear categories. The first is those who think Thailand is the most amazing place in the world, are incredibly grateful to be here, and are full of joy. The second group is a bunch of miserable pricks who think Thailand owes them something, that they are somehow special, that everything is over-priced, and that they are always being taken advantage of.
I only associate with those in the former group
Bruce *********
@Craig *******
there are a lot of people like myself who are in the middle. I like Thailand but I Miss America even more.Craig ********
@Bruce ********
I wasn't really talking about missing your home country. I was talking about a general attitude about life.Bruce *********
@Craig *******
I personally don't see the appeal that this place has to a lot of people who think it's the most magical place on Earth. It's a great country but I've been to other countries that I find are far superior. Japan for example is one country that I truly love but I'm also not going to talk shit about this country either. I think that for a lot of for men the appeal is that they finally get noticed by women here whereas in their home country they were never given the time of day. That may be one reason why men really love this place.Craig ********
@Bruce ********
I would suggest that is the biggest reason why, yes. Of course. Mate selection is the most important driver of human behavior.Men are primarily attracted to youth and beauty, and women are primarily attracted to social status. There is plenty of empirical evidence in the evolutionary psychology journals demonstrating this cross-culturally. Statistically speaking of course, individual humans span the spectrum.
For me that is absolutely why I came to SE Asia. My social status here provides me with options for a mate that are far superior to my home country.
But that's not the ONLY thing. Personally I love the Thai culture in general. I find people here to be more kind, warm-hearted, and tolerant than anywhere else I've been.
But at this point we've gotten so far off the original thread's topic I hesitate to converse further on the subject. If you like, DM me and we can discuss these ideas further.
Reply to
Craig ********
Reply
Craig ********
no. A visa agent is perfectly legal. This is someone who typically has a contact at immigration, organizes your paperwork, makes sure it's all in order, and gets things done
Steve ********
@Craig *******
If it's perfectly legal, why can't the applicant simply attend the immigration office and do it themselves? I've know agents charge upwards of 20,000 baht, so why is it so costly to "organise" paperwork?Craig ********
@Steve *******
You can do it yourself. 20,000 baht is way too much to pay an agent for a tourist visa. Also a good agent can expedite the process as well.Reply to
Craig ********
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Craig ********
I have used Trunk Travel myself with success. I have heard others criticize them.
N**
ORIGINAL POSTER@Craig *******
would you be able to recommend any please?Reply to
N**
Reply
Bobby ********
@Craig *******
You mean pay a bribe?Reply to
Bobby ********
Reply
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