Visa run report and step-by-step - Savannakhet

I got back from my visa run a couple days ago.  I'll share my notes.  Hopefully it helps someone.  It's a single entry tourist visa.

I've read that the Savannakhet consulate is the easiest to get repeat tourist visas.  This time I had 3 previous visas in my passport from other Thai consulates, and I got a verbal warning not to come back.  But this post is more about the itinerary and requirements, so I'll get on with that.  If you want to read about the verbal warning, I wrote about it here:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1071565-i-received-a-warning-at-savannakhet/

Required for Laos Visa on Arrival

• Passport valid over 6 months
• Visa on Arrival form.  Get it there or print blurry one now:
  https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/Workshops-and-Seminars/bsg/201207/Documents/visa-application.pdf
• Photo 2" x 2" (they'll take other sizes too)
• USD 42 for Canadians.  Less for everybody else.

Required for Thai Visa SETV

• Passport valid over 6 months
• Visa application form : http://www.thaisavannakhet.com/savannakhet/th/consulate-service/inspect/
• 2 photos
• 1000 THB
• Bank statement with 20,000 THB maybe not needed but do it just in case.
• Onward flight (within 90 days okay)
• Photocopy of passport photo page and maybe recent stamps? (do this across the street from the consulate, they'll know what pages to copy, cheap)

Basic Trip Plan

• Booked a Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Mukdahan.  Flight lands in Nakhon Phanom, then van transfer to Mukdahan. 
• Nok Air has similar "Fly n Ride" options.  Some of them land in further away cities and take longer.  I found Air Asia to be a bit cheaper and better timing.
• Stay overnight in Mukdahan.
• Early morning cross to Laos and apply at the consulate.
• Next day pickup passport and head back to Mukdahan, connect to Nakhon Phanom and back to Bangkok.

The Mukdahan / Savannakhet bus

The international bus runs both ways between Mukdahan bus station and Savannakhet bus station.  So it goes over the bridge and stops at the Thai and Laos checkpoints on the border and waits for everyone to get off, go through immigration, and get back on.   It is cheaper to ride the bus the whole way (50 baht), but when you are pressed for time, you might need to skip part of the route and use a tuktuk instead.  Below you'll see that on the way back from Savannakhet, instead of going to the bus station and taking the bus to the border, I took a tuktuk to the border.  But I did need to get on that exact bus after going through Laos immigration in order to go over the bridge and to Mukdahan.

You cannot buy the bus tickets the day before.  You have to buy them the day of travel.

From Mukdahan station, I took the 7:30 AM bus and was at consulate in Savannakhet maybe 15 minutes before it opened at 9:00 AM.

Below is the bus schedule from Mukdahan to Savannakhet.  Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the opposite direction.

Trip Step by Step

Monday
    
1:00 PM     Arrive DMK airport
3:00 PM     Fly to Nakhon Phanom with van connection to Mukdahan (1217 THB)
6:15 PM     Arrive at Grand Hotel in Mukdahan and get tuktuk (40 THB) to your hotel

Tuesday

5:30 AM     Wake up    
7:00 AM     Walk to bus station & buy ticket for 7:30 AM (50 THB)
7:30 AM     Bus leaves to Thai immigration (6:30 bus too early.  8:30 bus too late)
7:50 AM     Go through Thai immigration
8:00 AM     Get back on the bus, ride over the bridge to Laos immigration
8:10 AM     Get the Visa on Arrival, then go through Laos immigration
8:20 AM     Take taxi from Laos immigration to consulate     (200 THB?)

                 Or you can get back on the bus to the bus station, then walk/tuktuk to consulate but it takes longer
9:00 AM     Consulate opens, get photocopies across the street, then apply for visa (1000 THB)

                 About 30 people in line, no need to get there early.
9:30 AM     Walk to Macchiato de Coffee & play PUBG & wait for hotel check in time (250 THB)
1:30 AM     Walk to hotel (681 THB)

Wednesday

12:00 PM    Checkout and wait at coffee shop (I went to Black Canyon, Macchiato is closed Wednesdays)    
2:00 PM      Consulate opens at 2 PM, pickup passport    
2:30 PM      Take tuktuk to border (200 THB?)

                 Or go to the bus station and get the bus from there. I think the bus leaves at 2:30 PM 3:00 PM     

                 After Laos immigration, take the bus over the bridge (buy ticket if didn't already 50 THB)
3:30 PM      After Thai immigration, get back on bus to Mukdahan bus station,
                 then tuktuk to Air Asia pickup at Grand Hotel.
                 Or just get tuktuk from border to hotel. (40 THB or 100 THB?)
4:00 PM     Arrive Grand Hotel and wait for van to airport    
5:30 PM     Van to airport, then fly back to Bangkok

Coffee shops in Savannakhet with A/C & Wifi

Café De Macchiato
    • Short walk to bus station and consulate
    • Closes at 4pm, closed on Wednesdays
    
Black Canyon
    • North of consulate maybe 10 min walk

Coffee shops in Savannakhet with good food, wifi, but no A/C

Lin Café.  Speak English.  Very friendly.  Not walking distance from bus station or consulate

Chez Bon was recommended to me

Cafe Chai Dee also recommended.