Border Bounce

[brianthainess]

12 minutes ago, sandyf said:

We went to laos last Jan and when we left across the bridge my wife(Thai) had to pay 20 baht, I wasn't asked for anything.

When my Thai wife and I left overland into Cambodia we were Both charged 100b to leave.  🙄

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, brianthainess said:

When my Thai wife and I left overland into Cambodia we were Both charged 100b to leave.  🙄

Must be luck of the draw.  i did about 7 years on MEs in and out of Cambodia, mainly Ban Laem and never came across that. But then I never actually went to immigration.

Many moons ago my wife took us on a bus trip to Pakse and leaving Laos they asked for 50 baht. Bit of a surprise and I had no change, Swiss guy behind me that I had been talking to paid for me, said it was free for Swiss.

My wife and the other Thais had just stayed on the bus, tour guide sorted it for them.

[brianthainess]

14 minutes ago, sandyf said:

i did about 7 years on MEs in and out of Cambodia, mainly Ban Laem and never came across that. But then I never actually went to immigration.

???????????? Did you sneak across the boarder then ??????

[steve187]

18 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

???????????? Did you sneak across the boarder then ??????

back in the day i went via pong nam ron often and i never left Thailand only my passport did

[sandyf]

12 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

???????????? Did you sneak across the boarder then ??????

Pass through Thai immigration and give the guy at the desk 200 baht. Head for the duty free and 20 minutes later guy is waiting with passport in hand, then back through Thai immigration. Out and in 30 - 40 minutes.

We got held up one time when the Thai IO asked my wife to help her put some carpets in back of her car. Bit of a sleepy hollow Ban Laem, mini buses went to Ban Pakard.

[sandyf]

3 minutes ago, steve187 said:

back in the day i went via pong nam ron often and i never left Thailand only my passport did

I used to see  an immigration building near the traffic lights, is that where you mean. I seem to think the stamp I got at Ban Laem was marked Pong Nam Ron.

I went into no man's land and my passport appeared to go into Cambodia, not 100 % on that.

[pantsonfire]

Advice on border run.  Iam on TR60 and will get 30 day extension till May but i wish to extend this to June for my big 40th birthday.

I am thinking i can use points to fly to Udon Thani but from there Iam abit lost on what to do?  any advice appreciated

[persimmon]

There are minibuses that make the 1 hour trip to Nonghai that depart from the car park in front of Central Dept store in Udon . A taxi from the airport to Central only takes 10 mins and might cost c. bt 200 . The mini buses call in at several places before they park up in the bus station in Nonghai , the bridge area is the second stop . Lots of cheap places to stay in Nonghai , not a lot to do there , but you could easily spend 1 or 2 days - there is a night market and a touristy market . It`s quite a pleasant walk along the side of the river .

[Caldera]

10 hours ago, persimmon said:

There are minibuses that make the 1 hour trip to Nonghai that depart from the car park in front of Central Dept store in Udon . A taxi from the airport to Central only takes 10 mins and might cost c. bt 200 .

 

Arriving at Udon Thani's airport, you can get on a minibus from there to the border directly, no need to take a taxi to CentralPlaza first.

[Highlandman]

On 1/31/2024 at 8:28 AM, brianthainess said:

You do realize you can pay in Baht? I know it might cost more, but I don't understand what seems like an obsession of many posters of paying in Perfect $us bills. No offence intended. 

 

 

It's cheaper to pay in USD. While I wouldn't bother exchanging my funds to USD for going to a neighboring country (except for Cambodia, where the USD is the de facto local currency) I most certainly would go out of my way to exchange enough USD for the visa on arrival..only exception is if I lived too far away from an exchange bureau (or i was somewhere in the country far away from an exchange bureau prior to crossing the border), costing me more in fuel bills than the savings from paying in USD. Normally though, I plan my trips in such a way to always have enough USD for a visa on arrival. If you fly, even easier as you can exchange your money at the airport prior to your flight. No excuse for not doing so then. 

[Highlandman]

18 hours ago, sandyf said:

Pass through Thai immigration and give the guy at the desk 200 baht. Head for the duty free and 20 minutes later guy is waiting with passport in hand, then back through Thai immigration. Out and in 30 - 40 minutes.

