Bulldozer Dawn

Vientiane's requirements are the same as Phuket to get a single entry non-o visa.

Bangkok immigration will want the letter confirming the funds came from abroad. No bank will issue a letter unless the funds were transferred to them. Most banks will issue the letter confirming the balance at any main branch. There may be some that will only do them where you opened the account.

You must apply for the change of visa status prior to the last 15 day of your 60 day entry or the 30 day extension of it.

Map and info on getting to Chaeng Wattana immigration. http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/location1.html

If you are flying into Don Mueang airport it would best to take a taxi from there to immigration.

Thanks Joe. I assume in your post quoted above you are actually referring to Penang and not Phuket.

Any idea of the approximate cost of a taxi from Don Mueang to Chaeng Wattana immigration office?

My plan would seem to be evolving as follows:

1. When making the extension to my current 60 day tourist entry, I will ask if my local immigration office if they will do the tourist visa to non o conversion. If yes, I will ask them what paperwork is required.
2. If a letter proving the funds came from outside Thailand is required, I will then call a girl I know at Krungsri who speaks good English to see if she can confirm that they can provide the abovementioned letter. I will get her to speak with the manager at my local Krungsri branch.
3. If a trip to Bangkok is required then the letter might be a deal breaker. I understand (please confirm Joe) that the letters must be issued on the same day that you apply of the tourist visa to non O conversion (or can they be a few days old?). If that is the case I would have to do them in Bangkok, and it would be unclear that they would give me the funds from outside Thailand letter. I might then make a trip to Bangkok only to be shot down by the Krungsri branch there not playing ball.
4. And so, if my fixer at Krungsri cannot confirm that I can get the required second letter, I may be faced with a visa run for a non o. If that is the case I will probably do a minivan run from Phuket to Penang. The upside of one of those runs is that you just stay in your hotel in Georgetown and do not have to go to immigration. They are also cheap. I think the last one was 2,000 baht including the accomodation, some meals and water.

And so:

Can anyone confirm the taxi fare from Don Mueang to Chaeng Wattana immigration office?

Can anyone list the documents and fee required to make an application to convert a tourist visa to a non O at Penang?

Can anyone provide me with the name and contact details of a visa run company that they used recently to go to Penang to apply convert a tourist visa to a non O?

short agent do both non o and extension 32k or thereabouts, no income proof, non o agent, do retirement yourself half the mentioned fee.

Please read my post above. I am not interested in using an agent.

Suradit69. I had already read through those threads and although they contain relevant information nothing specifically answering my questions listed above. The words retirement visa are a typo by me in the OP. I am well aware that the retirement provision is a 12 month extension stamp. To be clear, I am currently on a double entry tourist visa, I want to convert that to a Non O in Thailand, and then apply for a 12 month extension based on retirement.

Ubon Joe, thanks for your input. I have considered Penang. Years ago I did a minibus visa run down there with a company from Phuket. However, the week before and the week after my trip, there were fatal mini bus accidents killing foreigners. Also in the days before my trip the sister of the driver of my minibus was hospitalised after the shopping mall bombing in Hat Yai. Of course I could fly into Penang using fire fly from Phuket. But if I am flying I might as well fly to Bangkok and do the conversion of my tourist visa there. Although...from what you say, if I went to Penang for a non O I would not have to worry about the bank letter saying that the funds came from outside of Thailand. Is that also the case when applying for a non O in Vientiane?

In the coming weeks I will go to my local immigration office to do my 30 day extension on the first entry of my tourist visa. At that time I will enquire if they can do the tourist to Non O conversion. If yes, I will check what documents they require, including whether they require a bank letter stating the funds came from outside thailand. I will report back here with my findings.

Jamie2009, I have no intention of using an agent. For other posters, please note this and do not make any futher suggestions in that direction.

I would still be grateful if someone can address the specific questions in my OP. That is:

Re: Bank letters

Is it possible the bank will just issue me the two letters upon my request, without checking the origins of the funds? And will any bank branch issue these letters regardless of where the account was opened?

Re: Non O in Bangkok and timing

Can someone please give the some specific information regarding the office in Bangkok where the application from tourist visa to Non O must be made. For example, name of the office, its location on a map, its hours of business, the best way to travel there, closest BTS station etc. I also want to know if I can make the application if I am on the 30 day extension of the second entry of my double entry tourist visa.

Thanks to all for your kind input to date, if anyone can answer my specific questions I would welcome your input.

I just got back from Vientiane with a fresh double entry tourist visa.

With two extensions, and an in/out border crossing in between, it will be good for 180 days and that could take me to the start of Jan 2016.

However, I turn 50 at the end of November 2015.

As I reported on another thread, dealing with the Laos immigration at the bridge on my way to Vientiane was hell on earth. So I want to avoid going back there to apply for a non O. I am also aware that Penang is another option for a non O but my preference is to not do any further visa runs (excepting the in out to activate the second entry on my current tourist visa).

