A 60-year-old British man has been arrested in Thailand for overstaying his tourist visa by a record 25 years.
According to immigration officials, the man entered the country in 2000 on a 30-day visa and never left. He evaded previous police checks by claiming to be in the process of extending his visa.
The man was finally caught in Chiang Mai on Monday during a crackdown by immigration officials on overstaying foreigners. He admitted to overstaying and will be deported back to Britain.
During his time in Thailand, the man lived in Bangkok for 13 years, built a life with a Thai woman, and had a child. He moved to Chiang Mai 12 years ago for economic reasons and survived on money from his family in Britain.
The man’s overstay is the longest on record, surpassing a Pakistani man who overstayed for 10 years. Immigration officials said the man’s case was unusual, as he had managed to evade detection for so long.
“The man was able to avoid detection by claiming to be in the process of extending his visa,” said a senior immigration official. “However, our system showed that he had not made any attempts to extend his visa or leave the country.”
The official added that the man would be deported back to Britain and blacklisted from entering Thailand again.
The arrest highlights the ongoing issue of visa overstaying in Thailand, with many foreigners taking advantage of the country’s relatively relaxed immigration laws.
