FrankyFreedom

@JackThompson Hi Jack. Agreed. This is why today I am merely doing the research to find out if there are OTHER options available, as this is the first time I have encountered this kind of situation. The sender (tea shop owner) HAS had this problem before, as he sends larger (business) shipments to one of his partners in Bangkok, but he and I agreed that we didn't think this would be a problem for a small retail package. Live and learn, as the saying goes. I will continue gathering intel over the next few days. If it is deemed that the ONLY feasible solution is to go up there then I will do so on Dec 1st (Friday) on my way out of country (five days before visa expiration). THEN the only issue is whether or not a quick visit to the customs office will be "routinely quick and smooth" or if there will be other issues.

which leads me to the next comment ...

@Briggsy You state : "I agree though that dealing with Thai Customs is tiresome, bureaucratic and expensive." Can you provide a little more insight into that statement? I mean, what kind of issues do you think MAY arise in this specific case of a ~ $100 USD tea package. The sender will be sending me a receipt for the ~ $80 retail tea cake I have actually paid for, but then he also adds a bunch of smaller (5-10 gram) sample packs (which could potentially give customs some leverage to overcharge since I will not have itemized costs for those in the receipt). Any info is appreciated.

In the end, the sender and I have agreed that if it ends up being too much of a hassle, we can have Thai customs send the package back to London and he can re-ship it to me in Vientiane. But this is CERTAINLY going to be one (MORE) factor motivating me to FORGO returning to Thailand after my upcoming three months in Laos, and opting instead for Vietnam, where I can get a 3-6 month tourist visa, and this kind of CRAZINESS (around the house) is minimal.

Thanks.

FF

@Techno Viking I have no idea how to begin "engaging the services of a custom broker". Can you quickly give me a 101 education on this? In other words, are there "customs brokers" in Udon Thani (names and/or contact info appreciated) who I could visit within the next few days, and who can help me get the package down to Udon Thani so that I can sign for it (as it was sent with "tracked and signed" shipping via Royal Mail), pay the tax, and then just start drinking my DAMN tea???

Thanks.

FF

Hi Everyone.

This is my first new thread here, so please excuse me if it is not posted in the right place. I have had my monthly Chinese tea package sent to me from a reputable shop in London. I have had the same type of package sent to me in Laos and Cambodia and the process was as simple as showing up at the post office and paying $1.00 - $2.00 USD, no questions asked, and no need to open the box. Well, it turns out that the new package I have had shipped to me here in Thailand is being held at the customs office in Nong Khai. I am in Udon Thani, and the only way I get around is via bicycle, and so doing the 55 km trip BACK to Nong Khai just to pick up a small package is a bit tedious. I was able to have a Thai friend call the customs office, and it SEEMS that they are holding it ONLY because they need me to be there in person before opening the box. I can understand the reasoning behind that, but what I have trouble with is why can't they just have the people at the Udon Thani post office do that? In that way I could just quickly shoot over to the post office and have the tea in hand today? Now I have to spend valuable time out of my day trying to figure out if there is any way to get this stupid package (worth ~ $100 USD (retail)) from Nong Khai to Udon Thani. Someone has suggested a "customs broker", but for a $100 package I can't see how that would be feasible. I have also read that with "food" you may have to get some sort of clearance from the health ministry. Folks, it's just a <deleted>' tea package for personal consumption.

Since my visa exempt stamp expires on Monday (Nov 6th) I will extend it for the second month just to allow time in case I have additional complication with getting this package out of customs. I DO NOT want to have to ride up there before I exit the country on Dec 6th on the bike. So I am trying to find out if there is ANY way to get the package from Nong Khai customs down here to Udon Thani WITHOUT having to go up there. If anyone has any contacts and/or further info please feel free to share. I can't see how other people in Udon Thani haven't had a similar experience like this, considering my situation. I am also wondering about the amount of tax to be expected on such a package (~ 100 USD in value). As I said, in Laos and Cambodia it was $1.00 - $2.00.

If anyone has helpful info to share on this I would greatly appreciate it. I just want to drink my DAMN tea!

