Tourist visa Phnom Penh?

[Nayet]

Am I likely to encounter any problems applying for a tourist visa in Phnom Penh?

 

[ubonjoe]

Not unless you have a lot of tourist visas in your passport. 

You will need to show the equivalent of 20k baht in a bank account and tickets out of country.

[Nayet]

Thanks, ubonjoe. I have a few visas in my old passport but just got a new one, so hopefully not a problem.

[lkv]

17 hours ago, Nayet said:

Thanks, ubonjoe. I have a few visas in my old passport but just got a new one, so hopefully not a problem.

No problem with a clean passport, got one from Europe and two consecutive ones from Phnom Pehn in my current passport.

 

Use an agent though, it will cost 10 dollars more on top of the regular USD 40 fee. Not many people walk into the Embassy, and it's better that way in my opinion, for multiple reasons.

 

Docs as stated above, exit ticket and bank statement.

 

[JackThompson]

Note that the processing-time in Phnom Penh is longer than other consulates in the region.  Expect a 3 to 4 day wait, with the 3-day option costing a bit more to your agent. 

[lkv]

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Note that the processing-time in Phnom Penh is longer than other consulates in the region.  Expect a 3 to 4 day wait, with the 3-day option costing a bit more to your agent. 

4 day turnaround i.e. apply Monday AM / pick up Thursday PM =45 USD

3 day turnaround i.e. apply Monday AM / pick up Wednesday PM = 50 USD

 

The visa fee of USD 40 included in the above.

[Soneva]

On 7/11/2018 at 10:47 AM, lkv said:

No problem with a clean passport, got one from Europe and two consecutive ones from Phnom Pehn in my current passport.

 

Use an agent though, it will cost 10 dollars more on top of the regular USD 40 fee. Not many people walk into the Embassy, and it's better that way in my opinion, for multiple reasons.

 

Docs as stated above, exit ticket and bank statement.

 

I am contemplating trying Phnom Penh once more for a second (consecutive) SETV from this consulate.  Does anyone think this is not advisable?

 

It would not be a problem if I had to move along to Saigon or Vientiane as a fallback.  

 

I suppose the worst case scenario would be a voided SETV in my passport.  If this were to happen, would that have any negative impact on future applications at other consulates or with Thai immigration?

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Soneva said:

I am contemplating trying Phnom Penh once more for a second (consecutive) SETV from this consulate.  Does anyone think this is not advisable?

 

It would not be a problem if I had to move along to Saigon or Vientiane as a fallback.  

 

I suppose the worst case scenario would be a voided SETV in my passport.  If this were to happen, would that have any negative impact on future applications at other consulates or with Thai immigration?

I discourage people from using Phnom Penh. If you only have one SETV in your passport, a second from Phnom Penh should be fine, but there are better places to apply.

A voided SETV in your passport would not look good. You might still get tourist visas elsewhere, but the voided visa is bound to attract unwelcome scrutiny from other consulates.

[Soneva]

I discourage people from using Phnom Penh. If you only have one SETV in your passport, a second from Phnom Penh should be fine, but there are better places to apply.
A voided SETV in your passport would not look good. You might still get tourist visas elsewhere, but the voided visa is bound to attract unwelcome scrutiny from other consulates.

Thanks. Yes, that is what I am afraid of, and therefore I probably should not apply in Phnom Penh again. There is the possibility of a voided visa ending up in my new passport.

Other options I am considering are:

Ho Chin Minh
Hanoi
Hong Kong
Vientiane
Bali
Kuala Lumpur
Penang

I haven’t heard anything negative about these recently. Are are any of these particularly stress free and user friendly these days?

I have heard that Hong Kong and both in Vietnam basically ask no questions if minimal documentation requirements are met. Vientiane in my experience requires no documentation of any kind.

How are Bali and the Malaysian consulates?

I am fine with all standard documentation such as bank statements and airline tickets, but still want to be asked as little as possible.

[BritTim]

Kuala Lumpur these days seems to be OK if you meet the requirements on their checklist. Penang is to be avoided for tourist visas. Kota Bharu is apparently the friendliest consulate in Malaysia for tourist visas (but not that convenient to reach from Bangkok, and a boring town).

