mae sot

[ozz1]

Thinking of doing a border bounce to Myanmar ( mai sot) im on a o visa multi based on marriage is it easy or im sick of going to Laos so I was wondering if you can do it without much hassle if anyone else has done it recently and how much does it cost  cheers

[ripstanley]

Where do you live?

[ubonjoe]

No problem and you do not have to get a full page visa sticker. You pay $10 US or 500 baht for a border pass.

[DrJack54]

Where you live in los and what passport. Plenty of nice joint for a weekend. Saigon comes to mind

[BritTim]

If you are located somewhere within reach, a border bounce at Maesot is highly recommended. It may be the very best crossing anywhere in Thailand for a border bounce.

[Isaanbiker]

OP, the border crossing is not in Mae Sot, it's in Mae Sai, very close to the border with plenty of guesthouses. 

 

Sorry, hadn't be there for so long and there's a border in Mae Sot now, and you'll come to a place called Myawaddy My apologies. 

 

   There's not too much to see on the Burmese side, but you might find some cheap stuff, almost all is way cheaper than in Thailand of course excluding goods from Thailand.

 

Mae Sot is a place where they grew poppies before and now grow tea, a bit overpriced for my taste but worth a visit. 

 

  Please be careful when offered drugs from pot to heroin, they often work with the cops. 

 

As U>J has already mentioned they let you in for a 500 baht fee, without a huge sticker and a full visa, but you can't travel much further into Myanmar. 

 

If you've never been to "Pai". Mae Hong Son province, it's worth a visit, especially now not in the fake Rastafarian dope smoking freaks who often spend their last money there.

 

It's in the main season like a big circus with plenty of foreign monkeys.

 

  Do not rent a motorbike if you don't have enough practice, my ex- girl friend had almost lost her her leg there in a big bike accident.

Some idiot foreigners, who've never ridden a bike, rent all sorts of bikes and crash pretty often. 

 

Pai is a very magic place when I was there i stayed a few months, we're planning to stay only two weeks. 

 

Too many people die overdosed there, but it's a great place to hang out a couple of days. And a tour on a bike is breathtaking, the way from Chiang Mai to Pai has 175 curves and it's an adventure. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

OP, the border crossing is not in Mae Sot, it's in Mae Sai, very close to the border with plenty of guesthouses. 

Wrong info.

There is a crossing at Mae Sot in Tak province. Mae Sai is in Chiang Rai.

[Denim]

Its a pretty easy bounce. Or it has been up to now.

Years ago it was perfect.....quiet and easy.

 

Now, it is pretty busy with Burmese crossing to work in Thailand or do a bit of shopping in Mae Sot which is a town of considerable size with lots of big Malls, Robinsons, Tesco , Makro etc,

 

I was there last week and for the first time ever had a small problem on the Burmese side which normally only takes 5 minutes. As a falang , you don't have to join a big queue to exit Thailand as there is a separate booth for westerners. Pretty quick. However it was very busy with Burmese and for the first time a lot of young Chinese in big groups.

 

Once over the bridge ( a 500 meter walk ) I got to the Burmese immigration and it was very busy. I went to the usual room and before I could say anything the IO's said no no and pointed at a booth on the other side of the road. To cut a long story short this was a bum steer and I ended up in the first room with about 15 young Chinese tourists all with a mountain of paperwork applying for some sort of visa. I asked immigration officer if I was now in the right place but he ignored me.

In the end after 5 minutes I just went to the front of the queue and manage to explain I did not want a visa and was just doing an in out. Once they finally understood I was out in 3 minutes

 

So the whole thing took twenty minutes instead of the usual 5. I only mention this because if you decide to go make it clear what you want or if it is busy you might get delayed .

 

Reentering Thailand, again a separate booth for westerners so 5 minutes and was through.

 

It is my favorite crossing since the drive over the mountains is interesting and compared to other crossings it is quick and easy.

 

As an aside, hotels in Tak are cheaper than Mae Sot. We pay 400 in Tak or if we stay in Mae Sot the same thing costs 800.

 

For pictures of the crossing just enter Mae Sot into Youtube plus google street view.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Denim

[Isaanbiker]

10 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Wrong info.

There is a crossing at Mae Sot in Tak province. Mae Sai is in Chiang Rai.

My apologies, wasn't up to date. Back in the old days there's only Mae Sai where you could cross the border. 

[BritTim]

33 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

My apologies, wasn't up to date. Back in the old days there's only Mae Sai where you could cross the border. 

You can still cross the border at Mae Sai. Crossing at Mae Sot has been possible on or off over the years, but has consistently been possible for about the last five years.

[DrJack54]

43 minutes ago, BritTim said:

You can still cross the border at Mae Sai. Crossing at Mae Sot has been possible on or off over the years, but has consistently been possible for about the last five years.

How do you and ubon know all this stuff. 

[BritTim]

16 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

How do you and ubon know all this stuff. 

I make no claim to have the breadth of knowledge of @ubonjoe, but I keep my finger on the pulse. I actually enjoy travelling, and make sure I know of any potential pitfalls that could await me on my return.

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I make no claim to have the breadth of knowledge of @ubonjoe, but I keep my finger on the pulse. I actually enjoy travelling, and make sure I know of any potential pitfalls that could await me on my return.

I moving off from topic but many folk appreciate the advice from very experienced members. People like myself with limited knowledge get involved to help the bar chat guys (myself included).

For every TVF reader there is a zillion that have zip idea. I recall a chat with young bloke in udon thani  with baby on lap. Not married. Asking how many border runs can he do. 

I said....you can apply for non o based on parent Thai child. (Info I gained from TVF). His reply.... So I don't have to be married? Priceless.

[Hoppyone]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

No problem and you do not have to get a full page visa sticker. You pay $10 US or 500 baht for a border pass.

Will only take maximum of 45 min to get stamped out of Thailand walk over 800 metre bridge stamp into Myanmar pay 500 baht walk back over bridge stamp back into Thailand 

[BLACKJACK2]

I thought you needed a visa to cross

[BritTim]

3 minutes ago, BLACKJACK2 said:

I thought you needed a visa to cross

You pay US$10 (if smart, or 500 baht) for a border pass to enter Myanmar. If you have an unexpired multiple entry Thai visa, you can then return to Thailand for a regular entry using that visa. If you have no valid unexpired Thai visa, and qualify for a visa exempt entry (and assuming you have not already used the allowed two by land in a calendar year) you will receive a 30-day visa exempt entry.

 

If you have no valid unexpired Thai visa, and are also ineligible to return and receive a visa exempt entry, Thai immigration will not allow you to stamp out of Thailand unless you have an actual Myanmar visa that will allow you to travel onward within Myanmar.