FF

Planning to possibly cross this Paksan/Bueng Kan border (with bicycle) within 14 days. Does anyone know the current status of this crossing? Is it international? And is visa exempt (VOA) available into Thailand. Any exorbitant fees to put the mountain bike on the ferry? Thanks in advance for any info.

FF

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Fees in Kip on this website. http://www.immigration.gov.la/d2.html

Edit: It seems 20k kip is about $2.42. See http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=20000&From=LAK&To=USD

Thanks UbonJoe. I didn't have the time nor energy to dig that up, and also didn't want to bother you. I hope you are being compensated for what you do, as that would make me (personally) feel less quilty for using your time. Not enough hours in the day lately, with all of my science fiction writing and all.

The guy from the travel agency was a bit of a bafoon, and so now that you have provided some harder evidence of the "official" cost it is probably best to avoid the aggravation of dealing with the travel agent, and instead just head down to the "station" for my $75 USD proctological procedure tomorrow. In the end, having that extra 30 days to sort things out is worth the temporary soreness, compared to the alternative(s).

Thanks

FF

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

You will definitely need to show a bank-statement with 20K Baht worth of funds (can be in another country) to get a TR-Visa from Savanahket.  They won't accept cash.

On-entry, unlikely but possible they could ask to see 20K Baht in cash.  They won't accept a bank-statement.

 

You could take the bus to Vientiane from Savanakhet (~9 hours - there is a so-called 'VIP' overnight, I have not tried), where showing a bank-statement to apply for a TR Visa Is Not Necessary.

Thanks for the insightful feedback Jack. Since I was really caught off guard by this, and don't like to rush anything these days, I though it would be best to pursue the safest solution, beginning with attempting to extend my current Laos tourist visa for 30 days, to allow some more time to either pull the necessary funds together to successfully cross back to Mukhdahan next month, OR attempt to get the 3-month Vietnam tourist visa and ride the mountain bike to the Lao Bao border. I ABHOR public transport - especially LONG trips packed in with a bunch of people I don't know - along with a pretty narly case of claustrophobia/sociophobia/germphobia. Hahah!

That being said, embarked on a adventure this morning which turned out to be more enjoyable than my last annual "digital prostate examination". That is, I went down to the "immigration" office/dock on the river in Savannakhet. The folks INSIDE the office were okay and helpful (albeit sans much English language skills), but the tuk-tuk mafia loitering outside is not my type of crowd. After several dirty looks I locked up the bike one city block away at a food stall. The immigration officers then directed me to the city police office, which is where things just got MORE fun. Basically, the "visa extension" officers quoted me 20k kip (~$2.50 USD/day) + 30k (~ $4 USD) service fee. It was to my understanding, from MORE THAN ONE source, that the official cost is $2/day and $3/fee :

http://www.laos-guide-999.com/Laos-visa-extension.html

(this site info is currently maintained regularly)

So, this would cost ~ $75 USD at the police station, versus ~ $63 (official). I politely told the officer that I would consult with my "friend" at the travel agency in town to confirm the official price. Got a slight dirty/guilt look from that, and at that point reverted to my cardinal rule that the ONLY time I should be in a "developing world" police station is if I have done something wrong. Needless to say, I did indeed proceed right down to the travel agency, and talked to the owner on the phone (as we wasn't in the office today) and he confirmed that to his knowledge the cost of the extension IS only $2 USD/day and he said that he has a "friend" who knows the police, and can try to get me the extension for $2/day. I'm meeting with him tomorrow, and have no intention of revisiting the police station.

I would be interested to know if anyone knows the "official" cost (per day) and service fee for the tourist visa extension. The good news is that the police confirmed that you can extend TWO TIMES (that is 60 additional days beyond the first visa-on-arrival). Although the cost is WAY HIGH, at least it is possible to extend for up to three months in case you end up with one of the seemingly more frequent visa issues in the countries neighboring Thailand.

Fingers crossed.

FF 

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I had already edited my post when you did yours.

Just PM'd you.

Just now, ubonjoe said:

The consulate is not asking for any financial proof to get a non-o visa based upon marriage. That is only for a tourist visa.

No reports of immigration on  entry back to country wanting to see the 20k baht.

