PHUKET, Thailand – Immigration officers arrested a Portuguese woman found studying cooking at a restaurant in Phuket after biometric checks revealed she had overstayed her permission to remain in Thailand by 1,807 days, nearly five years. The Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division 6 inspected the restaurant in Koh Kaew, Mueang district, at around 1.30pm on October 13 as part of an operation targeting transnational crime and foreigners suspected of violating immigration laws.
Officers encountered the woman while she was studying cooking inside the restaurant. When asked to produce identification, she could not present her original passport and showed officers only a photograph of the document on her mobile phone. Investigators entered her details into the Immigration Bureau’s biometric identification system to verify her identity, nationality and travel records. The checks confirmed that she was a Portuguese national who entered Thailand through Suvarnabhumi Airport on March 20, 2020, under a 30-day visa-exemption permission.
She subsequently received an extension of stay from Phuket Immigration, but her final permission expired on January 11, 2021. She did not apply for a further extension and remained in Thailand illegally for another 1,807 days. Officers charged her with remaining in the Kingdom after her permission to stay had expired. She was informed of her legal rights before being handed over to investigators for prosecution, with procedures to deport her to Portugal to follow.
Pol Col Charoenphong Khantilo, spokesperson for Immigration Division 6, said the arrest formed part of an ongoing campaign to locate and apprehend foreigners who violate immigration laws or remain concealed in Thailand illegally. He said Division 6 had been instructed to maintain strict checks and continue enforcement operations. Members of the public with information about suspected immigration offences can contact the Immigration Bureau hotline at 1178 during official working hours.
