Going to Savannakhet for first time but history of TV

[acenase]

I'm planning to go to Savannakhet for the first time since I've read reports of Vientiane denying other tourist visas for seeing many visas in their passport even though they don't have a warning stamp yet.

 

I have 5 TV in my passport from Vientiane 2x, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Bali. I never got a warning stamp saying I have too many visas but I do have a denial of entry stamp. I was denied entry at Suvarnabhumi Airport last time with my new tourist visa from Bali (and I entered through Nong Khai border without a problem)

 

Do you think if I apply for a Tourist visa at Savannakhet that I would have any problems getting it with my history and possibily deny my application?  

 

I have a bank statement from my US bank with enough money and an onward e-ticket to Singapore in 2 months. Or do you think Savannakhet will see that I've never gotten a visa at that consulate before and issue me a Visa without any problems since it's my first time there? Do they count the other visas I have from other countries that I traveled to or do they only give warning stamps about having too many visas if they see the location was only Savannakhet multiple times?

 

 

[Briggsy]

I think you will get it. 55% chance. Remember to include all the evidence required on their website. Expect to have negative comments. Much better for you to get a new passport though. This is what you should do.

[DrJack54]

First of all....take Briggsy advise over mine.

I can't see why you could not obtain a setv at Savan.

Your clearly down to entering via borders now. Airports at bkk not an option. If you haven't used your 2 border entries this calendar yr you could always enter VE if your TV was rejected. It won't be.

[acenase]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

First of all....take Briggsy advise over mine.

I can't see why you could not obtain a setv at Savan.

Your clearly down to entering via borders now. Airports at bkk not an option. If you haven't used your 2 border entries this calendar yr you could always enter VE if your TV was rejected. It won't be.

 

I originally planned on going to Vientiane. Even scheduled an appointment via their website. But recently, I'm nervous to go there after reading all the reports of people being rejected without even having a warning stamp, so I don't want to take that chance. Plus, I already have 2 SETV from Vientiane in my passport. So it already doesn't look good to go back there. I didn't think of getting a new passport until I got that warning stamp. But it seems like people are being denied even without it.

 

I only found out about Savannakhet after doing some research and never been there before, and providing my bank statement on on-ward flight is not a problem for me.

 

Just the part I'm nervous about, is I already used my 2 land border crossings this year. So if I don't get the Visa there, I won't be able to enter Thailand through the border so that's my big concern.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, acenase said:

 

I originally planned on going to Vientiane. Even scheduled an appointment via their website. But recently, I'm nervous to go there after reading all the reports of people being rejected without even having a warning stamp, so I don't want to take that chance. Plus, I already have 2 SETV from Vientiane in my passport. So it already doesn't look good to go back there. I didn't think of getting a new passport until I got that warning stamp. But it seems like people are being denied even without it.

 

I only found out about Savannakhet after doing some research and never been there before, and providing my bank statement on on-ward flight is not a problem for me.

 

Just the part I'm nervous about, is I already used my 2 land border crossings this year. So if I don't get the Visa there, I won't be able to enter Thailand through the border so that's my big concern.

I now see why your nervous. Think your right in not going to Vientiane. I'm not sure about their "rules" but think I have read max 3.

However a rejection would not surprise. 

I guess in your situation a plan B would be needed. 

Vietnam is nice...Vientiane has an airport if all else fails. Good luck

[Briggsy]

Go to both! If one doesn't work, try the other. It's a numbers game!

 

Since Vientiane requires an appointment, you could try there first if you wanted to do both. Me, I would risk it at Savannakhet. 

 

Try to place yourself in the Consulate Officer's shoes and present a clear and complete application with each document headed and in the correct order. Keep back up documents if they are requested. Make his life easy.

Edited July 6, 2019 by Briggsy

[elviajero]

Your chances of getting denied a visa grow exponentially as your passport fills up. As it stands embassy’s/consulates only seem to go by the visa history they see in your passport, so you are best advised to get a new passport sooner rather than later.

 

Savannahket is under the control of Vientiane so the Vientiane visas might come into play. I wouldn’t risk Vientiane with your current passport, and IMO Savannahket is 50/50.

[acenase]

 I just booked my bus ticket on Thaisanuan departing Bangkok Bus Terminal at 21.00 and arriving in Mukdahan Bus Station at 6am. I'll be going to the Thai embassy on Thursday morning July 11 for my first tourist visa in Savannakhet (but it will be my 6th total in my passport full of visas. No warning stamps.)