UbonJoe...

I AM applying for the 2-month TOURIST visa. I only do tourist visa, based on my travel style, AND the fact that those are all I need for my purposes. Can you confirm that I will need to show the bank statement and/or cash on arrival? If so, I simply WON'T be able to do it this time around, and would HAVE to go the 3-month Vietnam route, and then come back loaded up on the proper cash reserbe. Please advise. Also, any known issues with getting the 3-month Vietnam tourist visa at the Savannakhet consulate? Thanks again for your expertise. Some day I owe you a beer, but wouldn't want to insult you with the standard limited selection (Leo, Chang, etc) over there in the LOS. Although I could possibly ship you a bottle of Beer Laos...

Hello.

Yikes! I just discovered this requirement that the Thai consulate in Savannakhet is requiring bank statement proof of 20,000 baht, AND/OR that Thai immigration (upon arrival) is asking to see 20,000 baht in cash. I need to cross back over into Thailand in EIGHT days, and will only have ~ 15,000 baht in pocket (with some investment income rolling in later in the month). I am SERIOUSLY concerned about this situation. Shame on my for not looking into it properly. What do yáll think? Could I end up losing the visa application fee OR not be granted the visa if I apply this week without the bank statement or 20k cash on hand? If so, would it be ideal to simply apply for the Vietnam 3-month tourist visa and then come back in a few months with the proper balance in bank account and/or cash on hand? Any similar known ("current wealth") issues when applying for the Vietnamese visa in Savannakhet? Thanks in advance for any/all responses. FF.

Jeez... This country called Thailand ("the land of smiles") surely is a pretty NASTY, dysfunctional place. The people are pretty LAME. There is not enough affordable drugs/alcohol to deal with their b.s , etc. Methinks I will exit this place, next week and move on to a plave where the people are a BIT less subconsciously dysfunctional.... Just sayin'...

On 6/9/2017 at 3:50 AM, JackThompson said:

Note that if you had attempted to exit the country on a Monday, after your permission-of-stay has expired over the weekend, that Would be Considered An Overstay. 

It is only at an Immigration Office where you get a 'grace period' until their next day they are open - not at border crossings.

Hi Jack.

Yes. To clarify, I was referring to showing up at the Mukdahan immigration office to do the EXTENSION on Monday - NOT cross the border. But you raised an important point for other people who read this thread into the future.

PEACE

On 10/10/2014 at 1:49 AM, ubonjoe said:

Tourist visas are not issued as multiple entries. They are only issued as 1, 2 or 3 entries.

You can do a 30 day extension of your 60 day entry on Monday and not be charged an overstay since your permit to stay is ended on a weekend. If you don't do it on Monday you will be charged 500 baht for every day.

There is no reason to wait until the last day to do it since it starts at the end of your 60 days.

Thanks for confirming that it is okay to extend on the Monday after a weekend expiration. I was considering just going back into Laos because I was concerned that there would be enough time to get up to Mukdahan on the bicycle. Your confirmation in this thread helped me decide to give the run north a go. Incidentally, I ended up getting as far as Amnat Charoen to discover that they have an immigration office here, and successfully got the extension. I would have been able to make it to Mukdahan by Monday, but now I have no more time pressure, and can hang around Amnat for a week or so, and then proceed to Mukdahan comfortably. The point is that the info on this thread was very helpful in enabling me to stay the full 60 days in Thailand, instead of having to back out after only 30 days. So, problem finally solved, but I wanted to post it here for others in the same situation into the future.

FF

Thanks for this info on the location of the immigration office. When I originally looked on the Google Map (charting our my course of Mukdahan) I thought that Amnat would be just a small town. When I rolled into town I realized that it is quite a medium-sized city, and found this thread through a Google search. I was able to get up there this morning, and it was smooth riding to get the extension. This post was very helpful in finding the location easily, and has saved me SIGNIFICANT pressure getting up to Mukdahan on my bike by the 12th (3 days). So , thanks everyone who provided data on this thread as it saved me A LOT of stress, and I can now stay in Amnat for a week or so and then proceed more comfortably up to Mukdahan, and then into Laos. 

FF