Visa run - closest to Ayutthaya

[Andrew Dwyer]

I'm on an O-A visa ( entry before 17/10/2017 ) currently "admitted to stay" until 21/06/2018.

I was supposed to travel this week and next week, which would have extended my " admitted to stay " until the beginning of October ( ideal to obtain 2 years from an O-A ) but that has been cancelled.

 

So now, I am toying with the idea of a visa run instead.

 

Anyone from around Ayutthaya province done a visa run ?

Can you give me some pointers re: requirements needed etc.

 

[elviajero]

Probably the best crossing would be the Ban Phu Nam Ron crossing on the Myanmar border in Kanchanaburi province. You just need your passport and pay 950 baht on the Thai side for someone to drive you across no mans land, get you stamped in/out of Myanmar, and return.

Edited September 18, 2017 by elviajero

[poyai111]

Train to Don Meang 20 baht - fly to Udon Thani 1400 baht return _ van to border 300 baht. Works for me.

[Grumpy Duck]

3 hours ago, poyai111 said:

Train to Don Meang 20 baht - fly to Udon Thani 1400 baht return _ van to border 300 baht. Works for me.

Right now depart DMK to Udon Thani and return is about ฿2300 depart 9/20 return 9/21. Via Nok Air using the app.  Once I used Nok Air with bus to Nong Kai & Return, but the return bus departed too early I found a guy to drive me to the airport for ฿300 at the taxi/bus stand at the border crossing.  (But that was 2 years ago)

[Andrew Dwyer]

20 hours ago, elviajero said:

Probably the best crossing would be the Ban Phu Nam Ron crossing on the Myanmar border in Kanchanaburi province. You just need your passport and pay 950 baht on the Thai side for someone to drive you across no mans land, get you stamped in/out of Myanmar, and return.

Thanks, i thought you needed a Myanmar visa even for a visa run ? I seem to remember a thread about this a while ago ?

[elviajero]

27 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks, i thought you needed a Myanmar visa even for a visa run ? I seem to remember a thread about this a while ago ?

You don't need one for a visa run. Visas aren't available at the border so you'd need one if traveling to Myanmar. However, when you do a visa run at that border they simultaneously stamp you in/out of Myanmar.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks, i thought you needed a Myanmar visa even for a visa run ? I seem to remember a thread about this a while ago ?

You can get a daily border pass (allows you to travel only in the immediate vicinity of the border in Myanmar). The 950 baht fee for travel across no mans land, and Myanmar stamps includes the cost of the border pass (which I believe is officially US$10).

[elviajero]

14 minutes ago, BritTim said:

You can get a daily border pass (allows you to travel only in the immediate vicinity of the border in Myanmar). The 950 baht fee for travel across no mans land, and Myanmar stamps includes the cost of the border pass (which I believe is officially US$10).

No border pass is issued at that border and there is nothing to do or see there. You are taken by a vehicle across no mans land, which is a few km's. At the Myanmar passport control office you stay in the vehicle while the passport is stamped. Once stamped you are immediately returned to Thai immigration.

[steve187]

Ban Phu Nam Ron simple and easy,  there are some good rooms to stay in the village

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, steve187 said:

Ban Phu Nam Ron simple and easy,  there are some good rooms to stay in the village

Thanks Steve,

so it's feasible I can stay in the village 1 night, get the first van ( from the village) over the border and back again to fulfill my visa run ?

How long does the process take including van from village ?

 

 The reason I'm asking is the gf will be with me but stay in the village waiting for me, we will then go do something touristy in Kanchanaburi 

[elviajero]

39 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

How long does the process take including van from village ?

 

 The reason I'm asking is the gf will be with me but stay in the village waiting for me, we will then go do something touristy in Kanchanaburi 

It would probably be easier to stay in Kanchanaburi. There is a bus service from the main bus station. It takes me about an hour to drive from Kan' to the border so I guess you should add 30 mins on the bus. Once you're at the border it should only take about an hour to complete the visa run. Your gf can wait at the border while you do the crossing.