 

I have my bank print out showing more than enough funds in USD and I have a print out my eTicket flight out of BKK on September 9.

 

I'll report back my experience as I feel this would have a lot of value seeing as how things are changing quickly at Vientiane embassy. Wish me luck guys.

Edited July 8, 2019 by acenase

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, acenase said:

 I just booked my bus ticket on Thaisanuan departing Bangkok Bus Terminal at 21.00 and arriving in Mukdahan Bus Station at 6am. I'll be going to the Thai embassy on Thursday morning July 11 for my first tourist visa in Savannakhet (but it will be my 6th total in my passport full of visas. No warning stamps.)

Are you aware that Monday and Thursday are the worst days to apply, due to visa run vans descending on Savannakhet on these days? That has been discussed in a number of threads here recently. If you can still change your plans, you could save yourself a lot of hassle (long queues) by applying on another day instead.

[AgMech Cowboy]

No experience at Vientiane, if you made an appointment there, be sure to cancel it. That might help someone else.

[LammyTS1]

Visa run companies are now avoiding Vientiane & going to Savannakhet. 

[acenase]

Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Luckily my bus arrives at Mukdahan at 6:30am so I'll head straight to the Embassy very early and just wait for the doors to open at 9am. 

 

[lkv]

Hey there, @acenase

 

I did take the time to go through some of the various posts you made recently on different threads.

 

I understand so far your history putting those posts together.

 

About last year's bad experience in BKK, I saw from your posts and the pics you posted that you flew on TG432 from Bali to BKK. I'd like to ask you, how did you manage to convince Thai Airways to fly you to Vientiane? I understand they could not fly you to the US, but why Vientiane? Why not back to Bali? What was your leverage?

 

I mean I understand why you wanted VTE (you knew you could come back to Thailand via Nong Khai), but what did you tell them exactly to convince them to fly you on this route, rather than back to Bali?

 

Reason I am asking is to assess the posibility of choosing my own preferred destination, instead of home country or back to where I came from, should I find myself in a similar position.

 

Thanks.

Edited July 9, 2019 by lkv

[lovesthespicy]

I did a TV run to Sav a few weeks ago. No questions asked from the front desk. In my passport since late 2016 2 TV Chicago,2 VTE, 1HK,1Seoul, and 1 Hanoi. Two Visa exempts and all extended 30 days. 

 

I've only read one report of VTE denying TV by the way. I'm not even sure if that is 100% real could of been a wind up or if it was just a random thing that happened that day. The internet would be flooded with reports of that if it was happening consistently. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by lovesthespicy

[acenase]

2 hours ago, lkv said:

Hey there, @acenase

 

I did take the time to go through some of the various posts you made recently on different threads.

 

I understand so far your history putting those posts together.

 

About last year's bad experience in BKK, I saw from your posts and the pics you posted that you flew on TG432 from Bali to BKK. I'd like to ask you, how did you manage to convince Thai Airways to fly you to Vientiane? I understand they could not fly you to the US, but why Vientiane? Why not back to Bali? What was your leverage?

 

I mean I understand why you wanted VTE (you knew you could come back to Thailand via Nong Khai), but what did you tell them exactly to convince them to fly you on this route, rather than back to Bali?

 

Reason I am asking is to assess the posibility of choosing my own preferred destination, instead of home country or back to where I came from, should I find myself in a similar position.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Once they escorted me from the immigration office to the Thai Airlines office, they weren't forcing me to book a flight back to Bali. I was told I just need to use the same airlines to fly out. And they wouldn't let me book code share flights. So nothing on Thai Smiles, etc. Strictly Thai airlines.

 

First they told me that if I don't have a flight departing BKK then they can't release me and I'll need to stay in the detention center.  So I saw that there was a direct flight to Vientiane and I knew I could come in through Nong Khai, so i told them I will fly from BKK to Vientiane and after I booked my one way flight, they were giving me more trouble and said "You need to have a return flight back to BKK" and this is what was confusing me. I told them I'm not coming back to this airport, so why do i need a flight from Vientiane back to BKK? They kept trying to scare me and say that because I have a denial stamp in my passport that IO at Laos might not grant me entry, and just in case that happens I need to fly back to BKK. I told them that if I have a problem then I will book a flight on my App like how i did here but then they said if i don't have a return flight in the system they won't let me board the plane. So I had no choice but to book a flight from vte-bkk I never used.

