Savannakhet Thai Consulate absolutely thronged with people

[JeffersLos]

I'm in and out of the country every 60-80 days so have gone for the multi-entry non-immigrant O visa for around 10 years.

 

I first went to Sav around 2011,, it was a lovely little wooden cottage then. Perhaps 12 other people there. Really nice staff.

 

This time.... in 2019.

 

A lady I met said that because of Vientiane only doing it by apointment now, and it's fully booked for the next 2 months that to get there early.

 

Arrived before 8am. Was around 40 people in front of me. Which was unusual.

 

 

But nothing compared to what came after.

 

Was around 300 by the time the gates opened.

 

I got served ticket 40 at 9:45am. After a lady from SS Thai-Ledenswafen marched along the queue telling people to be quiet or be sent to the tables. Make one line, or be sent to the tables, breathe, off to the tables and no visa for you.

 

Coming out there was still this:

 

 

And they close for applications at 11am?

 

 

 

The next day, arrived at 12:30.

 

 

Took my place in the <removed>section and read my book <removed>

 

Got my passport back at 3pm. 

 

The queue at the border was even worse.

 

I got on the bus last so I'd be first off and first to the immigration booth.

 

By the time I got there 2 more international buses had come (once every 30 minutes) so had 3 full bus loads of people behind me by the time I got stamped back in. <removed>

[sanemax]

What a change , been there four times before the Vientiane changes and there were about ten people applying the whole morning .

   Can see Savanakhet also having appointments soon as well 

[JeffersLos]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Can see Savanakhet also having appointments soon as well 

I was thinking exactly that while there. Only a matter of time as that certainly wasn't sustainable. 

 

 

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, JeffersLos said:

Took my place in the Roma-Gypsy sex worker section

Did you get any phone numbers?

[tabarin]

Thanks, was planning to go there in July but changed my mind.

[Essecola]

The visa run companies totally ruining it for people who always just went and did their own trips and applications. Whoever goes to Savannakhet to get a visa because Vientiane is full, should enjoy doing that for the likely short time it will last before Savannakhet starts requiring an appointment as well. What will the visa run companies start doing next, hauling people across two borders over to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City? Or over to Yangon? This visa stuff could not be more nutty even if someone started making parts of the story up.

[tabarin]

2 minutes ago, Essecola said:

The visa run companies totally ruining it for people who always just went and did their own trips and applications. Whoever goes to Savannakhet to get a visa because Vientiane is full, should enjoy doing that for the likely short time it will last before Savannakhet starts requiring an appointment as well. What will the visa run companies start doing next, hauling people across two borders over to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City? Or over to Yangon? This visa stuff could not be more nutty even if someone started making parts of the story up.

Guess the sales of furniture, cars, motorbikes and other belongings will only continue at high speed on FB groups. 
It is like shopping for new items at 40-50% discount lately.

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Took my place in the Roma-Gypsy sex worker section

I think this is a very spot on characterization.

[Essecola]

16 minutes ago, tabarin said:

Guess the sales of furniture, cars, motorbikes and other belongings will only continue at high speed on FB groups. 
It is like shopping for new items at 40-50% discount lately.

I have a bunch of stuff Im just going to throw in the trash. Still havent found a driver to help me dump the stuff somewhere. 

[wisperone]

Paradise.

[BritTim]

17 minutes ago, Essecola said:

I have a bunch of stuff Im just going to throw in the trash. Still havent found a driver to help me dump the stuff somewhere. 

Advertise it in the free section on Craigslist, and someone will do the job of removing it for you.

[Puchaiyank]

Geez, what a pain in the arse experience for you...

 

Good report! Thanks!

[johnmell]

Is it not Mondays when the visa companies go there.Think i read somewhere else tuesday is much less crowded.

[scubascuba3]

Looks very similar to the Pattaya Transport office, all the staff there are very stressed out, then make it difficult

[nightfox]

What day of the week did you go there?

[Kenchamp]

Wow...i used to do that trip until i switched over to retirement extension and was considering switching back due to some of the new rules not being to my liking. However, seeing that has made my mind up not to go there for any more visas. What is the accomodation situation like there now? I can imagine the locals are taking advantage of the situation.

[ocddave]

5 hours ago, Essecola said:

I have a bunch of stuff Im just going to throw in the trash. Still havent found a driver to help me dump the stuff somewhere. 

Just dump it on the curb side, watch how fast it disappears.

