Do you want to visit Thailand for 31 days without paying for a Thai visa? What happens if you overstay by one day using the 30-day waiver that is granted to most tourists (including but not limited to British, Australian and American tourists)? I did exactly that and can explain what happened to me.
I have previously worked in Thailand and always had a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit, but this time I visited Thailand as a tourist. I knew that I would be staying in Thailand for 31 days but entered using the 30 day visa free entry permit because it is free and granted on entry. I didn’t want to pay for a full tourist visa just for the privilege of staying one extra day.
On entering Thailand the immigration official pointed out that I did not have a Thai visa. I acknowledged this fact and was duly stamped in with a 30-day waiver which expired on dd/08/2012. My return flight was scheduled for the morning of dd+1/08/2012.
Driving to the airport I took extra care to avoid accidents and any involvement with the boys in brown. That’s always good practice and especially so when you shouldn’t be somewhere.
At the airport I met a very junior looking immigration official who told me that overstay fines were payable behind the immigration desk.
When I got to immigration, the official immediately noticed my one-day overstay and asked me to go to the desk immediately behind his counter. I made sure that he knew I could speak Thai – always good in these situations – and he said I would not have to pay a fine. He called this out to the guy working at the overstay desk.
Everyone I met was very friendly and none more so than the official working at the overstay desk. On leaving his desk he raised his hand in a cheery manner and I was not quite sure whether he expected a high-five in return. Although tempted, I didn’t risk it. My passport now has a very blurry stamp written in Thai, but I can just about make out that it mentions overstay of less than 24 hours.
Although I don’t recommend overstay, I certainly wouldn’t sweat it if it is just for a few hours or a day or two. If you have to pay a fine, I believe the going rate is 500 baht per day.