Visa in Vientiane - How to get it early?

[sometimewoodworker]

23 hours ago, Cheesus said:

That would suck. Can anyone who've been there recently confirm? 13.00 or 13.30?

 

I wish i have done that. <deleted> me.

 

 

Well i guess i'm just gonna arm myself with good book, show up at 5.30am and hope i will get < 50 number.

 

Stayed at the Doung Pra Seuth hotel (1,647 Baht 2 nights includes breakfast, Hotels.com) had breakfast at 6:30, walked across to the consular section at 7am with 5 people in front of me, gates opened about 7:30 for you to take a seat.

 

Copies are available at 5 Baht each and there are some people in the consular section who will complete the form for you for a fee. I needed a copy of my last entry and exit stamp from Thailand. Someone near me needed copies of all his visas and stamps.

 

At 8:30 3 people started checking documents and passing out the above notice (they didn't notice the missing copies, I was asked to show the original pretty marriage cert but not my bank book ), the passports and application and support documents were handed into a consular official. By about 8:50 my number was called and I was told to get the extra copies. 9:10 back in the hotel for second breakfast, very little still left but I got a couple more cups of coffee. 

 

I just noticed the time stamp on the queue number, it was not the time they checked my documents but about an hour earlier.

 

The passport number showing on the paper is not my complete number just the last few digits 

Edited February 14, 2018 by sometimewoodworker
Extra note

[sanemax]

51 minutes ago, Gregster said:

 

No not all. Why would you ask that?

 

Rereading what you wrote , it seems like you were getting a Laos Visa on arrival at Nong Khai

[BritTim]

<deleted>

Edited February 14, 2018 by BritTim

[Nemises]

Rereading what you wrote , it seems like you were getting a Laos Visa on arrival at Nong Khai

Nong Khai taxi driver (located at 1st NK border gate) took me over to Laos to get my visa and bought me back to NK. Will do same thing in 90 days.

[sanemax]

5 minutes ago, Gregster said:

Nong Khai taxi driver (located at 1st NK border gate) took me over to Laos to get my visa and bought me back to NK. Will do same thing in 90 days.

This thread is about getting a Thai visa in Vientiane 

[Cheesus]

14 hours ago, QPRFC said:

I did this run two weeks ago. 

MONDAY:

Udon Thani to Friendship Bridge 200 baht minivan takes 50 minutes 

20 baht bus over bridge

31 USD for Laos visa on Oz passport 

300 baht taxi to Vientiane Fountain Complex

TUESDAY :

Arrived Consulate at 7.20am was 12th in queue

Let in at 8am and given application forms

Filled out application 

At 8.30am desk opens and they check paperwork and give you a number (12 for me) 

At 9am the window opens and goes through numbers one at a time (tells you paperwork is good and come back tomorrow 1pm to collect) 

WEDNESDAY :

Arrived at 12.50pm

Sit anyway

At 1pm window opens and call 7 numbers at a time (1-7) you bunch around window and show your ticket to collect passport, check visa and then sign

Then 8-14 etc

Touts there offering 300 baht minivan rides to border BUT you have to wait until van is full before departure 

Alternatively, 10,000 kip (400 baht) private taxi direct took 35 minutes 

Change your kip back to baht at bank there

Bus 20 baht over bridge

Customs is simple coming back as you already have a visa

Minibus to Udon Thani for 150 baht (I got lucky I think) again 50 minutes

Already checked in for flight, so straight to gate

 

Take food in your bag (stock up either the night before or early morning) otherwise you'll lose time buying food. 

 

Good luck

Good info. Thanks man

[Nemises]

No problems. I thought the OP had mentioned the Friendship Bridge and was looking for any tips to speed up the process there.

[Cheesus]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 

Stayed at the Doung Pra Seuth hotel (1,647 Baht 2 nights includes breakfast, Hotels.com) had breakfast at 6:30, walked across to the consular section at 7am with 5 people in front of me, gates opened about 7:30 for you to take a seat.

 

Copies are available at 5 Baht each and there are some people in the consular section who will complete the form for you for a fee. I needed a copy of my last entry and exit stamp from Thailand. Someone near me needed copies of all his visas and stamps.