 

They kept asking me "How long will I stay in Vientiane and where will I go after that". I just told them I'm coming back to Bangkok through Nong Khai. Because when I saw that my denial stamp was Section 12 (2)insufficient funds, I told them it's a lie because I have enough cash and if they ask me to show cash at the border I will have it according to thai law and i have a new visa which wasn't voided and they had nothing to say about that and I boarded my flight as a regular passenger.

[BritTim]

My suggestion for your visa run (what I would do in your situation) ...

• Get an evisa for Myanmar and fly to Yangon.
• Apply there for your tourist visa: very high chance of success.
• Take an overnight VIP bus to Myawaddy, and enter Thailand at Maesot.
• Either fly from Maesot (near the border) to Don Muang, or use buses for onward travel.

[lkv]

@acenase So the fact that you agreed to sign their papers got you out quick? How long did you spend while detained?

[acenase]

4 hours ago, lkv said:

@acenase So the fact that you agreed to sign their papers got you out quick? How long did you spend while detained?

 

Yes. I signed the paper in Thai Airlines office while sitting at the desk in front of the guy (possibly supervisor) on the computer, he was able to check the loading to confirm I booked a flight and my name was in the system. 

 

The paper was a refusal of landing report and the reason said "Visa Run" on it. So I just signed it and he let me free out back into the Departures terminal to wait at the gate to board the next flight out to Vientiane.

[JackThompson]

On 7/8/2019 at 3:51 PM, acenase said:

 I just booked my bus ticket on Thaisanuan departing Bangkok Bus Terminal at 21.00 and arriving in Mukdahan Bus Station at 6am. I'll be going to the Thai embassy on Thursday morning July 11 for my first tourist visa in Savannakhet (but it will be my 6th total in my passport full of visas. No warning stamps.)

 

I have my bank print out showing more than enough funds in USD and I have a print out my eTicket flight out of BKK on September 9.

 

I'll report back my experience as I feel this would have a lot of value seeing as how things are changing quickly at Vientiane embassy. Wish me luck guys.

Also include a hotel-booking or condo-rental contract showing proof of where you will be staying.  This may not always be asked for at Savannakhet any more - but was when I was there a couple years ago - and could be helpful in a "close call" situation.  Can probably do online and print-out at the little shop across the street from the consulate - if your read this in time.

[lkv]

3 hours ago, acenase said:

 

Yes. I signed the paper in Thai Airlines office while sitting at the desk in front of the guy (possibly supervisor) on the computer, he was able to check the loading to confirm I booked a flight and my name was in the system. 

 

The paper was a refusal of landing report and the reason said "Visa Run" on it. So I just signed it and he let me free out back into the Departures terminal to wait at the gate to board the next flight out to Vientiane.

So how quickly did this all happen from the beginning of the mess? A few hours?

[BritTim]

On 7/8/2019 at 3:51 PM, acenase said:

 I just booked my bus ticket on Thaisanuan departing Bangkok Bus Terminal at 21.00 and arriving in Mukdahan Bus Station at 6am. I'll be going to the Thai embassy on Thursday morning July 11 for my first tourist visa in Savannakhet (but it will be my 6th total in my passport full of visas. No warning stamps.)

Take a good book, and be ready for a very long wait. Mondays and Thursdays are the days to avoid Savannakhet as it is when the visa run groups descend on the place. Those in Savannakhet overnight on Wednesday can start queuing from around 7:00 am Thursday morning (long before the consulate opens) to avoid the worst of the queues and the heat. There is nothing you can do but suffer.

Edited July 10, 2019 by BritTim

[acenase]

13 hours ago, lkv said:

So how quickly did this all happen from the beginning of the mess? A few hours?

 

Yep from the time I got taken to the back office from passport control I waited about 30 minutes on the side while they pulled up my entire history on the computer (ever since my first visa exempt stamp in my life) and then called Thai Airline staff to escort me out and put me in a detention center while I waited about 1 hour to the office. I'd say a total of 2 hours being held prisoner until i booked my confirmed ticket out and was released

 

13 hours ago, BritTim said:

Take a good book, and be ready for a very long wait. Mondays and Thursdays are the days to avoid Savannakhet as it is when the visa run groups descend on the place. Those in Savannakhet overnight on Wednesday can start queuing from around 7:00 am Thursday morning (long before the consulate opens) to avoid the worst of the queues and the heat. There is nothing you can do but suffer.

