Laos border bounce via Udon Thani / Nong Khai report & questions & hiccups

[bbi1]

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Udon Thani, spent a night then did a couple of days in Laos before coming back to Thailand.

 

Based on a few websites online it said if you get an Laos E-Visa (it cost me over US$50) then you can take the International Bus from Udon Thani bus station. But this isn't the case. It isn't available for foreigners, only Thai and Laos people who don't need visas. On the window it says if you don't have a visa, you can't use the bus. It also says No E-Visas. The man at the window said this too. The only option is to take a van from Central to Nong Khai border for 55 baht. Then you go stamp out of Thailand. Then take the old bus for 35 baht to the Laos border.

 

At the Laos border the people handing out the arrival forms will only hand out the arrival forms, but there's another form hidden that they won't give you to apply for a Visa on Arrival. They want you to pay them 100 baht to fill in both forms for you. Even if you have an E-Visa, you need to get this special hidden visa form filled in by them and pay 100 baht. Then you go to the Visa on Arrival window and give your passport, E-Visa printout, and both the arrival card and Visa on Arrival form you paid 100 baht to get filled in for you. My question is, has everyone here who crossed into Laos had to pay this 100 baht fee? Laos passport holders only pay 10,000 kip (20 baht) if they wish to have an arrival form filled in for them. Also, what's the point of having an E-Visa (which costs you US$10 extra) if you still need to fill in a Visa on Arrival form and wait for them to put a small entry permit in your passport?

 

Coming back from Vientiane was a lot easier. You can take the international bus from Vientiane to Udon Thani. Just one thing, exiting Laos the immigration asks for 20 baht to selected individuals when stamping them out. What is this 20 baht fee for? Seems like nobody else was being charged this fee, if they looked like they were Lao or Thai.

 

All in all, doing a visa bounce to Laos seems to be quite expensive and a big hassle.

Edited March 15, 2023 by bbi1

[transam]

Laos visa is now $40 or 2000bht on arrival, they take 100bht at the desk for some reason at Chong Mek too.

The eVisa saves filling in forms on arrival and waiting for them to check you and others out on their system, the eVisa has done that for them, they just scan the QR. With the eVisa you do not get the full page visa thing. Hoorah....

 

The eVisa $50 cost me, 1870bht, 

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, bbi1 said:

International Bus from Udon Thani bus station. But this isn't the case. It isn't available for foreigners, only Thai and Laos people who don't need visas

Why didn't you just take minivan from UT airport to friendship bridge OR as you stayed the night in UT minivan from front of central plaza. 

 

[biervoormij]

39 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Why didn't you just take minivan from UT airport to friendship bridge OR as you stayed the night in UT minivan from front of central plaza. 

 

I think he took the minivan from central. I think you may have missed the following line from his post.

 

"The only option is to take a van from Central to Nong Khai border for 55 baht. Then you go stamp out of Thailand. Then take the old bus for 35 baht to the Laos border."

 

I recently flew to Vietenin and did not have any issues with the visa on arrival. The 2nd form they only handed out at the arrival hall not on the airplane. I stepped to the side and filled it out but should have filled it out while standing in line like everyone else.  The only issue I had was them not liking one of my $20 bills. I handed him another one and he accepted it so just paid the $40 USD.

 

The airport had a different desk for e-visas so think it might have saved some time.

 

On returning to Thailand I took the city bus to the friendship bridge that cost 12,000 kip and if I recall correctly the bus to cross the bridge was 15,000 kip. I did not pay anything to immigration on exiting Laos or entering Thailand.  I had read there was an out of hours charge to go through Laos immigration I think it said before 8:30 AM but did not pay this at about 8AM.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, biervoormij said:

I think he took the minivan from central. I think you may have missed the following line from his post.

 

"The only option is to take a van from Central to Nong Khai border for 55 baht. Then you go stamp out of Thailand. Then take the old bus for 35 baht to the Laos border."

 

I recently flew to Vietenin and did not have any issues with the visa on arrival. The 2nd form they only handed out at the arrival hall not on the airplane. I stepped to the side and filled it out but should have filled it out while standing in line like everyone else.  The only issue I had was them not liking one of my $20 bills. I handed him another one and he accepted it so just paid the $40 USD.

 

The airport had a different desk for e-visas so think it might have saved some time.

 

On returning to Thailand I took the city bus to the friendship bridge that cost 12,000 kip and if I recall correctly the bus to cross the bridge was 15,000 kip. I did not pay anything to immigration on exiting Laos or entering Thailand.  I had read there was an out of hours charge to go through Laos immigration I think it said before 8:30 AM but did not pay this at about 8AM.

Great report. Thanks. 

Will assist others. 

[thaipo7]

I did not have or see any of this on Jan 13th when I went to Laos or on Jan 16th when I came back into Thailand.  I applied for a Laos e-Visa and had my paperwork approved and the letter to be used as a Visa on the same day.  35 Baht for the bus ride across the Friendship Intl Bridge was a bit much.  Before COVID it was 20 Baht if I remember right.  The Visa used to cost $35 at the border but the e-Visa came to $51.

