It's like there is some competition to see how long you can stay in Thailand without a valid visa.
Now, a Swedish man has been arrested in the south of the Chon Buri province by the Immigration Bureau for overstaying his visa by more than seven years. 50 year old Lennart Alexander was apprehended at a rented property in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri after his landlady reported him to the authorities.
The Swedish man had initially arrived in Thailand via Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on January 7, 2016. However, he failed to leave the country before the expiry of his visa and ended up staying for 2,610 days, just over seven years.
The arrest followed a complaint from Alexander's landlady, who alleged that he had duped several people in the community by claiming to be a millionaire from Sweden who had come to Thailand to start a new business. He even showed her his bank account to prove he had several million baht in savings.
Problem is, he never paid any rent to her and also borrowed money from other people in the area. He claimed that he needed the money for business investments, but instead, he used it for his day-to-day expenses.
The landlady realised that the Swede was not a rich businessman and decided to file a complaint with the police. As per Thai immigration laws, overstaying in Thailand for more than one year results in a ten-year ban from entering the country and a fine of 20,000 baht. Depending on the case you could also find yourself spending time in the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok.
Currently, Alexander has only been charged for overstaying, and the charges for his deceitful actions were not reported.
The authorities have advised foreign nationals to adhere to the immigration laws of Thailand and leave the country before their visas expire. Anyone found violating the immigration laws will face legal consequences.
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