And so it is my plan to convert my current tourist visa to a non O within Thailand and to then apply for a retirement extension.

I have started this thread to ask some advice, and also, hopefully, to create a step by step guide for others.

First, a little more information:

• I will be using the 800K THB in the bank option. I already have my account set up and have deposited the funds
• My passport only has about 6 blank pages remaining
• I have signed a 12 month lease (in Thai with a Thai landlord) that expires mid 2016. I have an original copy of the lease. But do not have a copy of my Landlord's ID card or tabian ban
• I met an immigration officer from my closest immigration office the other day in a restaurant (he was wearing his uniform) Between his little English and my ok Thai, I asked him if I could do the conversion of a tourist visa to a Non O at his office. His answer was yes. However, I would assume he is wrong, as Ubon Joe has reported that it is non longer possible to do this conversion anywhere other than Bangkok. I will however visit the local immigration office in the coming weeks and report back here with their response.
• I understand that the conversion in Bangkok is a "two trip" process but I know nothing else.

And now for my initial questions:

The 800K

1. I retired early here some five years ago and at that time opened my bank accounts up. Back then I was bouncing back and forwards between my home country and Thailand (tidying up loose ends back home). Whenever I came back to Thailand I brought 10,000 dollars worth of travellers cheques, and, when the rate was favourable I cashed these cheques and deposited them in my thai bank account (Kasikorn). Later on I opened up a mai tai dee account with Krungsri because of the high interest rate (back then it was 2.85%) and physically withdrew the funds from Kasikorn and carried the cash over to Krungsri and deposited it. At present the 800K (to qualify for the retirement visa) is sitting in a Krungsri mai tai dee account. The only record I have that the funds came from outside Thailand is receipt for when I first changed the travellers cheques (at Kasikorn). I retained these but the other day when I looked at them the ink had faded completely and so they are unreadable. I understand that when you go the 800K route you require 2 letters from your bank. One stating that you have 800k on deposit, and the other that the funds came from overseas. Is it likely that the bank will issue me this second letter even though the origin of the 800K was a cash deposit by me?
2. My accounts were originally set up in Phuket, but I now live in another province. Will a local branch here issue me the abovementioned 2 letters even though the accounts were set up in Phuket?

Converting a tourist visa to a Non O in Bangkok

1. Where is the immigration office in Bangkok that handles this and what is the best way to get there?
2. How long does the application take? Can I fly up to Bangkok early morning and then back in the evening? What are the opening times of the office where you have to make the application?
3. I understand that two visits to Bangkok are required. I imagine one is to do the application and the second to pick up your passport with the new visa inside. What documents are required to be submitted on the first visit? What are the fees?
4. On the second visit to pick up my passport, can I also apply for the tourist extension at Bangkok or must that be done back in my home province immigration office?

Timing and remaining passport pages

1. Noting that I turn 50 at the end of Nov this year and my tourist visa runs out at the start of Jan 2016, I assume I would have to go to Bangkok to make my application in Dec while on the last 30 day extension of my tourist visa. Is that correct? When should I go to Bangkok?
2. As I mentioned above, my passport has only about 6 remaining blank pages. However, it is still valid for another 6 years. Given that I will burn 1 or two pages up using up my current tourist visa, would the remaining four pages be sufficient for the Non O application and then the retirement extension?

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice or input.

Ok. Here is a report to tidy up two of my earlier threads:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/822468-4-day-stay-in-vientiane-with-thai-gf-she-has-no-passport/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/748473-long-term-parking-at-phuket-airport/

Applying for a thai passport in Phuket

I did bite the bullet and do a trip down to Phuket to buy some bike parts and get the GF a new thai passport. Tips:

• If you get to the passport office early at provincial hall before it opens there is a stack of application forms outside in a plastic basket. There will be some Thai agents milling around (travel agents I guess) filling out multiple copies of these. Grab a form and then ask one of the guards where the restaurant is. There is a little thai style plastic chair restaurant inside the grounds where all of the government workers eat breakfast. They have great fresh food at very UN phuket prices. For example, three thai dishes on rice with a plate of fresh salad is 35thb. Sit there have a nice breakfast with your girl and fill out your form and then stroll back over for the opening of the passport office. New passport was 1000Thb. The fee to have it sent to our house EMS was 40thb. The receipt you get back from the passport office has the EMS tracking number on it. Photos not required, they are taken at the office for free. Thai GF will need her old passport or her ID card and a copy of her tabian ban. We live in the jungle on a mountain in Phang nga and (to my utter astonishment) the postie showed up just 3 days later with the new passport. Apparently he had spent a good part of his morning riding around trying to find our house.

