@Lance ******

Gotcha! Yes, you’re right. But sometimes we put the fear of some religious entity into people and they think they’re going to jail, or worse, over minor infractions, which is of course possible lol. I do believe in following the rules and being polite rather than a privileged westerner when in Thailand and I’ve never had any problems.

Roger, when you go to immigration to extend your stay show them your airline ticket and ask if they can extend you to cover your departure date or if it will be a problem with a one day overstay. I suspect you will be told it’s just one day and won’t be a problem. Feel free to ask what will happen when the police pull over your taxi as you’re heading to the airport, one day overstay.

@Lance ******

What’s BIB? Educate me please.

@Lance ******

Unlikely. You’re in a cab on the way to the airport with airline ticket in hand. I really can’t see that becoming a major problem, in accordance with their own guidelines.

Biff, thanks for all the info. I’m fully aware of everything you mentioned. The one thing I haven’t found yet is the source document for this. Sure, I’ve read about it on the internet from sites that are not Thai government sites. As a former government worker I can’t tell you how many times people quote regulations without showing source documents. Usually because they’re only repeating what they’ve been told by the ‘supervisors’ in the back office. When I actually crack open a regulation I often find exceptions to policy that allows a different outcome.

Correct, getting stopped and questioned on your way to the airport could, supposedly, be a problem. But I don’t buy that argument, how else could they publish that it’s just a fine? Even though TiT, that makes no sense. That really applies to the people that are intentionally overstaying for months and years, not the tourist that overstays for a few days which happens every single day. The Thai jails are not full of 1 and 2 day visa overstay bandits.

I know, some of this is my opinion. Feel free to beat me up now.

An overstay of 1 day is not a problem, it says so in their documentation, it’s just a fine of 500 baht. Some will disagree but that’s the official word. As I mentioned in a previous post, the immigration officer did not let me obtain a 30-day extension because it was cheaper to pay the 2-day overstay rather than the extension. And while onwards travel is something they can check, I haven’t arrived in Thailand with onward travel in about 5 years. And yes, I realize they can check next time and I might get turned away.

So, based on some facts (the overstay not being a problem) and some personal experience (yours may differ) I wouldn’t worry about changing your ticket, I’d just play the 500 baht at the airport on the way out of Thailand.

@Stan ******

Yes, sadly there are.

@Daniel ***********

I realize volunteering is work but I don’t know that other countries lump it into ‘work’ which to me is paid work. I have no organization to volunteer for, it would be the local school where I build a house. I’ve glanced through the volunteer/work visa stuff and in my mind it doesn’t apply due to my circumstances (O-A) and the circumstances of so many that are living in Thailand on the O-A visa. I’m wondering what the work around is, if any. It seems like such a wasted opportunity if so many retired expats are barred from volunteering with no expectation or desire for compensation in any way because they classify it as work.

I realize I can’t work, no problem there as I’ve been practicing that for the last 5 years lol. Since I’ll be building a house and living in Thailand the O-A is the correct visa to get and getting an O visa (and/or a work permit) instead just so I can volunteer, and the paperwork involved with all of that, seems, well nonsensical. So I’m hoping there’s a way to be able to volunteer while on an O-A visa.