We got held up one time when the Thai IO asked my wife to help her put some carpets in back of her car. Bit of a sleepy hollow Ban Laem, mini buses went to Ban Pakard.

 

Back in 2008 I was on a non-B multiple entry visa with work permit and had never been across the Cambodian border by land. Prior to that time, I had however been across to Laos, Malaysia and even Myanmar by land, with the Myanmar crossings being day trips, but I had no idea how the procedure worked at the Cambodian border.

 

A Cambodian tout approached me at the Aranyaprathet border near Thai immigration. He quoted me a whopping 1600 Baht to do everything, getting stamped out of Thailand, getting my Cambodian visa and then getting everything stamped back in on both sides of the border while I waited with a Thai friend who was equally clueless. We accepted this price for the convenience and not knowing any better.

 

It all seemed to be legit, but by doing it myself I would have saved at least 50% and it would have been much faster.

 

We must have waited there for at least an hour while he was away with my passport. I couldn't believe how long it took. 

 

These days you can't do that. At minimum, you have to present in person to Thai immigration at least. Since that time I have had extensive experience traveling by land across to Cambodia and from there to Vietnam. I have, on subsequent trips in 2012-2014 paid touts on the Cambodian side to skip the queue and stamp my passport for entry or exit for 150-200 Baht (only on the Poipet side; on the Aranyaprathet side you do it yourself regardless of how long the wait is) if the queue is long but the only land border where there is even a queue is Poipet. These days, I generally don't even use Poipet anymore. I feel this was OK as the touts were always in my view, though I probably wouldn't do it anymore and it might not be permitted anyway, as Cambodian immigration has been requiring fingerprints now for longer than even Thai immigration. Cambodian immigration began fingerprinting around 2014, while Thai immigration only followed suit in 2017.

 

I would never do what I did back in 2008 again, as it's a huge risk, not merely because the stamps could end up being fake, but also the risk of passport theft.

[Highlandman]

On 2/2/2024 at 9:50 AM, brianthainess said:

When my Thai wife and I left overland into Cambodia we were Both charged 100b to leave.  🙄

 

The Thai side doesn't charge anything except if you're driving a car across, sometimes you're charged a small fee for the paperwork. Ban Pakkard for example has a strange procedure where you need to get a form from a military post located 30km before the border (the form is free), then you need photos of your car plus the usual immigration and customs forms in duplicate and will be charged 50 Baht to have them stamped. There is no charge for passengers. 

 

I have no idea of the purpose of the military form, but it could be to prevent vehicle smuggling. Yet it's not employed at checkpoints outside of Chanthaburi province, nor are Cambodians required to get one to bring their cars into Thailand via that crossing.

 

I had, until I made that trip through Ban Pakkard, only ever re-entered Thailand that way by car once in 2019. Otherwise, I was using Chong Chom or Koh Kong for entry into Cambodia by car and Poipet-Aranyaprathet or Chong Sa-ngam or Hat Lek/Koh Kong for exit back into Thailand.

[Highlandman]

On 1/30/2024 at 6:30 PM, steve187 said:

do a border bounce as close to 18th Feb as you can, then do a 30 day extension on this new entry, 

KUL is good for same day turn around, but worth a few days if you current permission of stay expires before the 18th Feb.  all foreign travelers entering Malaysia are required to complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card at https://imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main . This is an online pre-arrival form that must be submitted within three days prior to arrival in Malaysia, there are no visa charges i believe.

 

Can that form be done on arrival as you're entering Malaysia?

[Highlandman]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:36 AM, TimLMT said:

and you get there by bus from phuket?

 

 

I would think so. Bus or minivan. Ranong is 300km north of Phuket. You can use the normal immigration counter to travel to Kawthoung or go via the separate Andaman Club island one.

 

I've never used the Andaman Club pier. I'm only familiar with the normal immigration one that takes you to Kawthoung, however, I understand that the Andaman Club is located a few Km to the south and not hard to find.

[Highlandman]

On 2/2/2024 at 9:34 AM, sandyf said:

We went to laos last Jan and when we left across the bridge my wife(Thai) had to pay 20 baht, I wasn't asked for anything.