Parking a motorbike long term at Phuket airport

Despite the new development, and the fact that the old parking area is now completely walled off, it is still possible to park a motorbike, for free, at Phuket airport. Tips:

• The entry road into the airport is still the same, but you will see a sign for parking off to the left. Follow that and you will see the bikes parked on the left. They are up on the cement curb. I read in Alfredo's thread that he damaged the sump plug on a big bike negotiating that curb and I can see why he had a problem. Note that the area is ABSOLUTELY PACKED with bikes. So if you are taking one of your own bikes to park there I would suggest taking your oldest, crappiest bike. There is some shelter, but more than likely you bike will be out in the weather. Don't take a big bike as the cement curb is a joke and they have bits of broken brick and plywood as ramps. I had a scooter and that was difficult enough to get up and then back down. A bigger bike would have been a nightmare. Make sure you have a good lock on your bike. Not so much for the possibility of theft, but more to ensure the security numpties don't move your bike around and scratch it or, if you are lucky enough to park undercover, move your bike out into the rain and sun.

Shuttle bus from Udon Thani airport to Nong Khai

There is still a shuttle bus running from UT airport to Nong Khai. Cost is 200THB per person. Most punters want to go to the bridge, however, If you ask politely the driver will also drop you anywhere you want in town. If you are flying in from Phuket you will get in to Nong khai late afternoon and so I would suggest you spend an evening in a one of the cheap hotels along Soi One way with a view over the river. You can still get a nice clean fan room for 300THB, same price as 6 years ago. The entertainment strip along the river was as dead as a doornail. In years gone by it was busy with Thai families on holidays and a smattering of farangs. There were absolutely zero Thai tourists and just a few bottom feeder type farangs. Didn't go to any bars so don't know what the lady scene is like.

Renting a bike in Nong Khai

As per one member's suggestion, I rang the Nong Khai City hotel from my room and asked if they had bikes for rent. Yes they did, but all rented out...so I didn't ask the price. Bloke that runs Jing Joes apparently has a German mate that will rent bikes but wanted 200thb per day and 1000thb deposit. Asked if price was negotiable but answer was no. Rented a good newish Honda click from Mr Nui for 150thb per day. Friendly guy. When I complained that his helmets were too small he actually rode off and purchased two brand new helmets for us to use. Tips:

• Your Thai GF can use her Thai ID as deposit for a bike from Mr Nui. To find him just go to the Mut Mee guest house and ask where Mr Nui rents bikes. It is a short walk from Mut Mee.

3 day border pass or Thai passport

If your Thai GF does not have a passport she can get a 3 day 2 night border pass to go to Vientianne. Make sure you apply for it the day before you want to cross the bridge. The office is on the same road but before you get to the bridge. If you girl crosses with a passport she will have to buy a small credit card sized (tax) card. It is very cheap about 38 or 48Thb. She will then get stamped in to Laos for free.

Cheap way to get to the bridge

Avoid the taxis and tuk tuks. A motorcycle taxi from Soi One Way to the bridge is 50thb

Laos visa for Farang

The Laos visa is still a ridiculous big sticker that burns a full page in your passport. You (and your Thai GF) will require at least 6 months validity on your passport to enter Laos. Don't bother downloading the form from the Laos government website and prefilling it to save time. I did that, only to be told that the form was not correct. I was then handed a new one to fill out despite my protests that I downloaded it from their (bloody) website the night before. As usual you will not be able to find any Laos arrival cards. The touts have stolen them all to sell or to prompt you to use their service. You will have to walk up to the counter with the HUNDREDS of other farangs milling there and ask for a form and an arrival card. You hand your passport, money and paperwork in at counters 1 or 2 and then wait for your passport at counter 3 just around the corner. Tips:

• The price for most western countries is still 35USD. Make sure you bring some clean notes with you as if you pay in baht the price is 1500thb. At todays exchange rate that is a skim of nearly 10USD by Laos immigration. Do NOT pay the extra dollar for processing before 8.00am. The early passports just go on the bottom of the massive stack and you will be last to receive your passport at window 3. I can not stress enough how absolutely atrocious and 3rd world the service at the Laos immigration is. I was the third person to hand them my application at around 7 am and had to wait (along with about 100 other people) until well after 9 am to get my passport back. The guy holds each individual passport up at window 3. There are so many farangs milling about, like dogs waiting for a biscuit, it is impossible to see whose passport is being held up. My advice after being exposed to this circus is to go, at all costs, elsewhere for your visa run.

Bus and taxi prices (and a travel warning)

The bus across the bridge is still 20thb per person. If you jump in a minvan with other farangs the price to the consulate is still 100thb per person. Tips:

I have been travelling in SEA for over 40 years. This last trip to Vientiane the Farangs around me on the bus and mini bus trips were the most scruffy, desperate, one eyed, scagged out, tattooed riff raff I have ever encountered in all my travels. Perhaps the wheels really are falling off the bus back in Farangland and I have lost touch here in the jungle. But my tip here is this. Keep to yourself if you do this visa run, and watch your luggage and belongings very closely.

