Border run to Mai Sai CLOSED

[Dante99]

29 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

i paid the 1800 and got the paper visa which takes up a whole page of my passport....

 

On 9/8/2023 at 7:49 PM, moana said:

When you pay 1800 it stays with the immigration folks and no visa is issued

 

On 9/8/2023 at 11:34 AM, araiwaja said:

So it seems ฿400 (฿1800 - $40) buys you:

- No forms to fill out

- Shorter turnaround time with no arguments

- Saves a ~50m walk through arrival and departure

- Saves a page in your passport since they don't stick a visa in it

 

So two say pay 1800 Baht and no visa but Sticky says he got a visa when he paid the 1800.  

 

Are all three correct?

 

Glad I went to Singapore, nothing to pay at immigration and no entry or exit stamp in my passport plus terrific Iranian food.

[transam]

6 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

 

 

So two say pay 1800 Baht and no visa but Sticky says he got a visa when he paid the 1800.  

 

Are all three correct?

 

Glad I went to Singapore, nothing to pay at immigration and no entry or exit stamp in my passport plus terrific Iranian food.

I agree, and it is strange that we get some very confusing answers here at times.........

[Sticky Rice Balls]

On 9/8/2023 at 11:34 AM, araiwaja said:

 

 

Just came back from Chiang Khong, and had a similar experience but with a different result. Officers asked for ฿1800, I said I only have $40 and persisted. They said if you don't enter the country you must pay ฿1800. I said no problem, I will enter the country, turn around, and exit the country. They acted surprised at the idea, but eventually gave up. They had me fill out the forms, I walked over to the bank window, paid my $40, walked through the gate, turned around, and walked to the departure booth and on to the bus.

So it seems ฿400 (฿1800 - $40) buys you:

- No forms to fill out

- Shorter turnaround time with no arguments

- Saves a ~50m walk through arrival and departure

- Saves a page in your passport since they don't stick a visa in it

If that's worth ฿400 to you, then don't bother going the $40 route. Otherwise, know that $40 is still possible if you insist.

tnks  i was with a gal so i just wanted to get moving.....hate doing these runs to begin with...

[Sticky Rice Balls]

17 minutes ago, transam said:

I agree, and it is strange that we get some very confusing answers here at times.........

i hate that he gave me one...i just want the damn stamp to show the thai side..and hate having to basically throw money away on it.... welcome to see my passport with laos visa august 27th

[Sticky Rice Balls]

32 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Sticky says he got a visa when he paid the 1800.  

 

happy to show it if i need to ....entrance stamp+exit stamp and the pink laos visa in my PP 8/27

[bamboozled]

On 9/9/2023 at 10:03 AM, Dante99 said:

The 1800 Baht is no visa so no paperwork and no records.  The $40 is with a visa so there are documents.  Easier to take what there is no record about.

Take the $40, don't issue the visa. Take the 1800 baht, don't issue the visa.

[bamboozled]

On 9/10/2023 at 11:48 AM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

he told me he would accept 40 usd if i GO into Laos and spend money...i was doing a turnaround and NOT spending money in laos he said 50 usd......i just paid in bt and went back to thai side

He said "and spend money"? The turnaround thing has been going on forever so no surprise for the agents. If they were interested in folks spending money in Laos they wouldn't let people pay the visa fee without getting a visa. I think the agent was just making up an excuse. You still pay a visa fee/Laos still gets the visa money whether they issue one or not (or someone gets it). I still don't understand why they won't take USD and do the same thing...just giving a stamp and sending you back.

 

Hmm...perhaps since 1800 baht is more than $40, they're just trying to get the larger pay-out. And if someone insists on paying $40 USD (and that's an official rule/rate), they don't want to argue the point and possibly get any higher-ups involved thus they revert back to official visa procedure. The real reason doesn't really matter....just fun to ruminate on.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:38 PM, bamboozled said:

the agent was just making up an excuse.

yep as ive been here PT for 15 yrs and sick of doing border hops...i just wanted to get back into LOS....he can play his games as he wants...i threw the cash at him and went on with life....

[elektrified]

On 9/10/2023 at 12:25 PM, Dante99 said:

 

 

So two say pay 1800 Baht and no visa but Sticky says he got a visa when he paid the 1800.  

 

Are all three correct?

 

Glad I went to Singapore, nothing to pay at immigration and no entry or exit stamp in my passport plus terrific Iranian food.

Number 2 on the list is 100% wrong. I've been 4 times in the last few months. 1800 includes the visa WHICH IS MANDATORY. It was 1500 in December/January and you paid at the bank in the back.  Now you pay the IO directly and it's 1800.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

On 9/17/2023 at 7:10 PM, elektrified said:

Number 2 on the list is 100% wrong. I've been 4 times in the last few months. 1800 includes the visa WHICH IS MANDATORY. It was 1500 in December/January and you paid at the bank in the back.  Now you pay the IO directly and it's 1800.

confirmed as i did CK 3 weeks ago.....$40 usd if enter laos--$50 if turnaround but suppose u can stand there and haggle with him....I paid the 1800 bt and got the full page pick visa and entry and exit stamp.....frankly didnt even want the damn thing in there but here we are....turned around and enter LOS for 2nd time and IO remarked it was my LAST land entry...will extend this week and head home next month and so ends another 6 months stay..annually  since 2008

Edited September 19, 2023 by Sticky Rice Balls