 

At 8:30 3 people started checking documents and passing out the above notice (they didn't notice the missing copies, I was asked to show the original pretty marriage cert but not my bank book ), the passports and application and support documents were handed into a consular official. By about 8:50 my number was called and I was told to get the extra copies. 9:10 back in the hotel for second breakfast, very little still left but I got a couple more cups of coffee. 

 

I just noticed the time stamp on the queue number, it was not the time they checked my documents but about an hour earlier.

 

The passport number showing on the paper is not my complete number just the last few digits 

I will be staying at the same hotel 

 

If that's not a problem please let me know tomorrow what time you got your passport with visa back

[Cheesus]

6 minutes ago, Gregster said:

No problems. I thought the OP had mentioned the Friendship Bridge and was looking for any tips to speed up the process there.

No worries. Thanks for trying to help

[sometimewoodworker]

17 hours ago, QPRFC said:

At 9am the window opens and goes through numbers one at a time (tells you paperwork is good and come back tomorrow 1pm to collect) 

WEDNESDAY :

Arrived at 12.50pm

Sit anyway

At 1pm window opens and call 7 numbers at a time (1-7) you bunch around window and show your ticket to collect passport, check visa and then sign

Then 8-14 etc

A couple of differences between your report and my experience. First they started confirming paperwork by about 8:35~8:40 not 9am 

 

Also the notice to return shows 1:30pm, did they start returning passports before that?

[edwardandtubs]

8 hours ago, Thaitoknow said:

Because its not advertised until you go inside the building.

I found it while needing a photocopy.

There is a sign inside.

I'm still a bit lost. I can't see the relationship between paying this woman 40 baht and avoiding queueing. 

[sanemax]

Just now, edwardandtubs said:

I'm still a bit lost. I can't see the relationship between paying this woman 40 baht and avoiding queueing. 

You get her to fill your form out in a separate building, you pay her 40 Baht and she goes to the front of the application queue and hands your form in .

    I have seen it happened before and I just assumed that they were rejoining the queue, next time that I see it happen, I shall tell them to get to the back of the queue

[Rc2702]

Just now, sanemax said:

You get her to fill your form out in a separate building, you pay her 40 Baht and she goes to the front of the application queue and hands your form in .

    I have seen it happened before and I just assumed that they were rejoining the queue, next time that I see it happen, I shall tell them to get to the back of the queue

I can see the headline already.

 

Interfering chelsea fan gets sparked out cold by a mob of visa attendants in vientiane.

[orchis]

I walked there for 8.30, I was about the hundredth person, you just sit down and the queue moves along, it was very quick; application -out in 30', retrieve passport -out in 25' , so I was out just before 1 pm. (4 and 5 January),

maybe the system was sped-up because of New Year's the consulate being open only 3 days that week.

You only get a number after you hand in your documentation at the table, this is then a queue number for retrieving the passport the next day.
This is for TR visa, the other visas take more time (queue number + review of documents at window 1)
 

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

You get her to fill your form out in a separate building, you pay her 40 Baht and she goes to the front of the application queue and hands your form in .

    I have seen it happened before and I just assumed that they were rejoining the queue, next time that I see it happen, I shall tell them to get to the back of the queue

And if they don't?

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, edwardandtubs said:

And if they don't?

Queue jumpers very rarely stand their ground .

[edwardandtubs]

8 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Queue jumpers very rarely stand their ground .

Tell that to the Filipinos who just waltz up to the front gate exactly at opening time and invite themselves to the front. At least if you've paid 40 baht you have some sort of claim to be entitled to jump the queue.

[Thaitoknow]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

You get her to fill your form out in a separate building, you pay her 40 Baht and she goes to the front of the application queue and hands your form in .

    I have seen it happened before and I just assumed that they were rejoining the queue, next time that I see it happen, I shall tell them to get to the back of the queue

And you have what power?

Its a paid service supplied by the Embassy but im sure they will listen to you?

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, Thaitoknow said:

And you have what power?

Its a paid service supplied by the Embassy but im sure they will listen to you?

Is it official though or just some Embassy staff making a few Baht under the table ?

Is there an official "Pay 40 Baht to jump the queue " service?

