Aranyaprathet-Poipet border run

[edwardandtubs]

Of all the border runs I've ever done, I think this was my favourite due to the fact that you can get most of the way by train from Bangkok. But then there were all sorts of reports of problems with immigration officers so I stopped doing it. What is the current situation? Is it a good place to do a visa exempt run? 

[Tod Daniels]

The Aranyaprathet / Poipet crossing is by far the worst border crossing of all the land borders in Thailand post covid.

 

For Cambodia cross at Ban Laem or Ban Pakard.

 

And if you have a passport filled with covid extensions use a border bounce company to lug you there-n-back and grease the wheel so you get in without issue.

 

Good luck, choose wisely.

[BritTim]

There is no question that this crossing is by far the most convenient from Bangkok. Among other options is the fast and comfortable casino bus to get there. However, it is telling that the visa run companies are still boycotting this border, in spite of its being the closest to Bangkok. I am sure they would be using it if it was not problematic.

[edwardandtubs]

5 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

The Aranyaprathet / Poipet crossing is by far the worst border crossing of all the land borders in Thailand post covid.

 

For Cambodia cross at Ban Laem or Ban Pakard.

 

And if you have a passport filled with covid extensions use a border bounce company to lug you there-n-back and grease the wheel so you get in without issue.

 

Good luck, choose wisely.

How about the Hat Lek/Koh Kong crossing?

 

I do have a passport filled with covid extensions but I also spent almost a year out of Thailand so what problems am I likely to encounter at the border? 

[edwardandtubs]

6 minutes ago, BritTim said:

There is no question that this crossing is by far the most convenient from Bangkok. Among other options is the fast and comfortable casino bus to get there. However, it is telling that the visa run companies are still boycotting this border, in spite of its being the closest to Bangkok. I am sure they would be using it if it was not problematic.

Not necessarily. They might just want to avoid the big queues.

 

It would be good if posters could specify exactly what problems anyone has had at any particular border crossing.

[overherebc]

18 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Not necessarily. They might just want to avoid the big queues.

 

It would be good if posters could specify exactly what problems anyone has had at any particular border crossing.

Poipet ( pre-covid ) started refusing re-entry on the same day, insisting you stayed out for 1 night minimum.

People got around it by taking local transport to the next border crossing and coming back into Thailand.

Don't know if it's still the same.

[edwardandtubs]

20 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Poipet ( pre-covid ) started refusing re-entry on the same day, insisting you stayed out for 1 night minimum.

People got around it by taking local transport to the next border crossing and coming back into Thailand.

Don't know if it's still the same.

If that's all it's not a big problem as I've stayed overnight in Poipet before and it was ok.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, edwardandtubs said:

If that's all it's not a big problem as I've stayed overnight in Poipet before and it was ok.

Others might add other problems that came up there on top of the 'one night' stay out required.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

Poipet ( pre-covid ) started refusing re-entry on the same day, insisting you stayed out for 1 night minimum.

People got around it by taking local transport to the next border crossing and coming back into Thailand.

Don't know if it's still the same.

A much bigger problem was for the people who were refused entry (with a stamp indicating as much) sometimes even when holding a tourist visa, and told they could only re-enter Thailand by air. On entry at Don Muang or Suvarnabhumi, they sometimes encountered additional issues, with the refused entry stamp and scrawled comment from Poipet apparently a message to friends at airport immigration to consider forcing the "miscreant" back to home country.

 

I cannot confirm that such cases are still occurring, but they were very real in 2019. If I I had been a long stay tourist in Thailand, I would consider avoiding this crossing to be automatic.

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, BritTim said:

A much bigger problem was for the people who were refused entry (with a stamp indicating as much) sometimes even when holding a tourist visa, and told they could only re-enter Thailand by air. On entry at Don Muang or Suvarnabhumi, they sometimes encountered additional issues, with the refused entry stamp and scrawled comment from Poipet apparently a message to friends at airport immigration to consider forcing the "miscreant" back to home country.

 

I cannot confirm that such cases are still occurring, but they were very real in 2019. If I I had been a long stay tourist in Thailand, I would consider avoiding this crossing to be automatic.

I used it regularly for a few years, Non O multi, but stopped when the stories started.