Non-B Visa: Get it in Vientiane or Savannakhet?

[Robbkk]

Where is the best place to apply for a Non-b at the moment?

 

I heard that Vientiane now requires 2 business days to return the passport. Savannakhet and Penang are other options but I know nothing about them. Any suggestions?

Edited June 1, 2023 by Robbkk

[BritTim]

Avoid Penang. The queues are horrendous, and they only accept a limited number of applications each day.

 

If you can get an appointment at Vientiane, that would be my choice. Otherwise, Savannakhet should be OK (with all the correct paperwork) but plan to apply Tuesday or Wednesday. On Monday and Thursday there tend to be long queues as that is the day most visa run groups turn up.

[Robbkk]

4 hours ago, BritTim said:

If you can get an appointment at Vientiane, that would be my choice. 

Thanks. Getting the appointment seems easy enough, but I heard that they need 2 business days to process the visa. Is that true?

[BritTim]

14 minutes ago, Robbkk said:

Thanks. Getting the appointment seems easy enough, but I heard that they need 2 business days to process the visa. Is that true?

I have heard the same but, as far as I know, it is still apply in the morning of day 1 and pick up the passport with the issued visa on the afternoon of day 2.

[Damo666]

I was in Savannakhet last Wednesday. Arrived around 10am, less than 50 people were there, in & out in an hour. As people have said, make sure you have all the documents as I did see half a dozen people being rejected for non-b visas. Cue lots of frantic phone calls.

[Robbkk]

56 minutes ago, Damo666 said:

I was in Savannakhet last Wednesday.

Nice, may I ask how you went there? I've only been able to find visa run agencies in Bangkok that charge 8000 baht for the round trip. 

[BritTim]

An economical, but reasonably bearable, way of doing this trip is:

• make sure you have US$40 in clean, undamaged notes for the Lao visa on arrival;
• take a VIP overnight bus from Bangkok to Mukdahan (this connects with the first international bus of the day to Savannakhet);
• cross using the international bus;
• on arrival at Savannakhet bus station, if it is not raining and not too hot, walk to the Thai consulate (10-15 minutes);
• after submitting your visa application, book into a hotel (best options change over time, so I make no specific recommendation);
• for the return from Mukdahan to Bangkok the following afternoon, you have a choice between the bus and (what I prefer) a fly-ride service from Air Asia or Nok Air.

In considering the prices charged by visa run companies, bear in mind that they include the Lao visa on arrival and the hotel in their pricing. You can save a bit by travelling independently, but the main advantage is comfort.

[jumbo]

2 hours ago, Damo666 said:

I was in Savannakhet last Wednesday. Arrived around 10am, less than 50 people were there, in & out in an hour. As people have said, make sure you have all the documents as I did see half a dozen people being rejected for non-b visas. Cue lots of frantic phone calls.

Is there a list somewhere with required documents?

[Kaopad999]

2 hours ago, Damo666 said:

I was in Savannakhet last Wednesday. Arrived around 10am, less than 50 people were there, in & out in an hour. As people have said, make sure you have all the documents as I did see half a dozen people being rejected for non-b visas. Cue lots of frantic phone calls.

that's good advice

Edited June 2, 2023 by Kaopad999

[Kaopad999]

1 hour ago, Robbkk said:

Nice, may I ask how you went there? I've only been able to find visa run agencies in Bangkok that charge 8000 baht for the round trip. 

It's very easy to do yourself. You can get a bus to Mukdahan and then cross the bridge into Laos. The Laos Visa will cost 1700 THB. 
My bus company of choice would be Nakhonchaiair. Comfortable bus, good service and have charging ports for your phone/ laptop etc. 

[BritTim]

21 minutes ago, jumbo said:

Is there a list somewhere with required documents?

Possibly accurate is https://savannakhet.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-b-conducting-business-conference-and-employment?page=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453e&menu=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453f

[jumbo]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

Possibly accurate is https://savannakhet.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-b-conducting-business-conference-and-employment?page=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453e&menu=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453f

thanks, much appreciated

[problemfarang]

+1 to Savanakhet. i think most friendly and best place to get any kind of visa

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, problemfarang said:

+1 to Savanakhet. i think most friendly and best place to get any kind of visa

They are, indeed, friendly. They are best for many kinds of visas. However, they are no longer easy when it comes to tourist visas. Mind you, none of the easily accessible embassies/consulates in the region are now easy (Vientiane, while needing an appointment, is probably best).

 

Long stay tourists now probably need to consider trying in Yangon or Kota Bharu.

[Robbkk]

6 hours ago, BritTim said:

You can save a bit by travelling independently, but the main advantage is comfort.

Thanks a lot! The bus ticket only costs around 700 baht and even adding up the visa fee (1400thb) and the hotel, the cost will be a lot lower than the 8000thb that agencies charge.

 

Do you know if it takes long to cross into Laos? My only concern is that I need to be at immigration before 11am.

 

 

 

 

[BritTim]

25 minutes ago, Robbkk said:

Thanks a lot! The bus ticket only costs around 700 baht and even adding up the visa fee (1400thb) and the hotel, the cost will be a lot lower than the 8000thb that agencies charge.

 

Do you know if it takes long to cross into Laos? My only concern is that I need to be at immigration before 11am.

If you take the overnight VIP bus (as I suggest) and the first international bus in the morning, you should be at the consulate by about 8:00 am.

[Robbkk]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

If you take the overnight VIP bus (as I suggest)

Thanks. Do you remember the name of the company that runs the VIP bus? I see many buses leaving from mochit but they appear to be regular.

[BritTim]

5 minutes ago, Robbkk said:

Thanks. Do you remember the name of the company that runs the VIP bus? I see many buses leaving from mochit but they appear to be regular.

As I recall, the last time I did the trip I used the 21:30 Transport Co. Ltd bus and had no complaints.

[Red Phoenix]

As another poster already suggested, google the NAKHONCHAIAIR  VIP-bus operator schedule from Bangkok to Mukdahan.  If you plan to take the night-bus, they are a little bit more expensive than regular bus services but it's well worth opting for that company as the seats and service on-board are comparable or better than Business Class flights. 

Note: I don't think they depart from Mochit, but they have several other departure points from Bangkok...

 

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Red Phoenix

[isokulli]

On 6/1/2023 at 8:51 AM, BritTim said:

Avoid Penang. The queues are horrendous, and they only accept a limited number of applications each day.

 

If you can get an appointment at Vientiane, that would be my choice. Otherwise, Savannakhet should be OK (with all the correct paperwork) but plan to apply Tuesday or Wednesday. On Monday and Thursday there tend to be long queues as that is the day most visa run groups turn up.

I went to Penang at April, arrived around 9.30AM, not too many people waiting, spent maybe around 1hour there.