asdfrules

I am in Thailand, on the first entry of a double entry tourist visa. I plan to leave for a quick visa run tonight.

2 Questions:

1. For the second entry, basically I want to know if can I just go to the boarder, cross over, and then immediately turn around, and cross back. Would that work?
2. I was planning to do this at the Mukdahan/Savannakhet boarder because I've been there before. Is there a better option from Bangkok? If so, where and how?
3. The visa says "enter before Nov 12". Does that mean Nov 11 is the last day to enter, or is entry on Nov 12 permissible?

I've been here over a year on tourist visas.

I am Canadian.

Thanks!

Update: I'm back in Thailand with the 4th Visa from Savannakhet. No problems

Thanks guys and gals.

There is no warning stamp in my passport. So it seems it doesn't matter which one I go to if a warning hasn't been stamped in my passport.

The thing I don't understand is why going to a different consulate would "break the chain". I don't see why Vientiane would "count" the prior 3 visas from Savannakhet in my passport.

Vientiane seems to be more strict than Savannakhet. I'm a bit concerned that if I went to there, they might give a warning stamp anyway. Although everyone is telling me going there would "break the chain", so maybe I should, if only to avoid getting a warning stamp.

I want a bit of nose surgery. Can anyone recommend a surgeon? Below is a list of what seems to be the 4 most recommended noseologists on this forum. Any experiences or opinions on these?

BTW I'm Caucasian male and I think the surgery I want might be very uncommon, as I haven't found anything online about it. I want to reduce the size of the cartilage under my septum, between the nose and upper lip. It sticks out more than usual, so where most people have a sort of right angle between the bottom of their nose and upper lip, mine is on more of a obtuse slope. I think it makes me look like a rat.

Dr. Greechart at Yanhee (someone posted that he's not doing noses anymore?)
Dr. Preecha at PAI (expensive)

Dr. Amron at Bumrungrad (expensive)
Dr. Somyos at Yoskarn

Sounds like you've heard that "97% of root canal patients get cancer". That freaked me out too when I first read about it. But a bit a research shows that the guy who started this whole thing recently, Dr. Mercola, is a total quack.

This guy is anti-fluoride, anti-vaccine. He sells products that he claims can completely prevent all forms of cancer. The FDA has issued warning against his unfounded product claims. Warning bells should be going off in our heads when we learn all of this.

I suggest reading up a bit from some more skeptical sources, like Snopes and Quakwatch. You may potential save yourself a bunch of money and hours of painful surgery.

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/rootcanal.asp

Thanks for the recommendations everybody. I'll look into them.

Anyone else?

Can anyone recommend somewhere to get moles removed in Bangkok?

Any thoughts on clinics vs hospitals in regards to costs and quality?

I have about 20 I'd like removed and hope it won't cost too much.

I'm just about to book a bus ticket to Mukdahan for a visa run. But the seat is at the back of the bus. Do the back seats usually recline as much as other seats? Because I will need to sleep.

It's a VIP bus with Transport Co.Ltd.

Ah nice guys. Thanks. Looks like i have a lot of options then. I'll probably apply for a visa in Jakarta, and then plan B is bali, plan C is VOA.

I might not have a ticket out of the country to show them. But maybe I'll just buy the cheapest flight out and never use it. Or find one that I can cancel for cheap.

What about "proof of a ticket out" for people who are planning to leave the country by land? Like what if I was going to bus across the border to Cambodia? You can't get a ticket for that. Or would they accept a bus ticket to a Thai border city as a ticket out?

Jakarta would issue a single entry visa. But you need to check with them for their requirements to get it. Reports are that they want to see a flight out of the country and proof of accommodations while you are here.

Proof of accommodations. Hmmmm.., I can't show a hotel booking because I have an apartment in Bangkok. I wonder if a recent apartment rent bill would work? But kind of worried about that because an apartment isn't very toursity, and they might suspect I'm working illegally or whatever because I have been here a long time. Is it possible to "stay with a friend"? And is there an easy protocol for proving that?

Plans have changed. Now it looks like Yangon, Bali and Jakarta. Any idea which embassy/consulate would give me the least hassle?

I suppose if I can't get a tourist visa abroad, I might just be able to get 30 days on arrival because I'm Canadian. But I might need like 45 days, which is why I'd prefer a visa.

Hey guys thanks for the advice!

Jakarta would issue a single entry visa. But you need to check with them for their requirements to get it. Reports are that they want to see a flight out of the country and proof of accommodations while you are here.

Okay great. I'm gonna chew on that for a while You've been an immense help Joe.

You can get a re-entry permit for any permit to stay. If you left the country and got a new 60 day permit to stay you can get a re-entry permit for it.

You should of posted in this topic about getting another tourist visa. The only restriction for getting another one is from the same embassy or consulate after you have gotten 3 from the same one at a nearby embassy or consulate.

This is good news.