 

Did she travel on a passport or border pass? Border pass holders almost always pay more. It's really well worth getting a passport instead...saves a lot of time and frustration compared to applying for a border pass, which can't be done outside government hours.

 

Different procedures at different borders though - at the Mae Sai and Mae Sot borders, border passes for Thais cost only 30 Baht and are straightforward and quick to get, moreover at the moment they're not recognizing passports there due to the borders being officially closed to foreigners and Burmese visas not being recognized, though Thais are allowed to enter Myanmar for short stays in the border areas. They can't proceed to areas further inside the country though (except Kengtung in the case of entry via Mae Sai). 

[Highlandman]

On 2/2/2024 at 9:13 AM, TimLMT said:

no idea! i just saw the guy ahead of me pay 1800 baht

 

Very strange...in the past, most foreigners always paid in USD, so they could save a few hundred Baht compared to paying in Baht. Now I hear many travelers are just paying in Baht and in doing so, they're overpaying by 350-400 Baht. That's no small chunk of change for backpackers in particular.

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, Highlandman said:

 

The Thai side doesn't charge anything except if you're driving a car across, sometimes you're charged a small fee for the paperwork. Ban Pakkard for example has a strange procedure where you need to get a form from a military post located 30km before the border (the form is free), then you need photos of your car plus the usual immigration and customs forms in duplicate and will be charged 50 Baht to have them stamped. There is no charge for passengers. 

 

I have no idea of the purpose of the military form, but it could be to prevent vehicle smuggling. Yet it's not employed at checkpoints outside of Chanthaburi province, nor are Cambodians required to get one to bring their cars into Thailand via that crossing.

 

I had, until I made that trip through Ban Pakkard, only ever re-entered Thailand that way by car once in 2019. Otherwise, I was using Chong Chom or Koh Kong for entry into Cambodia by car and Poipet-Aranyaprathet or Chong Sa-ngam or Hat Lek/Koh Kong for exit back into Thailand.

I was talking about from Laos into Cambodia. 

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, Highlandman said:

I wouldn't bother exchanging my funds to USD for going to a neighboring country (except for Cambodia, where the USD is the de facto local currency)

And so is the Thai Baht, accepted everywhere in Cambodia IME.

[Caldera]

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

And so is the Thai Baht, accepted everywhere in Cambodia IME.

 

Not really. You can't just walk into a random restaurant in Phnom Penh and expect to be able to pay with Thai baht. You CAN do that in Vientiane on the other hand. So I can see why some people don't bother to exchange money for a trip to Laos.

[BritTim]

A word of warning if planning the KL run. There is no issue with a same day return as far as the Malaysian authorities are concerned, BUT

EVEN WITH A MULTIPLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA, immigration at Phuket airport MIGHT deny you entry if you are a long stay tourist doing a same day visa run. It depends on your immigration history and luck.

[sandyf]

3 hours ago, Highlandman said:

 

Did she travel on a passport or border pass? Border pass holders almost always pay more. It's really well worth getting a passport instead...saves a lot of time and frustration compared to applying for a border pass, which can't be done outside government hours.

 

Different procedures at different borders though - at the Mae Sai and Mae Sot borders, border passes for Thais cost only 30 Baht and are straightforward and quick to get, moreover at the moment they're not recognizing passports there due to the borders being officially closed to foreigners and Burmese visas not being recognized, though Thais are allowed to enter Myanmar for short stays in the border areas. They can't proceed to areas further inside the country though (except Kengtung in the case of entry via Mae Sai). 

The lecture is a bit presumptuous.

A few years ago we took her neice to Vientiane and as the neice had no passport my wife did the border pass with her, they never had to pay anything on re-entry.

[Highlandman]

On 2/3/2024 at 12:14 PM, brianthainess said:

I was talking about from Laos into Cambodia. 

 

Aha I see. Then you would be right, as Cambodian officials at that border are particularly corrupt. I've heard and read many stories.

[Highlandman]

On 2/3/2024 at 3:24 PM, sandyf said:

The lecture is a bit presumptuous.

A few years ago we took her neice to Vientiane and as the neice had no passport my wife did the border pass with her, they never had to pay anything on re-entry.

 

It's not presumptuous. Border pass holders always have to pay something for exit. First for issuing the border pass, then upon entry on the Lao/Burmese side. Returning to Thailand, there is generally no charge.

