Phuket cooking class ends in arrest for a Portuguese woman after immigration police expose a 1,807-day overstay. She has no original passport, only a phone photograph. Biometric records reveal her stay expired in January 2021. Deportation now awaits.
A Portuguese woman was arrested at a Phuket cooking class on Tuesday after police uncovered a massive 1,807-day visa overstay. She had remained illegally in Thailand for almost five years. Immigration officers inspecting a Koh Kaew restaurant demanded her passport. She produced only a photograph on her phone. However, biometric checks exposed her expired immigration status dating back to January 2021. Now facing up to two years in prison, a ฿20,000 fine and deportation, she was caught in a national immigration crackdown targeting foreign offenders.
A Portuguese woman was arrested in Phuket on Tuesday after immigration police uncovered a 1,807-day visa overstay. The woman had remained in Thailand illegally for almost five years, according to Immigration Division 6.
Officers discovered her immigration status during a restaurant inspection in Koh Kaew, where she was attending a cooking class. Crucially, she could not produce her original passport, offering only a photograph on her mobile phone.
However, biometric checks exposed her immigration history. Her permission to stay had expired on January 11, 2021. She now faces criminal proceedings, possible imprisonment and deportation.
Cooking class inspection in Phuket exposes Portuguese woman’s 1,807-day overstay through biometric checks
The arrest took place at approximately 1.30 pm on October 13 in Koh Kaew, Mueang Phuket District. Investigators from Immigration Division 6 entered a restaurant during an operation targeting immigration violations and transnational crime.
Inside, officers found the Portuguese woman participating in a cooking class. They approached her and requested identification documents. However, she could not produce her original passport. Instead, she showed investigators a photograph of the document stored on her mobile telephone.
Officers subsequently entered her details into the Immigration Bureau’s biometric identification system. The database confirmed her identity, Portuguese nationality and passport information. More importantly, it revealed that her permission to remain in Thailand had expired almost five years earlier. Immigration records established that the woman entered Thailand through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on March 20, 2020.
She arrived under the 30-day visa-exemption arrangements operating at that time. Subsequently, she obtained an extension of her permission to stay from the Phuket Immigration Office. However, that extension expired on January 11, 2021. Police said she failed to apply for another extension after that date. Consequently, the woman remained in Thailand without valid immigration permission for 1,807 days.
Portuguese woman faces arrest and deportation after nearly five years without valid permission to stay
The period amounted to almost five years beyond her authorised stay. Nevertheless, she was still in Phuket when immigration investigators entered the restaurant on Tuesday.
Police have not disclosed where she lived during those years. Nor have investigators explained how she supported herself while remaining in Thailand. Likewise, officers have not released information about her occupation, age or activities during the extended overstay. Her identity has not been made public.
Following the biometric checks, officers informed her that she was being arrested for remaining in the kingdom after her permission expired. Investigators formally charged her with being a foreign national who entered and remained in Thailand after her permit expired.
The charge specifically recorded an overstay of 1,807 days. Officers then informed her of her legal rights before taking her into custody. Subsequently, she was transferred to investigators for further legal proceedings. Immigration Division 6 confirmed that deportation procedures would follow the criminal process.
Immigration Act provides prison terms and deportation as senior police intensify checks on foreigners
Under Section 81 of Thailand’s Immigration Act, foreign nationals who remain without valid permission commit a criminal offence. The provision also applies when permission to stay has expired or been revoked. Offenders face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine not exceeding ฿20,000, or both.
Separately, Section 54 of the Immigration Act empowers immigration officials to deport foreigners whose continued presence in Thailand is unlawful. Therefore, the Portuguese woman faces potential criminal penalties before immigration officials arrange her removal from the kingdom.
Meanwhile, the operation formed part of an intensified Immigration Bureau campaign against foreign nationals suspected of breaking Thai immigration laws. Police Lieutenant General Nophasil Phoolsawat, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, ordered the increased enforcement operations.
The campaign specifically targets immigration violations, foreign offenders and individuals suspected of hiding in Thailand. In addition, Police Major General Thanit Thaiwatcharamas, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, oversaw implementation of the policy.
Phuket immigration commanders detail restaurant arrest and biometric evidence behind overstay charge
Police Major General Chutharet Yingyongdamrongkul, Commander of Immigration Division 6, supervised the regional enforcement operation. Investigators attached to the division subsequently carried out the inspection at the Koh Kaew restaurant.
Police Colonel Charoenpong Khantiloh, spokesperson for Immigration Division 6, confirmed the circumstances surrounding the arrest. He said the operation followed instructions from the Immigration Bureau commissioner to increase checks on foreign nationals.
In particular, investigators were directed to identify foreigners committing offences or remaining unlawfully in Thailand. The spokesperson also confirmed that Police Major General Chutharet had instructed subordinate units to continue the enforcement campaign. The Phuket arrest demonstrated how investigators used biometric technology to establish immigration violations during inspections.
In this case, officers did not obtain the woman’s original passport during their initial questioning. Instead, they relied on the photograph she supplied before checking the Immigration Bureau’s electronic records.
The biometric system enabled investigators to verify her identity and retrieve details of her previous immigration permission. Crucially, those records established her original arrival date and the expiry of her most recent authorised stay. Police subsequently calculated the precise duration of her overstay and proceeded with the arrest.
Police confirm no further charges as Phuket immigration teams continue checks on foreign nationals
The woman had entered Thailand in March 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her original permission was subsequently extended by Phuket Immigration. However, the final authorised period ended in January 2021.
Investigators said she did not seek another extension after that deadline. As a result, her immigration status remained unlawful until officers discovered the violation on October 13, 2026.
The nearly five-year overstay was the sole offence identified in the information released by Immigration Division 6. Police have not reported any additional criminal charges against the woman. Furthermore, investigators have not suggested that the restaurant or its operators were involved in any immigration offence.
The cooking class was the activity she was attending when immigration officers arrived. No information has been released suggesting that the woman attempted to flee, resisted arrest or provided false identification.
Meanwhile, Immigration Division 6 is continuing operations under instructions from the bureau’s senior commanders. Police Major General Chutharet has directed subordinate officers to maintain checks on foreigners suspected of immigration violations.
The instructions also cover foreign nationals suspected of criminal activity or concealing themselves in Thailand. Separately, Police Colonel Charoenpong called for greater public cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Immigration police seek public reports as Portuguese woman faces prosecution and removal from Thailand
He urged residents to report information concerning foreign nationals suspected of breaking Thai laws. Members of the public can contact the Immigration Bureau hotline on 1178 during business hours. Police said officers would examine information received and investigate suspected offences before taking appropriate legal action.
For the Portuguese woman, the immediate consequence is prosecution for remaining in Thailand after her permission expired. Her case now proceeds through the criminal justice system, with deportation expected to follow.
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Immigration Division 6 has confirmed that the woman remains subject to legal proceedings following her arrest. The case centres on the 1,807 days between the expiry of her immigration permission and her arrest in Phuket. Ultimately, a passport photograph and a biometric database check exposed an overstay stretching back to January 2021.
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About the Author
James Morris and Son Nguyen
James Morris is a pename for an international writer based in Bangkok who works on various international news media. He is a sub editor with the Thai Examiner news website since it began in 2015. Son Nguyen is an international writer and news commentator specialising in Thai news and current affairs. He commenced working with the Thai Examiner News Desk in May 2018.