[Rc2702]

Just now, sanemax said:

Is it official though or just some Embassy staff making a few Baht under the table ?

Is there an official "Pay 40 Baht to jump the queue " service?

Yh it's all above board just like the taxis not having to use metres and prostitution is clearly forbidden. All whiter than white.

[Thaitoknow]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Is it official though or just some Embassy staff making a few Baht under the table ?

Is there an official "Pay 40 Baht to jump the queue " service?

Your paying for them to fill out the form but the extra is a queque jump.

Its not exclusive. Anyone can do it.

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

23 minutes ago, Thaitoknow said:

Your paying for them to fill out the form but the extra is a queque jump.

Its not exclusive. Anyone can do it.

 

 

Given that there's no real control of the queue jumpers, especially Filipinos, I can't see a problem with this. It would be great if everything was perfectly ordered like a British post office but it isn't so this seems like a good way of getting past the madness, assuming it's still available.

 

But what if there's a long queue leading up to the gate? Is this building on the left separate from that?

Edited February 14, 2018 by edwardandtubs

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

But what if there's a long queue leading up to the gate? Is this building on the left separate from that?

No, the service being discussed is up a staircase on the left after entering the consulate compound. You can still use them for photocopies and form filling but, as I said before, it no longer facilitates queue jumping. That was stopped.

[sanemax]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

No, the service being discussed is up a staircase on the left after entering the consulate compound. You can still use them for photocopies and form filling but, as I said before, it no longer facilitates queue jumping. That was stopped.

Although the upstairs bit is empty now , the photocopying is now done in the building where the money (visa fee) used to be collected and the money is now collected at the outside (ish) application window

[sanemax]

10 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Given that there's no real control of the queue jumpers, especially Filipinos, I can't see a problem with this. It would be great if everything was perfectly ordered like a British post office but it isn't so this seems like a good way of getting past the madness, assuming it's still available.

But what if there's a long queue leading up to the gate? Is this building on the left separate from that?

I disagree that there was an issue with (Filipina) queue jumpers , the six or so times that I have been there , there has been no queue jumping from anyone (apart from the 40 Baht Q jumpers), sometimes when there is a group of people in the Q , some of them may wonder off for a coffee and come back to rejoin the Q .

   The queuing has always been very orderly , even when the gates open and people walk 50 meters to the window , everyone walks in single file and no one tries to get ahead of anyone else .

   I am not suggested that no one has ever queue jumped , just saying that its uncommon .

The guy who suggested that there was an issue with Q jumping , was just probably tying to justify his own queue jumping

[sometimewoodworker]

28 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Although the upstairs bit is empty now , the photocopying is now done in the building where the money (visa fee) used to be collected and the money is now collected at the outside (ish) application window

Yesterday the upstairs section had several desks with computers where visa forms were being filled in. No visa fees were collected when submitting the application, I assume that the fee will be taken when getting my passport back.

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Yesterday the upstairs section had several desks with computers where visa forms were being filled in. No visa fees were collected when submitting the application, I assume that the fee will be taken when getting my passport back.

They must have changed it again , were they still offering the 40 Baht queue jumping option?

[sometimewoodworker]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

They must have changed it again , were they still offering the 40 Baht queue jumping option?

I have no idea as I was number 6 in the queue and had virtually all my documents in order.

Edited February 15, 2018 by sometimewoodworker

[ubonjoe]

A off topic post and the expected reply to it has been removed. A repeat of it will result in a formal warning.

[sometimewoodworker]

On 14/02/2018 at 3:30 PM, Cheesus said:

I will be staying at the same hotel 

 

If that's not a problem please let me know tomorrow what time you got your passport with visa back

I got mine back at about 1:35, I shared a taxi to the bridge with someone who had queue number 7 (total for both of us, 300 Baht), we did some quick duty free shopping and arrived in Thailand at about 2:40, SWMBO and I dropped my companion off at the bus station at about 3pm

 

 

If if you don't want to bother with the bank money exchange then you can mix and match currency in the duty free shop paying in Kip, Baht, and dollars for one item. But remember that you need 4000 Kip for the bus over the bridge.

 

I have no idea if the signs under are new or enforced 

FWIW there are quite a few of these signs in the waiting area