So I can make my second entry this week before the deadline, then get a re-entry permit. Or I could go back to Savannakhet and get a new visa, as it would only be my third tourist in a row.

I'd rather just leave Thailand to travel a month, then get my third tourist visa abroad. Do you know if Jakarta would work for this? I'd want to get a 60 day single entry there. I'll also be in Manila and Hong Kong, but only about 4 or 5 days each.

Thanks Joe. And sorry about starting 2 threads.

You could make a border hop on or before the 18th to use the 2nd entry and get a re-entry permit to keep the remainder of the 60 day entry valid if want to make a trip out of the country.

Hey Joe. That would be so nice! How confident are you that it would be possible? I know you are very knowledgeable on these topics, but I was reading something that might contradict this elsewhere on the site:

If you have an Single entry visa , extension of stay or Permanent Residence and woul d like to travel outside of Thailand for a short period then an re-entry permit will be needed.

It seems to imply that re-entry permits don't work with double entries, or perhaps the list is incomplete?

BTW I kind of asked this question in a new post about getting 3 tourist visas in a row. Sorry if it's confusing with 2 threads, but I thought it was appropriate with them being different topics.

TLDR Version:

Several years on an ED visa. Done.

Then recently 90 days on a single entry tourist + extension. Done.

Now 84 days so far on my current 2 entry tourist + extension. But the 2nd entry on that visa is going to be invalid in 6 days (April 18).

Can I get a third 60 day tourist visa now, or are 3 visas too many in a row?

More details:

This week I want to go traveling for a month, then come back to Thailand for a month or two. I thought I could use my 2nd entry on the current 2 entry visa, but just realized the "must enter before" date of April 18 applies to both entries, not just the first. So that visa won't work when I come back.

So what can I do? Would it be possible for me to go to Laos now, and get another 60 day single tourist? That would be my 3rd tourist visa in a row, after several years on an ED. Then I could travel and enter Thailand on that visa.

Or is it possible to leave and come back this week for the 2nd entry, then get a re-entry permit?

BTW, both tourist visas were from Savannahket. Maybe if I apply in Vientiane or a different country like Indonesia?

Which means if you enter after April 18th you will get 30 or 15 days. (Depending on your nationality)

If you are Canadian you will get 30 days.

So you mean if my 2nd entry is after April 18, that means the visa would no longer be valid, and it would be just like I'm entering without a visa, right?

Thanks for your responses.

confirmed, have to enter before for the second entry.

Thanks

You have to make both entries before the enter before date.

Which means exit and enter before 18th April.

Oh crap. This messes up my plans big time. Can anyone confirm just to be sure?

??

You entered on Jan 19 and got a "PERMISSION TO STAY" stamp ("have to leave by") until April 18?

That is 90 days. So not a tourist visa (would give you 60 days).

But "double entry" sounds like a TR. Somewhat contradictionary/inplausible here.

What visa you have?

Sorry for the confusion. I'll give more details.

It's a tourist (TR) visa, double entry. When I entered I got a stamp for 60 days, then in Bangkok I got a 30 day extension. Like this:

Jan 19 - First entry. Entry stamp says until Mar 19 (60 days)

Mar 19 - I got an extension in Bangkok until Apr 18 (30 days)

So the extension stamp say I have to leave by April 18, and the Visa itself says I must enter before April 18.

On a double entry visa, does the "enter before date" apply only to the first entry, or both entries?

My enter before date on the visa says April 18. I got it in Savannakhet on Jan 19 and entered the same day (first entry). On the other page, the entry stamp says I have to leave by April 18 (same date as the enter before date on the visa).

So if I leave, travel around, come back around May 13 for my second entry, is that going to be a problem because it says "enter before April 18"?

I did this visa run yesterday successfully. Applied and picked up passport the same day. Just want to add:

Bus times from Mo Chit

You can check bus times from Mo Chit here: http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/bus/index.php?la=en. You can book in advance, although I wasn't able to. They had no bus times showing for the current day, which was the day I needed. I guess they don't do advanced booking for the current day.

Which bus time to take from Mo Chit

It seems most days have a lot of buses around 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm. I got to the bus terminal at 9 pm and the 9:30 tickets were sold out (at the one both I tried at least). So maybe you should try getting there at least an hour early if you didn't book ahead of time. Catch at 10:30 pm bus to arrive in Mukdahan around 7 am, in time for the first bus to the border, which I think is at 8 am. Actually I may have arrived at 8:30 am. Can't remember now.

The bus ride from BKK to Mukdahan

There are a lot of stops along the way where you can eat and pee. Try not to pee in the bus bathroom, it's absolutely disgusting. Bathrooms along the route aren't great either, but they are better.

Bus from Mukdahan to the Savannakhet

The bus from Mukdahan to the border goes all the way to Savannakhet bus terminal. No need to get a tuk tuk until you are in Savannakhet. Just make sure the ticket says Savannakhet. Maybe they all do, but not sure. Same thing in the other direction.