The consulate

Also make sure that you do not download the form from the consulate website. I did, the night before, and it was also refused. I also had to fill out their new form, but fortunately they saved my placed in the cue numbers. There are absolute hoards of people there, with the usual cue jumping morons. While I was at the desk receiving my number, one bloke crept up behind the girl that was serving me and tried to steal a cue number from her pile. I know...hard to believe...but true. But despite the morons, the consulate is actually dealing with the hoards fairly efficiently. Fill out your form, get your cue number pay 2000Thb and get a double entry tourist visa the next day. Tips:

• There is a photocopy shop upstairs at the consulate, but it was not staffed when I walked up there. I already had copies of my passport photo page (2 are required with your application) however you also require a copy of your Thai exit stamp, laos visa and laos entry stamp. You can do these in the restaurant just outside consulate for 5thb each. The building to the left where you pay for your visa is now airconditioned and has some plastic chairs in a small waiting area. If your girl is with you and the weather is hot, you can have her park up on one of the chairs in the payments building while you are cueing up with the desperate masses waiting for a cue number.

Tuk Tuk from consulate to town

There are taxi and tuk tuk touts in the Consulate grounds quoting ridiculous prices for the trip into town. Walk out the gate and to the right and down to the intersection. You will see some scruffy old tuk tuks there who will take you to town for 120thb.

Which hotel in town?

I stayed in town because I wanted to do some restaurant hopping with the girl. Apparently there are some cheap hotels around the consulate but cant comment on those. Upon PhuketRichard's recommendation I stayed at the Mixay Paradise however the room was WELL past its use by date. Paint peeling off the walls, vents cracked and missing on the aircon, exposed electrical wiring repaired with tape, sheets and towels grey and smelling of smoke. Horrible cold communist regime vibe from the staff. Free orange juice dispenser was empty. Young lad at reception charged my girl 40thb for a small bottle of water and gave her 1000kip change. Lucky for him I found out about this after we were on a bus back to nong khai!. Tip:

• After the first night we checked out of the Mixay and moved next store to the Sports guest house. It was an old hotel but they have renovated downstairs very nicely in a modern theme. The rooms are much bigger than those at Mixay, clean, but dated. They are also much cheaper then Mixay at 100,000 kip for a double with air. There is no lift however. The internet sucked the big one at both hotels.

Good cheap food

I was rather shocked at the price of food in Vientiane. Street food is priced similar to what one might pay in Patong. For example a fried rice can run you 100thb or more. We had a nice, albeit expensive nosh up at Kop Chai deu which is walking distance from the street where Mixay and Sports guest house are located. It is a big up market ishhh double storey place. Tip:

• If you walk down the street from the sports guest house toward the Mekong river you will come to a road. Turn right and walk down a little and you will see a 7 eleven (style) minimart. In front of it after dark is a little husband and wife street food stall with yellow metal tables and chairs. They do a fair fried rice with fried egg on top for about 60thb.

Final word

To be honest I couldn't wait to get back to Nong Khai. Hated Vientiane. The taste left in my mouth from Laos immigration was just so bitter I could not enjoy myself. As a result, I cut the Laos trip short to spend more time dossing about in Isaan. Had a great time with the girl's family. They have a nice big patch of land with some huge old growth trees. Went to a 100,000 THB cock fight. Stepped on a cobra while walking around drunk at night in a paddy. Ate far too many barbequed pork ribs...and not nearly enough keeyat tort. Getting a double entry TV at the consulate is easy. Dealing with Laos immigration at the bridge is like chewing razor blades....for three hours...

I'm a German pensioner.

I wanted to marry my Thai gf in 2013 to get her and her daughter out of the bar girl trap. Had enough money and property to do that. I lent some of my money for a short time to Germans, some German took my property so I could sell it, a bank supplied me with new cards before I moved over to Thailand in December 2013.

When I was here, the bank cards wouldn't work. When I complained, no one in the bank felt responsible. When I insisted to get the problem fixed, they called the police (I was 9,500 km away). Then they cancelled my bank account, so my pensions didn't get in. I had to go back to Germany to get it fixed, eventually got robbed by some German criminals over there. The Germans that owed me money escaped, the German that had my physical property refused communication.

Now I'm here, but my money and property is still in Germany. I went to court, no reaction so far except some threats to call the police again if I insist and dare to come back to Germany. Guess they are afraid I would kill them.

Once again, I still have money and property worth more than 1 MB - just in the wrong country.

Any way to get a permanent permit to stay in Thailand?

You still have property in Germany that is worth less than 1 million Thai baht..<deleted>

You lost me when you opened the discussion refering to a limited partnership and then went on talking about a company.

No one is ever going to get to be 65 years old. That's for old guys, LOL.

OP, check on the marketability of what you're thinking, and also think about what you can add to the equation. In other words there are millions of website designers but someone who's also an artist including a whiz at photoshop and indesign might have an edge. Yes you can hire that but you lose some control. I think it takes more natural ability and training to do graphics than it does to program websites anyway.