[steve187]

if you drive and want to make it a short break, then stay in the village, take a day driving there stay overnight, go first thing across the border, get some food nearby and take a day driving home,  i have done so on a couple of occasions, cheap new accommodation is available, its a small village so a few minutes to the border, no buses to catch, but car/minibus transport to take you through no mans land and back on an individual basis, the whole thing is 900 something baht, takes about 1/2 an hour, pretty laid back and simple, i have seen a falang there who helps out.

[Andrew Dwyer]

4 hours ago, steve187 said:

if you drive and want to make it a short break, then stay in the village, take a day driving there stay overnight, go first thing across the border, get some food nearby and take a day driving home,  i have done so on a couple of occasions, cheap new accommodation is available, its a small village so a few minutes to the border, no buses to catch, but car/minibus transport to take you through no mans land and back on an individual basis, the whole thing is 900 something baht, takes about 1/2 an hour, pretty laid back and simple, i have seen a falang there who helps out.

Thanks Steve, that's great info and that's what I will do, I'll drive it ( 3 1/2 hours ) from where I am . A little stop off in Kanchanaburi or Suphan Buri and make a little sightseeing trip out of it , I've been to Kanchanaburi before but didn't see it all .

[Andrew Dwyer]

 

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

It would probably be easier to stay in Kanchanaburi. There is a bus service from the main bus station. It takes me about an hour to drive from Kan' to the border so I guess you should add 30 mins on the bus. Once you're at the border it should only take about an hour to complete the visa run. Your gf can wait at the border while you do the crossing.

Thanks for the advice elviajero, I'll be driving so will look at staying nearer the border as Steve suggested, but I do appreciate your assistance.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Thanks guys for the great advice .

[steve187]

if you look at this map = https://goo.gl/maps/VsZxhy6C8j82   

where ' dream home hill' is,  there are a few places to stay,

 

if you then drive to the main road from dream home hill, turn right and drive a few hundred metres, there is a mini mart ' nine '  on the right, just after that you turn left and after about 100 metres or so immigration is then on your left see here =   https://goo.gl/maps/b9WogGtGMeL2

[Andrew Dwyer]

11 minutes ago, steve187 said:

if you look at this map = https://goo.gl/maps/VsZxhy6C8j82   

where ' dream home hill' is,  there are a few places to stay,

 

if you then drive to the main road from dream home hill, turn right and drive a few hundred metres, there is a mini mart ' nine '  on the right, just after that you turn left and after about 100 metres or so immigration is then on your left see here =   https://goo.gl/maps/b9WogGtGMeL2

Excellent, thanks ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, I went to Kanchanaburi, a few selfies on the bridge, lunch at the floating restaurant ( 299 baht per person, good ), off to Sai Yok Yai for a little relax.

Then off to Dream Home Hill near border for some shut eye !!

 

This morning, drive to the border ( 5 mins ), walk up to Departure window for stamp, walk 10 yards to Travel Service, lady asked me " visa run ? " .

Paid 960 baht, she filled new departure/arrival card in , pick up drives me 5 km then through  a border control gate ( no action required by me ) into Myanmar, onto very rough dirt road for approx 1 km into a village/shopping area, driver disappeared with my passport for 5 minutes, then comes back with Myanmar entry and exit stamp.

Back to Thailand, stamped in until 25th September 2018 , yey!!

 

Very painless and took about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

[steve187]

nice and easy and relaxing border hop

 

what was Dream Home Hill like, i haven't stayed there . i think i stopped at fun dee.

Edited September 26, 2017 by steve187

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

nice and easy and relaxing border hop

 

what was Dream Home Hill like, i haven't stayed there . i think i stopped at fun dee.

Just asked the gf to make sure and apparently we stopped at Home Hill Fun Dee.

it was the first one we saw, didn't see any others but I remember someone talking about the hot springs on another thread so there must be.

i think I didn't really go up the hill far enough to see others, but Fun Dee was okay, good internet and the owner was very pleasant.

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

nice and easy and relaxing border hop

 

what was Dream Home Hill like, i haven't stayed there . i think i stopped at fun dee.

Cos I'm on an O-A this visa run was a bit of a one off but it turned out a very good little trip.

Went to Erawan waterfall afterwards and walked the 7 stages ( 2 km of steps and winding footpaths ) now in another resort near Erawan as going straight to Nakhon Sawan after to visi family.

Erawan is pretty good, I recommend, lots of swimming with the fishes !!