Hello all,

 

My multi-entry marriage visa is due for renewal and I just wondered if it is easy and simple to fly into savannakhet from Bangkok to renew my visa? Or should I use the bus over the friendship bridge as I did last year? 

 

Does it make any difference? Such as additional paperwork if flying?

 

I'd rather fly from BKK to save time than use the bus, but I'd like to hear from anyone who's flown in or done this recently.

 

Final question if I may. My visa expires on the 28th of May. Is it ok to Renew on the 23rd?

 

Thanks for any help and advice regarding this! Sorry if it seems obvious for some, but I don't want to hit any hurdles. 

 

Regards

 

Craigp 

You can fly to Savannakhet from Bangkok (bkk) on Lao Airways. But you will need to stay 3 nights due to the flight schedules.

No difference between flying in or by land paperwork wise.

You could use a fly/ride service to Mukdahan that Air Asia and Nok Air offer from DMK. Then cross the bridge to Savannakhet.

No problem to get a new visa shortly before your current one expires.

Best though to get one more 90 day entry from it before it expires and then a 60 day extension to visit your wife. That would delay needing a new visa for almost 5 months.

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can fly to Savannakhet from Bangkok (bkk) on Lao Airways. But you will need to stay 3 nights due to the flight schedules.

No difference between flying in or by land paperwork wise.

You could use a fly/ride service to Mukdahan that Air Asia and Nok Air offer from DMK. Then cross the bridge to Savannakhet.

No problem to get a new visa shortly before your current one expires.

Best though to get one more 90 day entry from it before it expires and then a 60 day extension to visit your wife. That would delay needing a new visa for almost 5 months.

Thanks Joe.........You mean I could go to Sai Mai on the 27th and get another 3 months from it?

1 minute ago, craigp said:

Thanks Joe.........You mean I could go to Sai Mai on the 27th and get another 3 months from it?

Yes you could get a new 90 day entry if the 28th is the enter before date on your visa.

If you want to save time, I think the best way (from Bangkok) is overnight VIP bus to Mukdahan for the outbound trip to Savannakhet, and a Nok Air or Thai Asia fly/ride option returning from Mukdahan. Unfortunately, the fly-ride services going to Mukdahan arrive too late to apply for a visa the same day, but the schedule works great on the return. Although I dislike long bus journeys, the overnight VIP bus arrives at an ideal time for a leisurely transfer to Savannakhet for the visa application. As @ubonjoe advised, flights direct into Savannakhet are on an extremely inconvenient schedule, and they are also expensive.

On 5/15/2018 at 9:01 PM, BritTim said:

If you want to save time, I think the best way (from Bangkok) is overnight VIP bus to Mukdahan for the outbound trip to Savannakhet, and a Nok Air or Thai Asia fly/ride option returning from Mukdahan. Unfortunately, the fly-ride services going to Mukdahan arrive too late to apply for a visa the same day, but the schedule works great on the return. Although I dislike long bus journeys, the overnight VIP bus arrives at an ideal time for a leisurely transfer to Savannakhet for the visa application. As @ubonjoe advised, flights direct into Savannakhet are on an extremely inconvenient schedule, and they are also expensive.

Looking at the nok air schedule it says you need to be back to the ploy palace hotel in mukdahan at 4pm to go back to Bangkok.

visa collection is 2pm-4pm. Ride time from consulate to ploy palace is 25 mins but not including unforseen delays at consulate or border etc.

Is it a bit sketchy that time frame or no problems?

6 hours ago, sikishrory said:

Looking at the nok air schedule it says you need to be back to the ploy palace hotel in mukdahan at 4pm to go back to Bangkok.

visa collection is 2pm-4pm. Ride time from consulate to ploy palace is 25 mins but not including unforseen delays at consulate or border etc.

Is it a bit sketchy that time frame or no problems?

There are several fly-ride options. The last Nok Air departure leaves Ploy Palace at 5:00 pm. The 4:00 pm departure is OK. You will have the passport back in your hand at the consulate by 2:15 pm (assuming you are at the consulate by 1:50 pm). Normal expectation is that you will be in Mukdahan about an hour later. If you are delayed at the bridge, you can call the number Nok Air gives you, and ask the driver to pick you up at the bridge rather than Ploy Palace. They are not thrilled about this, but they pass the bridge on the way to the airport, and will do this if you are delayed.

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

There are several fly-ride options. The last Nok Air departure leaves Ploy Palace at 5:00 pm. The 4:00 pm departure is OK. You will have the passport back in your hand at the consulate by 2:15 pm (assuming you are at the consulate by 1:50 pm). Normal expectation is that you will be in Mukdahan about an hour later. If you are delayed at the bridge, you can call the number Nok Air gives you, and ask the driver to pick you up at the bridge rather than Ploy Palace. They are not thrilled about this, but they pass the bridge on the way to the airport, and will do this if you are delayed.

Thanks. I also heard from someone else this morning that you can't even walk accross the bridge and must wait for a bus. Which I have seen a timetable for and runs every hour but according to other reports is every 39 minutes. If that's true i am suprised you cant even walk accross the bridge. Adds at least 30 more mins in the anyway. Im gonna book it but its tight. The website doesn't say anything about 5pm last bus. Perhaps that is for sakhon nakhon or ubon Nd not nakhon phanom

3 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

The website doesn't say anything about 5pm last bus. Perhaps that is for sakhon nakhon or ubon Nd not nakhon phanom

You can fly into Nakhon Phanom and the back at another airport. You have choices when your book the flight.

Full schedule is here. http://content.nokair.com/en/Booking/Where-we-fly/Flight-Service/Fly-n-Ride/Mukdahan

On 5/15/2018 at 4:39 PM, ubonjoe said:

Best though to get one more 90 day entry from it before it expires and then a 60 day extension to visit your wife. That would delay needing a new visa for almost 5 months.

Just for information UJ (I am not familiair with this non-O visa) : do you mean he will get a 3 months visa there in Laos and he could extend  for 60 more days later at an immigration office inside Thailand ?

22 minutes ago, Rv Hawee said:

Just for information UJ (I am not familiair with this non-O visa) : do you mean he will get a 3 months visa there in Laos and he could extend  for 60 more days later at an immigration office inside Thailand ?

He already has a multiple entry non-o visa that allows unlimited 90 day entries up to the date it expires.

Any type of entry can be extended for 60 days to visit a Thai wife or child at a immigration office.

2 hours ago, Rv Hawee said:

Just for information UJ (I am not familiair with this non-O visa) : do you mean he will get a 3 months visa there in Laos and he could extend  for 60 more days later at an immigration office inside Thailand ?

Here is a ( dates made up ) time table for a married guy on multi entry Non O.

Valid 1/1/2018 until 31/12/2018.

Enter on 1/1/2018 get 90 days until 31/3/2018. 

One week before 31/3 go to Imm' with wife and paperwork get 60 day extension til end/5/2018.

Just before end/5/2018 do out/in get 90 days til end/8/2018 

Just before end/8/2018 go to Imm' with wife get 60 days til end/10/2018.

Just before end/10/2018 do out in get 90 days til end/1/2019.

Just before use by date ( 31/12/2018 ) do out in get 90 days til end/3/2019.

Just before end/3/2019 go to Imm' with wife get 60 days til end/5/2019.

Remember all end of dates will not be exactly the last day of the month but the timetable is near enough to give you the idea.

Each 60 day costs 1900 baht.

@ UJ and overherebc : thanks so much for these valuable informations !