In any event you're asking about starting a business which is always risky, and your skill set might not be needed in 15 years. Computers may be doing all of the web designs and programming and it may be done the same way the average guy uses a computer. Think about when there was only DOS and we had to type memorized commands to get anything and then there was Mac and Windows and anyone could do it.

There will be a need for human teachers and supervisors and marketers for your lifetime because they require a human touch.

You're talking about starting a one man band which never gets real successful. You can't really grow that model and all you can do is sell your time. That means if you aren't working you aren't getting paid. I wouldn't want to drive into that dead end while taking the risk of a business after getting an education. Selling your time is OK if someone else is taking the risk, like being an employee.

Good luck with what you try and make sure you actually like the work before you put a lot of energy into getting there. I know guys with college degrees who don't work in their field because they found out they don't like it. Teaching is one of them although others like it.

Cheers

Very sage advice from NS but here is my story.

I grew up poor, dirt poor in a shitty welfare housing project. I put myself through school and then started my own consultancy with nothing more than a house brick sized mobile phone and a borrowed laptop. As NS rightly points out if you sell your own labour it is impossible to scale your business. If you stop paddling the canoe it stops. I got around this by putting together a stable of subcontactors to whom I would outsource various parts of a project. I was an early starter using outsourced labour in India. I used to send work back and forwards using clumsy interfaces like sendfile.com. Then the cloud arrived and it was a doddle to have an outsourced workforce. After a decade or so my consultancy had grown to the point that I was doing projects for the largest privately held company in the world and the largest mining company in the world. I retired to Thailand in my mid forties.

If you want to be successful you have to find a small high value niche and aim to own it. Photoshop and web design is entirely saturated and you will starve if working for yourself in those areas.

Officially the passport must be valid for at least 6 months to enter Laos. Better not risk it.

National Thailand (TH) /Embarkation Thailand (TH) Destination Lao People's Dem. Rep. (LA)

Lao People's Dem. Rep. (LA)

Passport required

- Passports and/or passport replacing documents must be valid

for at least 6 months from date of arrival.

Visa required, except for A max. stay of 30 days for nationals

of Thailand.

Additional Information:

- Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to

cover their stay.

Thanks Mario. Looks like I am back to the boder pass done at the office in Nong khai as per Alfredo's suggestion. Good for 3 days and 2 nights.

Ok.

Sorry Ubon Joe and Mario, but I have to ask for your input once more.

I had reason to open my safe today. And contrary to what the girlfriend told me her passport has not expired.

It expires on 6 August. If we crossed over the bridge on say 4 July, would there be any reason that Thai immigration would not let her leave Thailand or Laos immigration would not give her a VOA/visa exempt stamp.

Put another way: When we attempt to cross into Laos the GFs passport will have 32 day validity left before it expires. Any problems?

Ok. Where are you driving FROM.

I did the trip to Savannakhet a year or so back. On the advice of another member, Brigsy, I rode across to Muk but dropped down off the main road and took a back road through the phup ya ron (spelling) national park. I also dropped into the NP office there and had a look at all of the impounded rose wood there. In Muk I stayed in a brand new small hotel that is on the river road to the south of the village, on the right as you head south. It is lime green in color and the sign on the road is entirely in Thai so you will have to look closely. The reception is very Chinese Thai with shrines and statues and stuff. The room was big, clean and fitted out with brand new LCD and aircon and great timber furniture. I recall the rate was 400THB. The river road actually follows the river north and under the friendship bridge. I advise you take this road to the bridge rather than the main one as there is most days a police check point on the main road and they are keen to stop farangs. Another advantage of taking the river road is that directly under the pylons of the bridge on the Thai side is a shrine to Phayanak. Pasted on the back of one of the pylons you will see some cool old photographs of reported sightings. One of them is very cool...a bit like the fuzzy loch ness shots.

I parked my bike for a night on the Thai side without mishap. You can stay at the Leena guesthouse. It is cheap and chearful. But wont impress your girl...

I got a 3 entry tourist visa but it is only good for 6 months as Ubon Joe has advised (didn't know this until later and wass p*ssed about it)

Back on the Thai side of the bridge I then rode north along the Mekong up to Nakon Phanom. That is a lovely town well worth a visit, and the view across the river to the mountains in Laos is cool. There is suprisingly good night life in NP but the bars are all Thai, as they come to NP to head across to the casino in Laos. I then rode on to Nong Khai on the way you will also pass a dinosaur park on the left. It is free to enter and you can see some great fossilised foot prints. Pm me if you have any specific questions.

Bulldozer Dawn - I live in Nong Khai and have visited Laos with my Thai wife a couple of times. I just asked her - ID for one day only. When we have visited for longer she used her passport.

TN. Your a late comer to the thread and you have thrown a spanner in the works. Others here, including the SAGE Ubon Joe have confirmed the border pass is good for 2 nights/3 days.

So who is correct, Ubon Joe and TB....or Tassie Norm.

Can anyone else clarify if the border pass is only good for a day or is it good for 2 nights and 3 days.

