Border Bounces

[MangoKorat]

I haven't paid attention for a while......anyone know the current position with a same day or overnight border bounce to Cambodia?  German national...........30 days on re-entry or 15? Best crossing point?

[DrJack54]

Did you consider Nong Khai friendship bridge.

Wherever you choose it will be a 30 day stamp.

Where are you located (Korat)?

Edited November 13, 2023 by DrJack54

[MangoKorat]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Did you consider Nong Khai friendship bridge.

Wherever you choose it will be a 30 day stamp.

Where are you located

Its not for me but the guy is in Pak Chong at the moment and on a 30 day exempt entry. Nong Khai is a fair distance. I've recommended going to Korat Immigration and getting a 30 day extension but he wants to explore the options.  I told him that no matter what is said, things can change by the day with a border bounce. 

 

Am I right in saying that an extension needs to be done during the last 7 days of the current stay?

[BritTim]

Considering specifically Cambodia, stay away from Poipet/Aranyaprathet.

 

That aside, a border bounce is feasible. A bribe to Cambodian immigration for a same day return can be expected. That is necessary because of a Cambodian law that mandates an overnight stay for most visitors. Using a visa run company (while often uncomfortable) can make the process simpler for the inexperienced. Expect the need to dodge scams if doing it independently. From Pak Chong, the crossing at Chong Chom (Surin) is probably easiest, and should be OK.

 

The above said, in your friend's position, I would consider going to Chong Mek (Ubon Ratchathani) and doing the bounce to Laos, especially if doing it independently without the aid of a visa run service. Make sure you have clean, undamaged US dollars to pay for the visa on arrival for Laos.

[MangoKorat]

1 minute ago, BritTim said:

Considering specifically Cambodia, stay away from Poipet/Aranyaprathet.

 

That aside, a border bounce is feasible. A bribe to Cambodian immigration for a same day return can be expected. That is necessary because of a Cambodian law that mandates an overnight stay for most visitors. Using a visa run company (while often uncomfortable) can make the process simpler for the inexperienced. Expect the need to dodge scams if doing it independently. From Pak Chong, the crossing at Chong Chom (Surin) is probably easiest, and should be OK.

 

The above said, in your friend's position, I would consider going to Chong Mek (Ubon Ratchathani) and doing the bounce to Laos, especially if doing it independently without the aid of a visa run service. Make sure you have clean, undamaged US dollars to pay for the visa on arrival for Laos.

Thanks, I thought I'd read about bribes at Poipet before.......there should be no problem with an extension though???

[BritTim]

1 minute ago, MangoKorat said:

Thanks, I thought I'd read about bribes at Poipet before.......there should be no problem with an extension though???

 

An extension at an Immigration office has nothing to do with Poipet. The problem I allude to is trying to cross the border to/from Aranyaprathey and Poipet. Unless you are looking for trouble, do not risk it.

[MangoKorat]

18 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

An extension at an Immigration office has nothing to do with Poipet. The problem I allude to is trying to cross the border to/from Aranyaprathey and Poipet. Unless you are looking for trouble, do not risk it.

Yes, sorry if I wan't clear. What I'm asking is that there should be no problem with a 30 day extension at Korat as an alternative? If it was me, that's what I'd go for.

Edited November 13, 2023 by MangoKorat

[MangoKorat]

One thing I haven't mentioned, he's just arrived at a resort in Pak Chong and is pretty sure where he stayed previously didn't register TM30 for him and I believe he'll need that to obtain an extension?  I don't think that will be a problem as long as the place he's staying at now registers him?

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Yes, sorry if I wan't clear. What I'm asking is that there should be no problem with a 30 day extension at Korat as an alternative? If it was me, that's what I'd go for.

 

There should be no problem getting a 30-day extension of his permission to stay at the Korat immigration office.

 

5 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

One thing I haven't mentioned, he's just arrived at a resort in Pak Chong and is pretty sure where he stayed previously didn't register TM30 for him and I believe he'll need that to obtain an extension?  I don't think that will be a problem as long as the place he's staying at now registers him?

 

Correct

[DualSportBiker]

I just went to Aran to cross to Poi Pet. They don't allow you to return to Thailand on the same day; have to spend one night away. Also, you need a ticket out of Thailand to get a 30-day stamp. It is the Thais who will not let you in on the same day, not the Cambodians.

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, DualSportBiker said:

I just went to Aran to cross to Poi Pet. They don't allow you to return to Thailand on the same day; have to spend one night away. Also, you need a ticket out of Thailand to get a 30-day stamp. It is the Thais who will not let you in on the same day, not the Cambodians.

 

It seems you are lucky. Thai immigration at that border crossing can sometimes do much worse things to those arriving. In future, avoid going there.

[Yagoda]

How is a border cross at Poipet for visit to Thailand (for like shopping) when you have Cambodian long term visa?

 

Flying gets old after a few

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, Yagoda said:

How is a border cross at Poipet for visit to Thailand (for like shopping) when you have Cambodian long term visa?

 

Flying gets old after a few

 

If you are a Cambodian resident, I can appreciate why you want to visit Thailand for shopping. In your case, since a denied entry would not be a disaster, it probably makes sense to try it. For most people, I repeat my frequent advice, avoid the Poipet/Aranyaprathet crossing.

[Caldera]

3 hours ago, Yagoda said:

How is a border cross at Poipet for visit to Thailand (for like shopping) when you have Cambodian long term visa?

 

Flying gets old after a few

 

I think your biggest problem might be that most nationalities get only two visa exempt entries per calendar year at land borders, which limits the number of short shopping trips across the border.

 

Other than that, I don't think you'd have a problem at that border crossing in your particular situation. 

[Yagoda]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

 

If you are a Cambodian resident, I can appreciate why you want to visit Thailand for shopping. In your case, since a denied entry would not be a disaster, it probably makes sense to try it. For most people, I repeat my frequent advice, avoid the Poipet/Aranyaprathet crossing.

Well a denied entry would cause me to change my plans. I hate that :)

 

And while I keep saying I will do it, all my ins and outs from BKK this year have been by plane.

 

I will just go through Osmach I guess, grab the express train out of Surin. It only 2 hours slower to Bangkok than to Poipet.

 

 

[Nick Carter icp]

I recently did a border bounce to get a visa exempt at Chiang Kong .

Straight forward in and out within minutes and no questions asked either side 

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I recently did a border bounce to get a visa exempt at Chiang Kong .

Straight forward in and out within minutes and no questions asked either side 

 

I think you misunderstood. The OP lives in Cambodia. The border crossings with Laos are no good to him.

[timendres]

23 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

I think you misunderstood. The OP lives in Cambodia. The border crossings with Laos are no good to him.

 

Now I am confused. ^_^

The OP was posting for a friend in "Pak Chong" wanting to "border bounce to Cambodia".

It was @Yagoda that had the "Cambodian long term visa".

Correct?

[BritTim]

22 minutes ago, timendres said:

 

Now I am confused. ^_^

The OP was posting for a friend in "Pak Chong" wanting to "border bounce to Cambodia".

It was @Yagoda that had the "Cambodian long term visa".

Correct?

 

Yes, you are correct. That is the problem when there are several independent queries mixed up in the same thread. It is easy to become confused (as I was). Of course, no one was directly enquiring about border crossings with Laos, though they became suggestions in some of the replies.

[DualSportBiker]

On 11/15/2023 at 12:30 AM, BritTim said:

 

It seems you are lucky. Thai immigration at that border crossing can sometimes do much worse things to those arriving. In future, avoid going there.

If I did not tell you what happened to me, only what information I gleaned, how am I lucky? NRN