The key facts
- The Russian woman was hiding in a condominium on Siriraj Road in Patong; she was located through an informant's tip
- Her residence permit expired on October 12, 2020; the police report states an overstay of 2,379 days
- She has been charged with illegal stay; she faces a fine of up to 20,000 baht, up to two years in prison, and possible deportation with a ten-year entry ban
Detention in Patong
A Russian citizen has been detained on the Thai island of Phuket after staying in the country for more than six years with an expired residence permit. This was reported by the Thai outlet MGR Online, citing immigration police; Life.ru also covered the detention. According to police, the woman had been hiding in a condominium in the resort area of Patong.
How she was tracked down
Law enforcement learned about the violator from an informant, who reported that a foreign woman with a long-expired residence permit was living in a residential complex on Siriraj Road. Police checked the address and identified the woman. According to the police report, her last permission to stay in Thailand was valid until October 12, 2020. The report states an overstay of 2,379 days, although 2,220 days have passed since the specified date — the publication separately noted this discrepancy in the calculations.
Charges and possible punishment
The Russian woman was taken to the Phuket immigration office and then handed over to investigators from Patong police. She has been charged with illegally staying in the kingdom after her permitted period expired; no other charges are mentioned in the agency's report. Under Thai law, such a violation carries a fine of up to 20,000 baht, imprisonment for up to two years, or both penalties at once. In addition, foreigners detained for overstaying by more than a year face deportation with a ten-year ban on returning to the country.
A similar case in Phuket
This is not the only recent detention of a Russian citizen in Phuket over an expired visa. Earlier, Life.ru reported that the son of former Splean band producer Sergei Navetny ended up in a Thai immigration prison after living for almost two years with an expired visa. According to Mash, 31-year-old Pavel was detained after a conflict with the landlady of his rented accommodation, to whom he owed about 150,000 rubles. His father tried to pay the fine through an intermediary, but the latter disappeared with the money, and the Russian remained in an immigration detention facility.