Presentation of Thai ID card only at Border Control is good for Same Day crossing Only.

Arranging a border "Pass" (government office or travel agent) prior to crossing and presenting at Border Control allows 3-day/2-nights.

Great work RC Thanks for clearing that up.

The mother and aunty made their border passes right there at the immigration on the bridge while I was stamping out of Thailand.

Can anyone please confirm that it is still possible to make the border pass application at the Thai Immigration on the bridge at Nong Khai.

With your Gf's Thai Passport you are a bit stubborn, you could also have gone more early to Isaan, as you anyway look for a Motorbike-Scooter trip and made the Passport easy in Udon Thani during riding a tour.

Your memory, regarding the Border Pass at the bridge complex and at the Thai Immigration is not 100 % ok.

You have the possibility about 200 m before the bridge, on the right hand side in some travel agencies, next to a 7/11 and a lot of car parkiing space, to make that border pass for a fee for you.

BUT, I recommand,

you easy can do that cheaper alone, just drive straight the High Way road into Nong Khai,

not to the bridge.

When you come into the outskirts of Nong Khai, keep your eye always on the left side,

your GF should have the possibility to see or read something regarding border pass on a smaller official building.

You drive inside threw a gate and there is a bigger parking space.

Or just ask, half way from the outskirts into Nong Khai center on the big highway.

There you can make your border pass easy yourself.

Thanks Alfredo. I wasn't aware you can make a border pass at an office away from the bridge. Can you confirm that the pass is good for 2 nights/3 days?

And also, you advice regarding making the passport application in Udon Thani is also a suggestion with a good deal of merit. I would save a visit to Phuket.

Still not clear why you need to go to Phuket for her to do the passport application. All she needs is an ID card and 30 mins. She probably could have been there and back now in the time this thread has run....

Where abouts in Phuket town is the passport office?

The mother and aunty made their border passes right there at the immigration on the bridge while I was stamping out of Thailand.

Can anyone please confirm that it is still possible to make the border pass application at the Thai Immigration on the bridge at Nong Khai.

With your Gf's Thai Passport you are a bit stubborn, you could also have gone more early to Isaan, as you anyway look for a Motorbike-Scooter trip and made the Passport easy in Udon Thani during riding a tour.

Your memory, regarding the Border Pass at the bridge complex and at the Thai Immigration is not 100 % ok.

You have the possibility about 200 m before the bridge, on the right hand side in some travel agencies, next to a 7/11 and a lot of car parkiing space, to make that border pass for a fee for you.

BUT, I recommand,

you easy can do that cheaper alone, just drive straight the High Way road into Nong Khai,

not to the bridge.

When you come into the outskirts of Nong Khai, keep your eye always on the left side,

your GF should have the possibility to see or read something regarding border pass on a smaller official building.

You drive inside threw a gate and there is a bigger parking space.

Or just ask, half way from the outskirts into Nong Khai center on the big highway.

There you can make your border pass easy yourself.

Thanks Alfredo. I wasn't aware you can make a border pass at an office away from the bridge. Can you confirm that the pass is good for 2 nights/3 days?

And also, you advice regarding making the passport application in Udon Thani is also a suggestion with a good deal of merit. I would save a visit to Phuket.

Souphaphone GH

2 blocks to the river, 2 blocks to the circle.

nice an clean

170,0000 for a double

or around the corner Mixay Paradise with breakfast smaller rooms, popular with backpackers as they also offer fan rooms

but ok

120,000

Riverside has a nice night market as well

Further from the river (other side of the circle) Mali Namphu GH set around a nice garden where u have breakfast. $35 or so

Note there lots of coffee shops near the circle that have fast wifi

I like Vientiane. some very good Italian and french restaurants .

Just ask at the desk about renting a motorcycle plenty within walking distance

Sorry about ur bad experience in Phuket, been here going on 30 years ONLY2 accidents.

Thanks Richard. I am here in Thailand to enjoy myself. And what I enjoy is being in, on, or around water. I gave Phuket a good chance, five years in fact, I lived in a quiet jungle setting in the North, then right in the heart of Phuket town, and then right on the beach on the west coast. But, the traffic has now gotten out of hand, and the road infrastructure will NEVER catch up because of the corruption skimming off the new project monies. Add to that the new tourist demographic, Morrocans, Indians and Chinese and it is a done deal. The Morrocans hire the big 300cc scooters and ride like maniacs, the buses for the Chinese are clogging every road. My last accident saw me laid up for 6 months and in a great deal of pain. Fortunately I escaped with my life and now live on the side of a mountain in the jungle. A lovely brand new house on a little land. I am a five minute ride from the beach. The only thing I am missing from Phuket is the big Super Cheap.

I have had my drivers and bike licence since 17 birthday. I have driven every day for some of my previous jobs. I have also driven and ridden all over the world. I have held a gold licence for over 20 years. Up until coming to Thailand I had NEVER had an accident while driving a car or a bike on a road. (I have had a few spills riding bikes offroad). In Phuket I had three in 15 month's, not one of them my fault, and the other driver fleeing the scene on all three occasions.

