Thailand – Over Staying Your Visa

We’ve all been there.  You head to Thailand and fall in love with the place.  You just don’t want to leave.  It’s OK you think.  It doesn’t matter about the date on my passport, I’ll just stay a few more days.  There won’t be any harm.

Unfortunately this isn’t the case.  Whilst the islands like Ko Phi Phi and Ko Phangan might be very easy going, the immigration is not so forgiving.  You will be charged 500 Baht (correct July 2011) for every day over your Visa you stay.  Given that you’re probably a poor gap year student if you’re reading this then you’ll want to save as much money as possible so this isn’t a good idea.

Fortunately the Thai government has forseen events like these and it is relatively easy to get your Visa extended.  All you need to do is to go to the building mentioned in my article about losing your passport in Thailand, pay your fees and get on with your journey.

Remember, the best way to get to the immigration building is by Taxi and should cost approximately 200 Baht (plus fees for the high way) from the Khao San Road area.  It should be significantly less from the Sukhumvit area but noone wants to be in the Sukhumvit area if they’re tourists!