[Happy Grumpy]

5 hours ago, Essecola said:

The visa run companies totally ruining it for people who always just went and did their own trips and applications. Whoever goes to Savannakhet to get a visa because Vientiane is full, should enjoy doing that for the likely short time it will last before Savannakhet starts requiring an appointment as well. What will the visa run companies start doing next, hauling people across two borders over to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City? Or over to Yangon? This visa stuff could not be more nutty even if someone started making parts of the story up.

 

The reality is, the majority of these visa runners are using the system to work here illegally, or to get around the proper method of long term extensions because they cannot make the requirements.

 

If this consulate decides to become unfriendly, like Phnom Penh, it's going to be a major pain for those people.

 

From the looks of photos it's operating at bursting point. 9-11am for applications where every person's documents are personally checked, for that many people? 

 

They'll either have to set up a 2nd or 3rd application booth or decide to become unfriendly, and get the daily numbers down to a manageable level.  

 

 

My money is on it becoming unfriendly, or them doing it by online appointment for 200 people per day within a year. 

 

 

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Looks very similar to the Pattaya Transport office, all the staff there are very stressed out, then make it difficult

Certainly the guy on reception is!  A less helpful individual is hard to imagine.  He was as rude and unhelpful as if he'd studied to achieve this for years.

[Denim]

So..if appointments come in , a lot of these people will have to fly to HCM. Which in turn will soon fall in with other embassies.

 

Pity that, looks like I'll have to revert to extension based on marriage. Bummer.

 

Good report by the OP. Seeing is believing.

 

 

 

 

[Guffman]

 I was there on Thursday/Friday last week and it was exactly as shown here. I'm sure it is the same every day now. It took so long at the Thai immigration on the way back that I missed my last bus home and had to stay in a hotel in Mukdahan. The whole experience was horrendous. I would try to avoid going there if at all possible.

[bamboozled]

What exactly is fueling all this? The problem getting income letter verification perhaps?

[GeorgeCross]

and to think this year i was going to drop my marriage extension and go back to a multi-non-o as extensions were making me lazy traveling wise.

 

glad i didn't lol that looks like my kind of hell.

 

this is isn't going to last, appointments coming i reckon

 

 

[geoffbezoz]

From the photos of the standard of dress of many it certainly looks does not look like the reception area for the high quality tourists Thailand are wanting. Clearly the lady whom you suggested was Thai SS was only trained in noise abatement, not acceptable dress standards for the "new" Thailand. ????  . Perhaps de-licing showers will be installed there next ?????

Just in case the Max Mosely's of the world come there did the Thai SS lady have thigh high leather boots and hold a riding crop ?

[GeorgeCross]

2 minutes ago, bamboozled said:

What exactly is fueling all this? The problem getting income letter verification perhaps?

 

looking at the crowd most of those look under 50 so i'd say tourist visa applications now vientiene is fully booked

 

 

 

[ezzra]

Mind you, IMO, all of this done with the full knowledge of the immigration and foreign ministry, hoping that the more difficult life will be for those who seek entry permit into the kingdom the less undesirable people will come, Thailand is not interested in all of those repeat visa runners, they want real tourists, those who comes in for a few days leave a bundle behind and are gone... so i foresee that getting visa from the nearby consulates will be get harder and harder...

[Happy Grumpy]

15 minutes ago, bamboozled said:

What exactly is fueling all this? The problem getting income letter verification perhaps?

 

Vientiane changed to appointment only, and is apparently fully booked for the next 2 months. So all the visa runners that were going there have to go to Savannakhet now instead.

[freedomnow]

Online pre-approval will probably come in next 18 months in South-East Asia like the UK system is rolling in with a few speedbump delays. Then many will get bounced at the online stage as their history will be easy to view like airports.

Death of the TV long-stay method coming soon I'm guessing, as everything interlocks around Thailand regarding MFA/immi systems being out of sync for history checking...

 

With the Chinese projected numbers next 5 years, they will no longer need to deal with the above queues anymore for cashflow.

[geronimo]

I'm going there in a couple of weeks, so expect a write-up of my experience.

[JaiLai]

So..if appointments come in , a lot of these people will have to fly to HCM. Which in turn will soon fall in with other embassies.
 
Pity that, looks like I'll have to revert to extension based on marriage. Bummer.
 
Good report by the OP. Seeing is believing.
 
 
 
 

What’s required for marriage extension?

Are they multiple exit / entry?

Thanks


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