Hey Richard thanks for the head up on Mixay Paradise. I have google it and it seems perfect. However, I cannot find it anywhere on site such as Booking.com or agoda. I also can not find their phone number. I found there facebook page but I don't do facebook.

Can you please let me know how you go about booking it when you stayed in the past?

I understand that there is also the old mixay accross the road from the new Paradise. But the reviews seems to point to staying at the Paradise as the better option.

I just show up :-)

The Souphaphone GH is right around the corner an on that road are a few others,same price as Mixay

IF u stay at Mixay make sure u mention u want a room with a WINDOW not the cheaper interior non window room

+856 21 254 223-4

eMAIL; [email protected]

Its right across from the Wat

PR Thanks again for your input.

What are the breakfasts like?

Bulldozer Dawn - I live in Nong Khai and have visited Laos with my Thai wife a couple of times. I just asked her - ID for one day only. When we have visited for longer she used her passport. As for a motor bike, the following 'phone number is that of a mate of mine who rents bikes from his restaurant - Jing Jao. Give him a ring if you wish, I have just spoken with him - Name is John - good luck

TN. Your a late comer to the thread and you have thrown a spanner in the works. Others here, including the SAGE Ubon Joe have confirmed the border pass is good for 2 nights/3 days.

So who is correct, Ubon Joe and TB....or Tassie Norm.

Can anyone else clarify if the border pass is only good for a day or is it good for 2 nights and 3 days.

You can also get a triple entry tourist visa in Savannakhet Loas without air tickets. However, note very carefully that the visa only has a 90 day validity, not 180 day validity.

In Laos you can get a 2 entry tourist visa without the need to show tickets out of the country for each entry..

You can get a 2 entry by showing tickets out for each entry at Hanoi, Manila, and Hong Kong.

You can get a 2 or 3 entry in Bali by showing tickets out of he country.

All other locations only do single entry visas.

Can your ticket be for 60 or 90 days after entry, i.e. 60 days extended for 30 at local immigration.

Will immigration accept 90 days ticket out, if you tell them you plan to extend 30 in Thailand?

In my past experience tickets that fall on a date between the 60 and 90 day dates have been fine.

3 days / 2 nights

From what I remember, they have to use their Thai ID and acquire a special paper permission before arriving at border control to cross over from Thailand into Laos. Doesn't cost much, but sometimes takes time. Sometimes we went to a government building, other times just used the closest travel agent before arriving at border control. Have to cross back using the same border control.

As I usually cross over the bridge on foot, then take the train back over we like having a Passport. Much more flexible.

Thanks RC for your input.

About five years ago I took my then TGF and her mother and aunty across to Laos for a day shopping. We crossed at the bridge at Nong Khai. My girl had a passport, but I am absolutely certain that her mother and aunty did not. The mother and aunty made their border passes right there at the immigration on the bridge while I was stamping out of Thailand.

Can anyone please confirm that it is still possible to make the border pass application at the Thai Immigration on the bridge at Nong Khai.

Thanks UJ and Mario for your input.

Plan is now taking shape (prices are x2 as girl will also be coming along):

1. Ride my own bike from our spot here in the jungle down to Phuket and park up for free at the airport. Put a good lock on the bike and take our helmets with us.
2. Fly Air Asia to Udon Thani 1290THB one way. Take helmets on as hand luggage.
3. Get the shuttle bus from UT airport to Nong khai 200THB and then rent a bike from the NKCHotel for 150THB per day
4. Ride out to the girl's farm in the boonies and set up camp in the rice workers shed for a few nights
5. Attempt to catch a Mekong catfish or two
6. Ride back into Nong Khai on the morning my current visa expires and park up on the Thai side of the bridge. Put another good lock on the bike
7. Head over to Vientiane and spend a day having a look around
8. Off to the consulate early on the second day to apply for a double tourist visa
9. Pick up the following morning and back across the bridge to NK.
10. Return the rental bike (if not stolen) and get the shuttle bus back to Udon Thani airport
11. Fly back to Phuket 1290THB
12. Unlock my bike at the airport and kick start it because the battery will be flat
13. Ride back up to the jungle

Am I missing anything important?

Ubon Joe, is it still possible to park a bike for a few nights on the Thai side of the bridge? How much does it cost and is it secured at night?

Nong Khai City Hotel has motorbikes for 150 baht a day, hotel is great 500 baht and a Good Soi for bars, go to Maes across from Hotel, English spoken good food, also great Food at Jing Joes, John runs it Great guy, also DD restaurant is Fantastic, a lil Chinese style but they have some Hot Woks.

Thanks. I will call the NKCH and see if they have bikes for 150 a day. That is what I have paid in the past in Udon.