Bali is OK if you strictly follow the rules prescribed by Jakarta, but time consuming.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are good. Vientiane (as you suggest) is good, but you must make sure you decide to go there well in advance so you can make the now necessary appointment.

Also to be considered is Yangon, though you need a Myanmar visa (most easily applied for as an evisa online).

[Soneva]

Kuala Lumpur these days seems to be OK if you meet the requirements on their checklist. Penang is to be avoided for tourist visas. Kota Bharu is apparently the friendliest consulate in Malaysia for tourist visas (but not that convenient to reach from Bangkok, and a boring town).
Bali is OK if you strictly follow the rules prescribed by Jakarta, but time consuming.
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are good. Vientiane (as you suggest) is good, but you must make sure you decide to go there well in advance so you can make the now necessary appointment.
Also to be considered is Yangon, though you need a Myanmar visa (most easily applied for as an evisa online).

Thanks so much again.

It definitely seems like Vietnam is the path of least resistance, and in July should be a pleasant place to be even with some rainfall.

If I go to Vietnam or Bali, the return will be via Laos anyway, with a stopover stay in Vientiane. Therefore, Vientiane and Savannakhet are fallback options in those cases. However, fortunately it seems a properly documented application meeting all requirements would be unlikely to be denied in VN or Bali.

I am saving Yangon for several months later for better weather for an extended stay. It would also be great to line that up with a stay in Chiang Mai, but I will have to figure out the best land boarder and ground transportation option for return to Thailand. I am tempted to try the flight on PG into Chiang Mai, but I seem to recall reports of entry denial at CNX.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BritTim]

36 minutes ago, Soneva said:

I am saving Yangon for several months later for better weather for an extended stay. It would also be great to line that up with a stay in Chiang Mai, but I will have to figure out the best land boarder and ground transportation option for return to Thailand. I am tempted to try the flight on PG into Chiang Mai, but I seem to recall reports of entry denial at CNX.

With a tourist visa, you are unlikely to be denied entry at CNX. However, if you want the security of returning by land from Yangon, take an overnight VIP bus from Yangon to Myawaddy and enter Thailand at Maesot (possibly the best border crossing into Thailand). Although flights are a little pricey these days, Maesot airport is close to the border with frequent flights to Bangkok. If you have not previously visited that area, there is much to explore within easy reach of Maesot.

 

EDIT: Travel from Maesot to Chiang Mai is easy, and quite scenic.

[Soneva]

With a tourist visa, you are unlikely to be denied entry at CNX. However, if you want the security of returning by land from Yangon, take an overnight VIP bus from Yangon to Myawaddy and enter Thailand at Maesot (possibly the best border crossing into Thailand). Although flights are a little pricey these days, Maesot airport is close to the border with frequent flights to Bangkok. If you have not previously visited that area, there is much to explore within easy reach of Maesot.
 
EDIT: Travel from Maesot to Chiang Mai is easy, and quite scenic.

Thank you for this very useful advice! I am saving this information for a trip closer to the end of the year, lining up with the ideal time to be in Chiang Mai.

I am willing to take a gamble on CNX if it is better than BKK. I have been here for years in and out on tourist visas. If the worst case scenario would be denial of entry and return to Yangon, and if that is not particularly likely, it may be worth a try. What I do not want is to be detained or sent back to my home country, the US, which is why I have stopped entering through BKK in favor of land borders.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[BritTim]

25 minutes ago, Soneva said:

I am willing to take a gamble on CNX if it is better than BKK. I have been here for years in and out on tourist visas. If the worst case scenario would be denial of entry and return to Yangon, and if that is not particularly likely, it may be worth a try. What I do not want is to be detained or sent back to my home country, the US, which is why I have stopped entering through BKK in favor of land borders.

 

 

That is reasonable, but be aware of one important point. Since you need a visa to enter Myanmar, if denied entry at CNX, you will not be returned to Yangon. You should be able to negotiate with Bangkok Airways to send you somewhere else that is suitable, such as Luang Prabang. It must be a direct flight on Bangkok Airways to a city where you can enter visa exempt or get a visa on arrival. Remember that the airline is forced to remove you from Thailand even if you do not pay, and use that as negotiating leverage if the airline tries to tell you to go somewhere you do not want, or to purchase extra flight coupons (which they want to reduce their financial exposure should you be denied entry at your next destination).