 

Passport holders generally pay nothing on either side.

[Highlandman]

On 2/3/2024 at 2:34 PM, Caldera said:

 

Not really. You can't just walk into a random restaurant in Phnom Penh and expect to be able to pay with Thai baht. You CAN do that in Vientiane on the other hand. So I can see why some people don't bother to exchange money for a trip to Laos.

 

True. In Cambodia, Baht is generally accepted within a radius of around 30-50km from the border. Beyond that it's generally Riel or USD only. Occasionally I see signs purporting to accept Baht at some supermarkets in Phnom Penh, but it's probably an exception rather than the rule. It's unlikely any merchant in Phnom Penh is still willing to accept Baht, though I did manage to pay a traffic fine (bribe demanded by the police) in Baht while in Phnom Penh last October. The officer was particularly interested in my Baht note as the USD and Riel I had in my wallet was insufficient to meet his demands.

Edited February 4 by Highlandman

[pantsonfire]

Any advice on how can do the border run to nong khai and then to udon?

 

I can take a flight to Laos, but how can i get to nong khai border?  Then after that how can i get to udon thani area after crossing nong khai?  

 

At nong khai do i just walk across or need a vehicle?  Any help be appreciated

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, Highlandman said:

 

Aha I see. Then you would be right, as Cambodian officials at that border are particularly corrupt. I've heard and read many stories.

Ok it was the LAOS immigration we had to pay 100b to leave

[sandyf]

15 hours ago, Highlandman said:

 

It's not presumptuous. Border pass holders always have to pay something for exit. First for issuing the border pass, then upon entry on the Lao/Burmese side. Returning to Thailand, there is generally no charge.

 

Passport holders generally pay nothing on either side.

Of course it was presumptuous, you took the view that we didn't know anything about border passes or had any experience. My wife worked for years in HK, Singapore and Vietnam, quite experienced in Asian visas and border crossings.

I made a simple comment that last Jan my wife had to pay on re-entry to Thailand and you decided to go overboard with the rhetoric.

[Highlandman]

8 hours ago, sandyf said:

Of course it was presumptuous, you took the view that we didn't know anything about border passes or had any experience. My wife worked for years in HK, Singapore and Vietnam, quite experienced in Asian visas and border crossings.

I made a simple comment that last Jan my wife had to pay on re-entry to Thailand and you decided to go overboard with the rhetoric.

 

Wow. I simply tried to offer my insights and you get all bent out of shape. The purpose of my original reply was to inform you that border pass holders always end up paying extra, compared to passport holders. It's not worth using a border pass at an international crossing where a passport would grant free entry and the ability to roam around the country. You can if you want, but it's not worth it. Plus you don't have to waste time going to a dedicated border pass office and wait for them to issue it. 

 

Border passes should or must be used at local border crossings that only permit restricted travel in the local area entered or borders such as those with Myanmar, where passports are currently not recognized such as Mae Sot and Mae Sai due to restrictions on travel on the Burmese side.

Edited February 5 by Highlandman

[Highlandman]

21 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Ok it was the LAOS immigration we had to pay 100b to leave

Yes both sides of that border can be quite corrupt. 

[Highlandman]

22 hours ago, pantsonfire said:

Any advice on how can do the border run to nong khai and then to udon?

 

I can take a flight to Laos, but how can i get to nong khai border?  Then after that how can i get to udon thani area after crossing nong khai?  

 

At nong khai do i just walk across or need a vehicle?  Any help be appreciated

 

In your case, I'd head by taxi to the morning market bus station and get on a direct Vientiane - Udon Thani bus. They depart around 8 times daily so provided your flight arrives during the day it probably won't be a long wait. This bus will take you seamlessly all the way to Udon Thani bus station. A separate bus service also goes just to Nong Khai, with roughly 8-10 departures daily.

 

Walking across the bridge is prohibited. It's not necessary anyway when the same bus will take you across the border. It will wait for you. Thailand bound buses will take all foreign passengers regardless of their visa situation. Some of the short haul Lao bound buses only take travelers from visa free countries, those holding an e-visa or standard visa sticker as they don't want to hang around waiting for travelers applying for visas on arrival.