As for a good hotel in NK I always stay at a family run one on rimkong road. Been there five or six times now. Never dissapointed, room is always cleaned spotless every morning and good view from the roof. Large rooms but basic with no fridge. 350 per night.

With regard to renting a bike. Not after one in Laos. I want to ride around Isaan for a few weeks after I make my visa. And so I am looking for a trustworthy place to rent a bike in Udon Thani or Nong Khai. In the past I rented in Udon, but that business appears to have now closed. I am looking forward to some nice fresh bread with butter in Vientiane....ahhhhhhh....fresh butter.

. There's a lil motorbike shop across from Top Mansion, Nana Place Hotel Which I love Great Beds and TV channels. Soi Farang

This is the rental business I referred to earlier in the thread. The salon across the road from Top Mansion in Udon. I had both her hard line and mobile phone number but when calling the other day it appears she has shut up shop. Happy for someone to confirm otherwise.

Phuket is the closest for us. Nope won't be going back there unless wild elephants are dragging me.

It only takes a couple of hours at the most for her to apply for the passport. Then the new one is sent by EMS in a few days.

Getting a border pass can delay you getting across the bridge which can be important if you are going to be tight on time to get to the embassy to apply for your visa. The offices to get them may not be open until 8 or 8:30.

Thanks Joe. If...I have to go to Phuket for some reason in the interim I may get her a new passport. I understand that when applied for in Phuket the application has to be then sent up to Grungthep. There was a huge delay in Thai obtaining a passport in Phuket during the protests because of this. If her application has to be sent up to Bangkok, I would be very suprised if it makes it back here to the jungle in "a few days". Another problem also is I am not even sure if the mail man can find our new house in the forest. Haven't seen a mail man yet on our closest road.

I guess if in Phuket we can make the application and then hope the new passport arrives in time. If it doesn't we can then just rely on the border pass.

Regarding timing, my current extension dries up (unfortunately on a Monday). And so I plan on burning that day being a tourist rather than facing the massive lines at the consulate on that day. Will then apply on Tuesday and then pick up o Wednesday. So a three day, two night border pass should be fit for purpose.

Joe, is it still the case that no air tickets are required for a double entry tourist visa at Vientiane.

And also am I ok to leave Thailand on the last day of my current extension. For example if my passport is stamped "admitted until 4 June". I can exit at Nongkhai on the 4th and not have any problems.

Souphaphone GH

2 blocks to the river, 2 blocks to the circle.

nice an clean

170,0000 for a double

or around the corner Mixay Paradise with breakfast smaller rooms, popular with backpackers as they also offer fan rooms

but ok

120,000

Riverside has a nice night market as well

Further from the river (other side of the circle) Mali Namphu GH set around a nice garden where u have breakfast. $35 or so

Note there lots of coffee shops near the circle that have fast wifi

I like Vientiane. some very good Italian and french restaurants .

Just ask at the desk about renting a motorcycle plenty within walking distance

Sorry about ur bad experience in Phuket, been here going on 30 years ONLY2 accidents.

Thanks Richard. I am here in Thailand to enjoy myself. And what I enjoy is being in, on, or around water. I gave Phuket a good chance, five years in fact, I lived in a quiet jungle setting in the North, then right in the heart of Phuket town, and then right on the beach on the west coast. But, the traffic has now gotten out of hand, and the road infrastructure will NEVER catch up because of the corruption skimming off the new project monies. Add to that the new tourist demographic, Morrocans, Indians and Chinese and it is a done deal. The Morrocans hire the big 300cc scooters and ride like maniacs, the buses for the Chinese are clogging every road. My last accident saw me laid up for 6 months and in a great deal of pain. Fortunately I escaped with my life and now live on the side of a mountain in the jungle. A lovely brand new house on a little land. I am a five minute ride from the beach. The only thing I am missing from Phuket is the big Super Cheap.

I have had my drivers and bike licence since 17 birthday. I have driven every day for some of my previous jobs. I have also driven and ridden all over the world. I have held a gold licence for over 20 years. Up until coming to Thailand I had NEVER had an accident while driving a car or a bike on a road. (I have had a few spills riding bikes offroad). In Phuket I had three in 15 month's, not one of them my fault, and the other driver fleeing the scene on all three occasions.

Hey Richard thanks for the head up on Mixay Paradise. I have google it and it seems perfect. However, I cannot find it anywhere on site such as Booking.com or agoda. I also can not find their phone number. I found there facebook page but I don't do facebook.

Can you please let me know how you go about booking it when you stayed in the past?

I understand that there is also the old mixay accross the road from the new Paradise. But the reviews seems to point to staying at the Paradise as the better option.

With regard to renting a bike. Not after one in Laos. I want to ride around Isaan for a few weeks after I make my visa. And so I am looking for a trustworthy place to rent a bike in Udon Thani or Nong Khai. In the past I rented in Udon, but that business appears to have now closed. I am looking forward to some nice fresh bread with butter in Vientiane....ahhhhhhh....fresh butter.