[Nong Khai Man]

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Why didn't you just take minivan from UT airport to friendship bridge OR as you stayed the night in UT minivan from front of central plaza. 

 

Jack, He DID !! Take a Van from Central, Wake up at the Back !!

[Nong Khai Man]

 My question is, has everyone here who crossed into Laos had to pay this 100 baht fee? 

 

I've DONE Too Many Visa runs to count....But I've NEVER Paid this......

[Nong Khai Man]

1 hour ago, thaipo7 said:

I did not have or see any of this on Jan 13th when I went to Laos or on Jan 16th when I came back into Thailand.  I applied for a Laos e-Visa and had my paperwork approved and the letter to be used as a Visa on the same day.  35 Baht for the bus ride across the Friendship Intl Bridge was a bit much.  Before COVID it was 20 Baht if I remember right.  The Visa used to cost $35 at the border but the e-Visa came to $51.

  35 Baht for the bus ride across the Friendship Intl Bridge was a bit much.....WoW !! 80 British Pence ?? Wait until you get on a Bus in The U.K. !!

[Nong Khai Man]

16 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Just one thing, exiting Laos the immigration asks for 20 baht to selected individuals when stamping them out. What is this 20 baht fee for?

Surely YOU Don't Expect Them to buy their own bottle of Water Do Yer ??

[Burma Bill]

18 hours ago, bbi1 said:

It also says No E-Visas.

For reference if you are in, or passing through Khon Kaen with time to spare, there is a Laos Consulate that issues visas in Khon Kaen. It is situated on the east side of Highway 2, north of the city towards Udon Thani. Visa service available normal weekdays (Mon - Fri). You arrive around 8:30am with pp photo, valid passport and whatever the current fee is. You complete the visa application form and present to a Consular Officer. You return at 3pm to receive your passport with Laos visa attached. I used this service when going to visit Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The next day I drove to Nong Khai and parked up in a security area. Having left Thai Immigration, I used the old bus across the Friendship Bridge to Laos Immigration. No problems for me, I bypassed all those wanting visa on arrival and showed my valid Laos visa in my passport. I was cleared to enter Laos - no 100 baht! Admittedly this was pre-pandemic, but hassle free for me avoiding confusion over E-visas and visas on entry for Laos. (photo of Laos Consulate in Khon Kaen - entrance is via small gate on the right - the main entrance on left is usually closed).

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Burma Bill
additional information

[persimmon]

I did the trip across the bridge 3 weeks ago - just filled in the 2 forms and paid the $ 40 , no B 100 fee . 

[bbi1]

On 3/16/2023 at 8:30 PM, persimmon said:

I did the trip across the bridge 3 weeks ago - just filled in the 2 forms and paid the $ 40 , no B 100 fee . 

Did the 2 guys at the desk give you both the arrival form and the hidden visa on arrival form when you asked them without charging you a fee?

[WTProduction]

Back in October 2022 I did cross and back in one day with E-Visa. They did ask me the 100THB for administration purpose. I did have to fill the arrival form. Did not save much time really. Personally, the only good thing about the E-Visa is you don't have the full page sticker.

 

On another note. Yesterday I did Bounce with no E-Visa form Nong Kai and back. Went flawlessly. 35THB for bus across the bridge. 1700THB for the visa. 30THB for the bus back across the bridge to Thailand. No question asked. About one hour total from Thai Border Out to Thai Border In. No ATK Test or Vaccine proof needed.

[persimmon]

49 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Did the 2 guys at the desk give you both the arrival form and the hidden visa on arrival form when you asked them without charging you a fee?

Yes , AFAICR , I asked at the window for " Visa on arrival " and was given the 2 forms , one of which was kept and used when exiting . I filled in the forms , handed them back at the window and paid the $ , then was told to wait round the side . 5 mins later , they gave me back my pp with the visa inside . Then , I just walked through and there was a guy who finally checked my pp , then I was in .

I recently had to extend my VEE at Udon . There they charge an extra 100 bt for filling in the TM 7 form for you ( the forms used to be available at the entrance to fill in yourself ) , so maybe the Laos immig. people are now doing something similar .

[bbi1]

7 hours ago, WTProduction said:

Back in October 2022 I did cross and back in one day with E-Visa. They did ask me the 100THB for administration purpose. I did have to fill the arrival form. Did not save much time really. Personally, the only good thing about the E-Visa is you don't have the full page sticker.

 

Was this 100 baht for admin purposes also from the 2 guys sitting at the desk outside who fills in the arrival forms and giving people the arrival forms?

[bbi1]

7 hours ago, persimmon said:

Yes , AFAICR , I asked at the window for " Visa on arrival " and was given the 2 forms , one of which was kept and used when exiting . I filled in the forms , handed them back at the window and paid the $ , then was told to wait round the side . 5 mins later , they gave me back my pp with the visa inside . Then , I just walked through and there was a guy who finally checked my pp , then I was in .