 

 

Thanks. I got to the embassy about 10am and it wasnt so bad. I ended up taking a Minivan after I stamped into Lao for 100฿ because there were a ton of people waiting for the Thai-Lao bus to pick them up and drop them off at the Savannakhet Bus station and that says it would be an additional 20 minute walk! So i hauled a driver straight to the embassy. I had everything filled out before hand so I just copied it to the new application with ease

 

I handed over my application and he asked for Passport copy and Bank statement .

 

As he sifts through my passport, he talks with another employee looking over him  and then tells me "You can not stay in Thailand with Tourist Visas and extensions more than 6 months"

 

I told him that I am leaving to Singapore in September and have my eTicket. But he didn't want to see it. 

 

Then he asks me for 1000฿. I hand him over a crispy new banknote and I get my queue number. Hopefully this means it was approved. Or I could have a blue stamp saying I have too many visas when I pick it up. Or worst case scenario, nothing at all ????

 

So this is where it gets confusing because this is the excuse everyone is saying even though there is no written law.  And if they're going by the "per year" meaning they don't want you staying in Thailand on tourist visas 6 months per year and it resets after a new calendar year (such as how you can do 4 land borders in a row with extensions if you time it right and start from September-May) then when I got denied entry in April, for the year 2019, I would have only been in Thailand for 3 months. But they were taking into account my history from 2018 and that I never went back to my homecountry.

 

So since this is July, maybe they will approve me of the tourist visa this time, since it's only 6 months in 2019 and I'll get a warning stamp with it.  I will report back when I pick up my passport tomorrow.  It's always changing out here and everyone is making up their own idea of a law that doesn't even exist ????

Edited July 11, 2019 by acenase

[lkv]

32 minutes ago, acenase said:

I'd say a total of 2 hours being held prisoner until i booked my confirmed ticket out and was released

 

That's all good, it's just that the pics you attached on the other thread are telling me a different story.

 

According to them, you arrived in Suvarnabhumi on 12 April 2019. TG432 lands at 20:05.

 

Then you left with TG 574 the next day, 13 April 2019, to Vientiane at 18:35

 

So the pictures you attached indicate an overnight stay.

 

Is there any logical explanation for this discrepancy, between what you are saying and what I am seeing?

[acenase]

22 minutes ago, lkv said:

 

That's all good, it's just that the pics you attached on the other thread are telling me a different story.

 

According to them, you arrived in Suvarnabhumi on 12 April 2019. TG432 lands at 20:05.

 

Then you left with TG 574 the next day, 13 April 2019, to Vientiane at 18:35

 

So the pictures you attached indicate an overnight stay.

 

Is there any logical explanation for this discrepancy, between what you are saying and what I am seeing?

 

 

Ah I understand why you're confused. Let me clear this up.

 

I arrived at Suvarnabhumi at 20.05. Thai Airlines only has 1 flight per day to Vientiane and that is 18:35. By the time I booked my ticket to Vientiane, it was already about 10:00 PM so the next flight on Thai Airlines to Vientiane is 18.35 the next day which I flew out on. so yes I slept in the airport and waited for 20 hours in the Terminal waiting for the next flight. 

 

That's why it was also confirmed that I can not use a code share flight, there was a flight going to Vientiane at 6 AM on Thai Smiles, which means I would have only waited 8 hours, but I was not allowed to book a flight using Thai Smiles.  It was strictly Thai Airlines only.  

Edited July 11, 2019 by acenase

[lkv]

58 minutes ago, acenase said:

so yes I slept in the airport and waited for 20 hours in the Terminal waiting for the next flight.

Did you have your passport in your possesion all this time?

[acenase]

1 hour ago, lkv said:

Did you have your passport in your possesion all this time?

Nope. I had to wait.  I didn't have my passport until 1 hour before departure, at the boarding time when I had to go to the staff at the transit desk for them to print out my bording pass. Then they gave my passport back with my boarding pass to board the flight

 

[lkv]

@acenase i do understand you came from Bali, but do you mind me asking where your SETV was issued, the one they denied you entry on?

 

You have conflicting posts suggesting either Philippinnes, or Bali.

 

 

 

Clarification for the timeline, your second post captured was 4 days ago, so yes, you are doing Savannakhet as we speak (not to confuse anyone reading).

 

All that I don't get is the place that has issued your 5th visa.

Edited July 11, 2019 by lkv