Although it's faster if you take a tuk tuk from the border to the consulate for 100 baht. As taking the bus to the terminal to the consulate is back tracking. Same thing in the other direction.

When I arrived at the Thai side of the border on the way to Laos, I was last in line at the check point booth. Then they made me walk to the immigration office because I needed to transfer the stamp from my old passport to the new one. That took me maybe 30 or 40 minutes, and the whole bus waited for me! I figured they would just leave without me, and I'd catch a tuk tuk, but maybe the driver thought I might have a bag on board.

Applying for the visa at consulate

I applied for a double entry, and he charged me for a single. I didn't notice. When I picked up my passport, it was a single entry. No explanation was offered, and I didn't notice until it was too late. So make sure the fee is correct when you drop off your PP. It was 1000 for a single, and I'm not sure what double entry is. And make sure you check your number of entries on the visa, and other details, when you pick it up.

I'm pretty sure I have the answer for question 2. I'll answer myself below in case it helps anyone else. Still looking for answers to 1 and 3.

2) What are the bus times departing Mo Chit?

Thai Ticket Master seems to be the place to get bus schedules.

It won't show today's schedule. But future Mondays have the follow schedule, so today is probably the same:

BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Transport Co.Ltd. VIP (ม.4ก) 829.00 8:00
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Transport Co.Ltd. VIP (ม.4ก) 829.00 20:30, 21:30
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Transport Co.Ltd. 1st Cls 533.00 19:30, 20:05
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Cherdchaitour 1st Cls 533.00 7:15, 20:50
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Sahaphanroied. 1st Cls 622.00 20:30
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Sahaphanroied 1st Cls 533.00 7:45
BKK - Mukdahan Mukdahan(city) Sahaphanroied 1st Cls 533.00 18:30

I've grayed-out the morning times, because mornings suck.

Gotta say man, thank you very mak mak for this post. It saved me so much research time seeing all this info in one spot!

As a side note, in case anyone sees this today (Oct 20), I just posted a related question, asking about bus schedule times today from Mo Chit to Mukdahan here.

Cheers!

I'm going to Savankhet, Laos today to get a Thai double entry visa. Overnight bus, with the intention to get into Laos and start the visa process ASAP in the morning. A few questions about bus times from Mo Chit to Mukdahan:

1) What time is best to arrive at Mukdahan?

I want to arrive in Mukdahan and catch the first bus there to the border. OP in another thread says 8 am is when you should arrive in Mukdahan. So I'd like to arrive any time between 7 am and 8 am. Does that sound right?

2) What are the bus times departing Mo Chit?

There doesn't seem to be an official website with bus schedules. Seems like one must go to the terminal to see a schedule, because that's how we roll here.

Called Mo Chit Terminal, they won't tell the times, referred me to ThaiTicketMaster. It says 0 buses on Monday, but about 10 buses every other day, including future Mondays.

So I'm assuming there are indeed buses today, but Ticket Master just doesn't show the current day. Other Mondays seem to have several buses around 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. I'll assume this Monday would be similar to other Mondays. So I'll go to Mo Chit around 8 pm then. Sound right?

3) Which bus time would get me to Mukdahan at the right time?

On this site it says it takes 10.5 hours. I've also heard 12 hours.

And for anyone else looking to do their visa run in Savanaket by bus:

Checkout this thread here for an excellent outline of the whole trip.

Oh and one more question... Does one need to show tickets out of Thailand to gain entry at any point?

And I'm Canadian.

What a helpful thread for me. I apologize for the reputation. I want to make sure I understand. Am I right in the following?

1. If I get a double enter issued in Laos, I can stay 60 days, plus 30 more if get an extension once I’m in Thailand. After that 90 day period, I can then do a boarder run, exit and enter the same day. Then stay another 60 days + 30 day extension. Total 180 days.
2. The only way to get exactly 180 days is if your 1^st entry is to enter EXACTLY the same day as the visa is issued. If you wait a few days to enter after getting the visa, your will need to cut your 90 day stay short by a few days, in order to leave and reenter withing the 90 day deadline to use the 2^nd entry.

This is my plan below, please let me know if you see any problems:

1. My ED extension expires Oct 22
2. I leave TH on Oct 20
3. Get double entry Tourist Visa in Vientiane or Savannakhet on Oct 21
4. Enter TH on Oct 21 or Oct 22
5. Stay for 60 days
6. Extend 30 days
7. So 90 days from date of issue is Jan 19
8. And 90 days from date of entry is Jan 20
9. Jan 19 or earlier, do a boarder run. Walk out, walk back in, and that’s my 2^nd entry.
10. Stay 60 days
11. Extend 30 days
12. Goodbye Thailand

Any potential issues getting this double entry tourist visa, since I was on an ED for 6 or 8 years prior?