I recently had to extend my VEE at Udon . There they charge an extra 100 bt for filling in the TM 7 form for you ( the forms used to be available at the entrance to fill in yourself ) , so maybe the Laos immig. people are now doing something similar .

To clarify, asked for the visa on arrival form and arrival card at the Visa on Arrival window, not the 2 guys sitting at the desk outside, correct?

[WTProduction]

2 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Was this 100 baht for admin purposes also from the 2 guys sitting at the desk outside who fills in the arrival forms and giving people the arrival forms?

No. I did not use their service. It was for the guys in the office who was issuing the visa. 

[WTProduction]

2 hours ago, bbi1 said:

To clarify, asked for the visa on arrival form and arrival card at the Visa on Arrival window, not the 2 guys sitting at the desk outside, correct?

Correct. You don’t have to deal with the guys outside. Go at the window and they will give you what you need.

[persimmon]

16 hours ago, bbi1 said:

To clarify, asked for the visa on arrival form and arrival card at the Visa on Arrival window, not the 2 guys sitting at the desk outside, correct?

Yes , I went straight to the office / building sliding window and said " Visa on arrival " . I didn`t see anyone sitting at a desk outside , but I was there quite early , around 08.30 .

[BritTim]

16 hours ago, WTProduction said:

No. I did not use their service. It was for the guys in the office who was issuing the visa. 

Did you ask them for a receipt? I have often (not always) found this a successful way of avoiding extra unofficial charges.

[BangkokReady]

Sounds like some extra fees due to being Western.  Sad, but I guess they're making up for lost time.

 

Thai people seem to follow the model of "fewer customers means put the price up".  They're just not familiar with the concept of competition, as everything is kind of "mafia" controlled in Thailand with fixed prices.

[WTProduction]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Did you ask them for a receipt? I have often (not always) found this a successful way of avoiding extra unofficial charges.

I did not. Might try that next time they ask.

[AmySukwan]

Thanks for this information! My husband has some family land in Nakhom Phanom and I was thinking of doing a Laos border bounce. It's sounding like a much better idea to sort this in Phuket!

[freedomnow]

On 3/15/2023 at 1:33 PM, biervoormij said:

I think he took the minivan from central. I think you may have missed the following line from his post.

 

"The only option is to take a van from Central to Nong Khai border for 55 baht. Then you go stamp out of Thailand. Then take the old bus for 35 baht to the Laos border."

 

I recently flew to Vietenin and did not have any issues with the visa on arrival. The 2nd form they only handed out at the arrival hall not on the airplane. I stepped to the side and filled it out but should have filled it out while standing in line like everyone else.  The only issue I had was them not liking one of my $20 bills. I handed him another one and he accepted it so just paid the $40 USD.

 

The airport had a different desk for e-visas so think it might have saved some time.

 

On returning to Thailand I took the city bus to the friendship bridge that cost 12,000 kip and if I recall correctly the bus to cross the bridge was 15,000 kip. I did not pay anything to immigration on exiting Laos or entering Thailand.  I had read there was an out of hours charge to go through Laos immigration I think it said before 8:30 AM but did not pay this at about 8AM.

Is the bus station in Vientiane still a mud pit or have they moved the redevelopment further on since mid-2022 ?

Just curious...

[biervoormij]

15 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Is the bus station in Vientiane still a mud pit or have they moved the redevelopment further on since mid-2022 ?

Just curious...

It did not rain at all while I was in Vientiane. The area where the city buses leave from is covered but could be a mud pit if raining. I think it is the same location as when I was in Laos in 2008.

 

The google map link is the station I caught the bus to the bridge. Bus #14

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bus+terminal/@17.9655801,102.6147617,16z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x31149057b0824589:0xec592481f99cd81!2sLaos!3b1!8m2!3d19.85627!4d102.495496!16zL20vMDRoaHY!3m5!1s0x312469182d6f7009:0x7019776ef004af78!8m2!3d17.9634151!4d102.6153634!16s%2Fg%2F11qq2p2plq

[FriendlyFarang]

I just crossed into Laos there, went to the first window, told the Laos IO there that I want a visa on arrival and he gave me the form for it and the arrival/departure card, no charge.

Completed the forms, went back to him, gave him my passport, the forms, a picture and 1700 baht (forgot to bring USD). A few minutes later I got my passport back at the other window.

 

[freedomnow]

4 hours ago, biervoormij said:

It did not rain at all while I was in Vientiane. The area where the city buses leave from is covered but could be a mud pit if raining. I think it is the same location as when I was in Laos in 2008.

 

The google map link is the station I caught the bus to the bridge. Bus #14

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bus+terminal/@17.9655801,102.6147617,16z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x31149057b0824589:0xec592481f99cd81!2sLaos!3b1!8m2!3d19.85627!4d102.495496!16zL20vMDRoaHY!3m5!1s0x312469182d6f7009:0x7019776ef004af78!8m2!3d17.9634151!4d102.6153634!16s%2Fg%2F11qq2p2plq

Yip, that's the one....bus station will be a nightmare in rainy season...good to know. Passed through it getting bus to new train station north-side last year.