Ministry offers advice to overstayers in Malaysia

Ministry offers advice to overstayers in Malaysia

Tanee Sangrat, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry
Tanee Sangrat, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry

The Foreign Ministry has urged Thais who have overstayed their visas in Malaysia to quickly apply for repatriation to avoid legal penalties.

Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Thai consulates in Penang and Kota Bharu have urged Thais who have overstayed since Jan 1 last year to register for repatriation on http://dcaregistration.mfa.go.th. After their requests are approved, they are required to present certificates of entry, which can be downloaded from the website, to the Malaysian immigration office to request special passes, which cost 100 ringgit (762 baht) apiece.

Whether they will also have to pay fines for overstaying is up to Malaysian immigration officials, said Mr Tanee, who serves as director-general of the ministry's Department of Information. Those who have overstayed since before Jan 1 last year or before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and those who entered Malaysian illegally are not exempt.

Thais who are at risk of breaking the law are advised to join Malaysia's Recalibration Programme (Repatriation) and arrange to pay the fine of 500 ringgit. They will then be given a special pass to return to Thailand without being prosecuted in Malaysia. The deadline for leaving Malaysia under the repatriation programme is June 30, Mr Tanee said.

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